Chapter 9
“Would you take a look at this?”
As she held the crystal out to the Duke, his gaze faltered. For a moment, silence filled the office.
“……..Is this even possible?”
The Duke carefully took the crystal. Watching from the side, Marcus’s eyes widened in turn.
“Its original luster has been restored.”
Though his tone was indifferent, the Duke couldn’t bring himself to put the crystal down.
“Is this a secret technique of the Count Saint-Clair family?”
The way the Duke looked at Adelaïde seemed somehow different than before.
“Well….”
‘This is only possible because I’m Yoo Eun-jae. What should I tell them?’
“Th-that’s right! It’s our family’s secret technique.”
Adelaïde slightly avoided the Duke’s direct gaze. Somehow, her conscience pricked at her. Just then, the Duke’s sharp question cut in.
“Did you find the culprit as well?”
“Ah, I can’t say for certain who the culprit is, but I found where the tool that shattered the crystal was made.”
The Duke, who had asked with little expectation, raised an eyebrow.
“You found it?”
“To be precise, just the place it was made. It will be difficult to identify the culprit from that alone.”
Adelaïde handed back the documents the Duke had given her. The documents were covered in underlines.
‘Now he can’t ignore my skills, right?!’
Adelaïde lifted her chin and put on a confident expression. The Duke’s gaze, which had been scanning the documents, stopped at one point.
“Lumengria?”
“Yes! I don’t know why the name of a country is written there, but there’s one more place.”
“…The Rosenfield Trading Company?!”
The moment they saw the name, the expressions of both the Duke and Marcus hardened. Adelaïde watched their reactions and tilted her head in confusion.
‘……Why are they acting like that?’
No sooner had Adelaïde finished her business and left the office than Marcus reached out to touch the crystal.
“She exceeds all expectations.”
An intrigued smile spread across his lips as he tilted the crystal this way and that, examining it.
“She’s only been here a few days, and she’s already restored it and even found a lead. At this rate, I think you can entrust *that* to her.”
“You’d trust her immediately just because she restored one crystal?”
The Duke narrowed his eyes and cut him off coldly.
“It’s been fifteen long years. We’ve sought out every so-called master craftsman there is. Some even said it could never be restored. What do we have to lose?”
The Duke said nothing, simply staring at the crystal. His gaze was sharp, as if searching for any trace of the crack.
“Were the skills of the Count Saint-Clair family always this remarkable?”
“It was a known fact that the family possessed a secret technique, but no one from the Count’s family has ever worked with jewels. After their business failed, they became the butt of jokes among the nobility, who speculated they must have sold off their secret method.”
“So they were hiding it on purpose.”
“There’s no other explanation.”
“With this level of skill, they could have opened a jewelry shop, or even just offered processing services, and made a fortune.”
Marcus narrowed his eyes, his expression sharpening.
“Just give the order. I’ll look into it.”
“No need. It would be a waste of time.”
As the Duke lowered his gaze, Marcus stepped back with a smile.
“If you say so.”
The Duke pointed to the name on the document and continued.
“Lumengria would be the royal family. They process their own jewels, so that’s not unusual, but this place…?”
“It’s suspicious. Isn’t Rosenfield the trading company that’s been coveting our ducal estate’s trade routes lately?”
“Rosenfield… you don’t mean *that* Rosenfield?”
“Yes. The one run by the royal advisor, Kain Rosenfield. Even if someone else handles the day-to-day operations, he would be the one to give final approval.”
“He’s a man who doesn’t show his hand. What did the background check turn up?”
“On the surface, he’s clean.”
“We’ll have to dig deeper.”
“It won’t be easy. They have a private order of knights guarding them like a fortress.”
“A mere trading company has its own order of knights? Does the Karsiten ducal estate hesitate over a single order of knights? Investigate more thoroughly.”
“Yes!”
The Duke nonchalantly placed the crystal on the corner of his desk. The crystal trembled slightly, as if awakening, then fell still.
Adelaïde, who had stayed up all night in the joy of having her own workshop, finally drifted off into a deep sleep at dawn. In her dream, the familiar scenery of a mansion appeared.
Where am I?
Her vision was blurry. Adelaïde looked around, rubbing her eyes. It was clearly the Count’s family’s mansion in Solaris. Fragments of unfamiliar memories began to gather.
‘Huh? Who’s that?’
She saw someone with a letter clutched in a pale hand. It was the ‘real owner’ of this body. Her trembling fingertips barely held onto the letter.
[…Do not cross the line. The moment you try to uncover the secret……your life will be next.]
The short, harsh sentences were visible in fragments. She folded the letter and put it deep inside a drawer. Then, she unfolded another letter.
[To Count Saint-Clair,
….We wish to help your family… on one condition. Leave the Solaris estate, and we will take care of your debts…
Putting the letter down, she stared blankly out the window.
<Both the threat and the offer of support require me to leave the estate…>
A small mumble could be heard.
<Now…What am I supposed to do… Father…?>
The whisper scattered in the wind. Her slender shoulders were trembling.
The dream slowly faded as Adelaïde’s consciousness hazily returned.
“Umm.”
Opening her eyes, Adelaïde discovered tear stains on her pillow.
“That dream again. Haa.”
She wiped her eyes. She couldn’t get up for a long time, one hand on her forehead. The emotions lingering in her heart did not subside easily.
‘What in the world happened to the real owner of this body?’
Looking out the window, it seemed to still be the middle of the night. Adelaïde pushed her limp hair back and slipped out of bed.
She went to the window and opened it wide. A breeze blew in. The garden, shrouded in darkness, was quiet and beautiful.
“I fell asleep too early and now I’m wide awake.”
“Huh?”
Someone was standing in the middle of the garden.
“Who could that be, at this hour?”
The moonlight, which had been hidden by clouds, revealed itself.
“………Your Grace?”
Standing perfectly still, he looked somehow… lonely. Adelaïde found herself watching him.
‘Why is he out here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?’
After standing there for a long time, the Duke slowly crossed the garden.
“What on earth is over there?”
Could he have noticed?
Adelaïde grabbed a shawl and hurried outside. Muffling her footsteps, she tiptoed quickly, afraid of losing the Duke. At the edge of the garden, where tall trees stood in a row, the Duke stopped.
Adelaïde froze, holding her breath, not daring to move. Her heart pounded like crazy. A moment later, the Duke started walking again. Following behind him, Adelaïde suddenly looked around.
“Where did he go?”
The Duke was gone. In his place, an old annex came into view.
‘Was there a place like that on the estate grounds?’
“Should I follow? Nah, I shouldn’t.”
In the end, she returned to her room and lay down on the bed.
After hesitating for a moment, Adelaïde soon turned back.
It was obvious what kind of scolding she would receive if she were caught.
“I should just get some sleep.”
‘Ugh, why am I so bothered by this?’
As Adelaïde drifted off to sleep, the image of the Duke’s back in the moonlight still flickered in her vision.
Opening the window, a breath of fresh air came in. After taking a deep breath, Adelaïde headed straight for her workshop. The garden was visible beyond the window, and in its center stood a familiar back.
“It’s His Grace again.”
The Duke, who was so busy it was hard to even see his face, was seen with unusual frequency in the garden, especially in that very spot.
Knock, knock.
A cheerful knock echoed, chasing the Duke from her thoughts.
“My lady, there is someone I’d like to introduce. Could you please come to the bedroom for a moment?”
“Alright!”
In the bedroom, along with Sophia, stood another woman with a neat appearance.
“This is Rachel Harper. She will be attending to you starting today, my lady.”
“A personal maid? What about Emilia?”
Sophia hesitated for a moment, but quickly answered with practiced ease.
“She said she was returning to her hometown. It took some time to hire a new servant because she quit so suddenly. His Grace personally reviewed the letters of recommendation and selected her himself.”
“I see.”
Rachel bowed her head in greeting.
“It is an honor to serve you, my lady.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rachel.”
“Rachel has a special talent for brewing tea. She will prepare wonderful tea for you, my lady.”
At Sophia’s explanation, Rachel humbly bowed her head.
“I’m looking forward to it. Please take good care of me.”
Adelaïde liked Rachel. Unlike Emilia, Rachel didn’t say much, but she seemed serious and composed.
“Rachel, from now on, you will be in charge of all matters concerning my lady. Except for the workshop.”
“Yes, Sophia.”
Sophia took Rachel around, teaching her various things and meticulously explaining the precautions.
“Sophia, by any chance, do you have a history book on Lumengria? There wasn’t one on my bookshelf.”
“A book like that would be in the study.”
“The study?”
“Yes. Would you like to go now?”
“Great!”
Adelaïde followed Sophia down to the second floor. At the end of a long hallway, Sophia opened a large door.
“This is the place.”
“Wow.”
The large hall was filled with books that covered the walls. Sofas and tables were placed here and there between the bookshelves.
“It’s magnificent. I’d believe it if you told me it was a library.”
“Shall I help you find the book you need?”
“It’s alright. I’ll look for it myself. I can’t believe there was such a wonderful place here. I’ll have to come often.”
As Adelaïde answered enthusiastically, Sophia left with a pleased smile, closing the door behind her. Adelaïde stood before the bookshelf, running her finger along the titles. As she tilted her head, sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the spines of the books.
‘Where would the history books be…?’
She walked around a large bookshelf.
“Found it!”
She pulled out a thick history book and turned to the first page. Just then, the pleasant sunlight that had been shining down vanished, and a shadow fell over her. Startled, Adelaïde looked up.
