DLBA Chapter 48

Chapter 48

I had no intention of blaming him for betraying others and begging for his life to be saved easily. Now, the one holding his leash was not the third prince, but Duke Zenkis.

The marquis’ cheerful confidence from yesterday was gone. After just one night, he looked depressed and careful, which felt a little sad.

‘Well… at least it’s good that he won’t die by having his head cut off.’

If things had followed the original story, he would have died a meaningless death later. So this was probably better for him.

“Madam, we will leave soon. The road isn’t very good, but the carriage should be able to pass without much trouble.”

Gary’s voice came as he approached me.

“Okay. I’ll get ready to leave.”

I smiled and turned around, but his voice came again.

“Oh, I didn’t know you even knew the desert tribe’s language.”

Hearing his strange words, I tilted my head.

“Desert tribe?”

Since I didn’t understand, he looked at me with a doubtful gaze for a moment.

“Those dancers yesterday… they couldn’t speak the imperial language at all.”

As soon as I heard that, I became alert.

“Ah! That. Haha. I had some free time before coming here, so I learned a little. It was easier than I thought. Then I’ll go prepare first.”

I quickly turned and left. I was afraid my lie would be exposed to sharp-minded Gary.

After a long journey, we finally arrived at the Kingdom of Kaia.

It was called a kingdom, but it had land as large as the empire. I heard that trade was active through both sea and land.

Because of that, the streets were lively in a way different from the empire. Castle walls and dome-shaped towers that looked like something from a fairy tale caught my attention.

Since commerce was developed here, people of many different appearances and clothes mixed on the streets.

‘Finally, Kaia Kingdom!’

Many guests from other countries had gathered to celebrate the upcoming royal wedding, and the capital already felt like a festival.

Thanks to the Kaia royal family’s consideration, we were allowed to use a royal-owned mansion located right in front of the royal castle.

Even though our group was large, it was common for visiting nobles to stay in mansions owned by the capital’s aristocrats, so we were lucky.

While looking around the mansion, Ena clasped her hands and kept exclaiming in admiration.

“Wow! The mansion is so pretty! It feels like a princess’s secret villa.”

After arriving safely and relaxing a little, the exotic mansion filled with unknown flowers made me feel good just by looking at it.

“Ah?”

Ena, who had been smiling like a child, bowed slightly to someone.

It was Carun.

“I have something to tell you, madam.”

He came to find me alone. I felt a little nervous, wondering if something serious had happened.

Carun bowed his head and said with a serious face, unlike usual.

“I heard from Assistant Gary. You thought the dancers were saying strange things that day and told him. I almost got dragged into a very troublesome situation, but thanks to you, I was able to avoid it. Thank you.”

I felt a little confused by the unexpected thank-you.

I was just satisfied that Carun wouldn’t end up limping later. Hearing him express such gratitude made me feel warm inside.

“I’m glad everything was resolved.”

Then Carun took something shiny from his waist and held it out to me.

“It’s a small gift from me.”

The small object didn’t suit his big hand, and both me and Ena looked down at it curiously.

“It’s a dagger. This place is where all kinds of people gather, so women also carry small daggers to protect themselves. You probably won’t need to use it, but please keep it with you while staying here, just in case.”

The dagger he gave me was small enough to fit into my hand.

The delicate carving on the handle became more and more pleasing the more I looked at it.

“Thank you. I’ll carry it well while staying here.”

Seeing that I liked it, Carun smiled and turned back.

“I thought he was a scary person, but he’s surprisingly thoughtful. Carun is cool.”

I also laughed at Ena’s words.

It seemed Ena finally realized how kind Carun really was.

Looking at the dagger, I thought that among the “all kinds of people” he mentioned, there would probably be Xeno Haberstern too.

‘So I can finally meet Xeno.’

I felt excited thinking I could see him in person—the man Stella secretly had a crush on.

While I was thinking that, Gary walked toward me.

I hid the dagger inside my sleeve and waited for him to approach.

“Madam, the duke left for some business. The wedding is in two days, but His Excellency has work to handle, so we will stay here for a few more days. If you feel uncomfortable during your stay, please tell me.”

“Okay. But if I don’t have to stay only inside the mansion, can I go outside to get some fresh air and look around?”

When I asked with sparkling eyes, he thought for a moment and nodded.

“I will assign guards for you. But please don’t go too far.”

“I will. Thank you.”

This was a good chance to dispose of the necklace given by the empress.

I went to the largest and most traditional jewelry shop in the Kingdom of Kaia.

It was located in the center of the royal capital.

I heard that this shop handled the world’s rarest gems.

As expected of its reputation, the store’s exterior was luxurious, and armed guards were standing in front.

The customers coming in and out looked like either nobles or rich foreign merchants.

‘If it’s here, I can sell the necklace at a fair price.’

I smiled with satisfaction while looking at the necklace box given by the empress.

Then I handed it to the jeweler without hesitation.

“I want to sell this.”

“Understood, madam.”

The clerk opened the box with a kind smile, and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw the necklace.

I expected this reaction because everyone who saw the necklace reacted like that.

But the clerk’s expression changed as he carefully examined the necklace.

Tilting his head and looking puzzled, he kept glancing between me and the necklace.

“Please wait a moment, madam.”

Watching him leave after putting the necklace down, I sensed something was wrong.

Actually, I had already felt this uncomfortable feeling since receiving the necklace from the empress.

“Thank you for waiting, madam.”

The person the clerk brought was an old man with a magnificent white beard.

He looked like the owner of the jewelry shop.

After hearing something from the clerk, he carefully examined the necklace.

While using a magnifying lens to check it from different angles, I heard Ena swallowing nervously beside me.

Somehow, I could guess what he would say, so I wasn’t nervous.

Finally, he put the necklace back down and spoke apologetically.

“The gemstone used in this necklace is not genuine. The gold thread is real, and the craftsmanship is excellent, but this delicate emerald is fake. It is so well made that I even wonder why such effort was used on fake jewelry.”

He shook his head as if he couldn’t understand. It seemed this was also his first time seeing something like this.

When I heard the necklace was fake, instead of getting angry, I let out a breathless laugh.

Of course.

There was no way the empress would give me the real thing.

I had doubted it deep inside, yet I was happy when I received the necklace.

How much must the empress have laughed at me inside when she saw me happily wearing it?

“Th, that can’t be true. That was given by Her Majesty the Empress…”

Ena, more shocked than me, tried to object, but I stopped her.

Instead, I hung the necklace on my finger and stared at it.

‘Did she want to feel self-satisfaction every time she saw me wearing this? Saying that Ricardo is fake, so his wife is also fake. Did she want to deceive us like that?’

I was foolish to think the empress might not be as bad as I thought, being tempted by cheap kindness and shiny things.

When the uncomfortable feeling inside me was exposed, I actually felt relieved.