Chapter 13
I listened carefully to what Selly said.
“They sent this over.”
Something shiny rested on her cupped hands.
‘…What’s that? It doesn’t look like a gemstone.’
Maybe it was because I was too far away, but I couldn’t tell what it was. So I walked closer to take a better look.
‘It looks similar to a jewel… but not quite.’
Up close, it was definitely different from normal gemstones.
But since I’d grown up surrounded by rare treasures, I could tell right away that this was something special.
“Would you like to see it more closely?”
“Yes.”
I gladly accepted and picked it up, lifting it toward the ceiling light.
“This was mined from the mine you recently purchased, my lady. It’s called magic stone.”
As the chandelier light reflected off it, Selly excitedly continued explaining.
“As you know, no magic stones have appeared in the empire for the past ten years. We had to import them from other countries at very high prices.”
Of course, I remembered. Many nobles had suffered headaches because of that.
“But now they’ve discovered magic stones in your mine. And not just a few—quite a lot!”
Was it just my imagination?
I could almost hear gold coins pouring down with a happy clinking sound.
Selly clapped her hands like it was her own good news.
“Turns out the mine you bought wasn’t just any mine—it was the very one where the magic stones were sleeping!”
Seeing her reaction, I couldn’t help but smile.
‘So this is a magic stone…’
I’d seen many jewels before, but this was my first time seeing something like this. My heart began to pound.
I made up my mind about one thing.
“Selly.”
“Yes, my lady?”
“I’ll tell Father about this myself when the time is right. Until then, don’t mention it to anyone.”
Good news like this should be delivered as a surprise.
Besides, Father probably still worries I’ll cause trouble again.
But this time, I wanted to let him know I was focused on earning money instead—not causing accidents. (Well… unless things don’t go as planned.)
“Alright, you can leave now.”
Once Selly left, I hid the stone somewhere only I knew, then finally relaxed on the bed.
‘Now I should read the gift my sister gave me.’
I unfolded the paper.
‘This… is a drawing of our family?’
In front of a flower-filled house stood four smiling figures. Each one was labeled “Mother,” “Father,” “Older Sister,” and “Baby Sister.”
‘So this was the kind of family my sister dreamed of.’
But in reality… only half of that dream had come true.
I moved my gaze to the writing beneath the picture.
First, I read what my sister had written:
Hi, little sister! Happy 20th birthday! You’re still cute even at twenty!
Yes… she still treats me preciously, just like those words.
Then I looked at the message beside it.
Happy twentieth birthday, my precious child. Thank you for growing up healthy.
Warmth poured out of the words. I stared at them for a long time.
But eventually, I had to look away.
‘This wasn’t originally meant for me…’
If I had still been ignorant of the truth, I probably would’ve cried.
But now I knew.
The real daughter was supposed to return one day.
And when that time came, this letter would belong to her.
Maybe I was the intruder in this family.
That thought made my mood sink.
***
After that day, my heart felt unsettled for a while, but time passed quickly.
‘Good thing I made plans.’
I ate well, read bestselling novels in the garden…
Before I knew it, the day I was supposed to meet Etienne had arrived.
I left early, excited to watch the play he had praised so highly.
But just then:
“The master is calling for you, my lady,” Selly said.
I paused—then reassured myself.
‘Calm down. It’s probably nothing serious.’
I went to Father’s office and saw him sitting comfortably on the sofa.
“Don’t just stand there. Come sit down.”
He grumbled as always, but his eyes were warm.
I sat down across from him, and he gently began speaking.
“I heard the news. They found magic stones in your mine.”
My worries disappeared instantly.
Ah. So that was why he called me.
Relaxing, I proudly straightened my shoulders.
“Yes! I just bought the mine for fun, but it turned out to be incredibly valuable.”
Father smiled.
“Sometimes luck is a talent too.”
He kept praising me warmly—like he wanted to praise me for Mother’s sake as well.
Then, his tone changed slightly.
“By the way… your sister told me something about you.”
He continued quietly.
