CHAPTER 32……………………………………………
“I…”
Finally, Tricia spoke. Everyone was waiting for her answer.
“I’ve never sold my wedding ring.”
Tricia continued calmly.
“There must have been some kind of misunderstanding.”
“Hah…”
The Marchioness of Devon let out a hollow laugh, as if she couldn’t believe it.
“You really intend to go all the way…”
“Aunt.”
When Edwin stopped the Marchioness, Regina, who had been about to intervene, wisely closed her mouth.
Edwin fixed his gaze on Tricia and asked again.
“So, then the ring grew legs and went to the black market by itself, is that it?”
“My ring is with me.”
“That’s impossible.”
Regina snorted, almost mockingly.
“If you have the ring, then why weren’t you wearing it?”
Tricia looked at Edwin silently. When their eyes met, Edwin glanced away.
He, too, had not been wearing his wedding ring.
Edwin cleared his throat.
“What difference does it make whether you wear it or not? What matters is whether you have it!”
“The reason I haven’t been wearing my ring is…”
Tricia opened her mouth and took out a necklace she had been wearing under her clothes to show him.
“I was afraid I’d lose it. So I couldn’t bring myself to wear it and instead had it made into a necklace.”
“…Let me see.”
Edwin was the first to check the necklace holding Tricia’s ring.
It was too identical to his own ring to be considered a similar design.
Not only the design, but the engraving of their names was perfect—a real, authentic ring.
“This is the ring I commissioned from the most famous jeweler at the time.”
And that jeweler was dead. That meant there was no way to make the same ring now.
“What do you think?”
“…”
Edwin remained silent.
At the same time, a question arose: then what exactly was the ring that appeared on the black market?
“Eddie, say something!”
Regina urged Edwin as the situation went differently than she had expected.
Edwin slowly opened his mouth.
“…It’s the real ring.”
“That’s impossible!”
“Th-That can’t be! Then what is that ring that appeared on the black market?”
The Marchioness of Devon also shouted in disbelief.
Seeing the intense reactions of the two, Tricia tilted her head.
“Why are both of you reacting like that?”
“…”
“It seems like you both want me to have sold the wedding ring.”
Tricia continued softly.
“Surely… that can’t be the case.”
“Aunt.”
Edwin’s gaze turned toward the two of them.
“Send someone immediately to retrieve that ring from the black market.”
For once, he gave the order with a sharp gaze.
Normally, they could have taken it easy and let it slide…
‘The situation isn’t good.’
Since losing the emperor’s favor, Edwin no longer treated his aunt as an upper-class superior as he once had.
Though he spoke politely, that was all—he treated her as Duke Mason would have treated the Marchioness of Devon.
In a way, it was only natural.
Even as an illegitimate child, Edwin had the emperor’s blood. Everyone except the royal family would be beneath him.
“It’s late. Shall we continue tomorrow, Eddie?”
“Did I ask the princess for her opinion?”
Regina froze at Edwin’s cold remark.
He had always called her “Lizzy,” but now he deliberately used the title “Princess,” drawing a clear line.
Only then did Regina realize the seriousness of the situation and fell silent.
In the end, after waiting two hours on the spot, the problematic ring was brought before Edwin.
“A fake.”
Edwin was sure as soon as he saw the ring.
Then he placed it on Tricia’s hand.
“…It doesn’t fit?”
Regina’s eyes wavered.
The Marchioness of Devon, who had been observing the situation, slowly turned her head.
‘Could it be that the princess deliberately gave me a fake ring to trap me?’
Noticing her suspicion, Regina shook her head.
She wanted to convey that she had truly offered the bribe with pure intentions.
“Interesting.”
Edwin’s icy voice cut through the room.
His gaze scanned Regina and the Marchioness, then stopped on his own aunt.
He kept his gaze fixed and said:
“So, it turns out the one who sold this on the black market was Bill, a servant of the princess’s palace.”
“…What?!”
“That’s right, your lover, Aunt.”
The Marchioness of Devon flinched at Edwin’s words.
‘That can’t be.’
She had indeed sold the ring on the black market.
But she wasn’t foolish, and she couldn’t have failed to consider that Edwin might trace the seller.
‘The last time I saw Bill was before I received the ring.’
She hadn’t met Bill since Regina had received the ring.
Which meant…
‘It really was a trap.’
The Marchioness’s eyes turned to Regina.
Once again, Regina tried to plead her innocence with her eyes, but it was useless.
“Explain, Aunt.”
Edwin’s interrogation was closing in.
The Marchioness gritted her teeth.
“Do you think I’m foolish enough to use such a shallow trick?”
“Or maybe you planned this all along and are pretending to fall into the trap.”
“If I truly intended to frame someone, it wouldn’t have been discovered so easily.”
“But didn’t you almost poison Hestia and get caught?”
The tone was clearly sarcastic, showing no respect.
The Marchioness squeezed her eyes shut.
‘This child neither respects nor trusts me.’
No further excuses would work.
At the same time, she realized this might be part of Regina’s scheme to isolate Edwin.
“If you don’t trust me, I’ll ask only one thing.”
Half resigned, the Marchioness continued:
“Who do you think brought that ring to me?”
“One of your loyal servants, I suppose.”
Edwin answered indifferently, and the Marchioness let out a hollow laugh.
“Be wary of outsiders.”
Though vague, it was clearly aimed at Regina.
Tricia was technically an outsider too, but she had been the one wronged.
“Aunt! What do you mean by that…”
Regina jumped, realizing too late, and shut her mouth.
The atmosphere in the room was freezing.
“If there’s nothing more to say, I’ll be leaving.”
Edwin was the first to try to leave.
“Tricia, come with me.”
Tricia nodded and followed him.
“W-Wait! I’ll come with you!”
Regina tried to leave the room as well, but the Marchioness’s maids stopped her.
“Let’s talk a little.”
“L-Lady…”
The door closed after Regina’s frightened voice.
Tricia paid no mind and walked after Edwin.
He headed to a nearby guest room.
“Why are there two rings?”
Tricia remained silent at the sudden question.
Edwin muttered to himself, arms crossed, puzzled.
“The artisan who made our rings is definitely dead.”
“I was worried about that too. I never imagined a fake ring would appear.”
Answering with a calm, innocent expression, Edwin sighed.
For a moment, he felt foolish for even suspecting Tricia’s possible scheme.
After all, anyone who would make a fake ring just to frame Tricia would have been predictable.
‘It could be the aunt, or Regina, or maybe both as accomplices.’
Edwin sighed in frustration.
‘This is why women…’
Trying to assert dominance and organize hierarchy among themselves? That’s one thing.
‘But putting a wedding ring on the black market is another!’
Just like when Regina had put the duke family’s treasure on display.
Family affairs should stay within the family; taking them outside only makes a laughingstock.
‘At least I thought Aunt would know better…’
Then again, she had already lost favor with the emperor for acting rashly; perhaps her judgment had been compromised for some time.
“This won’t do.”
Having made up his mind, Edwin said firmly:
“From now on, you will manage all of the duke family’s domestic affairs that Aunt used to oversee.”
Thanks to receiving the family seal, Tricia could now intervene in the family’s internal management to some extent.
However, most of the household was still controlled by the Marchioness of Devon.
The reason being that Tricia was still inexperienced and couldn’t handle the duke family’s affairs.
Edwin knew this too, but he had let it slide to avoid trouble.
“If Aunt resists, report to me. No, it’s better to go together from the start.”
For the first time across his past and present lives, Edwin showed a reassuring attitude.
—
