Chapter 49
It was certainly not something that Grady had done with Rosella’s permission.
He was a man she had spent a long time taming. Though he longed to break free from the shackles she had placed on him, those very chains now held him through habit—a terrifying thing.
Just as a bird in a cage sees the cage as its entire world, Grady never even considered escaping Rosella.
“He gifted a precious painting to Her Majesty, didn’t he?”
Rosella the Empress fell silent at Eliana’s abrupt remark.
She had always ignored Grady’s love yet never refused his gifts. In truth, those weren’t gifts but extorted offerings under threat. Still, no one knew that—no one except Grady and Rosella.
“…”
“It’s mine.”
“What?”
“It came from the Marquisate’s estate during the asset liquidation. So, it belongs to me.”
Rosella bit her lip. She had no retort as Eliana claimed it as hers with such boldness.
She wanted to say she’d return it right away, but <Red Winter> was no ordinary painting. Possessing it opened endless possibilities.
“…”
“I don’t intend to ask him anything about that painting.”
Eliana softly set down her teacup and looked straight at Rosella. The Empress’s clenched hands on the armrest betrayed her effort to suppress rage.
‘So she’s not going to give it back after all.’
“…”
“So I don’t think he’ll dare question me about dismissing a head maid, either.”
Her crimson lips curved into a smile.
Her flawless, fair face glowed in the sunlight.
Rosella swallowed hard, glaring at Eliana, who had dared to come here under the guise of discussing the painting only to issue veiled warnings.
Had she underestimated her?
Eliana was someone Rosella herself had pushed into Grady’s arms. So she never expected her to be as obedient as Grady.
But she hadn’t anticipated being blindsided like this either.
Rosella’s lips twisted with fury. She gripped the armrest so tightly it looked as if she might strangle Eliana at any moment.
“I heard you were receiving guests while I waited. If you’ll permit me, this uninvited guest will take her leave now.”
“That would be best.”
As soon as Rosella gave her consent, Eliana rose and left without hesitation.
Rosella waited until Eliana disappeared through the door, then hurled her teacup. It smashed violently against the closed door, shattering into countless pieces.
* * *
“How about this one? Twenty-five diamonds delicately surround an emerald, each stone finely cut by master craftsmen.”
Grady’s gaze turned cold as he stared at the emerald necklace the master jeweler proudly displayed. With one hand in his pocket and a tilted head, he looked thoroughly unimpressed.
It was customary to match colored gemstones with the recipient’s eye color. Naturally, the jeweler had chosen emeralds to match Empress Rosella’s eyes.
“…I’d prefer blue.”
“Pardon?”
The jeweler raised his glasses, confused. With Rosella’s red hair, blue wouldn’t clash—but the strong contrast made it less than ideal.
“I think blue suits my wife better than green. Do you disagree, Master?”
“…Ah!”
Finally realizing Grady’s true intention, the jeweler swiftly put away the emerald necklace.
After a brief moment of chaos, he brought out a black velvet box.
“My apologies for the wait.”
“It’s fine.”
Grady straightened his posture, lowering the hand propped under his chin. Seeing his gaze fixed on the box, the jeweler quickly opened it.
“…Not bad.”
On the velvet lay a dazzling blue diamond, strikingly similar to Eliana’s eyes.
“A blue diamond,” the jeweler explained.
The large central gem, big enough to cover a fingertip, was surrounded by brilliant diamonds that enhanced its sparkle. Its clarity and depth made one feel as if they were looking up at the sky from the ocean floor.
Seeing Grady’s satisfied expression, the jeweler began showcasing more items.
“As you know, a blue diamond of this size is incredibly rare.”
Grady nodded.
“But here at Maran, we are different.”
With pride, the jeweler opened another box.
Inside lay a necklace crafted in the same design as the ring, but three to four times larger. Even Grady was impressed.
“Remarkable.”
The jeweler beamed at Grady’s praise.
He had bought it in advance knowing it was exquisite, but selling a blue diamond of this size was no easy feat. The raw gem was rare, and skilled craftsmen even rarer.
But the Duke of Criber was no ordinary client—he had the means to buy both the necklace and the ring.
“Do you have anything else?”
“…Is something wrong with it?”
Grady had clearly looked impressed when shown the necklace. But now, asking for more, the jeweler feared the piece hadn’t met expectations.
Worried, the jeweler hesitated. Grady clicked his tongue.
“If she wears it on her neck and hand, won’t her ears feel left out?”
“Ah!”
The jeweler rushed off toward the vault.
Soon, a string of precious gems that had gone unsold for years emerged from storage.
“I’ll have them delivered safely to your residence.”
The jeweler bowed deeply at the entrance. It looked like his head might touch the floor.
He might have actually knelt, if asked.
The Duke of Criber’s purchase in just two hours was enough to keep the shop running for the next ten years. Dropping to his knees was a small price to pay.
“Do it,” Grady said.
“Rest assured, Your Grace.”
Grady waved a hand dismissively and began walking briskly, searching his jacket pocket.
“Home,” he said.
At his word, the coachman spurred the horses.
When Grady arrived at the mansion, he marched inside. His early return startled the butler, who rushed to greet him.
“Is something wrong, sir?”
“No. Just felt like it.”
Grady looked around, prompting the butler to do the same.
Usually indifferent to household matters, Grady inspecting the surroundings made the butler nervous, wondering if something had gone wrong.
“The Duchess?”
“Ah!”
The butler relaxed at last.
“She’s in the drawing room overlooking the western garden.”
“What’s she doing, swimming in a frozen fountain?”
“Surely not.”
Embarrassed that he had asked about Eliana so directly, Grady grumbled—but his feet carried him steadily to the western drawing room.
It was tucked away at the far end of the corridor, distant from the mansion’s center.
“She’s not a mouse. What is she doing hiding in a corner like this?”
Grumbling to himself in the empty hallway, Grady hesitated at the white door before opening it.
“Hm?”
He scanned the room. Cream-colored wallpaper, a fireplace crackling on the right wall. But the velvet sofa facing the window was empty.
Crack, crack.
The fire crackled—and beneath it, soft breathing.
Grady unconsciously stepped lightly as he approached the green sofa.
Eliana lay fast asleep, her face buried in a red knit cushion. The only sounds in the room were the fire and her quiet breaths.
He stared at her in silence. She looked like a music box figurine, slowly turning to a gentle tune.
He had confidently declared he’d send <Red Winter> to the Empress and deal with the consequences, but guilt still gnawed at him.
Though she now had part of the Hoffman estate and wasn’t financially weak anymore, guilt wasn’t something that could be rationalized away.
Grady gazed at her sleeping face.
From her smooth forehead, straight nose, and full red lips down to the delicate line of her neck—he traced the air as though touching her.
Where his hand passed, shadows bloomed and receded like waves of light and darkness.
“…She really is beautiful.”
Scratching the back of his head like a teenager peeking at a girl he liked, Grady blamed the fireplace for his reddening face.
He sat at her feet and rummaged in his jacket pocket.
What he pulled out was a red sandalwood case. When he undid the gold clasp, a red gem sparkled inside.
Grady didn’t hesitate to lift the fine platinum chain.
After a moment’s pause, he gently lifted her skirt.
His heart pounded as if he were doing something illicit. Ignoring the flutter in his chest, he forced his hands to move deliberately.
“Hmph.”
But when Eliana stirred, he instantly gentled his touch.
Raising her slender ankle, he clasped the platinum anklet with a satisfied smile.
Then he felt it—someone’s gaze.
His eyes slowly moved from her ankle to her shin, then to her thigh, chest, and finally—her face.
