Chapter 29
“This is going to be troublesome.”
Without a second thought about money or any suspicion of being caught, Maribel had gone and made such a big mess.
I wanted to tear my hair out, screaming at her for being insane—but of all times, it had to be me, the original owner of this body.
And on top of that, the model for this character was me.
I clutched my jet-black hair as if I were tearing it out, groaning in frustration.
“Are you alright, Lady Maribel?”
Pedro’s situation was one problem, but if Arius Romero realized that the gemstones he bought were fake, and discovered that the one who sold them—Muwa—was actually Maribel Sephardi…
Would Arius still agree to an engagement knowing Maribel was a notorious scammer?
“Manu, for now, try to persuade all the jewelers who haven’t replied yet. Understood? I want the items to reach me as soon as possible.”
“Yes, understood. Oh, and…”
“And what else?”
“It seems Fekil—the dedicated craftsman—is upset.”
“What? Why on earth?”
Maribel had created the designs for the Muwa brand, and the craftsmen executed them.
Now there was a problem with one of the craftsmen.
“It’s unprecedented for her to forgive mistakes, and since Fekil handled the crafting himself, having the pieces taken back for inspection seems to have bruised his pride.”
“I see. Looks like I’ve hurt the craftsman’s pride.”
“I’m not sure if he’ll take on other orders. When I went to see him, he didn’t seem to want to meet me.”
It didn’t matter if he refused new orders—I wasn’t planning to create anything new immediately—but there was another problem.
Even if the designs were nearly identical, the crafting techniques differed subtly from those in my world.
The jewelry was so intricate that removing and inserting the gemstones required far more effort than I anticipated.
I had thought I should visit the craftsman someday to see if there was a better way.
Fekil knew a lot about Muwa, so I had to handle things carefully.
I thought for a moment and said,
“I should go meet him myself.”
“What? Why? Are you going to reveal your identity?”
“Not exactly. But I can say I’m Muwa’s daughter. Where is Fekil’s workshop? Is it possible to go alone?”
“Well, it depends on the timing. If it’s the one in Centro, it shouldn’t be too dangerous during the day. Do you really want to go? Should I give him a heads-up? But how do you plan to get out…”
“I’m Sephardi.”
Leaving wasn’t a major issue anymore.
The only concerns were my dark eyes and black hair.
If Fekil knew the rumors about the Sephardi family, he’d probably realize I was the half-alive, half-dead Pearl without much trouble.
I’d have to take the risk.
Even Manu couldn’t hide her worry.
“Even if you can go out now, it’ll be hard to go alone. There are many ruffians outside who don’t know much about the ducal family.”
“Then what about a seal? Didn’t I have something like that?”
Seals were emblem-like jewelry used by Napharo nobles to prove their status.
“The Sephardi seal? The Duke wouldn’t give it to you easily. You only need it in dangerous or important situations, or when traveling far to prove something.”
It sounded nearly impossible to get. Getting it from Mateo would be difficult.
Maybe I’d have to bribe a guard to sneak out.
‘Manu would be too busy.’
Even with her current workload, Manu could barely stick with the Sephardis.
“Anyway, let’s meet soon. Can you deliver a letter to Fekil saying Muwa’s daughter will visit? It’s more of a notification than a request.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if I tried to soothe him a few more times first?”
“No. You won’t be able to soothe a craftsman like Fekil with just a servant.”
There were things I had to ask directly.
I thought of the debts and clothes that hadn’t arrived yet.
Going to pick them up would be risky, but at least it would be a natural reason to go out.
Or maybe I could disguise myself as a maid…
I sighed deeply, glancing at Manu, who was clearing her throat.
“Oh, you must be tired. Go rest. These are the items that arrived today, right?”
Manu nodded and soon left.
Left alone in the basement, I sank deeply into a chair.
There were so many things to handle for the engagement, and so little time.
Pedro was a problem on his own, and Arius was immovable no matter how aggressive I was.
“Who can I blame? Maribel made this mess.”
I sighed heavily and removed the fake gemstones from the incoming jewelry.
Replacing a large gemstone wasn’t the work of a professional craftsman, but I had learned enough after years of experience.
I pulled the green spinel and imitation diamonds from a ring and gritted my teeth, exhausted from the meticulous work.
In the end, I was the only one tired from all the cleanup.
Damn this world, and the one who made it, Yun Gabi.
“Yun Gabi is really annoying.”
Today, there was only one person to blame: my dead little brother.
At dinner, the first person to speak to me was surprisingly my stepmother, Laura.
“It feels like ages since I last saw your face. I hope you’ll join us for meals more often.”
Even though she probably didn’t care much, she said it in front of everyone.
I smiled apologetically and bowed.
“I’m sorry.”
“If family has truly become important, I hope you’ll show your face more often. Of course, there must have been some special reason you couldn’t join us for meals.”
José, pouting, added a remark.
I ignored him, pretending not to hear, and received a kind response from Gabriella.
“Maribel-unnie has been busy lately, José.”
“I’ve heard as well, Lady Maribel. You’ve been learning complicated etiquette very diligently in a short time.”
His partner Carlos also helped me gently.
Apparently, they were grateful that I would marry anyone without interference, even hastening their own wedding.
“I’m just trying not to bring shame to the Sephardis, even if belatedly, because my education has been lacking.”
I muttered, in a soulless voice, as if reciting something I had memorized.
Mateo, seated at the head of the table, nodded and raised his hand.
“Let’s eat first, without further ado.”
A long table. Deliciously prepared food. Leisurely conversation back and forth.
The atmosphere was peaceful, but I couldn’t relax—Pedro was watching me like a hawk, and Arius was quietly eating. I had to be careful.
As I silently ate meat braised in orange sauce, Cecilia’s cheerful voice reached me.
“Did you see it? Last time I walked through the Sephardi Palacio gardens, there were peacocks! Birds I’d never seen in Bernau. Did everyone see them?”
“Cecilia, so that invitation was for your peacock tea-time, huh?”
Carlos teased, and Cecilia replied boldly.
“Yes, big brother. The Duchess of Sephardi kindly arranged it for me, the poor girl seeing peacocks for the first time. Thank you all for replying quickly to the sudden invitation. Some have yet to respond, but they’ll surely attend, right?”
An invitation? I had never heard of it.
Though I had been in the basement all day, I did have a brief chance to see Louisa before dinner.
If I had received an invitation, Louisa would have surely told me.
The only thing Louisa had mentioned while combing my hair was a new hair oil she had gotten.
Had I really received an invitation? Should I accept it now?
Cecilia saw my fleeting expression and smiled.
“By the way, Maribel. Since you’ve been so busy studying, you had a reason to refuse tea-time, huh?”
“…Refuse? Me?”
How could I refuse when I hadn’t even received an invitation?
Wasn’t I the one who had delayed replying?
“Yes. We received your refusal letter. You’re still learning how to respond properly, I suppose. It was so short, it surprised us.”
