Chapter 44
“Um, it’s not exactly that… it’s just that there’s a bit of a situation.”
“The jewels keep being removed and replaced—what am I supposed to do if there’s nothing like that?”
“Excuse me?”
“You just tossed me well-made fake jewels and told me to set them in. Huh? You said you’d leave the final touch to me after the jeweler did the work. Who would dare sell a fine jewel? You didn’t trust anyone. Your father is certainly a unique man. Really.”
Ah, it seemed a strange misunderstanding had arisen.
From Pecil’s perspective, he must have thought that since he had received fake jewels to set, there was no way they could just be sold as-is.
But Maribel had never removed or replaced the jewels herself.
I just sold them as they were.
Apparently, he couldn’t even imagine the idea of selling fake jewels to the nobles.
I didn’t correct the misunderstanding and just smiled faintly.
“That’s exactly why a problem could arise. When inserting or removing jewels anew, I worry they might not be secured as tightly as Pecil did. If a jewel becomes loose and falls out somewhere, what humiliation could be worse than that?”
“What?”
“My father also found Pecil’s method of setting jewels a bit difficult. You see, he entrusted the work to a jeweler because no one could match Pecil’s technique. My father didn’t distrust Pecil; he distrusted himself.”
I subtly flattered Pecil’s abilities.
Actually, it wasn’t just flattery. The setting method was quite different from modern techniques, so I was indeed struggling a bit with removing the jewels smoothly.
“To be blabbing about this through your daughter—aren’t you a bit embarrassed?”
Pecil grumbled but his expression had softened considerably.
I seized the opportunity.
“You’ve entrusted the design to the best jeweler—what’s there to be embarrassed about? Not acknowledging the best is actually the embarrassing thing… that’s what my father said.”
“Ha…”
Pecil gave me a quick look as I babbled on.
His eyes seemed a little gentler now, and when I smiled awkwardly, he clicked his tongue.
“To replace the jewels properly, you’ll need to use the tools I made. Take these, including the small two-pronged lever. It’ll let you secure the jewels much more firmly.”
It was an unexpectedly helpful tip.
I silently cheered in my heart.
Pecil then looked back at the ring he was working on.
“Everything over there is in good shape, so take whatever you need. Should I just charge Manu appropriately for it?”
“Yes. That should be fine.”
I carefully selected each tool—picks, tongs, hammers—without overexerting my wrist. As I deliberated, Pecil, still focused on his work, casually asked me,
“You’re not making anything new? That’s usually the fun part of what he entrusts to me.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure. He said he wants to focus on managing the jewels for now.”
“Being that lazy…”
Pecil’s clicking tongue carried a faint note of disappointment. He seemed to genuinely enjoy bringing Maribel’s designs to life.
Grateful, I finished selecting the tools and approached him.
“Oh.”
He was holding a ring—a fairly unique design.
“Who asked for this one?”
“I thought of it myself. Just fiddling with it for fun.”
“Can I take a closer look? It’s almost finished, right?”
Pecil waved awkwardly but allowed me to examine the ring as I stepped closer.
“What kind of jewels will you set? Each groove faces the other; it’d look perfect if we alternate colors.”
“Can’t use expensive ones. It wasn’t ordered by a noble.”
“I see. Could we even engrave something, like letters?”
“If I can’t do that, I might as well quit. So many lovers have love messages inside rings. Do you even know how much work I’ve put in here?”
Ah-ha.
Even without the jewels, I was already quite pleased with the ring and made up my mind.
“Then I’ll buy this one.”
“This is too big for your finger. And do you have any idea how much this costs?”
“You know how much Muwa earns, don’t you?”
Pecil, who knew me as Muwa’s daughter, rubbed the corner of his eye and said,
“Money aside, just pick a few interesting designs. I’m just fiddling with these out of boredom anyway.”
“Thank you. Then, the jewels…”
I didn’t refuse. I could pay for the ring later under Muwa’s name.
After requesting and taking the items, Arius was waiting with his back straight.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“Not at all.”
Though I said that, I had actually spent quite a bit of time inside.
I held out my hand, and he looked at me as if to ask what it meant.
“Give me your hand.”
This was already the second time today.
He hesitated with a bewildered look, so I held his hand and slid the ring onto his finger.
“It fits well. Good.”
Even by eye, I could gauge finger size accurately.
I was quietly delighted, but something about his aura in front of me felt off.
When I looked up, Arius stared at his hand as if struck by lightning.
“You… you’re going to have to explain what this means to me.”
“Excuse me?”
“If it’s not a proposal.”
He raised his hand. It was the fourth finger of his left hand.
I was doomed. Of all fingers, that one.
Designing jewels often meant trying them on clients.
Most requests for ring designs were for proposals.
Even if mostly on brides’ hands, I had unconsciously chosen the most familiar finger, and that caused this mishap.
I froze, my face burning to the neck.
For a moment, mouth agape, I finally regained composure.
What mattered now wasn’t that Yoon Maribel had slid a ring onto a handsome man’s left fourth finger for the first time, but that Maribel Sephardi couldn’t miss the opportunity to boldly confront Arius Romero.
“Oh, I… must have accidentally revealed what I really wanted.”
“Miss!”
“Don’t call me that here.”
I whispered in case Pecil overheard, and Arius bit his lip.
I, still panicking, had slid the ring onto a man’s hand like a picture-perfect scene.
And it was on the fourth finger, like a proposal!
Ignoring the cold sweat streaming down my back, I forced a smile.
It was time to be shameless, put on a thick face, and boldly confront him.
“Anyway, it doesn’t mean much. Of course, I care, but not now. Proposing here wouldn’t increase the chances of success.”
“Chances of success? What are you talking about…”
Arius’s ears and neck flushed bright red as he covered his face with his right hand.
At that moment, the old Pecil at the jeweler’s clapped his hands slyly.
“Not sure if this old man should be watching. Should I leave if it’s embarrassing? Tell me, young lady, could you really sit such a fine man next to you with that ring?”
“I’ll handle that myself. But no, that’s not what this is about today.”
Goodness, I’d even let someone else see this scene.
Gripping Arius’s hand with trembling fingers, I carefully turned the ring on his fourth finger to the side.
“This… I put it on for this reason.”
On the side of the ring, Pecil had quickly engraved a phrase at my request.
