CH 37

“It is so beautiful. Right, princess?”

“…That, yes.”

She also stared at the flowers spread in the garden, mesmerized. She didn’t know if it’s spring or midsummer, but now it’s midwinter when ice freezes under the eaves. How much money would it cost to get so many flowers just for this cold winter? It would obviously require a huge amount of money. She recognized his effort on the day of the prom, but he was very determined to let the system know that they became close lovers.

Surely, at this level, it would be a topic of conversation even if they were just close friends. The Grand Duke, who had hated Eve so much, became a passionate lover overnight to the point of covering the garden with flowers.

‘Perhaps the rumors will spread to other countries.’

Of course, the more these stories spread, the better for them.

“I… But where do we keep all this?”

Belatedly, one of the maids raised a realistic question. Yeah, she was worried about that too. If they left it in the garden like this, it would freeze.

Another maid suggested a method.

“Why don’t we decorate the inside of the palace and make the remaining potpourri (air freshener mixed with dried flowers and leaves) or use it as tea leaves?”

She was glad. It was a flower that was useful in its own way. Everyone nodded their heads saying that this would be a good idea.

“All right. You know what to do.”

She nodded helplessly and went inside.

“Princess, there are many jewels here.”

The drawing room and resting room were filled with gift boxes sent as gifts. The ladies-in-waiting were taking out the items that came as gifts. From the boxes that filled the drawing room, dazzling jewels poured out endlessly. The gifts sent to the bride were originally jewelry, but there were a lot of them. There were all kinds of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings and hairpins, and there was about a box of unworked gemstones.

‘Can I have all of these?’

Should gifts be returned after a divorce? She didn’t know how far he went. Wouldn’t he say something about her taking a few? Even if she only takes a few, it would be an outrageous price.

She suppressed her growing desire and told the ladies-in-waiting who were moving the box.

“Take out a few that you can use right away and pack the rest.”

Upon closer inspection, the classification was clear. Jewels of similar level were put in the same box by type, and jewels that seemed important were put in separate small boxes and stacked one on top of the other.

She opened the individually wrapped small boxes and looked at the jewels one by one. Individually wrapped items were all large jewels that looked fancy and expensive. She opened a few boxes to watch, but she opened the black box and hesitated. Inside was an amethyst choker. It had a small amethyst in the shape of a lozenge.

‘This…’

There was nothing strange about the choker itself, but the amethyst in the middle emitted a strangely mysterious light. There were a lot of amethysts in slightly different colors in another box, but the purple jewels shone much more clearly and shiny than any other amethyst. And the pattern that appeared faintly in it. The moment she saw the pattern, the description in the original work came to mind.

‘This shape is exactly the same as the holy relic in the original work.’

A large crystal that Sorel accidentally found after falling out of the battlefield. A holy relic of the legendary divine beast that was said to be sealed. The pattern engraved on the stone had exactly this shape. Sorel awakened the divine beast that was sealed there, and in the aftermath, a solar eclipse occurred on the continent. However, the relic Sorel found was a huge crystal towering like a rock. Not such a small necklace. However, only this unique pattern was similar to the pattern of the divine beast in the original work. What was this? It wouldn’t be a holy relic with a sealed holy water like Sorel discovered. She examined the necklace carefully and ordered a maid.

“Call the knight of the grand ducal family who brought the gift.”

After a while, the person who came inside was a brown-haired young knight who appeared to be in his late twenties. He politely bowed in front of her.

“Did you call, your Highness the Princess?”

“Yes, it was a lot of work. Express my gratitude to His Highness.”

After exchanging formal greetings, she inquired about the source of the purple jewel she had taken out of the box.

“By the way, I want to ask you about this necklace. May I know where he bought it?”

The answer came back immediately, as if he knew the source of the jewel.

“This jewel is an heirloom handed down from the grand duchy.”

“Handed down?”

He sent her an heirloom as a gift? Come to think of it, it didn’t seem that strange. After all, she was going to become a Grand Duchess. The gift she received would again become the property of the Grand Duke’s family.

‘If I get divorced later, I’ll have to give it back.’

There were too many… Excluding heirlooms and such important jewels, she wondered if it was okay to take a few ordinary jewels. With just a few of these, she thought she could play and eat for the rest of her life. She thought about it, and asked the knight again.

“Is there anything else unusual about it?”

The young knight looked at her for a moment before replying.

“What do you mean when you say unusual?”

“There is a legend or something about it?”

Whatever it was, she asked if there was any information related to the jewel, but the knight only put on a puzzled expression.

“Well. I have never heard of such a story.”

The knight didn’t seem to understand what she meant. Was it just a jewel with nothing special? After all, there’s no way there wouldn’t be a similar gem.

“No, nothing. stop going away.”

She put the necklace back in the box. After the knight went outside, she took another look at the jewels in the box before closing the lid. There was no change to the dark purple gem.

‘First… I’ll just keep it until I meet Sorel.’

Now, Sorel probably didn’t even know that she had awakened Shinso, that only appeared in the second half of the original work. Come to think of it, when would Sorel return to the island? If things here became known, the Emperor would most likely return to the islands before his wedding. He was deliberately wasting time on the battlefield to avoid attending Eve’s wedding day in the first place.

When the Emperor returns, Sorel would return with him.

‘And the Empress’ son, the second Prince Vilos.’

It would be good for them all to come back and formalize their relationship with the Grand Duke and see as much foreknowledge as possible before the chaos unfolds. That way, no matter what happens, she would be able to avoid danger.

* * *

“Nell? Where?”

The lady-in-waiting she worked with called Nell. She stopped to go up her steps, and the lady-in-waiting stopped too.

“Ah, to bring this saffron balm to the princess’ bedroom. I might need it when I go out today.”

“The princess is still resting in the break room.”

Her fellow maid said to take a break and go. She grabbed Nel’s hand and dragged her along.

“Come here. Annie baked cookies, let’s eat them together.”

“Huh.”

Nell accompanied her down to the bottom floor of the palace. The downstairs was the space for servants, including ladies-in-waiting and attendants. The maids’ dining room and lounge were also located here. Although the bedroom was on the top floor to separate it from the attendants. Upon entering the break room, the ladies-in-waiting gathered at the table greeted Nell. It seemed that the ladies-in-waiting were gathering here during break time and chatting. There was an almond cookie on the table with a savory aroma. One of the maids who was eating cookies brought up the story of the princess.

“Where is the princess now?”

“Is she resting in the break room? The princess is going out this afternoon.”

When the word “princess” came out, another lady-in-waiting smiled and said,

“I was a little afraid at first, but… These days, the princess has changed and I really like her. In the past, she was always angry, so I was very scared.”

Nell nodded her head as she listened to their conversation. The current maids of the princess’s palace were all newcomers to the imperial palace. There was a rumor that this princess’s palace was a place where maids-in-waiting changed so often, that when new maids arrived, they would be placed here first.

‘After experiencing that place, I’ll be able to adapt to wherever I go.’

There was a rumor that said that, but she didn’t know if it’s true. Even when Nell first came to the princess’s palace, all of her colleagues were newbies. None of the ladies-in-waiting who worked in the past were moved to other palaces or kicked out. Fortunately, life here was not as difficult as she thought. It was because the princess rarely stayed in the palace after Nell came here. The princess would go out every morning to meet the Grand Duke, and she would return in the middle of the night, throw her things, get angry and fall asleep.

“Well, she is marrying His Highness the Grand Duke as she wished. She has to feel good.”

“That’s right. Everyone will be happy if they become the bride of His Highness the Grand Duke.”

Everyone nodded and agreed.

In the meantime, the reason why the princess was so violent and harsh was because she couldn’t fulfill her wish to marry the Grand Duke. She went on a hunger strike and finally got permission to marry him, but after that, she changed into a completely different person.