The Adopted Princess Hopes to Escape the Genre - Chapter 24
The two men reacted starkly differently to my words. One person’s face had every feature exaggerated in shock, while the other remained as expressionless as ever. Naturally, the former was the jeweler, and the latter was Theodore.
“Y-you mean all of them except this one?”
Asking for all but the one fake gem that had been smugly slipped in for good measure, the jeweler now looked as though he’d made a grave error.
“I dislike repeating myself. Even more so, I dislike those who repeat their mistakes.”
I directed my reprimand at the jeweler, then selected a single gem, a violet one that resembled the color of my eyes, from the array of jewels.
“I’ll take just this one. Send the rest to the estate. Brother, shall we go now?”
“Alright.”
I stepped aside, letting Theodore exit first, and then approached the stunned jeweler. Leaning in, I whispered quietly.
“If you keep doing business like that, you’ll be out of it soon. Be careful next time. Although there won’t be a next time for us.”
Leaving the jeweler dumbfounded, I waved him a brief farewell and stepped out of the store.
Theodore was waiting for me just outside the door.
“Let’s go.”
The carriage ride back was filled with silence, just as it had been on the way to the boutique. Neither of us spoke a word.
Theodore seemed lost in thought after his conversation with the madame earlier, and I found myself recalling his words.
“Anger toward Father for bringing in a new child.”
It wasn’t as if I felt hurt or particularly affected by it.
To me, the people here still felt like fictional characters brought to life from printed words.
However, it was also true that I couldn’t completely dismiss it, as my life, death, and future circumstances were deeply tied to these people.
It was only natural that someone like me, with nothing to my name, would try to stay in the good graces of the master of the house providing my food, clothing, and shelter.
Before a guillotine could ever factor into my future, I’d have to take advantage of the dukedom’s wealth and escape once my male lead appeared. Ideally, I’d return to my original world before anything happened.
The thought of fleeing this place and living freely brought a natural smile to my face, even though it was a plan for a distant future.
Speaking of which, when were the male leads supposed to appear? I always invested in the wrong stocks as a reader, but this time I had to succeed.
Lost in thoughts of various plans, I softly closed my eyes during the long ride.
By the time we arrived at the duke’s estate, the sun had already set.
As I stepped off the carriage and glanced up, I saw countless stars sparkling in the sky. The breathtaking sight only deepened my sense of being far removed from reality.
As I stood there, blankly gazing at the sky, a sudden voice broke my reverie.
“What are you looking at?”
Turning my head, I saw Theodore looking up at the sky, just like I was.
“The stars here are so clear. It’s fascinating.”
“Stars are a common sight anywhere in the empire. I don’t see what’s so fascinating about them.”
“Where I lived, it was hard to see stars in the sky.”
That was something Theodore would never know. I shifted my gaze from his curious expression back to the starry night above.
“Let’s head inside.”
“Yes.”
What awaited me after our late return was a summons from Duke Delphinium.
***
Knock-, knock-.
Upon arriving back at the estate, I visited Duke Delphinium’s drawing room.
After knocking on the door, I immediately received permission to enter.
“It’s Lassetia.”
“Come in.”
As if he had expected me, a warm cup of tea was already prepared on the table.
“Come, have a seat.”
I approached the sofa and sat in the seat the duke indicated.
“You visited the dress shop and jewelry store today, I hear.”
“Yes.”
The duke sat across from me and sipped his tea.
“Two hundred and fifty dresses, along with several jewels. Quite the haul.”
“I also bought some accessories.”
“Did you know that today’s expenses totaled 1,000 gold?”
“No.”
1,000 gold. I couldn’t quite grasp how much that was. Was it about 10 million won…?
As I was busy trying to calculate the value of 1,000 gold in my head, the Duke set his teacup down with a stern expression. The clear sound of glass meeting glass drew my attention to him, and he spoke with a serious face.
“I’m disappointed in you.”
