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Dabbing at the streaming sweat with a handkerchief several times, Edwin spoke with his eyebrows drooping in a worried V-shape.
“T-this, this is absolutely not intended in any other way, I truly mean it! I brought these along to recommend them when you order special accessories crafted exquisitely in colors that contrast with your Imperial Princess's beautiful, flame-like hair. Please just look at the designs, and once you tell me the color of the gemstones you desire, I will begin production immediately!”
“Hmm...”
Narrowing her eyes, Yevgenia stared silently at Edwin.
Because he was smiling so hard, the flesh of Edwin's cheeks began to tremble. He seemed slightly choked up at the fact that those precious accessories had all become useless.
‘I do feel a bit sorry. Still, I can't buy anything that carries Raymond's colors, so I'll have to pay a high price for something else.’
Only when the muscles in Edwin's face reached their limit did Yevgenia finally avert her gaze.
“Fine, then clear these away now.”
“Pardon?”
“I said clear away everything you've prepared. Instead, bring them back filled with pale yellows, golds, and black tones.”
Yevgenia's command was clear yet enigmatic.
The meaning behind it was impossible to grasp, but it was certain that if he followed the explicit behavioral instructions, a vast number of gold coins would follow.
Following the experience he had accumulated thus far, Edwin wiped away all doubt and moved silently.
As he waved his hands and shifted his body, the gems on the wagon were cleared away, and gemstones in the colors Yevgenia desired began to gather in their place.
While staring quietly at a black pearl, Yevgenia suddenly frowned.
“No, clear away the black ones too. They remind me of that bastard, and it's putting me in a bad mood.”
Edwin didn't ask again. He was simply busy listening to Yevgenia's orders and executing them immediately.
Yevgenia's expression softened as she looked at the red and yellow gemstones laid out on the pure white silk.
Letting out a silent sigh, Edwin let out another hearty laugh and spoke.
“It so happens that the finest rubies arrived today. Even the rubies must be anxious to catch the Imperial Princess's eye. Hahaha!”
Completely ignoring Edwin's flattering chatter, Yevgenia examined the various rubies.
‘As expected, the best gift a lover can give is something that embodies their own color.’
Although ‘Yevgenia’ had received nothing from anyone and had even made and carried an item embodying Raymond's colors herself, it was usually common to exchange such things.
Yevgenia's current lover—or rather, the person known as such—was a commoner named ‘Yuri’.
Therefore, it wouldn't be strange for Yevgenia to personally prepare items for them to carry.
But before that, she had to make things clear to this jeweler, the owner who had secretly played dumb about the precious news out of greed for money.
“Edwin.”
“Yes, Imperial Princess!”
“Actually, the gift I am preparing now is for my ‘lover’. A person named Yuri, who worked as a gatekeeper at 2 Sendelga Street. Do you happen to know him?”
At the flood of new information, Edwin looked as if he were about to faint.
Stealing a glance at the pale crown of Edwin's head, Yevgenia took a step back.
“You might not. It would be stranger for you, Edwin, to be acquainted with a man who works as a mercenary.”
Edwin was still half out of his mind, trying to calm his shocked heart.
Yevgenia began to speak slowly and deliberately, so as not to make it seem like she was explaining too much, to help him understand the situation.
“I don't know if everyone is pretending not to know because they're walking on eggshells around me, or if they lack trust in the Imperial Times. Perhaps it's both.”
“The Imperial Times...”
“Yes. Which side do you fall on, Edwin? Surely you aren't among the 1% of the Imperial Capital who don't subscribe to the Imperial Times?”
At Yevgenia's exaggerated question, Edwin reacted violently, waving both hands.
“Oh, heavens, not at all, Imperial Princess! Our jewelry shop does its utmost to never miss the trends and shifts of this Empire! To that end, I read the Imperial Times in its entirety the moment I receive it every morning!”
“Oh, really?”
“Of course! I read it so thoroughly that I intend to memorize it on sight. In today's edition, uh...”
Edwin's mouth, which had been chatting away, suddenly snapped shut.
For Edwin, who was so focused on reading her expression that he could barely breathe, Yevgenia opened the way first.
“In today's edition, there was a story about me and my lover. I saw it clearly myself.”
“Oh, oh... then...?”
“As written in the article, those who were meant to see it have seen it, and those who were meant to know already know. So what is there left to hide?”
As Yevgenia shrugged, projecting an air of indifference, Edwin's mouth finally returned to its place.
It seemed that rather than being completely relieved, his curiosity had outweighed his worry and anxiety.
“Then, what... what kind of gift are you planning to give... to your lover...?”
“Hmm. My lover primarily uses a sword... so a dagger sheath or a belt with a holder for a long sword would be good. Since it will be by their side, used often, and frequently in sight.”
In truth, whether Yulan primarily used a sword or not was none of Yevgenia's concern.
All that mattered was that Edwin, his employees, and the third parties who would hear the story from them believed it.
Currently, Yevgenia was pouring all her concentration into acting as a woman deeply in love, thinking of her lover more than anyone else.
“Ah, and I'll also order a fountain pen for my own use. Make it with the most luxurious and expensive design and nib, and I want the end of the handle to be decorated in gold. So that it stands out distinctly from others.”
“A dagger sheath, a belt with a holder, a fountain pen...”
Edwin, who was diligently noting Yevgenia's requirements in his notebook as if they were a monologue, tilted his head and asked.
“Imperial Princess, do you not need any new necklaces, earrings, bracelets, anklets, headbands, or ribbons?”
“No. Buying them periodically as I usually do is enough. Even now, I have so many piled up that I wonder if I could use them all in a lifetime.”
Yevgenia shuddered as if disgusted by the pressure of the long list of items.
She could somehow understand necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, but everything after that sounded like luxury for the sake of luxury, no matter how she thought about it.
‘I'm at an age where I should graduate from headbands and ribbons, and anklets... why on earth did I buy those?’
Unless a trend of exposing the ankles arrived, as long as fluttering dresses remained the basic framework, such an absurd trend would never happen.
Still, she would have to try on everything she had bought at least once, but it was obvious that it would only make Yevgenia feel better and have no other effect.
‘But compared to those, what a wonderful gift a fountain pen is! It's not flashy, it's luxurious, it feels like a proper gift, and it's efficient!’
She would deliver the other items, having framed them as being for ‘Yuri’, but she didn't expect him to actually use them.
‘I'll just tell Yulan to pretend he received them and then sell them at an auction. I'll just consider it as giving him some pocket money.’
As the plan unfolded smoothly, Yevgenia's face grew brighter.
She looked exactly like a young girl made happy by thinking of her lover.
Yevgenia, who had been smiling brightly while enjoying the gems shining on the wagon with only her eyes, suddenly made an “ah” sound as if she had remembered something.
“Right, Edwin. There's something I should tell you in advance.”
“Yes, Imperial Princess. Please, tell me anything!”
Emboldened by Edwin's reliable reaction, Yevgenia spoke energetically.
“Make sure to spread the word far and wide about the items I bought for my lover today and their value.”
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