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Chapter 27
“Yes. He’s someone who’s been receiving tremendous attention from noble ladies in high society lately. I hear that the moment they put on the jewelry he makes, they’re seized by the feeling of being reborn.”
“…….”
If it were the usual Licht, he would have scoffed and mocked it as utter nonsense.
But instead of letting out a scornful laugh, he looked strangely restless, as though Logan’s words were bothering him more than he cared to admit.
‘A pink diamond, huh.’
Licht couldn’t take his eyes off the gemstone, which shimmered brilliantly depending on the angle.
Placed squarely at the very center of the display case, it drew the viewer’s gaze not only with its beauty but also with its meticulous craftsmanship.
‘It resembles that woman’s hair.’
That was the first impression Licht voiced as he stared at the gem, seemingly entranced.
As if on cue, the image of Luciana wearing the accessories flickered through his mind like a lingering afterimage.
Beneath her elegantly swept-up hair, an ultra-luxurious necklace lavishly adorned with diamonds blended with her as though they were one, without the slightest sense of incongruity.
Thump.
When he imagined Luciana smiling brightly while adorned with precious jewels, his chest churned once again on its own.
—It’s her birthday. How can you just let the historic day Lucy was born into this world pass by? I absolutely won’t allow it. Tell the shop owner you’re buying it right now!
‘Nonsense.’
As the furious voice threatened to surge violently, Licht clenched his teeth without realizing it and turned his gaze aside as if distressed.
“……The coachman will be waiting.”
“Huh! You’re just leaving?”
Logan asked in surprise as he watched Licht turn his back completely.
“Having a trinket like that won’t change a thing.”
“Pardon?”
For someone who had been staring at it so passionately…?
Logan was bewildered by Licht’s flip-flop of an attitude, but soon chalked it up to his lord simply being in a strange state today and quietly followed after him.
Whoooo.
In the bedroom swallowed by pitch-black darkness, the sound of winter winds raging outside occasionally shattered the silence.
“…….”
Licht, his brow furrowed as he lay with his eyes closed, tossed and turned as if something were persistently uncomfortable, unable to fall asleep.
He tried forcing himself to sleep, but the more he did, the clearer his mind became.
Time passed well beyond midnight, and before he knew it, dawn was approaching.
After spending hours awake with no answers, it was enough to drive anyone mad.
As his nerves grew sharper, every sensation in his body stood on edge.
The wind knocking against the window from time to time, the crackling of firewood burning in the fireplace. And then, as if the fog had suddenly lifted, something brilliant and beautiful appeared unbidden—
—A pink diamond!
Flash.
Recalling the jewelry set he had seen in the display case, Licht opened his eyes in the darkness.
“Damn it. Not this again.”
Before he realized it, he had superimposed Luciana over the glittering gem.
What on earth had gone wrong with his head since yesterday? Realizing how utterly pathetic he was being, Licht spat out a curse.
“Hoo…….”
To think he couldn’t sleep a wink over a single mineral.
“If I’d known it would be like this, I should’ve just bought the damn thing and shoved it into storage.”
What a wretched nature to have.
Licht knew perfectly well that the reason he’d been tossing and turning all night was because his mind was stuck on the diamond left behind in the display case.
—Lucy’s birthday……! A beautiful pink gemstone……!
Just listening to the voice that had been wailing inside his head for hours made it impossible not to know.
—That was obviously meant for Lucy!
“There’s a limit to how much nonsense I can tolerate. I won’t listen to any more of it.”
Licht immediately snapped back sarcastically at the shouting voice, yet at the same time, he couldn’t completely deny its argument.
A pink diamond—so rare and expensive that even most nobles wouldn’t dare dream of owning one.
No matter how precious and beautiful a gemstone might be, it only truly holds its worth when it ends up in hands worthy of it.
Licht quietly recalled Luciana’s fine, lustrous hair.
‘Her complexion is decent enough. It wouldn’t look ridiculous.’
No—if anything, it might actually suit her quite well—
Damn it!
“What am I even saying?”
Licht immediately rejected the thought that had crossed his mind.
He had no interest whatsoever in what that woman wore.
But no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise, one thing was certain: until he either cracked open his skull and dragged his brain out, or got his hands on that pink diamond, he wouldn’t be able to reclaim a mind free of her.
“Damn it. Am I just not going to sleep until I get my hands on it?”
The thought of personally going out to buy the jewel filled him with a subtle sense of defeat.
“I almost feel like forcing down some sleeping pills.”
If it weren’t for the side effects, he would have summoned a physician immediately and gotten a prescription.
Haa. I suppose there’s no helping it.
Roughly kicking off the blankets, Licht ran a hand through his hair and got up.
“I’ll have to visit the shopping district as soon as it gets light.”
To think a mere jewel had reduced him to this state.
Seeing the clock barely pointing to five, Licht rubbed his tired eyes and headed for the bathroom.
As soon as the darkness lifted and a hazy winter sky spread overhead, Licht left his bedroom.
“Your Grace? Are you heading out right now?”
“I have something to take care of.”
“……Dressed like that?”
Leaving the estate early in the morning was one thing, but being wrapped in a black robe like someone about to visit an illegal black market was simply baffling.
“Why. Is there a problem?”
“N-no, sir, not at all……”
Godwin hastily bowed his head. Wherever his master went or whatever he did was not something a mere subordinate like him had any business questioning.
“Then… are you leaving without breakfast?”
“I’ll be back within the hour. Have it prepared accordingly.”
“Yes. I’ll inform the head chef.”
After the brief exchange, Licht immediately spurred his horse toward the jewelry shop.
Perhaps due to the cold weather, the streets were quiet, allowing him to arrive earlier than expected.
“……!”
Before opening the door, Licht glanced at the display case to confirm—and flinched for a moment before hurriedly stepping inside.
Clink.
“Welcome.”
“Are you Jean Ferd?”
“P-pardon? Yes…… sir.”
What is it with this man?
Facing Licht, Jean was instinctively seized by a feeling of being overwhelmed.
Though the man had pulled his hood down so deeply that only his lips were visible, his voice carried a distinctive pressure one would expect only from a great noble, separate from the suspicious aura he gave off.
“Is there something you’re looking for……?”
“The pink diamond that was in the display case out front. I don’t see it today.”
“Th-that would be… are you referring to the newly unveiled Four Seasons Collection, Spring of Rosephina?”
“That’s right.”
Whether it was Rosephina’s spring or summer didn’t matter. That wasn’t the point.
‘This is purely for the sake of a good night’s sleep.’
Licht brushed off his frantic dash at dawn as something that ‘couldn’t be helped.’
“That item has…… already been purchased by another customer.”
“What?!”
‘Oh no!’
Jean stared at Licht in terror as a murderous aura radiated from him.
Because of the robe, he couldn’t see his exact expression, but an ominous presence seemed to swirl around the man, as dark as the black robe enveloping his body.
‘Damn it.’
As Jean had feared, Licht ground his lips together as if he’d run into an invisible wall.
—I told you, didn’t I? I said to buy it right away yesterday! You idiot! What are you going to do now? What now?!
It was because of the voice gnawing relentlessly at his nerves like a pack of unleashed dogs.
He had rushed over without a wink of sleep, only to find someone else had already taken it.
As though something deeply displeased him, Licht silently tapped the glass display case with his index finger.
‘No. What is there to regret?’
Under the name Cassio, there was little he couldn’t do—but reclaiming something that had already left into another’s hands was nearly impossible.
‘This might actually be for the best.’
Even if he had bought it, dealing with the aftermath would have been a headache. Thanks to this, one troublesome matter was gone—what good news this was.
I’m completely fine.
Maintaining that sort of attitude, Licht was about to turn away without regret—
Just then.
