IRGS 19

Chapter 19

The largest pink diamond I had ever seen in my life was a four-carat one.

It was the engagement ring my younger sister, Leonie, received when she became Empress.

The Imperial Newspaper had made a huge fuss about how the loving Emperor gifted the future Empress a ring worth the price of a small city.

But now, a pink diamond that looked at least twelve carats was gleaming brilliantly before my eyes.

The pear-shaped pink diamond was flanked by slightly smaller clear diamonds on both sides, arranged almost like a crown.

It was truly breathtaking.

I stared blankly at the ring, unable to say anything, when the man spoke hesitantly.

“If we made it any larger, they said it would become too heavy. So I thought this size might be suitable for an everyday ring.”

“How is this something you wear every day?!”

Wouldn’t I become a target for thieves?!

The man nodded.

“Yes, of course, one cannot wear only the ring. I’ve already transferred ownership of one pink diamond mine to you, my lady, so you may commission matching jewelry there as well.”

W-What?!

“What kind of birthday present is this excessive?!”

“It’s not a birthday present.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I’m simply giving it to you.”

Where in the world is there such a thing?

While I stood there speechless in confusion, the man removed the ring from its case and held it out to me.

“Will you not give me your hand?”

“……”

Anyone could tell this was an engagement ring. How was I supposed to wear it?

As I hesitated, the man whispered softly,

“I merely want to check whether the size fits.”

Who in the world would fall for such ridiculous persuasion?

Me.

Before I knew it, I was extending my left hand as though bewitched.

There I stood before him, still in my pajamas, holding jerky in my right hand while an absurdly enormous pink diamond ring rested on my left ring finger.

It fit perfectly.

So perfectly that I wondered how he had known my size.

And objectively speaking, it suited me well. Even my strawberry-colored hair flowing down to my chest seemed glossier somehow.

Now that he had checked the size, I should have taken it off—but the man quickly curled my fingers into a fist so I couldn’t.

Covering my clenched hand with his own, he spoke.

“I wished to give you a birthday gift, but there is nothing in this world worthy of Lady Bartoli’s stature. Therefore, I think it would be best if you received it over the course of a lifetime.”

He said the word “lifetime” so casually.

That he wished to spend my second life with me.

And this was coming from a man who insisted he did not know how to speak lightly, a man endlessly sincere.

Looking straight into my eyes with utmost seriousness, he said,

“I will give you everything I possess, so all you need to do is have me.”

“……”

In the end, his birthday gift was himself.

He disguised it as a present, but it was ultimately a proposal. He had cleverly twisted his words so I couldn’t refuse.

And strangely enough, I didn’t dislike this scheming side of him.

Playfully, I asked,

“Are returns not allowed?”

“You already opened the package, did you not? So no.”

“But it’s still unused.”

The moment I finished speaking, he pulled my hand toward him and kissed my palm. Since he had already kissed me once before, he no longer hesitated.

“You just used it, so returns are impossible.”

I ended up laughing too.

“What kind of product is this unreasonable?”

“That’s what makes taming it worthwhile.”

Duke Bartolino scooped up the white fox watching us with one hand and held it in his arms.

At that moment, I realized his eyes were a pale gray.

Like a wolf’s.

A fierce beast of a man who looked as though he could never be tamed fixed his gaze directly on me and said,

“You seem to have talent, my lady. Why not try taming me the way you tame Popo?”

“……”

“I beg you.”

My heart pounded.

And somehow, my chest felt tight.

‘Does he seriously think he’s some kind of fox?’

How could this man act so boldly, so naturally?

He barely even knew me.

Still, one thing was certain:

He had proposed to me sincerely, and I owed him a sincere answer in return.

Even if he changed his mind someday.

I cleared my throat.

“Then let’s make one thing clear first.”

“Yes. What is it, my lady?”

His eyes sparkled expectantly.

Using the same firm tone I used with Popo, I declared,

“No national holidays.”

“…Pardon?”

“You said it yourself, didn’t you? That you’d turn my birthday into a national holiday. And also… peaches. There are many people in this world who like peaches. You can’t wipe them out. Besides, ecosystems are more delicate than people think. If even one species goes extinct, who knows what kind of consequences it could cause?”

After I finished speaking, the man remained silent for several seconds.

Then suddenly, he burst out laughing.

Loudly.

“Aah!”

“Don’t laugh so loudly!”

I had never expected him to laugh so heartily, so I was a little late in rushing over and covering his mouth with both hands.

How suspicious would it sound if a man’s laughter was heard coming from the bedroom of a supposedly confined young lady?

Anxiously, I strained my ears to see whether anyone outside had heard.

Meanwhile, the man chuckled quietly and wrapped his arms around me while still seated.

I lost my balance while standing there covering his mouth and fell right on top of him.

The jerky slipped from my hand, and Popo quickly picked it up and placed it neatly on the tea table.

Holding me tightly in both arms, Prince Glentino whispered,

“Then I shall cancel both plans. The national holiday is somewhat regrettable, but…”

“No regrets allowed!”

“Yes, I shall abandon even my regrets. As for the peaches, perhaps we can simply stop supplying them to House Bartoli?”

“That’s acceptable.”

Honestly, that was even better.

Now Father would never get to eat peaches again.

The man still hadn’t let me go.

After being proposed to and all, shouting “Let go of me!” now would only feel ridiculous, so I simply waited quietly to see when he would release me.

But apparently, he had no intention of doing so.

He effortlessly lifted me into his arms and strode toward my bed, sitting down on its edge with me naturally ending up on his lap.

This was… a bit dangerous.

Meeting my eyes, he brushed my hair behind my ear.

Then, in a whisper as though discussing something incredibly important, he said,

“Arne misses you very much.”

“A-Ahne…”

Truthfully, I missed adorable Arne too.

“How about coming to the ducal estate with me tomorrow? The three of us can dine together with Arne.”

His voice was so subtly persuasive that I nearly agreed immediately.

But I was currently under house arrest.

“I can’t right now. I miss Arne too, but… there are circumstances.”

“Then when can you come?”

“Please wait just five days.”

“Five days?”

To my ears, it sounded more like, “As many as five days?”

But what could I do?

“If it’s impossible, then it’s impossible.”

Perhaps he sensed the regret in my voice, because he said nothing further.

Still, I wanted to do something for Arne.

After thinking for a moment, I soon found the answer.

As I struggled to climb down from his lap, the man wrapped an arm around my waist and asked,

“What are you trying to get?”

“I want to embroider a handkerchief. It should probably be in the drawer of my vanity.”

“Are you planning to keep walking around when your feet are injured?”

How was he still talking about my feet from ages ago?

In any case, the man carried me over to the vanity.

Feeling resigned, I wrapped my arms around his neck.

The moment I did, he let out a heated breath.

“When you cling to me first like this, my lady, it makes my heart race.”

“How is this clinging?!”

“You did not push me away. At this point, I am fully prepared to interpret even the slightest positive signal as acceptance of my proposal.”

“Seriously…”

Despite my reaction, the man firmly supported my hips with one arm while opening the vanity drawer with the other.

Then suddenly, he froze.

Since I was facing the opposite direction in his arms, I couldn’t see what he was looking at.

“What is it? Is it not there?”

“No, I found it.”

Soon enough, he returned to the bed as though nothing had happened.

This time, he settled me against the headboard.

I skillfully placed the linen cloth into an embroidery hoop and selected my threads.

“Please wait just a little, Prince. I’m quite fast with my hands.”

“May I watch?”

Wouldn’t he get bored?

After a moment of consideration, I nodded.

Prince Glentino immediately sat down beside me as if he intended to stay there the entire time.