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Chapter 18
Today, we decided to visit the Grinan Museum. It was to help give the craftsmen some ideas.
The craftsmen were deeply moved by Bay’s consideration.
To avoid being recognized by others, I bundled myself up tightly and headed to the Grinan Museum.
The tickets were given to me this morning by Venus. Bay was busy, and Venus was unwell, so only Oried and I went to the museum. We deliberately didn’t mingle with the craftsmen so they could look around freely without feeling self-conscious.
Out of boredom, I dressed Oried in a small robe I had made in my spare time. He liked it, saying it was the same outfit as mine.
Since the Grinan Museum was managed by the imperial family and the temple, its grandeur was overwhelming. The majestic architecture alone made me gasp.
It made me realize again that the buildings in this world had technology and splendor that didn’t lag behind modern times.
It even reminded me of those famous museums I’d seen on the internet.
[Wow… it’s amazing.]
Even Oried whispered in admiration.
Inside, a vast golden hall appeared. Marble staircases leading to the second floor split into three paths, and the pillars supporting the high ceiling were so delicate they looked like sculptures by master artists.
Under the dazzling lights, the relics displayed in glass cases sparkled even more.
Ropes were set up so visitors couldn’t touch the exhibits, and in front of each piece placed on platforms or stands, there were plaques with information about the work.
Old artworks were lined along the walls, and the high ceiling was packed with detailed ceiling paintings depicting daily life from ancient times.
Since this museum gathered all the excavated artifacts, it displayed not only jewels and artworks but also weapons from those eras, stone tablets engraved with pictographs, faded old clothing, and busts of historical figures—an incredible variety of relics.
Hearing the quiet footsteps on the marble floor and the low voices of people discussing the exhibits, I unconsciously softened my own steps.
I bent my back and tiptoed forward, but Oried clicked his tongue.
[That just makes you stand out more, idiot.]
“Then the idiot should straighten up.”
[Heehee.]
Oried really liked these silly jokes.
Because the museum was so huge, there was a risk of getting lost, so there were guide pamphlets near the entrance. I opened one.
[Where are we going?]
“Shall we look at the jewels first? I’m curious about that necklace a king bought even at the cost of selling his country.”
I needed to see just how beautiful it was for a king to go mad over it.
Following the guide pamphlet, we headed toward the stairs to go up to the second floor. Just then, a high-pitched voice stood out sharply, and I unconsciously turned my head toward it.
“Uh? You’re the person who got lost back then, right?”
It was her.
That pink-haired, bright and lively female lead from before!
Unlike last time, her short pink hair now reached just to her shoulders, but her overwhelming presence—the kind only a heroine had—was still the same. Her lovely appearance and voice hadn’t changed either.
In front of her was the man I’d seen that day who had shouted for help because he got lost, replying in an irritated tone.
“What are you talking about?”
Maybe he had grown again, because even among many people, he stood out as tall.
Growth spurts are really something.
Quietly admiring them, I pretended not to know them and went upstairs. Behind me, I could still hear the heroine’s voice.
“Back then, you didn’t tell me your name… I only realized later that you were such an important person. Please forgive my rudeness from that time.”
Right, right.
The heroine is supposed to not know the male lead’s identity at first.
But “an important person”? Who was he?
…No, forget it. Don’t get curious.
I hurried up the stairs, but the male lead’s voice suddenly sharpened.
“Did you really not know?”
“…What?”
“You couldn’t not know the rumors going around. Especially since it was a rumor your maid spread.”
Rumors?
If it was a rumor between the heroine and the male lead, it was probably something circulating in noble society, so it was natural that I wouldn’t know. Unless it was about jewels, I had no interest anyway.
If it were something I absolutely needed to know, Bay or Venus would have told me.
More than anything, I was too busy right now trying to make this business succeed to care about anything else.
[What rumor?]
“I don’t know either. There must be something only nobles talk about. Are you curious?”
[Not really! The only thing I care about is Coco!]
“I’m not like that, but I still like Oried.”
[Hehehe!]
Without realizing it, I copied Oried’s strange laugh and grinned. Then, noticing people giving us odd looks, the two of us shut up and quickly went up to the second floor.
“Hehehe.”
Hearing the strange laughter, Jeffrey stopped glaring at RoseRussell and looked toward the second-floor stairs.
Perhaps sensing people’s gazes, they pulled their hood down deeper and hurried up to the second floor.
On their shoulder was a strange doll wearing a robe and hood as well.
‘For some reason, it feels unlucky… kind of like someone I know.’
With animal-like intuition, Coco, who was going up to the second floor, rubbed her arms where goosebumps had risen.
“Are you doubting me? It’s my fault for not controlling my maid properly, but… I absolutely did not spread it on purpose.”
With an aggrieved look, tears welled up in RoseRussell’s eyes. For a moment, Jeffrey felt uncomfortable, as if he had become the bad guy, and frowned.
RoseRussell glared at Jeffrey with a truly wronged expression.
“Stop accusing people when you don’t even know them well.”
“Then clean up this rumor yourself.”
“I will!”
Snapping sharply, RoseRussell couldn’t hold back and warned Jeffrey.
“Y-You’d better be careful with your words too, Young Duke.”
“Huh?”
A rumor spread because someone had a loose mouth, and now she dared to criticize him?
At nineteen years old, she couldn’t even manage her own maid—she should blame her own incompetence. Interfering with his speech felt ridiculous to Jeffrey.
With dissatisfied eyes, RoseRussell coldly turned her face away.
“This is absurd.”
“And so, Jeffrey starts to care about Miss RoseRussell. Isn’t she quite bold!”
Jeffrey scowled at the familiar voice that cut in. In the empire, there was only one person who would dare to joke like that to him.
“Don’t narrate things however you want. You debuted ages ago—haven’t you changed at all?”
Though he openly scolded her, the imperial princess who appeared behind him, Adeline, wasn’t affected at all.
“In romance novels, that’s how love begins. Don’t you have feelings? Isn’t this the first time someone’s treated you like that, that cutely?”
“…It is.”
If it was someone who had ignored him for the first time, it was that woman.
And if we’re talking about a cute face, then that Coco who ran off chattering earlier was even more—
“Argh! What are you saying! Why did you say something weird and make me think this way?!”
“Oh my, blaming others now.”
The visitors who had been admiring the exhibits glared at the disturbance, but when they realized the culprits were the princess and a young duke, they hurriedly turned their eyes away.
“That’s why you’re still stupid.”
“You don’t have to worry. My reputation is better than yours.”
Since he had grown up with Diego from childhood, the two were close enough to insult each other without caring.
Clicking her tongue, Adeline walked past Jeffrey. As a princess known for her rough mouth, Jeffrey didn’t pay it much mind.
As always, he listened with one ear and let it out the other as he left the museum.
The knights immediately followed after him. Jeffrey got lost even when something was right in front of him.
Venus gave me freshly baked ginger bread, and after taking a bite, I quietly held it out to Oried.
“Heh. I guess it’s not very tasty?”
“It’s not that…”
“Then how about this? I bought several kinds to figure out Coco’s taste, so there might be some you don’t like. Don’t feel too sorry about it.”
Thankfully, everything suited Oried’s taste. He ate little by little on my lap without being picky at all.
He didn’t even care that crumbs fell all over my dress.
This time, I handed him a lemon tart. Fortunately, its refreshing flavor suited him. When I unknowingly stuffed the whole thing into my mouth, Venus asked,
“By the way, have you decided on the name of the merchant guild?”
With my mouth full of tart, I tried to answer in a hurry, but only a muffled sound came out.
“Mmph.”
Venus and Bay looked at me fondly and patted my back.
“Finish eating before you speak.”
I chewed diligently and swallowed. As if she’d been waiting, Venus handed me some milk. Only after drinking it could I say the merchant guild name I’d been thinking of.
“Demeter.”
In Greek mythology, she was the goddess of the earth, who governed the land—it reminded me of Oried.
Since Venus was also a goddess of beauty in mythology, Demeter somehow went well with her too.
“Demeter?”
“I happened to see it in a book. It said she’s the goddess of the earth, so I borrowed the name.”
Since there were all kinds of books in the world, Venus and Bay didn’t doubt it.
At the word “earth,” Oried looked at me as if thinking something, so I smiled slightly at him. He jumped up and down happily.
[For me! You named it after me, right?!]
I nodded slightly, and Oried became even more excited. Holding him as he bounced around, I added,
“A merchant guild that possesses jewels never experienced before. That phrase will point to Demeter.”
I have to make it so.
There were already many people who owned mines. But once the business got on track and wealth accumulated, based on that, I planned to monopolize all the special mines where jewels slept—not just ordinary mines they already had.
Of course, I had no intention of making enemies or fighting, but still, it was better to know the information now.
“Then what about the symbol? It’s good to have a phrase that immediately comes to mind when people hear the merchant guild’s name.”
She said it should be like how people think of the emperor when they hear “sun,” so they could easily remember Demeter.
I agreed, but no matter how much I thought about it, nothing came to mind. Clutching my head, I muttered gloomily,
“I haven’t thought of it yet… It’s too hard to make a phrase that symbolizes Demeter.”
If possible, I wanted something that reminded people of Oried. Honestly, all of this was possible thanks to Oried, but I couldn’t reveal his existence.
So at least like this, I wanted to make Oried known in some way. Oried didn’t seem dissatisfied, but I wanted to show him off through a phrase or the guild name.
As if she understood, Venus gently tapped Oried’s head with her finger and gestured with her eyes—asking if I wanted to include this child. I nodded.
“Then may I make the symbol for you?”
“No! I’ll do it myself! I’ll finish it before the merchant guild name is revealed.”
I couldn’t leave even small things entirely to others. It was my work, after all.
But thinking about it…
What Bay had said before came to mind—that there was a family that almost monopolized the jewel mines.
Mining always has an end. In the end, the most precious jewels would belong to me.
Of course, I had no intention of making enemies, but still, I should know who they were now.
“Do you know which family owns the most jewel mines right now?”
“The Ezeid family. Including jewel mines and jewel merchant guilds, they’re currently the greatest in the empire.”
“I don’t want to become enemies… but will we end up competing after all?”
Venus rested her chin on her hand and warned me seriously.
“The moment you step into the jewel business, the head of the Ezeid family becomes one of the people who will feel most threatened by you.”
