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Chapter 13
“There’s something Mother treasured.”
Something she kept hidden from everyone else.
“What?”
At the word hidden, Xavier frowned.
But as if he’d caught the scent of money, his dull, lifeless eyes suddenly lit up.
“What kind of treasured item? Something I don’t know about—no, wait. There was something like that?”
Hah. As if he didn’t know.
Xavier’s target right now was this Renesty estate. To monopolize the family, he must have already been moving on multiple fronts. There was no way he wouldn’t know about the jewels owned by the former countess.
He’s the one who even made that enormous guarantee happen.
Wouldn’t he have sold off jewels or other valuables already?
He was the kind of man who used family assets to buy luxuries and line his own pockets. It was more than possible.
“It’s a set of a blue diamond necklace and earrings. I heard it was an heirloom passed down from the previous countess.”
“Heirloom?”
At the mention of blue diamonds, his face brightened—then quickly twisted with suspicion.
“There shouldn’t be any heirloom I don’t know about.”
Huh—.
To think he’d expose so blatantly that he had total control over the estate’s inner workings.
Judging by this, not only the property inventory but even other ledgers must have passed through his hands at least once.
Still, I pretended ignorance and widened my eyes.
“I was told it was something only the former ladies of the house shared among themselves… Are there other heirlooms too?”
“N-no. Other heirlooms? There’s no way.”
Feigning innocence, Xavier cleared his throat.
My gaze narrowed as I watched him. Oblivious to the sharp look, Xavier hurriedly changed the subject.
“So, then—you’re saying we should sell that necklace?”
“…We don’t really have a choice.”
I deliberately slumped my shoulders.
“I know. It’s something passed down only to the lady of the house, and putting it up for auction would be a sin against the family… but getting through this crisis is more important, isn’t it?”
“Well, you’re right. The family does come first.”
“I heard that even if it’s sold at auction, you can buy it back later if you pay above a certain amount. Once things settle down, couldn’t we retrieve it then?”
“Hmm, that’s not a bad idea either. Like you said, if the family collapses, what good is an old heirloom anyway?”
Xavier’s eyes once again became clouded with greed.
From the way he spoke, it was clear he thought it worth checking out. After a brief moment of contemplation, he smacked his lips.
“There is an auction house I know.”
Got him.
He was almost completely hooked.
“Really?”
I asked, not missing the opening.
But con artists are always suspicious.
Instead of answering, Xavier swallowed once.
“But before that, I want to see the item first.”
“The necklace?”
“Yes. When merchants deliver goods, they check the quality first, don’t they?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
When I hesitated slightly, Xavier—whose patience wore thin quickly—showed his irritation.
Blue diamonds were among the most expensive gemstones traded in the empire.
Diamonds were already extremely rare, and when they were colored, the price skyrocketed.
And to think there was a whole set.
Even if it wasn’t worth as much as twenty billion, it would certainly help fatten his pockets.
“Of course I trust you, but to sell it at auction, I need to see roughly how good it is. You’ve seen merchant goods before, following your father—you should know that.”
“……”
“What, are you worried I’ll just snatch it away? Huh?”
By framing his hesitant niece as overly sensitive, Xavier jutted out his lips.
Watching his reaction with a calm face, I swallowed a sigh.
What an asshole.
After stealing so much already, he still had the nerve to act wronged—it was a talent in its own way.
I lowered my gaze as if still wavering, then glanced sideways at my uncle.
Just as Xavier, truly out of patience now, opened his mouth to bark at me, I took the opportunity to pull out a velvet box I’d prepared beside me.
Xavier’s eyes snapped to it instantly.
“She told me never to show this to anyone—”
“We’re family, so what does it matter? Huh? And if you’re putting it up for auction, everyone’s going to see it anyway!”
Xavier’s upper body subtly leaned past the edge of the table.
I dragged out the moment to the very end, then slowly opened the lid.
“Gasp!”
Xavier reflexively leaned back, sucking in a sharp breath. His pupils shrank at once.
Inside the box were exactly what I’d described: a necklace and a pair of earrings.
One set, neatly arranged.
“S-so something like this really was passed down?”
Even seeing it with his own eyes, he seemed unable to believe it. His voice trembled with excitement.
A necklace embedded with not just one, but several blue diamonds.
And the surrounding accent diamonds were all exquisitely cut as well.
At a glance, the auction price looked considerable.
Maybe we could get even more than I’d expected.
But the moment he reflexively reached for the box, I quickly pulled back.
Xavier looked at the retreating box with longing eyes, then raised his head.
I hurriedly closed the lid and hugged the box to my chest.
“I’ve seen plenty of merchant goods while following my father, so I think this is quite valuable.”
“O-of course it is!”
“Do you think we can put this up for auction?”
“Absolutely!”
Xavier nodded, having already finished appraising it by eye.
“Then I’ll leave it with you, Uncle.”
“Excellent idea!”
Xavier clapped his hands, grinning ear to ear.
I smiled brightly, grinding my teeth inwardly.
No wonder he was so happy.
Not just the jewels themselves—if he leveraged the family’s former prestige well, he could easily drive the price up.
I did consider selling this outright.
Honestly, selling this one item would’ve been the most effective solution right now. It wouldn’t cover everything, but it could pay off a fair portion.
I’d even thought about selling it immediately after the bank rejected us. Under normal circumstances, I probably would have sold it very soon.
But the moment I realized what Xavier was really after, I changed my mind.
Not to sell it outright—
“Then I’ll trust you with it, Uncle. Please take good care of it.”
—but to use it as bait.
“Of course, of course!”
Xavier nodded as if enchanted, taking the box from me.
“You’ve made a very difficult decision.”
“No… it’s all for the sake of the family.”
“Even so! Since you’ve made such a big decision, I’ll—huh?—pour everything I have into this and make a huge score!”
“Oh my.”
I covered my mouth, pretending to be impressed.
Go on, then. Try.
From the moment he took that necklace into his hands, the winner had already been decided.
