"Sapphire?
I don't think I've ever seen her wear that before..."
After Cornelia's words, Madeleine hurriedly added: "Oh, it's because she values it.
You've never visited the annex before, so you don't know, but the grand lady has a lot of pieces of ruby jewelry."
Although worried by any further suspicions, the naive Cornelia easily believed it.
“Oh, I see”
At that moment, the saleswoman approached.
“Duchess, shall we make a bracelet of the finest quality?”
Cornelia nodded.
“Yes, and can you show me this ruby necklace for a moment?”
The saleswoman's face lit up as she pointed to the most expensive necklace in the booklet.
"Yes!
Please wait!"
Madeleine's face lit up as she watched.
‘Choose a ruby necklace after requesting a jade necklace.
'Is the grand lady going to slap this foolish crow?'
Although she could not discredit the crow, she had succeeded in making her squander a large sum of money.
Besides, with the eldest lady's wrath approaching, she felt that she could return home with a lighter heart.
Madeleine rose.
'There is no point in staying here.
Since I made Crow pay for her foolishness, I'd better go home.'
“I'll leave then”
When she was about to leave, Cornelia grabbed her wrist.
Madeline was terrified and tried to withdraw her hand involuntarily, but she found herself unable to move.
'What?
What power...'
When Madeleine looked at Cornelia that way, she trembled.
'That look in her eyes, similar to the one I saw in the palace gardens...'
Then Cornelia smiled.
“Why?
Stay a little longer.”
“Oh, that… I completely forgot that my father asked to see me.
How could I forget?”
"truly?"
Only then did Cornelia let go of her hand.
“Thank you very much for taking the time to see me.
Normally, when you come to the palace, you don’t come to see me… so I was… a little upset.”
“Well, that's because it was late, and sometimes...”
“Yes, I know.
I know you didn’t do it on purpose.
Moreover, you even met me outside the palace just now.”
Madeline clenched her fists as the words continued to overwhelm her.
'You dare make fun of me?'
Moreover, it's not that she doesn't come to the palace, but she can't.
Cornelia felt as if she was mocking her with her words.
'Just wait; I won't let you go easily'
Madeleine hid these thoughts and smiled.
“I'm glad the misunderstanding is over.
Okay, I'll go then.”
After Madeleine left, Cornelia returned to her silent self.
People still looked at her and whispered their disapproval.
“Whether their relationship is good or bad, I don’t really know.”
“But wasn’t it Miss Argen who brought up the subject first?”
At that moment, the saleswoman returned with a jewelry box containing the necklace.
“Please check it.”
Cornelia looked at him and nodded.
“Can I take this right away?”
“Yes, I will wrap it up immediately.
And when the hard work you asked for is finished, shall we hand it over to the duchy?”
“Yes, I want it to be delivered to my mother-in-law, the eldest lady.”
The saleswoman then asked with a bright look,
“Ah, was it a gift for the grand lady?”
Cornelia simply nodded.
“It has been five years since I got married, and I always feel some regret for not getting along with my mother-in-law.
Therefore, I prepared this gift out of the desire that we get along well.”
Hearing this, the saleswoman showed some sympathy.
It is understood that the jade was not a precious jewel highly admired among noble ladies.
“Duchess, may I suggest something?”
When Cornelia nodded in agreement, the saleswoman spoke.
“As you know, jade is not a highly sought-after piece among ladies.
If you don't mind, how about giving her something else?
A bracelet made of high-quality pearls may be cheaper than high-quality jade, and it seems like something the lady will appreciate.”
The proposal to exchange the requested item for something else at a reasonable price was a kind gesture from the saleswoman towards Cornelia.
Observing the situation, the other noble ladies agreed, assuming that Cornelia would naturally choose pearls as a gift.
But…
“No, leave it as it is.
This is serious for my mother-in-law, to satisfy her heart.”
At this response, everyone, including the saleswoman, sighed in unison.
However, it did not last long, as Cornelia's next words made their ears pay attention again.
“I also know that Jade is an unwanted jewel.
However, I prepared it to please my mother-in-law’s heart.”
“If it were to please her heart...”
“My mother-in-law wanted to invest in my jade mine, but I refused because I plan to sell it soon.
So I asked for the jade bracelet as an apology gesture.”
Only then did they understand why Cornelia was so insisting on her serious dedication.
“Because I know that she will not be satisfied, I brought my cousin, who is close to my mother-in-law, to ask her about the jewelry she likes.”
Finally, Cornelia whispered with a bitter smile.
“Maybe...she might see me in a different light.”
The ladies who listened to her sighed inwardly.
Although Cornelia had a reputation as a troublemaker, they found it both sympathetic and unfortunate to see her suffering from the effects of her high status.
As if echoing their thoughts, the saleswoman spoke.
“Don’t worry.
From my experience, I have never found a lady who hates jewelry.
She will definitely appreciate it.
And after all, your cousin Lady Arjen sponsored it, right?”
At that answer, Cornelia gave her a bitter look.
“Yes, fortunately she was close to my mother-in-law.”
The saleswoman gave her a sad look, then got up.
“Okay, then, I'll apologize for a moment.”
Usually, the only reason sellers talk to ladies is to sell more products.
So they deliberately procrastinated, taking as much time as possible to pack the item.
“I will wrap the necklace well and bring it to you.”
However, the saleswoman herself seemed to be moved by pity, not wanting to keep Cornelia among the gossipers.
While the saleswoman disappeared to pack her bags, Cornelia was approached by a middle-aged lady.
“Duchess of Brant, long time no see.”
Cornelia recognized her and returned the greeting.
“Ah, Countess Alto.
It has been a long time.
The weather is beautiful today.”
Contrary to expectations, the response was unexpectedly kind, prompting other nearby noble ladies to approach Cornelia.
“Greetings, Duchess of Brant”
"Yes, good evening, Marchioness Guest.
These topaz earrings suit you perfectly.
Did you buy them today?"
Cornelia answered each one with familiarity, in contrast to her usual arrogance towards noble ladies.
Then, without thinking, someone said: “Madam, I overheard your conversation with the saleswoman a while ago.
Excuse me, but did the eldest lady try to touch your belongings?”
While everyone sighed, some couldn't help but feel curious about the situation, and didn't blame the oblivious speaker.
Instead, they kept their mouths shut and waited for Cornelia's reaction.
Will she get angry and spread rumors about her mother-in-law?
Or maybe you cry and mourn.
However, contrary to their expectations, Cornelia stood with an embarrassed expression.
“Thank you for taking care of my business, but the saleswoman is back.”
She bowed gracefully and smiled.
“I'll leave then”
When Cornelia turned and walked away without another word, the ladies couldn't help but really admire her.
“Normally, a young woman of her age would take the opportunity to gossip about her mother-in-law, but...”
“She is good at dealing with her mother-in-law; the princess is deeper than she seems.”
It was clear that the grand lady was trying to seize her fortune.
But Cornelia denied this by leaving the room.
In other words, they had a suspicion, but without conclusive proof, so it was difficult to say anything.
Disappointed that their prey had escaped, they moved on to another topic.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
I left the jewelry store, with a smile of relief on my face.
Okay, that's enough for today.
When a daughter-in-law goesssips about her mother-in-law in public, she is the one who will bear the consequences.
So I deescalated the situation, pretending it was an accidental spill, and apologized.
When I got into the carriage, I looked at the ruby necklace carefully wrapped in my hand and smiled wryly.
“Anyway, my mother-in-law will soon become a topic of real gossip.”