The Adopted Princess Hopes to Escape the Genre - Chapter 23
Of course, I didn’t immediately acquire 250 dresses. After my strong insistence, we agreed to finalize the contract now, with the dresses to be delivered whenever I wanted them.
Theodore and I paid the deposit and left the store. Madame, who had suddenly made a large sum of money, was so overjoyed that she stepped outside to personally see us off.
As we exited the boutique, I glanced at Theodore’s face, which was a picture of utter bewilderment. He was the one who had suggested I order whatever I wanted without holding back, but he clearly hadn’t anticipated the purchase of 250 dresses.
It seemed he had inadvertently spent a fortune. Yet, retracting his statement in front of the Madame would have been unbecoming of a noble. And it wasn’t as if money was an issue for him, either.
“Young Master, shall we head to the jeweler’s now?”
At the coachman’s words, Theodore finally came back to his senses. Nodding, he once again escorted me.
We both climbed into the carriage, visibly worn out.
After rubbing his face in exasperation, Theodore shifted his gaze to my hands. His expression was curious as he wondered what I was clutching so tightly.
“What’s that?”
“Something I specially ordered from the Madame.”
“Specially ordered?”
Theodore’s interest piqued at the mention of a special order.
“A pouch with a strap seemed like it would be convenient for carrying small items, so I had one made to wear over the shoulder. That way, I don’t have to hold it in my hands.”
“That’s quite… interesting. I’m curious, when did you find the time to request that?”
‘Obviously, while the Madame was emptying your pockets… when else?’
With an awkward smile, I gave a vague reply. Meanwhile, the carriage arrived at the jeweler’s.
The first jewelry shop we visited had a surprisingly shabby exterior. The store lacked even a signboard. When we entered, the inside was equally underwhelming.
The shop owner, who appeared to be in charge, greeted us warmly as we stepped inside.
“Welcome, Young Master.”
“Show me something that would suit this child. In the meantime, I’ll browse other pieces.”
“I’ll prepare it immediately.”
The shop owner stroked his mustache lightly as he scanned me from head to toe before leaving to retrieve the items. His gaze carried an undertone of disdain and condescension.
Soon, the owner returned and began placing various jewels on the table one by one. As he did, he started explaining each piece to me.
“This is a diamond.”
“…….”
I have eyes, you know.
“And this one here, you might not be familiar with. It’s a ruby.”
Dismissing this as mere product explanations seemed overly generous. At first, I thought I might just be overly sensitive due to my insecurities. However, the more I listened, the clearer it became: this man wasn’t treating me as a guest from a Duke’s household but as a commoner who had lucked into her current position.
‘So this is how they’re playing it.’
I picked up the prettiest diamond among the jewels laid out and breathed on its surface. A foggy layer immediately formed on the diamond.
It’s fake.
For once, the lesson I half-slept through came in handy. I suddenly felt a surge of respect for the professor, who had been ridiculed by students questioning when we’d ever need to know how to identify a diamond.
“The cloudiness of the stone is… quite beautiful”
“Then you’ll take them all, correct? I’ll get them packed for you,” the owner replied, hastily gathering the jewels without even fully listening to what I said.
‘Doesn’t even catch sarcasm, huh….’
“What’s the point of buying fakes?”
The owner froze mid-motion, his eyes widening as he looked at me in alarm.
“W-what do you mean?”
“You’d better bring out the real ones. Surely, you don’t think the House of Delphinium wouldn’t notice these are fake?”
I smiled sweetly as I leaned in and whispered. Hearing my words, the shopkeeper’s face turned pale, and he scrambled to fetch other jewels. The new selection he brought out appeared to be genuine.
As I examined the new batch of jewels one by one, Theodore approached.
“Lassetia, have you chosen a jewel you like?”
“This one…”
I pointed at a single jewel with my finger.
“Just one…”
“Ha! I knew it…”
“All except this one.”
