TGDHC Chapter 144

Chapter 144 – New Jewelry

After the auction ended, Ferdinand left the venue with a calm expression.

As he passed by the younger brother of the Crown Prince, the man glanced at him before walking by with a heavy expression.

‘He must be worried about what to say to the Crown Princess.’

Ferdinand waited for the carriage outside when he heard a voice.

“I was so nervous, I thought I was going to die.”

The Grand Duke’s assistant emerged from the entrance.

“Why be nervous? It was obvious the Grand Duke had commanded it; the finale was always going to be won by us.”

“There were many people aiming for the finale, you know.”

Their bickering could be heard as Ferdinand walked on, trying to distance himself from their conversation.

Despite all the competition from both the Crown Princess and the Empress, it was Blenheim that won the finale.

‘Could he be planning to give the finale as a gift to Annette?’

Even though they knew that confronting each other face-to-face wouldn’t end well, Ferdinand walked toward Perel.

As he approached, he saw the assistant stiffen his expression.

“…It’s been a while.”

“Do you remember me?”

“Are you not the oldest of the Freis family?”

After the awkward greeting, Ferdinand hesitated, not knowing how to bring up the subject.

“Is there something you wish to say to me?” the assistant asked sternly.

“How is Annette… I mean, my sister doing?”

“Lady Blenheim is doing very well.” The assistant emphasized “Blenheim,” his tone firm.

Ferdinand thought of what Raphael had said a few days ago.

— “Everyone said how smart and amazing my sister is.”

It seemed like Annette was truly doing well in the north, as Raphael had mentioned.

“If you have any messages for His Highness, I can relay them,” the assistant added, eager to end the conversation.

Ferdinand thought for a moment.

“…Please tell Annette I wish her well on her consecration day.”

“You… want me to convey that? Okay.”

The assistant seemed a little surprised but agreed to deliver the message.

Ferdinand turned and walked away without adding anything else.

“What’s all this?”

Loic stood in front of Annette, his lips dry as he placed a mountain of boxes before her.

“It’s nothing special. I just realized I haven’t been able to get you anything until now.”

As Annette collapsed onto the bed, Loic carefully placed the jewelry boxes down.

“I’ve prepared some jewelry for you to wear casually.”

“Is all of this jewelry?”

Loic slid the largest jewelry box closer to Annette. Her eyes widened.

“This box is huge!”

“Go ahead, open it.”

‘She should like it.’

Loic wiped the sweat from his palms as Annette opened the box. Her face lit up as the bright jewels sparkled.

“Wh-what is this…?”

Inside the box was a headpiece with the engraving “Celestial Starlight.”

But Annette, instead of looking pleased, seemed taken aback.

“Do you not like it?”

Annette stammered, looking at him.

“I—I mean, how much is this worth?”

“It’s not… that expensive,” Loic said, but he knew it wasn’t the truth.

“Loic, look me in the eyes and tell me.”

“Really. I just picked a few from the auction.”

Loic didn’t dare mention he had won the Celestial Starlight at 500,000 danir.

“An auction?”

Annette looked shocked, as though she had never heard of it.

Blenheim’s gemstone auction was well known, even in the capital. To Loic’s surprise, she hadn’t known about it.

Loic explained how Blenheim owned five out of the ten largest gemstone mines in the empire and how they mined, processed, and auctioned the gems.

“It’s not such a great gift, so don’t feel burdened.”

But Loic nervously looked at Annette, unsure if she would reject the gift.

“Thank you, Loic,” Annette said softly with a smile.

“I’ll keep it safe, even though it’s too precious to wear often.”

‘Did she like it?’

‘No.’

Loic could tell from the subtle way Annette’s reaction had shifted that she wasn’t exactly thrilled, even if she was still being kind.

When Annette was really happy, her eyes would shine like crescents.

‘She probably doesn’t like this kind of extravagant gift,’ Loic thought.

Annette seemed to appreciate the thought, but her taste might be more practical.

Loic then noticed a smaller jewelry box and quickly grabbed it.

“This one looks like something you could wear every day.”

He carefully pulled out a bracelet with a small pink diamond. Annette’s face lit up with a hint of warmth.

“Would you try it on?”

The small bracelet clicked on her delicate wrist, and her eyes sparkled.

“It’s so beautiful.”

Her small lips murmured in delight.

“This is something I can wear every day.”

Relieved, Loic felt more confident and reached for the next box.

“Here’s a ruby necklace. I think it would suit you.”

Annette hesitated, but Loic quickly placed the necklace around her neck, the red ruby contrasting beautifully with her fair skin.

“It’s lovely,” she said softly, glancing at herself in the mirror.

“How about this one?” Loic asked, presenting a tiara with a light magic spell on it.

“You want me to wear this when I go out?”

Annette raised her eyebrows, surprised.

“No, you can wear it when we go for a walk together.”

Annette chuckled at the joke, but Loic wasn’t smiling.

The tiara made her look so beautiful it left him speechless.

Loic eagerly reached for another box.

More jewelry—hairpins, brooches, and earrings—were placed on Annette as she lay back exhausted on the bed.

After a while, Annette caught Loic’s sleeve and gently pulled him down to rest beside her.

“Thank you, Loic.”

With the tiara slightly tilted on her head, Annette met his gaze and whispered softly.

“I love them all.”

Even though he’d heard the words many times that night, Loic couldn’t help but smile widely.

It was the first time he truly felt his wealth had meaning.

As Annette’s lips quivered, Loic’s heart beat faster.

He leaned in closer, and Annette unexpectedly grabbed both of his cheeks.

“You know about the gemstone auction, right? A lot of nobles must be attending.”

“…They probably are.”

Loic muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed as Annette caught him off guard.

“Why isn’t the auction held in Blenheim?”

Annette raised an eyebrow.

“Wouldn’t it have been good for the shopping district and tourism if it were in the north?”

Loic paused for a moment. “Because there’s no gate leading directly to Blenheim, the nobles would find it inconvenient.”

“But that’s even better. The nobles will probably push to open a gate for the auction.”

Annette pouted, and Loic knew she was right.

The nobles would indeed pressure for a gate to be opened.

Loic thought back to the situation. It seemed the Freis family had been blocking trade routes to isolate Blenheim.

But Loic wasn’t too upset by this, since the northern lands’ isolation had always been part of their plan.

‘I wanted to make life here better for Annette, at least as good as the capital.’

Loic had started trying to expand trade in Blenheim because of her.

‘Annette’s presence has helped Blenheim thrive like never before.’

Loic looked down at Annette, now resting her eyes. He gently removed the tiara, brushing her golden hair back.

Her sparkling blue eyes were already closing with sleep.

“Get some rest,” Loic whispered as he kissed her forehead.

Her eyelids fluttered before closing for the night.