BOPE 13

Chapter 13 …

With his bulging belly and double chin, the man let out a deep sigh the moment he saw Lord Grace, shaking his head as if troubled. Every time he moved, the ornaments on his clothes clinked noisily.

“My Lord, the pearl necklace you took last time was already priced very generously. Other places would charge you twice as much. I gave you a special discount because I understand the circumstances here.”

His annoyance was evident with every word, showing just how reluctant he was to come here.

Listening to him blurt out his complaints without even a greeting, Donghee felt a wave of irritation surge inside her.

The old her would never have dared to show her true feelings.

But as they say, humans are creatures of adaptation—and Donghee was adapting to her current circumstances like an animal.

“What was your name again?”

Donghee squinted slightly and tilted her head, as if struggling to remember.

Her languid voice came off as rather arrogant.

“Pardon?”

The jeweler, surprised by Lord Grace’s uncharacteristic attitude, glanced at Chloe with a puzzled expression, as if asking, “Is she crazy?”

Unbothered, Donghee looked as composed as if she were Nero, Emperor of Rome, and asked briefly,

“Your name.”

Even acting haughty was becoming natural with repetition.

He twitched his lips in disbelief before answering, unimpressed.

“Gold Rich.”

“Pfft!”

It was the perfect name for a jeweler.

Donghee laughed openly without bothering to hide it and asked playfully,

“Is that your real name?”

It clearly sounded like a stage name made up for the jewelry business.

“Our family has run a jewelry business for generations. You know this already, so why act surprised? Yes, it’s my real name. Surely you didn’t call me here just because of my name. Why did you summon me? There’s no way Lord Grace intends to buy jewelry. Don’t tell me—are you trying to resell that pearl necklace you bought from me? I absolutely can’t pay full price for something that’s already been worn. I’ll give you half at most. No more.”

Before Donghee could say anything, Gold Rich had already finished the introduction, main point, and conclusion, shaking his head and waving his thick hand. The gold bracelet tightly clamped on his fat wrist glittered as he moved, and his jelly-like chin jiggled every time he turned his head.

She felt such disgust that she had the urge to pull his double chin and stretch it.

“I am going to sell, but it’s not that cheap pearl necklace you overcharged me for.”

“C-Cheap?!”

Gold Rich’s sallow face flushed red.

He had immense pride in the jewelry he sold. Even if he had ripped off Lord Grace a bit, it definitely wasn’t cheap junk, so he was furious.

Watching someone else get red in the face with anger yet feeling this calm—it was truly strange.

Donghee barely managed to suppress her laughter, casually waving her hand as if it were no big deal.

Gold Rich’s face had turned as red as the flesh of a watermelon.

“Shut up and take a look at this necklace. How much will you give me for it?”

Donghee placed a necklace adorned with a large ruby on the table, studying his expression.

Gold Rich had been eyeing her suspiciously, expecting her to pull out some worthless trinket again—but when he saw the ruby necklace, his eyes widened as if they might pop out of his skull.

“T-This is…!”

It was clearly crafted with a level of delicate craftsmanship unseen in this region. The skill level must be worlds apart.

Judging from the quality of the pearl necklace Gold Rich had previously sold Lord Grace, Donghee had already assumed the local jewelry techniques weren’t very advanced. But from the way Gold Rich reacted—like he’d been struck by lightning—it was clear the craftsmanship gap was far larger than she’d expected.

Donghee smirked and began placing more items on the table: a sapphire necklace, a diamond necklace, and a gold bracelet, one after another.

When she’d hurriedly stuffed everything into her inventory, she hadn’t noticed, but now that she laid them out, it was clear the hoard from Borimdang contained some seriously expensive-looking items. Regardless of its small size, a jeweler’s stash was still a jeweler’s stash.

“I’ve got quite a few of these. So, are you buying or not?”

Donghee crossed her legs and asked lazily, watching the stunned Gold Rich, who still had his mouth agape.

“W-Whose craftsmanship is this?”

His trembling voice was filled with awe as he asked, staring at the jewelry with reverence.

His pompous attitude had completely disappeared. Now, looking at the necklaces made with techniques this world had never seen before, he was nearly in tears.

At least it was clear he had genuine passion for jewelry.

I like that.

Donghee straightened her body from its relaxed tilt, brushed her sleeves confidently, and replied nonchalantly,

“I’ve got a secret source. Of course, I can’t just reveal it to anyone.”

“Then, does that mean My Lord will be handling these trades exclusively from now on?”

“Yep. Just me. No one else. It’s a secret trade only I can do.”

“This… this can’t be human craftsmanship!”

Gold Rich, drawing his own conclusions, muttered dreamily as if he’d just had an epiphany.

So non-human beings live in this world too?

Donghee was full of questions but simply smiled mysteriously, adding to the mystique. Now was the perfect time to raise the value of her goods.

And honestly, it wasn’t even a lie. These weren’t 100% handmade anyway—so it wasn’t only human craftsmanship.

I’ve never told a lie, she thought to herself, staring at Gold Rich.

“So? Are you buying or not?”

“O-Of course I’m buying! How much do you want? I’ll pay generously—whatever the amount!”

Gold Rich rushed to respond, stepping closer with a desperate expression, like there was already competition breathing down his neck.

Donghee felt even more delighted by his urgency.

“You’ve got a good eye.”

She nodded and smiled confidently on the outside, though inwardly, she was troubled.

She didn’t know this world’s currency values—let alone the market price for this level of jewelry.

Frantically thinking, Donghee called out in a dignified voice for Steward Scrooge, who had stepped away earlier.

He seemed like the best person to handle anything related to money.

“You called, My Lord.”

Scrooge entered the room looking deeply displeased.

He had heard about the intent to sell some jewelry but didn’t believe it. Grace Castle didn’t have any gems worthy of catching Gold Rich’s greedy eye, and they definitely didn’t have the money to buy anything.

Still scowling as he entered the drawing room, Scrooge saw the jewels laid out on the table—and his face twisted further. With all those wrinkles, his face now looked like a crumpled chrysalis.

He had vowed never to open the treasury vault again, no matter how much the immature lord begged. Even if it meant being kicked out of the castle, he would remain loyal to the late Marquis.

With that resolve, Scrooge straightened his hunched shoulders.

“I’m going to sell these to Gold Rich.”

“Absolutely not… Wait, what?”

He had been prepared to immediately refuse—so the automatic response came out before the words fully registered. Scrooge jerked his head toward Donghee, blinking in confusion.

“I said, I’m selling these to Gold Rich.”

Once her words finally sank in, Scrooge’s firm expression completely collapsed.

Donghee, focused on Gold Rich, didn’t notice the sudden change in Scrooge’s face and motioned for him to come closer.

Still unsure if he’d heard correctly, Scrooge hesitantly approached her.

When he got closer, the young lord gestured again, telling him to lean in.

It seemed she wanted to whisper something. Glancing sideways at Gold Rich—who was practically drooling over the jewels—Scrooge leaned in slowly.

He still had no idea what was going on.

“You’re more experienced with this kind of deal, so watch closely. If he tries to lowball me, stop the deal immediately. Got it?”

“Pardon? Oh… yes.”

Scrooge answered blankly, burning with curiosity about where the jewelry had come from. But since they weren’t alone, he didn’t dare ask.

His heart pounded with fear that Donghee might have stolen them.

But even if she had, he couldn’t risk showing it in front of Gold Rich—so he forced himself to nod calmly.