Chapter 8
“I’m just so excited, I can’t sleep!”
She lit a small candle and sat down at her workbench.
“My hands are itching to get to work.”
Adelaïde looked around for the highest-quality gemstones the Duke had given her as an engagement gift.
“That’s right, Sophia said she’d put them in the safe.”
Click.
The safe door swung open with a soft sound. Inside, besides the finest gemstones, the jewels gifted by the Duke, and the crystal she had been holding when she arrived, was another large pouch.
“What’s this?”
Adelaïde took out the pouch and placed it on the workbench. It was heavier than she expected.
“Huh? These are crystals!”
Adelaïde was stunned by the transparent gems that filled the pouch.
“There are so many.”
She took out one of the crystals to examine it.
“That’s strange.”
She took out another.
“This one too?”
Every single crystal was shattered.
“Who would do something like this?”
Adelaïde picked up a crystal and turned it over and over in her hand.
Sssshhh.
She lifted the pouch and poured its contents onto the workbench. After examining the crystals, Adelaïde tilted her head.
“This is no accident.”
The same pattern was visible on the fractured surface of every crystal.
“Someone deliberately aimed for this exact angle. I’m sure of it.”
Her heart began to race.
“Don’t tell me… is this another test from the Duke?”
Adelaïde’s competitive spirit flared.
“If I can restore this, I might be able to figure out what problem the Duke has set for me.”
She brought a broken crystal close to the candlelight. A faint afterglow shimmered from within the fragment.
“…What is this?”
The next morning.
Adelaïde forced her heavy eyelids open as she entered the dining hall.
The sunlight pouring through the window was blindingly bright. But there, sitting at the dining table, was the Duke, who was not usually present. To hide her surprise, Adelaïde greeted him with forced cheerfulness.
“Good morning, Your Grace.”
The Duke simply nodded without a word. As Adelaïde sat down opposite him, his gaze fell upon her dispassionately.
“What is it? Is there something on my face?”
The Duke shook his head. Instead, his eyebrow twitched slightly. Grumbling inwardly at his subtle expression, Adelaïde reached for her cutlery.
“Did you not sleep well?”
‘How did he know?’
“Not at all. The room you prepared for me is so comfortable, I slept wonderfully.”
Adelaïde didn’t want the Duke to know how much she loved the workshop. She tried to chew her bread calmly and elegantly. But despite her efforts, she couldn’t stop her eyes from drooping shut.
“My lady, you must be tired.”
“A little.”
“The duties of the Duchess have not yet begun, yet you’re already tired. How unexpected.”
‘Ugh, the nerve of him!’
Sophia asked kindly as she refilled her water glass. Adelaïde gave a grateful smile to Sophia, who had woken her just as she was about to doze off.
Adelaïde managed to stifle a yawn and replied.
“I have my own ways of keeping busy, Your Grace.”
Forcing her eyes open, Adelaïde swallowed her last bite and rose from her seat.
“I’ll be taking my leave. The Duchess-to-be with nothing to do is a bit tired.”
She even gave a little curtsy, lifting her dress slightly, before sweeping out of the room. The corner of the Duke’s mouth twitched upward ever so slightly.
Once Adelaïde was gone, Sophia spoke cautiously.
“She seems to be quite fond of the workshop.”
“Is that so?”
“It seems she didn’t sleep at all last night. When I saw her this morning, she was completely absorbed with something in her workshop.”
The Duke’s gaze slowly lowered to the table. The red tea in his cup rippled gently.
“…She looked pale.”
Sophia was surprised that the Duke had noticed Adelaïde’s complexion, but a smile bloomed on her face nonetheless.
“Still, she looked quite excited. I think she’s a much more wonderful person than I thought.”
The Duke didn’t answer. Lifting his teacup, he gazed out the window and added just one more thing.
“…That’s a relief.”
The workshop was silent. A curiosity that even a sleepless night couldn’t exhaust filled Adelaïde’s eyes. She carefully spread the broken crystal fragments on her workbench. Though their forms were shattered, she traced their original shape with her fingertips, imagining how they once looked.
Lumengria.
As expected of a nation of jewels, everything from the raw stones to the tools was perfect.
“I think this was an even more magnificent crystal than I thought…”
Adelaïde wondered why the crystal had been shattered like this, and who on earth could have done it.
“First, let’s check the fractured surfaces.”
Adelaïde put on her lens, picked up a crystal fragment, and examined it through a precision loupe. The cut surfaces were sharp and clean, as if someone had intentionally targeted a specific angle.
“Just as I thought, this wasn’t damaged from an impact. This was a precise strike aimed at the cross-section.”
Using tweezers, Adelaïde carefully positioned the two largest pieces against each other. She applied a tiny amount of special adhesive, then slowly raised the temperature with a micro-heating wire.
“The bonding temperature is exactly 42 degrees. Any higher could cause more cracks.”
She brought a lamp over and shone its light on the joined section.
Click!
The pieces fused into one.
“Good. The reaction isn’t bad.”
Keeping the crystal fixed in place, she checked how close its transparency was to the original.
“74.2%. That’s quite high. This should be good enough…”
Adelaïde continued to connect the fragments one by one. It was such precise work that a single mistake could shatter the crystal completely.
“This should be enough to move on to the next step, right?”
After fitting the final piece into place, Adelaïde let out a long breath.
“Now, I just need to check… ?!”
She carefully picked up the completed crystal and examined it again with the loupe.
“It’s done! Huh? Oh!”
Adelaïde instinctively narrowed her eyes. A shimmering pattern flickered within the crystal fragments.
“What is this? It doesn’t look like a simple decoration.”
The next moment, an afterglow burst from the restored crystal, and a brief image appeared before Adelaïde’s eyes.
「…Hide the truth. It must not fall into their hands.」
Adelaïde shot to her feet.
“Wh-what was that? Who’s there?”
She whipped her head around. The workshop was silent.
“I’m sure I heard a voice.”
She ducked down to look under the workbench. There was nothing there. Her heart pounded in her chest. Adelaïde looked down at the restored crystal. It had already lost its light, lying dormant like an ordinary gem.
“A g-ghost?”
A shiver ran down her spine.
“Aaaah!”
Screaming, she threw open the workshop door and bolted out.
Thump!
“Ouch.”
“Ow!”
Having ran into a hard wall, Adelaïde staggered and rubbed her forehead.
When she looked up, a pair of cold eyes filled her vision.
“Your Grace? You’re not a wall!”
“What happened?”
Adelaïde was in no state to care whether it was the Duke or anyone else.
“A g-ghost! A crystal ghost appeared!”
Adelaïde pressed her reddening forehead against the Duke’s chest. Her hands shot out and grabbed his lapels.
“…A ghost?”
The Duke paused for a moment.
“You might not believe me, but it’s true. I heard its voice.”
The Duke stared down at Adelaïde. Seeing her hands clutching his lapels, her wide, round eyes, and the forehead that was beginning to swell and turn red, he somehow found it amusing. He swallowed, forced the corners of his twitching lips down, and composed his voice.
“Calm yourself. A ghost? There is no such thing in my residence.”
The Duke raised a hand and awkwardly patted Adelaïde’s shoulder.
“But I’m telling you, one appeared!”
“As long as I am here, there is no chance of a ghost existing.”
The strength drained from the hands gripping his lapels.
‘What’s with this confidence?’
Adelaïde’s shock quickly subsided, and her mind returned to normal.
“I heard you haven’t left the workshop lately. So, have you found any trace of the culprit?”
At the Duke’s words, Adelaïde’s fear vanished in an instant.
“The culprit?”
“I believe I summoned you to fulfill the contract.”
*Hah, with him around, what ghost would dare show its face? Unless it was the ghost of greed.
Adelaïde’s cheeks puffed out in a pout.
“I’m going to work on it right now!”
Adelaïde briskly dusted off her dress and turned around.
“Tch!”
She disappeared back into the workshop with quick steps. The Duke stared at the firmly shut door with a dumbfounded expression.
“Did she just ‘tch’ at me?”
Sitting back down at her workbench, Adelaïde’s eyes burned with determination. She tossed the restored crystal to one side. Fuming, she pulled out the documents the Duke had given her on the first day.
“Fine! I’ll find your culprit!”
Adelaïde also took out the crystal that had been hanging from the Duke’s scabbard.
“The cutting angle, the depth, and this pattern!”
She jumped up and began scribbling rapidly on a blackboard.
“A standard crystal cutting tool could never produce a pattern like this. This was definitely done using a custom-made special tool.”
She reviewed the list the Duke had given her.
“I need to find a place with the technology and facilities to produce special tools, right? They’d also need a craftsman capable of such delicate work.”
Adelaïde’s eyes sparkled as she flipped through the documents, page by page. She compared the detailed notes on each list once more. Presently, her gaze stopped at one entry.
“Found it!”
“The letter of recommendation?”
“I’ve received it.”
“Be sure to verify it even more thoroughly this time!”
“Yes!”
Duke Karsiten was reviewing matters concerning the ducal territory and the capital residence, as he always did. As he and Marcus looked over the documents, the sound of urgent footsteps reached his ears.
Thump-thump-thump-thump.
“It sounds like someone is running.”
Knock, knock.
Before the sound of the knock had even faded, the door burst open.
“I found it!”
Her eyes sparkling brightly, Adelaide rushed inside.
“Oh, you have a guest. Please excuse me.”
Adelaide calmly greeted them and was about to leave.
As the unfamiliar man bowed his head and greeted her politely, she returned the courtesy.
“I am Adelaïde Saint-Clair.”
“I am Marcus Gray, administrator of the Karsiten ducal estate, and temporary commander of the knights.”
“My apologies for the late introduction, Lady Adelaide.”
Temporary? Why temporary?
“Found it? What do you mean?”
The fleeting question was buried by the Duke’s voice.
“Excuse me.”
Adelaide went straight to the Duke’s desk. In her hand was a crystal the size of her palm.
