You Said You Wanted Us to Break Up - Chapter 71

The first things excluded were Sioden’s gifts.

“I can’t sell the third one.”

Even the most indifferent man would surely remember which jewels he had gifted. In fact, even Demian had thrown tantrums, demanding to know if she’d sold them off if she didn’t show him she was wearing the ones he’d bought.

Apple, who was classifying the jewels with me, agreed with my words and asserted,

“The second one, too… someone might recognize it as being yours, my lady.”

Since it was the lightest and she wore it often, it was a possibility. As we eliminated them one by one through this process of elimination, only one type of jewel remained.

We looked down at the last remaining jewels. They were all placed on velvet embroidered with Rowen’s insignia—white lilies of the valley.

“But these are the jewels that have been passed down in Rowen. They have a long history, so surely there will be people who recognize them…”

Jewels that had been exposed to the world for a long time were more widely known. The ones mined and crafted long ago had naturally been worn by many people, as those of high status and means who could afford to wear precious metals tended to leave records.

Apple, who surely knew this fact as well, couldn’t readily choose anything.

That’s when it happened. One type of jewel caught my eye.

I picked up the one near the very end of the jewels, which were categorized by importance.

“How about this one?”

It was a necklace and a pair of earrings crafted from a red gem.

Apple recognized it at first glance.

“Isn’t this the one you wore on your wedding day, my lady?”

Since it was indeed the one I’d worn with my reception dress, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

“You remember that?”

Apple couldn’t attend my wedding. It was due to my father’s interference.

So, naturally, she had only seen what I wore at the wedding from behind the venue.

Apple nodded and added calmly,

“Because it suited you well.”

The tone suggested that this one fact was reason enough to remember it for years. Apple was probably the only person in the world who cherished me this much. As I was quietly touched by this fact, Apple added,

“But I heard this was used by your lady’s mother.”

My mother, who was my father’s second wife, had passed away when I was very young. Because of this, I had no memory of my mother.

I know I resemble my mother very much. However, longing is not something that arises just from a single point of resemblance. There was not a single portrait of my mother left in Rowen, and no one spoke about her.

It is impossible to long for someone whose appearance or personality you don’t even know.

I shook my head at Apple.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s just a jewel, after all.”

Moreover, this jewel had its own advantage.

“Since only my mother used it, not many people will recognize it, and above all, I haven’t worn it once since the reception.”

However, Apple still seemed to hesitate. Before she could say that she couldn’t possibly sell her lady’s mother’s keepsake, I quickly added,

“There won’t be any records remaining either. Only the portrait painted when I wore the wedding dress remains.”

There was no time to sketch a portrait during the reception. The atmosphere was completely ruined by the fur sent by Aidan.

And that fur was something Iswen had separately taken and handed over to Aidan.

The incident I had never forgotten, even in my dreams, resurfaced.

With that single act, Iswen had inflicted shame and humiliation upon me in front of all the guests.

No matter how many times I thought about it, I couldn’t return to the South where Iswen was.

Therefore, I absolutely had to go to Emerta.

I held out the necklace to Apple, who was silently looking at me.

“Let’s sell this.”

* * *

Afterward, Apple set a date to dispose of the jewel.

That day was today.

“I know a merchant from outside the castle. They take a high commission but are trustworthy because they are tight-lipped.”

If Apple, who doesn’t trust people easily, said so, then the person must be genuinely reliable.

So, there shouldn’t be a need to be this anxious, yet my heart kept beating faster.

I took a deep breath to try and calm down when I heard a knock at the door. I immediately knew it wasn’t Apple returning, as I was already familiar with her way of making her presence known.

Soon, a familiar voice came from beyond the door.

“Madam.”

It was the attendant Apple had left behind the first day she was absent.

I had sent him away because I felt fine today and didn’t need attendance, and more importantly, I wanted to be alone.

I forced myself to clear my stiff throat and asked,

“What is it?”

The answer came a beat later.

“His Excellency has sent a letter.”

* * *

Inside Melvin’s bar, the red-haired woman was seated, just as Nathan had said.

Luke approached the woman, who was sitting at the bar table with her back to the door.

“What a coincidence to meet you here.”

The woman didn’t even spare him a glance.

Luke looked up at the row of liquor bottles lined up on the shelf opposite her. The bottles, made of low-purity glass, were black. They were just reflective enough to serve as a makeshift mirror.

He understood why the other person hadn’t been surprised by his arrival.

Glancing sideways at the woman’s glass, Luke gestured to Melvin for the same thing.

While Melvin prepared the drink, Luke stood beside the woman who was ignoring him and spoke again.

“You’re not at the castle.”

“That’s none of your concern.”

“Are you out?”

Only then did Apple turn to look at him and clink her glass.

“I need personal time too, you know?”

This was to say she had come out to drink.

Luke said with a pleasant smile,

“Drinking isn’t illegal inside the castle.”

But the implied question was why she would come all the way to the town to find a bar.

“The lady cannot drink. You’d know that from your examination, wouldn’t you?”

“Indeed, the duchess is in a state where she should not consume alcohol.”

Although she didn’t have a major illness, she was frail, so it was best to avoid things like alcohol and tobacco.

However, it was quite a show of devotion to come all the way to town to drink, considering her mistress could not.

Just then, Melvin slid a glass, about two finger-widths deep, in front of him. Luke downed it in one gulp. The bitter taste of the strong liquor coated his tongue.

He smacked his lips to soothe his burning mouth and then gestured to Melvin again. Soon, the glass was refilled just as it was initially.

Rolling the glass in his hand, Luke said,

“That’s remarkable loyalty. I drink inside the castle even when His Excellency is sober.”

‘It’s cold outside the castle, and climbing over walls while drunk at my age is difficult,’ he meant.

And Luke realized he had said something difficult to understand without knowing his background.

“Ah, I have a habit of climbing over walls when I get drunk. It’s a habit I picked up as a child, and it’s not easy to fix.”

Up until then, the woman, who hadn’t given him a single glance and was only looking straight ahead, tossed her drink into her mouth.

When she abruptly turned to face him, Luke realized the sharpness in her eyes was more intense than he had thought. It was a detail that wasn’t particularly noticeable due to her delicate features.

Apple signaled to Melvin exactly as he had done. Her glass was immediately refilled.

Tossing that into her mouth again, Apple returned her gaze to the front. A vexed remark dropped curtly in between.

“I’m not curious.”

Luke burst into hearty laughter at the veiled command to shut up.

“Did you just come out to drink?”

“Should there be another reason?”

It was a sharp reply. Luke laughed out loud once more and responded gently,

“No, not at all.”

He emptied his glass and leaned his shoulder toward her.

“It looks like you don’t have company. Will you allow me to join you?”

“There are empty tables over there too.”

“Don’t you get drunk faster when you drink alone?”

“If I wasn’t going to get drunk, why would I drink?”

“You should at least save the sense to return to the castle. Isn’t the Duchess waiting for you?”

At that, the woman bit her lower lip, as if there was something about that statement that bothered her. It was a behavior she wouldn’t normally exhibit.

She was getting tipsy. At this point, if he pressed the matter, he would likely be able to find out what she usually concealed.

Luke signaled Melvin to fill his third glass and quickly perched on the stool next to Apple.

He brought up a topic that would provoke her.

“Actually, I recently read the records of your past, Miss Attendant.”