It was acquired by Duke Primrose in the old kingdom of Radietta, which doesn’t exist now, and there were many talks even from other families about how he was going to use this ruby.
And he used it to make that jewelry.
To make a necklace for Yuria!

“A topaz for Lilika, and a ruby for me.”

Yuria examined the red jewel once again.
A vivid color, and a striking size.
Of course, it was about the same size as Lilika’s, but if you look a little closer, you could see that Lilika’s topaz was a jewel of a lower grade.

“Thank you again. I didn’t expect to receive a gift like this.”
“I prepared it in a hurry, so I’m glad you like it.”

Duke Primrose smiled lovingly and looked back at Lilika this time.

“Do you like it too, Lilika?”
“…”

Lilika couldn’t answer right away.
The quality of the necklace she received was so different from Yuria’s.
She tried to think that hers was a jewel he had brought from Ezebe, and that Yuria’s was a jewel that already existed.
But… no matter how she tried to think about it, it was impossible.

‘It’s so different. This isn’t a gem that can be compared to the Ruby of Radietta…!’

But she couldn’t say that she didn’t like it here.

“Of course, I’m most grateful that you think of me first, even if you go somewhere else!”

That was what she had said earlier.
She always had a smile of gratitude that made her different from Yuria, who always uttered bad words when receiving gifts.

But… but…
Duke Primrose had always chosen something pretty, something of value, and something that suited Lilika first.
Even if he had given her the same thing as Yuria, there was never a gift she didn’t like.
That’s why this time, she was also able to say thank you first.

“… I think the necklace is pretty, too.”

Lilika smiled, barely able to hold back the trembling on her face.

“Th-thank you. Father.”

She wasn’t thankful at all.
The ladies of the social world said that he would leave that ruby aside and craft either a ring, a necklace, an earring, or whichever form it was, to, of course, give it to Lilika as a gift. They were excited and talked about it first.
They said that Lilika’s red eyes and that ruby would look good together, no matter what kind of jewelry it was.

Of course, they thought she would get it, so they talked about it!
What would they say if they found out that ruby had gone to Yuria instead of Lilika?
Wouldn’t they think that Duke Primrose’s affection for Lilika had disappeared?

She couldn’t just let it go, so she wanted to say something.

“… But, Father. I… also have red eyes, like Sister Yuria.”

Lilika could barely hide her discontent and manage to speak in her usual sweet tone.

“May I ask… why you gave the ruby to Sister Yuria?”

She was able to somehow smile as an innocent, kind daughter. But she wasn’t really happy.
Unaware of her feelings, Duke Primrose replied with a grin.

“I thought the topaz I bought at Ezebe would be better suited for you, Lilika. You have aquamarine hair, as Yuria has silver hair.”
“…”
“You’re right. A ruby suits me, and a topaz suits Lilika.”

Yuria smiled softly next to her.
Lilika swallowed her boiling emotions, but Duke Primrose asked with a mysterious look on his face.

“Lilika, do you like de ruby more?”
“…”

She couldn’t give any answer.
She couldn’t say that she liked the topaz more than that ruby here, but if she asked for that ruby necklace for herself, Lilika’s good daughter image would surely be destroyed…
She didn’t like any of the choices.

“Even so, Yuria has received fewer gifts so far, so please be patient this time, Lilika.”
“Yes, Lilika. I can’t use a topaz necklace, can I?”

Yuria added, smiling.

“If it’s not a fancy ruby, it won’t be noticeable even if I wear it around my neck. I envy you Lilika. A pure color like topaz suits you well.”
“…”
“Father gave us a very thoughtful gift. Right?”

For Lilika, it didn’t sound like she was being complimented at all.
Pure?
Lilika wasn’t so foolish to not understand that Yuria was saying that Lilika suited plain and simple things while she suited fancy things!

However, Duke Primrose couldn’t grasp this atmosphere, so he gladly added,

“Because you are sisters, I entrusted your gifts to the same craftsman. I want you to get along well in the future.”

Rather, because the design was similar, the grade of the gems could be starkly compared.
Lilika wondered what kind of gift Duke Primrose would bring her, but the gift he gave her was a gem of a starkly different grade.

‘I never thought that the Ruby of Radietta would fall into my hands.’

Yuria smiled because she liked that fact.
It was the first sincere smile she made in front of Duke Primrose and Lilika.

***

Even if Lilika lost the trust of the ladies in the social world, even if she was isolated in the castle, I shouldn’t be relieved.

Social reputation?
The duke and my brother’s love?
Of course, that was important, but in fact, Lilika had several cards left that she could use to reverse the current situation.
The male protagonists who were absolutely loyal to her and the awakening of her blessing of healing that led her to later be called the saintess.

The blessing of healing wasn’t going to awaken any time soon. And there was no way for me to prevent that.
However, I could use the male protagonist who hadn’t appeared yet.
And in this situation, there was one male protagonist I coveted.
A character who had not yet appeared in the novel.

‘At this time, ‘Serian’ is still wandering around as a slave.’

Lilika’s second male lead, the summoner Serian.
He went through all kinds of things after being sold as a slave as a child, losing his trust in humans… He was a character who was sharp at first, but became increasingly influenced by Lilika’s warmth.
He was especially popular with readers because of his absolute loyalty to Lilika.

There were many moments when Lilika would have been in danger without Serian.
He had grown from a slave to the king of mercenaries, and helped Lilika with his exceptional skills and some connections.

In my case, I was attracted to the fact that Serian was a summoner.

‘I’m aiming to get away from the Primrose duchy in the future, and for the time being, I’m going to do business while hiding my identity as the duke’s daughter.’

It would be nice to have someone who did not belong to the Primrose duchy.
Someone who would protect ‘me’, not the duchy.
It also had to be a person of great skill because I didn’t know what was going to happen.

‘I still get chills when I think about my meeting with Sir Vieira the other day.’

As a villainess, meeting Crown Prince Enoch drew all the luck in my life.

‘On the other hand, Lilika is the one who will save Sir Vieira, and…’

Let’s take away one of Lilika’s cards.
Moreover, the fact that Serian, who I was going to meet now, was a summoner, was more important than anything else.

‘Even if he is not an escort knight, a summoner can be useful in many ways.’

How difficult it had been the last time, when I was making the cosmetics for Princess Vivian.
The crops that didn’t fit well with the climate of the capital where the princess’ palace was located could barely be cultivated in small quantities, despite my blessing of growth.
But how convenient would it be to be a summoner and be able adjust the environment in which crops grow?

“Lady. But if we add sunscreen to the basic cosmetics, won’t there be a problem with the supply of ingredients?”
“Don’t worry about that. I have a plan in mind. As I asked you last time, all you need to do is come and cast some magic. The design is almost finished.”

I could not confidently tell Crown Prince Enoch not to worry about the supply and demand of ingredients.

I planned to appear in front of Serian before he met Lilika.
He must be at the slave auction now.
Of course… There was no way that an ordinary noblewoman could find something like a slave auction house that was illegally distributed.
But I saw that hint in the novel.

‘There was definitely a passage about a summoner slave.’

Pretending to look at the busy street, I slipped onto another path.
If you followed this path, you would come to the square. It was a place that was open in all directions and looked like there was nothing dangerous about it, but if you actually went down the side street…

“…”

There was a dark alleyway with a humid smell and poor sunlight, unlike before.
If you walked down that road for a while, you would see a general store…

“Welcome, what are you looking for?”

Even if the atmosphere in the alleyway was not very good, the general store located there was neatly organized, and the elderly owner also had a soft smile.
But I shouldn’t be fooled by this.

“What is the most expensive thing I can buy for 12.24 million Shaland?”

The owner’s face turned stiff when I calmly recited the code to the slave auction house.

——