“Milady, the items have arrived.”

 

The next day, the items purchased from Walpurgis Night arrived. I watched indifferently as they were carried into my room and picked up the smallest box without hesitation.

 

‘Does this still have any value…?’

 

Even though Dahlia can be difficult to understand, no one would be happy to see their fiancé at the black market.

 

Who would like a fiancé who spends a fortune at the black market while they are drowning in debt?

 

‘Poor me, with nothing but money, beauty, and wit.’

 

I lamented my situation as I lay down on the sofa. Immediately, Keumhee, my adorable little beast, climbed onto my stomach and made herself comfortable.

 

<i>“Oof.”</i>

 

Meow.

 

Cute and cuddly Keumhee didn’t care if my stomach hurt and started purring. Does being cute justify everything?

 

‘Yes, it does.’

 

I answered myself as I stroked Keumhee and gave Sophie an order.

 

“Just leave this one out and organize the rest.”

 

However, Sophie just stood there without following my order. I glared at her irritably.

 

“What is it now?”

 

“A letter has arrived from the Crown Prince.”

 

With a blank expression, Sophie handed me a silver tray with a letter on it. I was so shocked that I jumped up.

 

<i>Meow!</i> Keumhee had rolled off my stomach and hissed angrily. Sorry, Keumhee, but this is urgent.

 

“Why is he sending me a letter?”

 

I snatched the letter from the tray. Surely, Dahlia and he haven’t broken up.

 

‘That can’t happen!’

 

As I said before, I plan to fake a breakup with Raphael at the right time.

 

But that’s only after Dahlia and Ulysses safely get together. The Emperor likes me a lot, so if Ulysses ends up single, I can’t end my contract with Raphael.

 

‘Please, please.’

 

I anxiously opened the letter.

 

But its contents were nothing I had expected.

 

“…He wants to buy Dahlia’s Radiance for 500 gold?”

 

It was a very calm and polite letter asking to buy Dahlia’s Radiance. I frowned.

 

‘Didn’t he let me have it because he didn’t want to buy it for 400 gold? Why does he suddenly want it for 500 gold?’

 

I looked at the box containing Dahlia’s Radiance lying in a corner of the sofa.

 

‘Is it really that valuable?’

 

No, yellow diamonds aren’t that rare. In terms of color rarity, red, blue, or pink diamonds are rarer.

 

Of course, its size is unparalleled. That’s why its starting price was 100 gold.

 

But unless you want to make a tacky large ring, there’s no reason to be obsessed with a big stone like this.

 

In the original story, Ulysses had this large stone cut into a beautiful ring, so finding another pretty yellow diamond and naming it Dahlia’s something would be more cost-effective.

 

I pondered deeply.

 

‘Does it have a value not mentioned in the original story?’

 

I opened the box and took out Dahlia’s Radiance. For the first time, I held it in my hand and examined it closely.

 

“…?”

 

Something seemed off. Just in case, I held Dahlia’s Radiance up to the chandelier light.

 

The bright yellow stone scattered an even more unnatural glitter. I realized something.

 

“…Is this fake?”

 

I was so shocked that I inspected the jewel again.

 

No matter how I looked at it, it was fake. My instincts and eyes, honed by seeing only the best, were telling me so.

 

‘Was it switched?’

 

There was no such incident in the original story. The original just mentioned that Ulysses proposed to Dahlia with Dahlia’s Radiance from Walpurgis Night, and that was it.

 

I hadn’t been vocal about targeting Dahlia’s Radiance, so the original story couldn’t have changed.

 

‘So, Dahlia’s Radiance was intended to be a fake from the start…’

 

“Milady? A fake?”

 

Sophie, unable to bear it, asked. I snapped back to reality.

 

There’s no point in worrying about this alone. I gave Sophie an order.

 

“Prepare the carriage. I need to visit Raphael’s mansion immediately.”

 

I recalled Raphael’s expression when I said I bought this for 400 gold.

 

Raphael controls all dark paths. He must know the solution to this problem.

 

<b>* * *</b>

 

“It’s definitely a fake.”

 

When I visited Raphael, I got an immediate confirmation.

 

Raphael living frugally was just a façade. In reality, he was enjoying a life of luxury 200% in Pagrassium.

 

This meant that Raphael could immediately tell what was real and what was fake. Thus, it was confirmed that this Dahlia’s Radiance was a fake. I asked irritably.

 

“You knew, didn’t you? You sighed when I said I bought this for 400 gold!”

 

“I was merely impressed by Milady’s extravagance, buying such a large yellow diamond for 400 gold.”

 

Raphael sighed at my irritable tone.

 

My head, blood, and gut were boiling. I had become a fool who bought a fake for 400 gold.

 

No matter how rich I was, I didn’t want to be the fool who bought a fake for 400 gold.

 

With everything going wrong these days, I was at my limit. Clenching my fists, I ground my teeth.

 

‘They’re all dead.’

 

I’ll show them what true power is. I’ll let everyone in the Black Market know what happens when they try to scam me.

 

As anger turned my mind blank, Raphael calmly expressed his doubts.

 

“However, everyone knew that milady bought Dahlia’s Radiance at the auction, so it doesn’t seem like they sold you a fake on purpose.”

 

What? I blinked in confusion, and Raphael shrugged.

 

“Milady is the precious gem of Praviche. Who would dare to cheat you and wish for death?”

 

“Are you saying they didn’t know it was a fake either?”

 

“Probably. This Dahlia’s Radiance is a well-made counterfeit. No matter how diligently one studies appraisal, there’s an inherent intuition that can’t be matched. People like you and I noticed, but others would have believed it to be real.”

 

True. Those who have grown up seeing the best can instantly tell what’s fake and what’s real without any complicated techniques.

 

‘I recognized it because I have Evelyn’s eyes.’

 

Moreover, no matter how greedy those guys are, they wouldn’t dare to scam the beloved youngest daughter of the Praviche family and Sundrium’s most notorious villainess.

 

No matter how they tried to escape, they’d be caught.

 

As Raphael said, they must have believed this Dahlia’s Radiance was genuine when they sold it to me.

 

“……”

 

However, there was still an unresolved question.

 

At this point, there was no chance that Dahlia’s Radiance presented at Walpurgis Night had been switched. Walpurgis Night was a gathering of the biggest of the big shots, dealing only in genuine items.

 

‘In the original story, Dahlia’s Radiance also had a high probability of being a fake. So Ulysses must have recognized it as a fake, too.’

 

But the original story didn’t cover that episode.

 

‘So did Ulysses not realize it was a fake and used it to propose to Dahlia?’

 

That doesn’t make sense. A guy raised among all sorts of treasures couldn’t fail to recognize a fake that both I and Raphael spotted!

 

I asked Raphael just to be sure.

 

“Raphael, is there any chance the Crown Prince wouldn’t recognize this gem as a fake?”

 

Raphael replied immediately.

 

“Unlikely. For the Empire’s Crown Prince, not recognizing the authenticity of a gem would be disgraceful.”

 

“Of course, right?”

 

I fell into deep thought.

 

How could the original story have so many holes? One thing was certain.

 

‘The Crown Prince must need Dahlia’s Radiance for some reason.’

 

Otherwise, there was no reason for someone of his status to visit the black market. He must have needed to acquire Dahlia’s Radiance without anyone knowing.

 

But I couldn’t fathom the reason.

 

“Is there something bothering you?”

 

Raphael asked, noticing my contemplation.

 

I rolled my eyes. It would be strange to bring up the original story here.

 

Instead, I mentioned the contents of the letter from Ulysses.

 

“A letter arrived earlier. The Crown Prince wants to buy Dahlia’s Radiance for 500 gold.”

 

“…This fake?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Will you sell it?”

 

Raphael raised his eyebrows.

 

Though this fake was meticulously crafted, Ulysses would immediately recognize it, just like Raphael and I did.

 

I shook my head.

 

“No, I won’t sell it. I never intended to sell it in the first place, and who knows what would happen if I sold a fake? Catching the ones who sold this to me comes first.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

Raphael pondered for a moment, with his hand on his chin, and then spoke up.

 

“I’ll look into it.”

 

“I was going to ask you anyway. How much do you need for the fee?”

 

“No fee necessary.”

 

“…What?”

 

It was unlike him to waive a business fee. Seeing my puzzled expression, Raphael grinned.

 

“I bear some responsibility for how things turned out.”

 

“…?”

 

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it’s worth 200 gold.”

 

Raphael seemed to have a hunch about something but didn’t share it with me.

 

He only left me with a piece of advice.

 

“Milady, just keep holding onto this fake as if it’s real. Don’t sell it even if they offer a thousand gold.”

 

Maintaining his mysterious air, Raphael started to leave, but I wasn’t going to let that happen. I grabbed his sleeve and protested.

 

“Hey, speak clearly. Did you forget our plans fell apart because we didn’t communicate?”

 

I’m proactive and can handle things on my own—a ticking time bomb, so to speak. I don’t want another repeat of that night’s chaos.

 

“…So, here’s what you need to do.”

 

Raphael sighed, recalling the absurdity of that night, and whispered instructions to me.

 

“Is that all I have to do?”

 

“Yes, it’s simple.”

 

“That’s easy enough.”

 

I was talented at dealing with chaos even as Kim Geumhee. Now, as the youngest daughter and villainess of a villainous family, it was even easier.

 

As I remembered something, I asked, “What about Young Lady Hebe? She seemed like she was considering a breakup.”

 

“We’re meeting soon.”

 

Raphael’s dark smile sent shivers down my spine, as he looked more villainous than even I could manage.

 

Confidently, he kissed the back of my hand and said, “Rest assured, Dahlia Hebe will never be able to give up on the Crown Prince, and I will ensure they end up together.”

 

My eyes widened.

 

Despite feeling a bit sorry for Dahlia, my lips curved into a satisfied smile.