Chapter 12

Chapter 12

A week ago, late in the evening, I’d quickly overcome the deep-seated regret that had plagued me after reading the duke’s horrifying assertion that four thousand gold was “a piddling sum.” I was instead contemplating what I would do with the diamond that the duke had given me.

It doesn’t seem like a good idea to wear it, and I can’t exactly sell it off, either. What do I do? It was meant to be an accessory, but I had no intention of wearing the gem anywhere. If I strutted about in high society circles with the jewel around my neck, I would only be setting off Pilav, the female protagonist’s admirer who had failed to purchase the necklace at the auction himself.

In terms of the story, I was just an unimportant villainess. I didn’t want to call the ire of any of the main characters down on me. What was more, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with the female protagonist, who was a disastrous ticking time bomb—the novel was meant to be a tragedy, after all.

Frankly, I’d have liked nothing better than to sell it to secure extra funds for myself. But this was the only diamond of its kind in the entire empire, and if I put it back on auction, the news was sure to reach the duke’s ears.

That could prove very unwise, considering his temper. If I went ahead and sold it, his pride would be hurt and he might think I was snubbing his gesture of goodwill. Deborah had fasted and even endured being confined to her home to get her hands on this gem, so selling it would also seem very out of character.

I came to the conclusion that I could only wear the diamond to family events until I found a good way to dispose of it. I’ll just wear it a few times when the duke’s around to see it.

In the novel, the necklace was a dramatic plot device that caused a ruckus during the female protagonist’s entrance to the academy. I guess it somehow fell into the wrong hands, I thought. But having it is better than nothing. That’s for sure.

I stared at the carefully crafted jewel with wonder, then opened the case to let it pool on the soft velvet within. Given the jewel’s price and rarity, the case was also luxurious in design, and even the quality guarantee was impressively crafted.

Suddenly curious as to how many carats the gem was, I reached for the velvet envelope decorated with an elaborate design that reminded me of the Art Nouveau style famous in my own world. The envelope was sealed with a blob of wax that resembled melted gold. I softly tugged the seal free, not wanting to ruin the lovely envelope, then frowned when I noticed there was a coat of arms pressed into the seal.

“What’s this?” It was faint and hard to make out, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a cat with its tail raised high above its head. “Huh?”

The moment I saw it, something began niggling at me, like the sensation of having tiny rocks in my shoe. Does someone in the novel have this coat of arms?

In the Asteia Empire, people used their coat of arms to express their principles or beliefs. Sometimes it was utilized to set their guild or house apart from others, just as the House of Seymour highlighted the peculiarity of its bloodline through the twin-headed snake. I had a gut feeling this design might be connected to an existing person or group in the novel.

A cat? Who could this belong to? I don’t get it. I’d spent a good while stewing on it when the answer suddenly came to me. “Blanchard!” The realization hit me like a lightning bolt coursing through my body. The cat with its tail in the air was the crest the master of Blanchard used when he’d concluded a satisfying deal. Interestingly, unlike the other characters, he used several different seals, each one secretly indicating his feelings at the time.

That particular detail had been revealed in the chapter about the crown prince since the master of Blanchard was the prince’s strategist. In the novel, the prince always turned to the master for help whenever he had a problem.

“Deborah keeps on harassing Mia. I’d like to get rid of that evil woman, but it’s not easy since she’s a Seymour. If you find a way to kill her, I’ll give you what you most desire.”

Hoping to get on Mia’s good side, the crown prince had ordered the master of Blanchard to find Deborah’s weakness. To do so, the master spread rumors that there was a way to curse someone you hated, causing Deborah to seek out a witch doctor. Deborah had created a voodoo doll of the female protagonist, but in doing so she’d fallen right into the master’s trap.

“Hmm, a voodoo doll. I wonder what use I can make of this terrible object?”

The answer was obvious, but the crown prince was so stupid he needed to ask—he ended up coughing up a bunch of gold to the master so he would spell it out clearly.

“It’s simple. Accuse her of blasphemy.”

“I see! Even the great House of Seymour is nothing before the might of the Holy Saint.”

The guild master had produced conclusive evidence that could be used to bring charges against Deborah, and the crown prince rewarded him with a huge amount of gold and land. The cat with its tail in the air was the coat of arms he had used to seal the land titles given to him by the crown prince.

“Ah! I’ve never seen you use the cat seal before. You’ve never reached for it, so I just assumed it was ornamental.”

“Heh heh. I only use it when I’ve concluded a very satisfying deal.”

“So, the seal you use on special occasions is a cat? You’re quite frivolous at times, it seems.”

“This is the animal it portrays. Identical, don’t you think?”

The crown prince glanced at the beast lounging next to the guild master and then at the seal. He laughed incredulously.

“I didn’t know you could make jokes. But what does it mean when a cat lifts its tail like that?

“That information is worth ten gold, but I’m in a good mood. Give me nine gold and ninety-nine silver, and I’ll explain. A special discount just for you.”

“You damned miser. Forget it.”

Having successfully recalled this boring exchange of dialogue, I took several deep breaths, trying to get my racing heart under control. “I need to keep calm.”

This newly recalled information was very exciting, however. I’d been trying to remember the events of the novel endlessly, in an effort to find a way to meet with the master of Blanchard. I all but tore the envelope open, sliding the quality guarantee slip free.

It’s here… As expected, the name and address of the shop that had sold the pink diamond were written neatly on the slip. My heart swelled at the thought that I might be able to make contact with the secretive Blanchard organization.

He is the crown prince’s problem solver, but who says I can’t utilize his skills, too? The crown prince had been the most impressive of Mia’s admirers thanks to the information-gathering abilities and craftiness of the master of Blanchard, causing many readers to root for him.

Frankly, all the crown prince had done was pay the master handsomely and order people around. Oh, and he was supposedly very well-endowed. That was all he had going for him, and yet the crown prince always came out on top in the popularity polls. I want to do business with the man behind his success, too.

Deborah had thoroughly ruined her reputation with her villainess antics and violence, and this prevented her from effectively utilizing the talented manpower available to her in the duke’s mansion. All the duke allowed Deborah was enough money to maintain a certain standard of living, servants who waited on her, and knights to guard her.

Since there was no one trustworthy I could turn to for help, the guild master was like rain in the desert to me. He was a gifted man who could make anything happen given enough money, and the only thing I had at my disposal was money. We would make a fantastic duo. And if the crown prince of the empire utilized his services so frequently, he was probably very good at keeping secrets.

I was wondering how I would find the shop the master operates out of… There was a scene in the novel in which the crown prince entered a shop to meet an agent masquerading as the shop’s owner. Then he’d given a password. Sadly, the actual name of the shop and its location hadn’t been mentioned.

And there were more shops than could possibly be counted across this vast empire. It would be futile to visit each and every one, saying the password over and over again. But that day, I’d found the clue to locating a member of the Blanchard Guild in my quality guarantee form. Who would have thought the shop that sold the pink diamond would be connected to Blanchard?

It was incredibly good luck. I couldn’t believe that after a lifetime of being exploited, I’d caught such a lucky break. My hands and feet had quivered all night, even though I hadn’t drunk any caffeine or the like, and I wasn’t able to catch a wink of sleep.

Which is how I came to be standing in front of the master I’d been dying to meet, trying not to show how excited I was. If he noticed, he’d take advantage of it. I’m not going to let anyone manipulate me anymore.

Of course, Deborah had such a naturally cold disposition that I could just rely on the way her resting face looked to be scary. I gave him a taste of the frosty expression I’d practiced in the mirror. “If you’d like to know, it will cost you ninety-nine gold. The information is worth a hundred gold, but I have a request I’d like to make of you, so I’ll give you a discount,” I said.

Upon hearing me reproduce his lines from the novel, the guild master blinked stupidly for a moment, then started laughing hysterically. I was surprised to note that his shoulders, which were heaving as he cackled, seemed very broad. Reading the novel, I’d been under the impression he would be quite a small man, but the body hidden away under his black robe was broader than the average knight’s.

Does he work out? He can move things without even touching them, so he can use magic. What sort of person is he, exactly? I looked him up and down dubiously, and as I did so our eyes met.

He was smiling as he spoke. “My lady, you are the first client to ever pique my interest. I’d forgotten my duties as an information broker for a moment. My apologies. So, what brings you all the way here?”

I slowly went over the wording of my request in my head. Staring at him as he smiled slightly, I said, “My first request is...” I took a deep breath before continuing.