Chapter 66

"…"

"I'm curious."

Lyssel smiled at her with eyes clear and guileless.

Watching him, Iberin thought —

Yeah, something's off — and it has been for a while.

"…You're not being controlled again, are you? If you are, just wave the carrot."

"Sorry?"

But Lyssel only blinked at her like he had no idea what she meant.

"Did I say something strange?"

He had no clue.

No clue at all.

---

The jeweler worked the ijet for over a week, barely sleeping at all.

The party deadline was tight, sure, but he was burning with his own kind of fervor.

Word came that he wasn't even eating, and looking practically like a walking corpse, the jeweler brought the finished ijet straight to Lyssel and Iberin.

"It's done?"

"Yes. This is going to be the masterpiece of my life."

The jeweler's emotion was overflowing — he couldn't stop the tears.

"…You look exhausted, though."

"I'm fine. It was such meaningful work."

"You did all the hard part, not me."

Saying that, Iberin lifted the lid of the jewelry case.

"Aah."

In that instant a dazzling light burst out. She nearly dropped the case.

Lyssel caught it for her — if he hadn't, she'd have made a fool of herself in front of everyone.

"Th-this is…"

The mineral had given off light even in its raw form, but the cut ijet was on a different level entirely.

If it kept glowing like this, though, could anyone actually wear it?

The thought had barely formed when the jeweler spoke.

"The light will fade soon. Ijet is strong against darkness — when you take it out after keeping it in the dark, it gives off an intense glow."

"…Is that so?"

So that was why it had been glowing so brightly inside the cave.

But not as brightly as this.

Probably because the ijet veins themselves were lighting up the cave from the start, so it hadn't been all that dark.

Light in darkness.

It was the kind of property the people of the Aleta Holy Empire would lose their minds over.

"Wow."

A small gasp slipped out of Iberin as she looked at the ijet, now that the glow had settled.

It had been beautiful when it gave off that holy light, but now, with the light gone, the ijet shone with a mysterious purple hue — even prettier than before.

"It's close to the color of your eyes, Iberin."

"It really… is."

When it was a mineral, it had carried a dark red cast, so she'd assumed it would turn into something like a ruby once cut.

Putting aside everything else, you could really feel how much of himself the jeweler had poured into the work.

What he'd produced was a necklace and earring set. One large central stone, with smaller stones densely set around it — the balance was gorgeous.

Even without light hitting them, they sparkled on their own.

Even to Iberin, who didn't care much for jewelry, they were luminous and lovely.

"They're so beautiful…"

"Try them on?"

"These? Me?"

"They're yours, after all."

It was a strange feeling.

That this ijet — whose price was whatever you cared to name — was actually hers.

"I'll save trying them on for the night of the party, though."

"…Of course. That would be better."

Lyssel and Iberin, whose eyes had been pulled to the ijet for a while, finally lifted their heads to give the jeweler his due.

"We'll be relying on you going forward."

"Sorry? Going forward?"

"…You probably guessed, but the truth is — this isn't all the ijet there is."

"…H-how much more?"

He must have suspected as much; the jeweler didn't look all that shocked at first.

But the moment Pons set down an entire crate of ijet in front of him, his eyes blew wide open.

"It's, ah, a lot."

And the moment he saw there was a second crate behind that, the jeweler made a strangled sound and toppled backwards.

"S-sir!"

A servant scooped him up onto his back and ran off, shouting for the physician.

"Maybe it was too much…."

Iberin scratched her head and mumbled.

---

There was no shortage of debate over what to do with the ijet, but after a meeting with everyone, they decided to sell it after all.

A gem this precious had even greater value precisely because of that.

The nobles who wanted ijet were going to throw themselves at Lecashe like moths to a flame.

Naturally, the plan wasn't to cut every single piece they'd shown the jeweler.

Releasing just enough was the way to keep them on edge.

"Y-you really want me to cut all of that?"

The jeweler had come back the moment he woke up, and his voice trembled as he asked.

Iberin, worried it was simply too much for him, quickly added,

"Take your time. There's no rush."

"…Aah."

"If it's truly going to be too much, I'll bring on another jeweler."

"No! No, it's just — I'm overcome. So much ijet…"

"So you can do it."

"Of course. Leave it to me."

"In that case, you'll need to stay at Lecashe until the ijet is finished. We'll provide everything you need to live here, and we'll pay you. Let's draft a contract."

"N-no. How could I take money for this!"

The jeweler bowed his head and pressed it.

He'd come because Lecashe had needed help in the first place, he said, so payment was out of the question.

"That's not how this works. I saw with my own eyes how hard you worked."

"I really am all right. If anything, it's an honor for my house. To see real ijet, let alone be the one to cut it…"

She offered to pay him several more times, but the jeweler kept turning her down, insisting that if anything he should be the one paying.

In the end Iberin gave up and accepted.

"If there's anything you need, you have to tell me, then."

"Yes. But — it could take quite a long time to cut all of that ijet…"

"?"

"In that case, would you be willing to take me on as a resident of the territory?"

"Hm? You, as a resident?"

The man was specialized labor — from Iberin's standpoint there wasn't a single downside.

She should be welcoming him with both arms.

"If you'd like to be a resident, that's wonderful for us, but as you can see, this territory has more nothing than something. Are you sure?"

"Yes, please take me in!"

"Why, exactly…?"

She was thrown.

The ijet was enough that a person could be tempted on impulse — but he didn't look like that was what was driving him, which made it stranger.

"To be honest, before I actually came here, I did have my prejudices about Lecashe, and I was worried."

The jeweler glanced at Lyssel and shifted nervously where he stood.

He hurried to add,

"Of course, not now! His Highness the Grand Duke seems to be such a kind man!"

"I hear that a lot, so don't worry. If anything, knowing you see things favorably now — I'm grateful."

Lyssel really didn't mind.

Talk about Lecashe had always been all over the place; he understood.

"The lawyer spoke very highly of all of you, and when I heard you needed help, I came right away."

Nais — sounds like you've been working hard.

Iberin smiled to herself, satisfied.

"Living here, I've found it really is a wonderful place. The amenities aren't like the capital, of course, but the people are all kind. The more I watched the servants, the more I could feel His Highness's and Her Highness's natures coming through."

"Ah."

"A little observation was enough to tell me. I think I'd be happy as a resident of a place like this. And the moment this territory starts developing, it's going to take off in a way that's almost frightening. But even if it doesn't, that's fine with me."

"…Thank you for seeing us so kindly."

"Not at all. I only spoke what I saw."

"More to the point — you mustn't have rested off the fatigue yet, so get going and rest some more."

He'd looked utterly worn down when he'd brought the gems over.

One nap wasn't going to undo a week of strain.

"Yes."

The jeweler dipped his head in a bow and moved off.

Either way, now that he was a resident, Iberin made a mental note to get him a proper place to live and all the supplies he'd need.

---

Time moved quickly, and before they knew it the day of the party arrived.

Iberin was up earlier than usual to get ready, and the servants flew around in a frenzy.

It only got worse as the nobles began trickling in one after another.

"Welcome — we welcome you to the Lecashe Grand Ducal residence."

"Do you have your invitation with you?"

"Here."

"Confirmed. Please proceed inside."

The invitations sent out from Lecashe had thrown the south into noise.

The Lecashe that hadn't made a sound until now had not only paid a visit to the capital, but was throwing its own party.

And the line written at the bottom of the invitation had been more than enough to spark every noble's curiosity.

"A gathering for those who wish to bear witness to a small miracle — really."

"I've never heard of a Grand Duchess making this much of a production of it. Has to be a first."

In the end, the nobles couldn't ride out their curiosity and showed up to the venue.

If it turned out to be nothing, the gossip wouldn't stop for weeks.

"I think something interesting is going to happen. And I'm curious what miracle the Grand Duchess means by that."

The most prominent noble house in the south was, without question, the Lecashe Grand Ducal Family — but if you were measuring by sheer influence, that title went to House Marquis Bilson.

The Marquis's daughter was curious what the small miracle in the invitation could possibly mean.

So despite her father's objections, she'd come.

Even if it ended up being nothing, just having visited Lecashe in person would probably satisfy a good portion of her curiosity about the place.

"It really does feel eerie."

"It does. The south is mostly mild — this place is a bit cold."

The southern ladies who'd come from further away were in thin dresses. They'd bought shawls from a nearby territory on the way over and were wrapped in them now.

"But this castle — it's stunning. It has a heavy, majestic old-fortress kind of feel."

"Doesn't it. It's beautifully maintained."

Lecashe Castle, on first sight, was every bit as imposing as its reputation.

Its enormous scale and the somehow overwhelming atmosphere put pressure on people right at the entrance.

For anyone stepping inside, the castle radiated an elegant, old-world charm.

The staff managing the place were sharp and precise, and the first impression was honestly not bad.

More than anything, the thought of meeting the rumored Grand Duke Lecashe made the visitors both a little afraid and a little thrilled.

"Right this way."

Following the servant's lead, the guests came to a stop at the entrance to the hall.

A herald at the front called out in a loud voice,

"Lady of House Bilson, Lady of House Abbot, Lady of House Delmon, entering."

---

Around the time the nobles were arriving at the hall one after another, Iberin finished getting ready.

Lyssel had been waiting; when Iberin opened the door and stepped out, he gave her a small smile and held out his hand.

"Shall we?"

Iberin stared at him, dazed.

Black hair, black eyes.

And in a uniform shot through with a deep navy, Lyssel looked more striking than anyone in the world.

"Iberin?"

"Why do you look this good today? I almost went blind for a second there."

Iberin gushed without even thinking about it. It wasn't deliberate — it was instinct.

"Pff. You look beautiful too, Iberin."

It had been a while since she'd gone full fangirl, and Lyssel cracked up.

"Now — please, take my hand."

Only then did she finally take it, and she glanced over at the children.