My Dream is to Get My Own House - Chapter 56

Episode 56

“Huh? Why is that?”

Why is he acting like that?

Suddenly, as if he got excited.

The puppy quickly jumped down to the floor and ran away.

“Hey, where are you going!”

Mary tilted her head in confusion.

And at that moment.

The red-eyed handsome man passed by her side.

He was so handsome that the adorable puppy was forgotten in an instant.

Mary dropped the basket she was holding to the floor.

Mom.

I had an encounter today…

* * *

Most people had left, and a good number of stones were sold.

It happened at the moment when Dylan stepped away to exchange some change.

A woman who didn’t fit in with the All-Things Market.

Wearing a corsage adorned with pearls on her head and a white dress, Diana walked towards me.

I stood up to greet her.

“Ah, hello, Lady.”

It felt like she was observing me.

“Uncle Claude told me to come and meet you… Well, it’s interesting. Some are born as nobles and live nobly, while others are born as nouveau riche and live ambitiously.”

“What?”

“You don’t have much money, do you?”

“No. I don’t have any.”

What kind of speech is that?

Unable to say anything, I sat back down on the mat.

Diana muttered to herself.

“I wonder if Uncle Claude has such taste. Are you close to Uncle Claude?”

Close to Claude?

That guy?

What kind of question is that? Ridiculous!

“I’m not close to him at all.”

At that moment, a subtle sense of superiority flashed across her face.

“Well, I guess not. Why would Uncle Claude show favor to you? It must be just a fleeting affair.”

It’s a bit unfortunate, but it doesn’t matter.

Taking out a securely sealed box from my pocket, I said,

“Oh, Diana, are you also interested in purchasing our market’s Lucky Stone?”

Diana slightly wrinkled her nose.

“Offering, not purchasing?”

“Yes.”

She looked down at me with a haughty expression.

“If you offer a gift, I might consider accepting it.”

The subtle sense of superiority on Diana’s face was gradually turning into satisfaction.

“Uh-huh, that’s right. You are in the position to give me a gift, and I am in the position to receive it. I am the Lady, and you are… Uh-huh.”

Ignoring Diana’s muttering, I took out the box from my arms.

“This, unlike the stones here, is a genuine Lucky Stone.”

“Uh-huh? W-What is this?”

I briefly glanced at the sparkling stone on Diana’s arm.

At that moment, a faint black stain appeared on her wrist and immediately disappeared.

Surprised, Diana quickly took a step back.

“How is it? It’s a splendid stone that I believe is filled with the power of blessings!”

“…What? Blessings?”

“Yes! Can’t we bless the Lady?”

Diana gritted her teeth and stood up.

She glared at me with a look of fear.

“Get out of here. I am tired.”

That’s what this is…

I narrowed my eyes and said one last thing.

“A sacred artifact that discerns truth from black magic, the coral necklace.”

Diana looked at me, flinching.

“Why is that? I already proved my nobility with that. Are you jealous or something?”

“…Ah, you liked the coral necklace, huh?”

“Get out.”

“Why do you dislike the Lucky Stone? Too bad. I’ll give you a better gift next time.”

“I dislike it because it’s from you. I told you to leave immediately!”

Diana easily fell for my unimpressive provocation.

Why such a strong reaction?

There’s no need for that as long as she doesn’t delve into the power of gods and black magic.

I closed the box with a smirk.

It’s okay if she doesn’t accept it.

“I can’t leave. This is my stall, you know?”

Diana stared at me coldly.

I lightly tapped the mat.

“Then, goodbye!”

Diana shook her hands and glared at me.

“…Vulgar.”

I don’t think it’s me who’s vulgar.

While Diana left, I decided to resume my business.

I had already achieved my first goal.

Moreover, Dylan was coming back from afar.

Thanks to his appearance, the crowd gathered again like clouds.

Beyond Diana, who was leaving, I shouted loudly,

“Buy the Lucky Stone! A stone that brings luck to its owner!”

* * *

When Diana returned to the Saboia mansion, she caused a commotion by shaking her body violently.

The housekeeper was so flustered that he tried to stop her.

After venting her anger towards Ishael, she finally calmed down and spoke up.

“Bring Sharp Long here right now.”

Her anger and agitation were clearly visible.

The flustered housekeeper nodded his head vigorously.

Indeed, as a member of the Saboia dukedom, it was not difficult to bring Sharp Long right away.

After Lady Orléans closed the curtains, she whispered to Diana in a muffled voice,

“I would like to meet Lady Diana.”

As if she couldn’t hear at all, Diana checked her ears for a while before asking in a low voice,

“Countess, what happened?”

“What is it?”

“Ishael, they said that woman has something imbued with the power of a god.”

Yes, it was certain.

Those stones that woman was selling as the ‘Lucky Stone’!

Among them, there must be something imbued with the power of a god!

“Is it true? It’s a world where swindlers deceive people left and right.”

“Yes! It’s true! When I accidentally touched it with my body, that part turned black!”

“What?”

“How could that woman have something like that…!”

Countess Orléans raised her chin and nodded.

“Did you fully touch that stone? Did you?”

“Uh, yeah? Ah, maybe not. Probably not. I might have lightly brushed against it, but no, I don’t think so.”

Countess Orléans replied with a peaceful smile.

“Then, it’s okay.”

“What? What if I touched it…?”

Countess Orléans’ expression became solemn.

“Don’t have any contact with that woman for a while. What exactly did she say about the stone imbued with the power of a god?”

“I didn’t see it properly, so I don’t know what it is. It was white and sparkling, I think.”

Countess Orléans smiled darkly.

“Easy.”

They had a ‘singular goal.’

For that goal, Diana had to be cultivated gracefully like a greenhouse flower within this place.

“My hands will be stained with blood. I hope you’ll reign as the princess of this mansion.”

Once the interfering marquis was eliminated, that was the end of it.

* * *

The next morning.

Ishael sent Dylan to work first and came out alone to her stall, opening her bag.

There was nothing in the bag.

“What, what is this!”

She let out a pitiful groan as she was about to set up the stones on her mat.

“Oh my, how did this happen!”

A nearby market vendor asked carefully, “What’s wrong, miss?”

Ishael sighed as if she felt sorry.

“It seems all the stones have been stolen since I got here!”

“What? All of them?”

“Yes, my business was going well, and then something like this happens.”

Ishael let out a deep sigh and folded up the mat, shaking it to get rid of any remaining stones.

But instead of stones, only dust came out.

“I can’t believe it, all of my lucky stones are gone….”

The surrounding vendors, who knew how hard she worked to sell the stones, were also feeling sorry for her.

“Ah, young lady worked hard to run her business, and they stole it away.”

“Well, he must be a really bad guy!”

Ishael sighed deeply and trembled her shoulders.

“Sigh, I guess I have no choice but to quit my business now….”

Her eyes were filled with tears of frustration.

“Tomorrow, I’ll just pick up some stones around here and go.”

“You were really serious about the stones.”

“Yes….”

Ishael covered her lips with her hand and wiggled her eyebrows.

Beyond her hand, the corners of her mouth were raised.

“Yes, I’ll definitely sell stones again.”

“Ugh, you’re really something, selling stones!”

“A true stone seller!”

I nodded at the merchant who was playfully raising his thumb.

* * *

At the same time, inside the Orléans Count’s mansion.

“After a precise appraisal of the stones and diamonds taken from that woman, it was discovered that some of them had a faint trace of divine power.”

“We almost had a huge problem! Are there any more?”

“According to our investigation, no other stones were found. Moreover…”

Diana grumbled, and the countess smiled gently.

“The power quickly faded away, and they turned into ordinary stones.”

The countess let out a soft chuckle while gazing at Diana’s glamorous blond hair and elegant gown.

“That woman seems to be a swindler. She claims to have been picking up stones all this time. She probably got lucky and stumbled upon them.”

Diana bit her lip.

“But it still worries me!”

“If that’s the case, should I infuse a little more dark mana into your body?”

The countess released a faint flow of dark mana from her hand.

It was the dark magic that turned Anna into ‘Diana.’

The countess chanted a spell in a low voice.

And at that very moment.

Dark black smoke touched Diana’s cheek.

The countess made a subtle expression.

Suddenly, her gaze fell upon Diana’s accessories.

“Hmm? Was there a black mark there…?”