The Villainess Captured The Grand Duke - Chapter 71
Chapter 71
The door closed again, and the sound of Erina leaving was heard. Gorfel entered late, apologizing,
“I’m sorry for the delay; there was a customer.”
Raygrain asked him directly,
“The customer just now. Do they visit here often?”
Gorfel responded cautiously,
“I’m sorry, but it’s impossible to disclose customer information.”
As the boutique targeted nobles, expensive gifts weren’t only used for good occasions. Gifts to mistresses and lovers, as well as bribes, were included in this category. Consequently, list management was crucial for the survival of the shop.
Scheuer grabbed Raygrain’s sleeve and pulled him aside, casually asking,
“That opal I saw at the entrance earlier was quite pretty. Is that new stock?” Raygrain replied,
“Yes. We decided to receive a supply of the finest gems from the opal mines this time.”
Scheuer smiled and said,
“Hmm, can I take a look?”
“Of course. Follow me.”
When Scheuer stood up, Raygrain tried to stand up too, but she firmly pressed his shoulders and made him sit again. She then gave a sly smile, as if to say,
‘I’ll find out. Just wait!’
The entrance displayed opals that sparkled in various colors. Gorfel seemed very proud of it.
As she pretended to stroll through the boutique, Gorfel diligently provided explanations.
“This one, in particular, is quite popular among young men or those reaching adulthood.”
“Well, it’s not to that extent. I was considering giving it to someone a bit older.”
Considering Erina didn’t often meet young people approaching adulthood in the royal palace, they had to exclude this age group. Looking around the room discreetly, he lowered his voice.
“Would you like to give it to the person who came with you today?”
Thinking of the man with the opal brooch, it didn’t seem like a bad idea. However, Scheuer nodded her head, indicating that it was not for a gift.
Gorfel lightly stroked his beard and cleared his throat.
“The person you mentioned earlier for a gift, did they happen to…?”
“Right! See, didn’t I tell you? There’s no such thing as a perfect and handsome person, according to Gorfel.”
Caught off guard by Scheuer’s sarcasm, Gorfel awkwardly diverted the conversation,
“In that case, instead of opals, I would like to recommend something else.”
He picked up a booklet from the table to show her.
Glancing at the pages he was flipping through, Scheuer asked casually,
“Have you ever met with your daughter, Gorfel?”
“Haha. It’s difficult even to catch a glimpse of her face.”
“Oh, come on. That’s just an excuse. You’ve bought so much; you can take a week off.”
“Well… Don’t suddenly act friendly. I don’t think you’re being genuine.”
Gorfel chuckled bitterly. He mentioned that he lost his family in exchange for success when the boutique, initially a small jewelry store, began thriving. It had been thirty years since then, and he spent those years unaware of his daughter’s loneliness after losing her mother to illness. Seeing young women of her age sometimes made him nostalgic, as they were similar to his daughter.
Scheuer pointed towards the back of the table, smiling,
“If she knew that her dad keeps a portrait from her youth, she might not become close to you immediately, but she won’t dislike you either.”
“What she likes is unknown, making conversation difficult… I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Perhaps realizing he spoke unnecessarily, Gorfel lightly coughed and buried his head in the booklet. It seemed that explaining others’ preferences was easier than managing his own affairs.
Scheuer tapped the table with her fingers, motioning for Gorfel to look up, and nodded towards the opal, saying,
“Gorfel said that’s what women of that age group like the most.”
“Um, well, generally…”
“Really? You’re not just saying that to sell it, right?”
“Oh my. How do you perceive me, Scheuer?”
“Alright then. If it’s what young ladies like the most, whether it’s the most expensive sea opal or whatever, go and show it to her.”
He seemed reluctant to make up his mind. Seeing him hesitate, Scheuer pushed him,
“Just go and ask if she’s doing well. Invite her for tea or a drink.”
He hesitated further, and she pushed him again,
“Even if you don’t have the courage to see her face, at least go and find out how she’s doing.”
“Alright, alright. I understand. I got it!”
Reluctantly agreeing, he expressed his thanks and headed towards the back of the store.
“Smile Love”
Smiling, Scheuer, who had been watching his back, immediately flipped the paper on the table when she couldn’t see him.
Surely, there should be an order form if she had ordered. She felt sorry for Gorfel, but she also had to live, didn’t she?
As she searched the table, she found some documents that hadn’t been put away yet. It seemed like something that hadn’t been collected in the bin she had just used.
Lo and behold, there were three pinned orders from Nettri written on the paper. ‘Men’s pin, model 35. Diamond.’
Putting the documents back in place, she turned her attention to the booklet on the bare table. It was a booklet with drawings that Gorfel had personally made to distinguish each item. It contained information about the age group and pros and cons of the items they usually sought.
Flipping through the pages quickly, a letter was tucked into the page of the men’s pin model. Model 35 was a product with higher value as a possession than for trying on. The preferred age group was mainly young adults past the age of majority. The price was high enough to easily cover the cost of a mansion.
And in the gap of the pinned brochure was an emblem mentioned in the introduction. It belonged to the ‘Walker Empire.’
***
Netri has been unusually peaceful lately. The people who used to cause incidents and accidents have disappeared, and Erina is even mentioned as the next overall commander of the knight corps. Moreover, there’s the engagement with the Crown Prince. Though there were occasional hindrances, Erina was a daughter who managed her own affairs well.
There were times when Scheuer thought about predicting the future and investigating her surroundings, but looking back now, it was an unbelievably absurd idea. ‘The gods must have helped.’ Indeed, the gods favor our family.
The door to the Duke’s office opened smartly, and Erina, with her red hair tied up, walked in. Seeing her, Pavel spoke with a smile,
“Oh, on a day like this, you should be comfortable. You can’t even use the training ground for a while, and you’re wearing a uniform.”
“It’s okay. More importantly, what about my request?”
In response to her question, Duke Pavel took out a box that had been carefully stored in a drawer. Inside was something about the thickness of an adult forearm. The pitch-black, rough epidermis had something sharp and large attached to its end, almost like a hook.
With a slight grimace, Pavel pressed his thumb on his temple as if he had a headache and said,
“There are so few people who can confirm the presence of demons in the central region. I’ve already made inquiries and left a message.”
Perhaps because it wasn’t the news she had been waiting for, Erina just looked at the object on the desk with a stern expression. The Duke asked, seeming to confirm,
“Certainly, you found this in the border region, right?”
“Yes. When we organized the expeditionary force and went, that was all we found.”
Erina spoke with a firm voice that seemed to have no trace of falsehood.