Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

I was completely toyed with by the prince I met for the first time in my life. As I lay exhausted, Lord Ruifeng just chuckled.

“Marie-chan, you’re so cute. I thought since you said you had a tough life, you’d be more cynical.”

“Ruifeng, don’t toy with a woman you just met. Marie isn’t used to being teased by others.”

Lord Cyrus scolded him, and Lord Ruifeng shrugged lightly. He didn’t look repentant, but it seemed he was reconsidering.

He stopped laughing, then suddenly clapped his hands.

“Oh right, I almost forgot. I have something to give you—to celebrate your engagement and to apologize for my maidservants’ rudeness.”

“Just forget it. I’m not expecting any gifts from you.”

“Forget the frog incident. This time it’s just a small thing.”

I was very curious about the frog incident, but the gift also intrigued me. A gift from the royal family to a high-ranking noble… I couldn’t even imagine what it could be.

Lord Ruifeng stepped behind the counter and pulled out a bag from the back.

It wasn’t very large, but it was an attaché case covered in black leather over steel — unusually heavy and sturdy. He placed it on the counter and unlocked it.

When Lord Cyrus saw inside, he let out an “oh.” I was speechless.

Inside was a large gemstone. It was a transparent red, cut in the shape of a teardrop, about the length of my fingernail. The light in the shop caught it and its dazzling brilliance pierced like a sharp blade.

I don’t know much about gems, so I couldn’t guess its value… but from Lord Cyrus’s expression, I could tell it was more valuable than anything else in this store.

Even Lord Cyrus was holding his breath.

“This is a ruby… no, could it be a Pink Diamond? It’s incredibly red.”

“Yes, it’s a rare Pink Diamond, and such a vivid red one is called a Red Diamond. There are only a handful in the world, and at this size, none others exist anywhere.”

“I’ve never seen anything like this, nor even heard of it. This is truly a national treasure.”

Lord Ruifeng chuckled.

“Correct, it’s a royal family’s secret treasure. They probably intended to use it for alliance negotiations with foreign countries, but since peace was made, they didn’t really have a use for it. So it’s been sleeping in the royal palace’s vault.”

“I’ve never handled anything this valuable either… If made into jewelry, its selling price would be a billion… If you want to buy it as is, then… seventy million… no, a hundred million Yuiro…”

Just as Lord Cyrus’s fingers reached out to touch the stone, Lord Ruifeng snapped the case shut with a bang. Smiling brightly, he said cheerfully,

“Eighty million will do. A friend’s price.”

“Huh? What’s that? You want me to buy it?”

“Of course. Why would you think you’d get a national treasure for free, Cyrus? How presumptuous.”

“You were the one who said it was a ‘gift’!”

Even as Lord Cyrus yelled, Lord Ruifeng paid him no mind. Opening and closing the attaché case with a flourish, he said,

“Just selling it is a huge favor. I put it before the royal family council and convinced those old fuddy-duddies. They don’t want us royals wearing such flashy things in public anyway — it would cause riots demanding taxes be spent elsewhere.”

That was unexpected.

I must have looked puzzled, because he explained further.

“After the war, the royal family’s prestige has been weakening. The king, queen, and princes can’t live in luxury as they please anymore. Wearing such glittering jewels in public isn’t allowed. People would riot demanding taxes be used for something else.”

I see. I had always thought that nobles outside my family were all wealthy, and especially the royal family could indulge in whatever luxury they wanted without backlash.

Lord Ruifeng glanced at the silent Lord Cyrus.

“Right now, the ones with real power aren’t the princes or counts or dukes, but merchants. The Granado Family protected the border during the war as margraves, advancing and gradually expanding territory by invading enemy lands. They developed what was once barren borderlands, mountains, and coasts using national funds. After the war, they cleverly turned those into merchant routes, making a fortune from tolls.”