Chapter 64: A Cup of Tea and an Honest Confession.

After finishing the cup of tea, I stood up from my seat. The Duke raised an eyebrow to express that it might be better to rest a bit more, but I shook my head.

“A person from Duchess Mare visited the shop today. She wanted to know the progress of the entrusted work, but it was essentially an urge.”

Since the victory ceremony was postponed indefinitely, it meant she wanted to know the Duke’s intention rather than being curious about the completion of the red diamond. However, since I didn’t inform her even after completing her request to buy time to make the Duke’s cravat, it was also true that I deceived the customer.

As a jeweler, I had to go to Duke Mare’s townhouse sooner or later. Although what she wanted wasn’t just me as a jeweler.

“I don’t think you will convey words through me, but still, I will ask. Do you have any words to convey to Duchess Mare?”

The Duke’s face looking at me was complicated. The eyes that frowned slightly as if annoyed gradually turned into an expression of resignation. The smile that appeared belatedly on his lips contained self-mockery.

“It’s not very pleasant for me that you get involved with her, no, just that you make jewelry for someone else with your own hands.”

Surprisingly, his feelings weren’t specific to Duchess Mare.

“You might think my feelings are absurd, but what I feel is definitely jealousy.”

I knew that the feeling the Duke had for me was the same name as mine. But I had never thought he would harbor a feeling called jealousy.

“Because all the gems you make are beautiful.”

The slight fever that had subsided seemed to rise again. Along with my vanity as a jeweler.

If his displeasure stemmed from the fact that I just made someone else’s items, I would have felt bitter at the word jealousy.

But he was acknowledging me as a jeweler as well. Regarding the work I can do best and like.

To a jeweler who makes a single item, saying it stimulates possessiveness couldn’t be anything but extreme praise. Actually, it was words I really wanted to hear. It seems I wanted words acknowledging me as a jeweler, not a merchant. Although I was proud of myself as a merchant, even so, still. The me of immature days, who only had aspirations, also wanted to be recognized.

With words containing upright sincerity.

“Still, I know I can’t interfere. Because I’ve seen enough of how much you like your work.”

“…Yes, I like it.”

“Yeah, I know.”

The Duke nodded with a smile. The heat that had subsided seemed to rise again.

Beep. Beep. Beep. The watch alarm rang. I opened my eyes. The presence of mana that was very close to me fell into silence in an instant.

Although I feel a slight sense of emptiness, my physical condition was quite okay, enough not to think I stayed up all night.

I left the dark workshop, crossed the store not yet filled with light, and opened the shop door. The moment I felt the dry and hot air, I staggered, feeling the ground sink beneath my feet.

Is it because the basement workshop has become the most familiar place to me? Or is it because the sunlight is too hot from the morning?

“Manager?”

While I grabbed the doorframe to support myself momentarily, Nathan’s voice was heard from over there.

“Are you okay?”

Nathan asked with somewhat rough breath, perhaps having run. And by then, I was in a state to answer ‘I’m okay.’ However, Nathan didn’t relax his frowning eyes.

“Are you really okay?”

“It was just momentary because the sunlight was strong.”

It wasn’t an excuse. I frowned automatically at the sunlight so strong it was hard to believe it was morning.

“That’s true. It’s going to be really hot this summer.”

Right, summer was already approaching fast. A season when it’s winter in the New Continent and strong typhoons rage in the distant sea.

While the generals in the New Continent still couldn’t return as the Duke intended.

“But are you really okay?”

“Why, does my condition look bad?”

It couldn’t be. Even the Duke, who knows my condition better than I do, didn’t say much other than recommending a short rest.

“No, not that.”

As expected, Nathan shook his head.

“The manager lives like a person who doesn’t sleep at all.”

“How can a person live without sleeping.”

“But I think you didn’t sleep much yesterday. Right?”

It seems I was an easy person to read. I couldn’t refute Nathan’s words.

After the Duke returned leaving words to sleep well, I got up again. Lying still, all sorts of thoughts came to mind, complicating my head. The Little Duchess, the Duke, his and my feelings, Duchess Mare, the diamond. My forehead was getting hot from thoughts springing up intermittently without order or reason.

I needed something I could immerse myself in without thinking anything.

Sitting at the workbench, I examined the diamonds lined up again. For diamonds to be put into the prong setting chain, it was more important that the outward appearance be consistent even if there was some difference in actual weight. I placed the re-checked diamonds on the prongs and balanced them. When I thought it was perfectly aligned, I tightened the four prongs to fix them. The next thing to do was to cut off the prongs protruding above the diamond with a file. Anyway, a general hacksaw cannot scratch a diamond with high hardness. Recognizing that point properly, it was not a difficult task.

Even when I finished the setting chain by repeating the same work to set all diamonds and polishing the parts cut by the file, not much time had passed.

Then what caught my eye was the clasp part. I made the clasp in a circular shape of the same size as the set diamonds, but looking at it again, I didn’t like it. It looked balanced but too plain. It felt like the only flaw in the completed cravat.

It meant there was a problem with my design, but finding the part to modify rather made me feel good.

“As you said, I didn’t sleep much, but my condition isn’t bad.”

“Really? I can’t believe words from someone who staggered just a moment ago.”

Nathan squinted his eyes and examined me. Wondering if that guy was like that when choosing customers in his previous job, I chuckled.

I know he’s worried, but I really just felt dizzy for a moment.

“You’ll be sure if you see me working today. Prepare, a customer is coming.”

Nathan tried to say something more, but I stopped him by raising my hand. Two men coming out from the opposite shop were heading straight for our shop.

I moved away from the door and pretended to examine the display case. Nathan also read the room and took a similar pose to mine.

It’s not very good to show the customer that we already know they looked around other shops first. We just need to react when the customer mentions it first. Some customers want to hide the fact that they looked around beforehand. Although it’s obvious from a merchant’s perspective. Just like being able to distinguish at a glance between customers just looking around and customers with sufficient intent to purchase.

When I raised my head at the sound of the door opening, I could tell they weren’t customers. Without even the reward of pretending not to know.

“Welcome. Please call us if you need anything while looking around.”

Still, just as I greeted politely and was about to turn around, they caught me.

“We have something to consult…”

Trailing off and smiling brightly, they looked exactly like CF models seen on Earth.

“Then shall we go upstairs?”

Probably a similar expression appeared on my face too. An expression practiced hard to give trust.

I got a feeling. These two were scammers. Not merchants like scammers, but real scammers.

A quite strong vibration was felt on my left wrist. The watch reacted to the pheromones emitted by the scammers.

“Excuse me.”

It was a method to inform that they are Alphas without revealing clear identity. Although I can’t feel it at all, it must have been quite threatening energy.

When I bowed my waist, only then did they lean comfortably on the chairs as if satisfied.

“What do you wish to tell me?”

“It might be sudden, but there is a really good business worth investing in.”

I almost scoffed. The scammers spoke informally to me right away because they were Alphas.

“I apologize, but our shop doesn’t have the capacity to invest.”

I said showing a regretful expression as much as possible. The reason I thought of talking to these scammers was because gem prices showed signs of fluctuating again.

There is almost no one among the citizens of Noberten who doesn’t know that the war in the New Continent ended in Henia’s victory. Unofficial news has already spread widely, but the King’s declaration of victory or press reports were still not coming out. It was a result where the King’s dilemma and the Duke’s aim coincided for once.

However, there were signs of trying to shake gem prices again taking advantage of the lack of official announcement yet. It wasn’t something the King, the Prime Minister, or the Duke did. Unlike speculators, politicians still had limits. It wasn’t just stimulating psychology relying on uncertainty, but if they encouraged speculation by hiding results that already came out, it would be a big blow to their political position. The Prime Minister, being an elected official, should especially not do such reckless things. If he tried to attempt it, the Duke would have actively cut it off.

Thinking rationally, it shouldn’t be the King either, but well, I can’t guarantee it. If it’s the King with a neurotic and self-centered tendency, I couldn’t say there is no possibility at all.

Even so, it’s unlikely these scammers have a connection with the King, but I treated them with the feeling of tapping a stone bridge before crossing.

“No way. Aren’t you the jeweler with the best momentum these days?”

While the man with a mustache beat around the bush with a good-natured face, another scammer sitting next to him was making a quite serious expression. Outwardly, he looked more suited to teaching students at a university.

“You flatter me. I am just trying to grow it barely now.”

“You exaggerate too much. Outstanding people are bound to be revealed no matter how hard they try to hide.”

“Really, I am not that great, but still, I would like to hear the story.”

I said leaning forward a bit more.

Mustache made a genuinely wide smile. He seemed very satisfied with my reaction.

“You thought well. This person’s technology is really certain.”

It was a duo whose impressions and roles matched exactly. When I moved my gaze to the man who looked like a professor, he was staring at me intently. Tilting his head as if something was suspicious.

There was no way he caught the fact that I am not affected by pheromones. Although I met various nobles, the only noble who even suspected the existence of such a being was the Duke so far.

I faced him with a smiling face. For a moment, a gleam appeared in the eyes of the man like a professor. It was a look as if he barely recalled a memory stuck deep in his head.

“Hey.”

When his expression changed from surprise to a subtle smile, Mustache poked the side of the man like a professor.

“Ah, sorry. An idea to improve the technology a bit more just came to mind.”

The man like a professor glossed over it slyly. Even in the midst of that, the gaze looking at me was very uncomfortable. He winked at me secretly as if it were something to keep secret even from his partner Mustache.

“Our technology goes through a very complex process.”

An explanation mixed with plausible terms continued. If I hadn’t studied to understand reports filled with technical terms from mages researching synthetic diamonds, I might have been fooled into thinking it was a real technology. But looking at the content properly without being dazzled by the terms they spat out, I could reach exactly one conclusion.

What the man like a professor said was all bullshit.

“To summarize in one word.”

He brought out the remark marking the climax of the bullshit.

“Our technology can purify contaminated gems.”

The scammer smiled broadly looking at me. With an expression as if proud of how much that little kid grew up, his eyes chased me persistently.