Episode 37
Humans instinctively pursue beauty. Thus, beautiful things often draw the eye: a sunset blazing red after the rain has cleared, clusters of flowers blooming with each season, adorable puppies and kittens, bread baked to an appetizing golden brown, and the faces of men and women, young and old, who are harmoniously formed or possess a distinctive air.
A face that drew quite a bit of attention for someone of such humble origins often aroused people’s interest, and so, whether she liked it or not, Rose was fairly accustomed to others’ gazes. When someone looked at her intently, Rose would sometimes pretend not to notice.
But not anymore. Especially in this De Rosa mansion, whenever visitors such as doctors stared openly at her face, her heart would pound and cold sweat would break out.
Sometimes she even had delusions. For instance, someone might ask Ezekiel why there was a young woman with chestnut hair and hazel eyes right beside him.
Of course, nothing of the sort had happened. But merely considering the possibility was enough to awaken the vigilance that had briefly grown dull.
There were even days when her vigilance surged past caution into anxiety. At times like that, Rose would once again twist up her hair, check the headscarf hidden beneath it, and stand in the shadows that occupied the mansion as she looked into a mirror. The mansion was dark on all sides, so a small detail like the color of her irises could not be properly seen. Only after confirming that fact several times over, almost compulsively, would Rose feel relieved on her own.
So… that man’s gaze made her uncomfortable.
Rose glanced sidelong at the man who had brought in fresh cherries and melons. The man, who had been ordered to ensure that the mansion never ran out of fresh fruit, faithfully brought enough fruit of each variety to last a day or two.
Where does he get his goods?
In the North and East, where the scars of war remained deep, the land had been ruined, making it difficult to consistently produce high-quality crops for the time being. And yet the man managed to procure fruit in this barren North that was no worse in quality than that of Cleris. If that were all, she could simply admire him as a capable merchant with an extraordinarily wide network and leave it at that. But instead of quickly settling the payment and leaving, he always made sure to look at her, even if only in passing, leaving an unpleasant aftertaste.
The first day the man’s gaze lingered on her, she deliberately left her place, pretending to be busy. The next time, to her bewilderment, she ran into him in the drawing room while running an errand for Ezekiel. Unlike her, who was startled to find an outsider in such an unexpected place, the man greeted her with easy affability.
“We meet again.”
“…How are you here?”
“Ah, haha, I was looking around and somehow ended up here without realizing it. By the way, this is a Valdemaera mansion in name, yet the atmosphere is rather bleak. Don’t you think?”
“I’m not sure.”
“The space is far too empty. Usually, in a house on the level of Valdemaera, whether it’s the main residence or a villa, rare collections are displayed until the place is packed full.”
Those collections were all being stored upstairs, but Rose controlled her expression and feigned ignorance.
“Is that so? I wouldn’t know.”
“The statues here are probably works by famous sculptors too.”
“The statues…?”
As far as she remembered, there were no large decorations like statues on the first floor. Anything that might obstruct Ezekiel’s passage had long since been removed, and since it had happened before Rose arrived, she hardly knew what had been there.
Surely he didn’t mean he had gone upstairs, where even the servants didn’t look around carelessly.
Rose asked again, her face stiffening.
“Where did you see those?”
“There are plenty in the garden. It seemed designed so one could take a full walk around and view them all. From what I heard, this place is so cold that there aren’t many places suitable for long strolls, so there was once a trend of decorating the gardens. But it seems the garden is hardly being maintained now.”
The man replied without a care. As a merchant whose profession was dealing with people, his response was skillful and natural. At this point, the one who had become flustered was Rose instead.
“…When did you learn all that?”
“When you go around meeting people, you naturally end up seeing and hearing a great deal.”
There was nothing more she could pick at, even if she tried. Rose accepted it and withdrew.
Even so, she could not completely shake the strange uneasiness. Though it was not on the scale of the main residence, this place was still a mansion belonging to the Valdemaera family in its own right. How had an outsider entering for the first time slipped all the way into the drawing room without being seen by any other servant? And what had the man been looking at in that drawing room before she happened to come in?
Fortunately, today the man did not leave the kitchen. Instead, he only stared fixedly at Rose’s face. She considered simply turning away to avoid him, but then Rose took a short breath and asked the man,
“Do you have business with me?”
The man grinned.
“I’ve thought this since last time, but miss, you’re a beauty rarely seen in a countryside place like this.”
In Rose’s experience so far, it was rare for men to comment on a woman’s appearance without impure intentions.
Rose erased even the polite smile she had been wearing.
“How rude.”
“I apologize if it sounded like an appraisal. It’s just that, to my eyes, you don’t look like someone born in the North. I was curious what connection brought you to this mansion.”
“That’s… couldn’t the same be said of you? Even though you use a northern accent, you seem like someone who lived in the capital for a long time.”
At Rose’s observation, the man showed a flash of surprise.
“Why did you think that?”
It had been a guess she tossed out with the feeling of probing him a little, but it struck home, and Rose was inwardly surprised as well.
“It shows.”
Since last time, she had thought that the way he took off his hat and greeted her somehow seemed refined. His ingrained manners were smooth, giving the impression that he had dealt with many people of high status, and for that to be the case, she assumed he must have spent a long time in the capital, where the upper classes gathered.
“A merchant’s trade is to travel all over the country, so perhaps that is how it seems. You, miss—I happened to hear you being called Rose the other day. Is that your real name?”
Rose stared at the man with a rigid face.
“What are you trying to say?”
“I simply thought your youth and pretty looks were wasted, staying in a remote, gloomy mansion. I think you could obtain a position that would make you stand out far more than you do now. Fortunately, I have some connections here and there. If you wish, I’d be willing to introduce you to a good opportunity. What do you think?”
“No, I don’t need it.”
Rose refused flatly.
Seeing her expression, the man let out an awkward laugh.
“I only said it because I’m interested in you, miss. You don’t have to be so wary. I’m not a bad person. Come to think of it, we haven’t even introduced ourselves. My name is Merlot. Judging by your reaction, though, it seems you weren’t very curious.”
People who said such things were rarely good people at all.
Was he truly interested? Or did he have another motive?
Without lowering her guard, Rose glared at the man.
❖ ❖ ❖
Could a mere dream really startle a person that much?
Rose, who had woken in convulsions so violent the bed shook, revealed that she had dreamed he abandoned her. The contents of the dream he heard were no different from some ridiculous nonsense, leaving him dumbfounded, yet at the same time, he was secretly pleased that parting from him functioned as a nightmare for Rose. Along with that came self-reflection: perhaps he had failed to give her that much certainty.
After all, even if one made a hundred promises with one’s mouth, words without proof were feeble in their effect. Though his heart was hurt by the distrust Rose’s unconscious had revealed, Ezekiel resolved to try to understand her anxiety.
“Serva, I’d like to obtain a fine diamond.”
This was part of that reflection and understanding.
He quickly added one more instruction.
“A red diamond.”
A red diamond would suit Rose, who had red hair, well.
“A red diamond? Those hardly ever appear at auction, and you’d likely have to make discreet inquiries through acquaintances to obtain one.”
“That only makes it more valuable. It doesn’t matter if it takes a long time, so find a large, fine stone. Keep in mind that it will be recut into a set of earrings, a necklace, and a ring.”
Madam Serva tilted her head.
“Mm, Master. Are you aware that expensive red diamonds of that degree of rarity usually have epithets?”
“Epithets?”
“They call them blood diamonds.”
The occasions when men sought out special gems were extremely limited: when they wished to give a gift to a woman. Moreover, if it was a diamond, was it not the gem that most universally carried the clearest meaning? Madam Serva quickly realized what the diamond was for.
“Unusual diamonds are bound to draw public attention, and diamonds that gain attention soon end up surrounded by all sorts of stories. As a result, something ominous is inevitably said to have happened to their owners, and epithets like blood diamond or cursed diamond are born. For someone from the upper classes, that, too, might be an opportunity to receive attention. But Rose is a young lady born and raised in ordinary circumstances. If she wears a jewel with the nickname of blood diamond attached to it, she’ll feel anxious and unsettled.”
Besides, in Madam Serva’s eyes, Rose was not the sort of person who would attend social gatherings and boast about jewels. Even if Ezekiel was a Valdemaera, he could not carry out his role as a member of the family, so they would continue to live as they did now, shut away and seeing only a very small number of people within the mansion. There was no way they would have an opportunity for social gatherings. The red diamond Ezekiel wanted was far too excessive for a situation in which they would have to live quietly.
“For a jewel to be used for an auspicious occasion, wouldn’t something safe and ordinary be better than a unique and eccentric kind that will draw needless rumors?”
“Serva, do you believe in such superstitions?”
But Ezekiel snorted.
“It’s only inevitable that stories follow objects everyone desires. Don’t pay any mind to absurd rumors about blood diamonds or cursed gems.”
For a proposal asking someone to spend a lifetime together, offering a “safe and ordinary” sincerity was not something a man could permit himself.
He cut her off decisively.
“The ones frightened by such superstitions are all cowards. Serva, I want the most expensive and finest jewel.”