117. Diamonds Are Forever (2)

“100 samples? You’re planning to get a whole year’s business for free? With 100 diamonds, you could sell one to each noblewoman in the capital’s social scene, you swindler.”

“G-Grand Duchess?”

“So you do know I’m the Grand Duchess? Knowing that, you still spout such shameless nonsense?”

“W-w-why are you acting like this?”

“Why am I acting like this? I should be asking you that. Why are you treating me this way? You call that a proposal? Hey, who do you think I am? Should I bring Nicola Graus here? Since the grand ducal couple came in person, do we not look like the grand ducal couple to you? Are you in your right mind?”

When the tax officer Nicola Graus’s name was mentioned, De Beers shook his head frantically from side to side. That name had long been a terror among Northern trading companies.

“Y-Your Grace. Why is the Grand Duchess so excited…!”

He turned toward the Grand Duke, who seemed more likely to listen to reason, hoping he would calm his wife, but that side was equally absurd.

“Is this the kind of gem typically used for marriage proposals?”

The Grand Duke who had been looking at his wife with loving eyes just moments ago was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he ignored his wife revealing her true colors and was examining the gems displayed in De Beers’ room.

“I like this blue color.”

The Grand Duke even picked up a large blue sapphire on display, glanced at his wife, and blushed.

‘Your wife is holding someone hostage right now!’

Though they were matched through a political marriage, someone had said the Grand Duke deeply loved his doll-like, delicate, and beautiful Grand Duchess.

That rumor contained both truth and falsehood.

* * *

In this world, there are people who think nonsense isn’t nonsense if spoken calmly. De Beers was such a person.

Thanks to that, as soon as we met for tea, I had to give him a sharp lecture saying, ‘Don’t play games in front of me.’

De Beers, who had been looking down on people, finally lowered his head slightly and looked at me.

“But Grand Duchess, though I added some exaggeration, what I said wasn’t completely wrong. Gems are, after all, just stones named by humans, aren’t they? They all have name value, but this one doesn’t.”

Snorting, I placed a letter in front of De Beers.

“De Beers, if you haven’t been running your trading company purely on luck, you’ll understand what this means.”

It was a handwritten letter from Princess Raniana. One that implied she appreciated my sincerity and planned to showcase this gem at all the parties she would attend from now on.

“The rest of the content is personal correspondence that doesn’t concern you, but you must have read what you needed to read? That some noble person will wear this newly emerged nameless gem to parties.”

“Is what’s written in this letter…… true?”

De Beers’ Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

If he couldn’t grasp the situation after seeing this, he should quit his business.

“Something new creates curiosity. When Princess Raniana appears at parties wearing the diamond I sent her…… everyone will wonder what it is. And they’ll ask various jewelers about it, wanting to have what Princess Raniana has.”

Whether De Beers’ answer would be ‘Our trading company doesn’t handle that gem’ or ‘I exclusively possess that gem’ depended on his choice now.

I picked up the box containing the sparkling diamond. It was the sample I had given to De Beers to examine.

“You’ve seen enough of the gem, so think carefully now. Whether this is truly the opportunity of a lifetime for you or not.”

Having said what I needed to say, I gently linked arms with Darius as I had when entering, and rested my head on his shoulder.

Darius looked at me and asked, “Are you finished?” Then, before leaving the trading company, he asked, “Anette, do you prefer blue, green, or red?”

I answered nonchalantly.

“I like pink.”

Pink diamonds are the most expensive.

“I see…… The color of your hair. Pink gems must be hard to find.”

A few days later, De Beers sent a proposal in a very polite tone, asking to be exclusively entrusted with the diamond distribution business.

His attitude had changed from before.

“Send this to Nicola for review. Tell him not to concede any part that we can gain.”

Hmph. Originally, I hadn’t planned to be this strict. It was all because of that De Beers fellow who looked down on people.

Though I hadn’t received God’s love and revelation like Evangeline in the original work, I had achieved results in my own way.

The first diamond I had given, calculating that the renowned Princess Raniana with her love for extravagant decoration and showing off would not be able to resist showing off a new gem, had produced results beyond expectations.

Even before the social season had begun, the princess had subtly shown off her newly acquired gem to her close friends.

Afterward, De Beers received orders from several important people whose identities couldn’t be revealed, asking if they could obtain diamonds. These orders solidified his determination.

Thus, before summer arrived, De Beers paid for the diamonds he had pre-ordered from Inkheart. It was the investment of a lifetime, using all the funds he had accumulated as a jeweler.

As a result, gold coins from the diamond payment were now piled up before my eyes.

Apple, who had followed me to the vault, exclaimed in pure admiration.

“That’s a lot of money.”

“A whole lot of money.”

“Then is this rumor true? I heard the knights saying that Grand Duke Inkheart’s gold coins had a curse that would harm evil people who touched them, but it’s about to be lifted.”

“Ah, that trap Sylphid added in case the coins fell into the hands of bad people. That one-year contract expiration…… no, it’s been a year since we discovered it, so it will happen soon.”

“Then my lady, I mean, our Castle Inkheart will have even more money.”

“Yeah…… what should we do with all this?”

I muttered absentmindedly. Now my worry wasn’t about not having money, but about what to do with it.

‘I could invest more in mine development like we did with diamond mining, but that doesn’t appeal to me.’

With the Northern Mountains now open, trade routes would be established, and mines that had only been estimated for their deposits could be fully developed.

But my dream isn’t to turn the North into a mining city.

‘Natural resources have limits.’

Economic prosperity through mining is only temporary. If it booms rapidly and then becomes a ghost mining town, that future would be even harder to endure.

‘What’s important is sustainable development.’

Something that isn’t illegal like the slave business, that enhances the North’s status, and attracts people.

‘Actually, ultimately I want to elevate the North to become a second capital.’

It’s the land that Darius rules and where I live.

‘It might be difficult to become more famous than the capital where the royal palace is located…… No, even in America, Washington is the capital, but New York is more famous, so why couldn’t we do it!’

I don’t want to be satisfied with just becoming a little richer than now. I want people living here to have pride that they live in the best place in the country.

From the moment I arrived in the North riding in a carriage with Darius, the Northern people I saw took pride in their homeland.

People who never showed depression despite constant shortages of supplies. People who respected their lord and fought against harsh environments without giving up.

Since they already have pride in living in this land in their hearts, I just need to prepare a better environment for them.

That’s my role as the Grand Duchess.

‘Whew, thinking like this, I’m pretty awesome, aren’t I?’

I was moved by myself. How happy must Darius be to have me as his wife. Ohoho!

“For an investment to succeed like this. I really am a lucky charm.”

“That’s absolutely true. People unanimously praise how the North has improved day by day since you came to Inkheart, my lady. Meanwhile, the South’s situation is getting worse. I heard their crops failed last year?”

“That’s all because I’m not there.”

“Exactly! That’s what everyone says!”

Listening to Apple’s ‘Lady Anette Lucky Charm Theory’ put me in such a good mood that it was troubling.

Oh, come on, really!

While I was in this good mood, thinking about using this abundant money to build new roads, and then wondering what else I could do to stimulate the economy, an unexpected visitor barged in.

“Sister Anette! Is this how you live well all by yourself? After getting married, you don’t care about family anymore? How can a person be so cold-hearted?”

The one who appeared, bursting with anger, was Caitlyn. My step-sister whom I had completely forgotten about in my memories after leaving the Pochet family right after my transmigration.

* * *

Caitlyn firmly believed she was the prettiest young lady in the world. That’s what everyone had told her since she was young.

This ill-mannered young lady, who grew up as the beloved daughter of a Southern marquis family and rarely ventured outside the South, was quite arrogant due to being raised surrounded by flatterers. She even treated her only step-sister like a maid.

“I’ll wear this tiara to the crown prince’s bride selection!”

“What an excellent choice, my daughter! This historic tiara perfectly matches your elegance.”

It was a tiara with a deep history, supposedly belonging to some countess from several generations ago. Originally, it had been Anette’s possession, which Caitlyn had “borrowed” and never returned.