Chapter – 38
Jerard was flustered.
Even without Iris going on expeditions, she was praised thanks to her incredible craftsmanship.
“You can even reveal later that the source was actually me. At the right time.”
But that had been Lirian’s skill from the start…?
He narrowed his eyes and asked.
“…Are you sure Iris Tillard will actually buy the design?”
“If you can recognize this feeling, do you think Iris wouldn’t?”
“Hah…”
“She’ll probably buy it without a second thought.”
Jerard hesitated at those words.
Even though the Second Prince didn’t know he was affiliated with the Archive, his attitude…
‘What if I betray Lirian Tillard midway?’
It would be meaningless.
‘By then, the Tillard family would be humiliated and would try to take revenge.’
Then Jerard and the Archive…
Would also have to evade Tarandia and Baltazar on the First Prince’s side, of course.
And the pursuit from Tillard and Paville as well.
Facing four of the five great houses at once would basically be suicide.
Jerard swallowed dryly.
‘So that’s the Lirian Tillard.’
The Tillard family’s disgrace.
A granddaughter whom the current head could say it’s fine if she died tomorrow.
And now she was here.
To think she had the talent to manipulate people so skillfully.
‘…Incredible feeling.’
Even after enduring torture, he felt oddly exhilarated.
But the moment he unconsciously licked his lower lip, the prison grew colder.
A very, very chilling wind brushed past Jerard’s neck.
A low, gentle voice resonated.
“Haha, look at this.”
It was Evren’s voice, coming from behind Lirian.
“Throwing flirtations openly even in prison…”
He smiled brightly, as if his face were made of silver.
Jerard felt the hairs on his neck stand on end.
‘Wait, how did he hide his presence?’
He hadn’t even realized the man had been in the prison.
Evren merely stared indifferently.
Making his presence vanish for a moment was nothing to him.
He was just observing what Lirian wanted to do with this guy.
It was like a butterfly flying among flowers, and every flower snapping its necks to watch.
He turned his gaze to Lirian.
“You’re done talking with this one, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s head up first.”
Lirian turned around briskly.
Evren liked that.
She didn’t awkwardly try to beg for mercy on behalf of someone else.
They both understood each other’s boundaries very well.
“The deal with Lirian is one thing. But you’ve also learned some dangerous things about this side.”
“Ugh…”
“We can’t just let you go without taking precautions.”
Evren said, and Elias stepped forward.
To make sure no sensitive information was leaked, they had to take some ‘measures.’
Jerard had anticipated this much and endured, closing his eyes tightly.
If they let him live enough to continue Archive activities, he would be truly grateful.
…Still, since he had to work with that girl for now, they’d probably let him out unharmed, right?
Damn it…
Now, leaving the scary stuff to the villains,
Lirian finally returned to her craft.
In the newly prepared workshop…!
Margaret followed along to assist.
As Lirian checked the pre-prepared materials, Margaret whispered beside her.
“Miss, you said you’d make an artifact to pressure the Tillard side, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then will you sell ‘Blessing of the Moon’?”
“Hm? No.”
Relief spread across Margaret’s face, but Lirian, seeing it, felt a slight attack on her confidence.
“…Why, is it not going to sell?”
It had been a pretty good product…
It seemed helpful in finding traps this time…
“Oh, no, it’s not that I was worried it wouldn’t be popular!”
Margaret fiddled with a bracelet and whispered.
“It’s just that it’s only for us. I like it this way…”
“Heh, really?”
That’s the charm of the first edition.
Later, it would become a collectible, vintage jewelry to pass down to grandchildren.
“I’ll sell this one after improving it later.”
Of course, the best thing was to give it to this side.
“This is what I’m making this time.”
The last time, it had been relatively easy to make and less dependent on gender, like a bangle.
This time, she decided to make something that required more effort.
Margaret’s eyes widened at the sketch.
“Is this an earring design?”
“Yes.”
“You make sketches like this? Fascinating.”
“Right. I draw the front, side, and top views.”
Lirian began searching for the necessary materials.
“It’ll be a dangling drop earring. When you go to events, it’ll sparkle beautifully in the light.”
“Yes, I think so… Oh.”
Margaret paused mid-admiration.
“Miss, is this sketch mixed up by mistake?”
“No, it’s not wrong. That’s the design. It’s one piece.”
“…?”
“You’ll understand once it’s finished.”
Now, what material should we use?
If this were an artifact for nobles, she could freely use gold.
But, ‘Gold is too risky to send recklessly right now.’
The answer this time was still silver!
Recalling the price difference between silver in this world and in her previous life, Lirian was delighted.
Multiply by labor costs?
“Hohoho.”
This is profitable.
Lirian happily prepared to apply heat to the metal.
Margaret, who had brought protective powder, watched curiously.
“Miss, you look… really happy.”
“Yes. I feel good.”
Lirian nodded.
“Just thinking about how happy the recipient will be…”
“But Miss, isn’t it okay not to set up a shop?”
“Yes, it’s fine. There’s not really time to scout land right now.”
“Still… if we tell His Majesty—”
“Oh my. No, Margaret.”
Lirian shook her head.
“I’m the one in charge, but you’re just a retainer. How could you secure such a large investment?”
“Miss…!”
“For now, it’s better to do this on a small scale.”
Margaret, unaware of Lirian’s reasoning, still admired her naively.
‘How thoughtful… She worries about burdening her lord and thinks of the recipient, yet finds pure joy in it…’
‘She could afford to be a little more ambitious.’
Meanwhile, Lirian applied protective coating on both sides of the silver plate, shaking her head.
A shop run by a villain? Please, no scary suggestions.
It would be a hassle to dispose of it later when she leaves.
‘But Margaret is naturally curious.’
When selling artifacts in Fernies, people always thought there must be a ‘space.’
Not just artifacts. Expensive items were usually sold in boutiques.
‘At the very least, introduced through a lady’s salon.’
A merchant without a name or connections would just perish.
The hardships of small business crossed worlds, and it was that ruthless.
“…Hmm, maybe I can find a shop location later. But right now isn’t the time to go outside.”
“Then how do you plan to announce it?”
“Let’s start with this.”
It was time to do some seeding work after a long while.
