An Ode to Divorce - Chapter 68

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#68

Berta, who had entered the room to attend to me, clicked her tongue when she saw me applying oil to my lyre while completely neglecting my hair. Then she took some hair oil and gently tended to my hair while adding:

“So next time, call the instrument merchant to the house.”

“It’s fine. Something like this won’t happen again…”

A divine beast wouldn’t appear in the capital twice. And Eurich wouldn’t be able to pull the same trick twice either.

After finishing the lyre maintenance, I let out a sigh.

The strings could be replaced since I had spare ones, but for the silk strings I had been looking forward to disappear so futilely.

My plan to lure Gert out with the silk strings had essentially fallen through.

‘The silk strings would have sounded really good once they stabilized…! To think I only got to play them once and that was it!’

With my body now fluffy and clean and my hair flowing softly against the bed, I fell asleep in a gloomy mood, sniffling with regret.

***

And the next day.

“Thank you so much for yesterday!”

The instrument merchant suddenly came to our house. The merchant bowed his head repeatedly, expressing his gratitude.

“I wanted to thank you right after everything ended yesterday, but by the time I finished guiding the followers of Artume and returned, you had already left. So even though I knew it was rude, I looked up the address for payment delivery and came to find you.”

‘…At this rate, even if I had looked fine yesterday and successfully deceived Berta, I would have been caught today anyway.’

I glanced sideways at Berta, who was pouring tea into teacups beside me. If that had happened, the scolding would have been doubled, no, tripled. Cold sweat broke out without me realizing it.

The instrument merchant, completely unaware of my predicament, continued speaking in a voice filled with emotion.

“According to what the followers of Artume told me, if the deer had continued rampaging, the target would have been our shop where the fawn was hidden. If that had happened, our entire shop would have been half-destroyed.”

All the instruments and everything else in the shop would have been smashed to pieces, so even if Artume’s side had provided compensation, it wouldn’t have overcome the sense of loss. The merchant shuddered as if the mere thought was terrible.

“Come to think of it, I’m also grateful that you defended me yesterday. If it hadn’t been for you, Lady Orphea, people wouldn’t have readily dropped their suspicions.”

“Not at all, I just voiced my opinion because I thought you weren’t the culprit.”

“No, if it hadn’t been for you, Lady Orphea, it would have been a disaster. So, I really want to repay you somehow.”

“It’s fine.”

‘…When you think about it, the instrument merchant got caught up in this because of me.’

It was clear that he had become Eurich’s target because I frequently visited this instrument shop. I felt guilty about receiving repayment from a merchant who had been involved because of me.

“I’m not the kind of person who would just wipe their mouth clean and pretend not to know anything after receiving such help.”

“Really, it’s fine…”

Despite my attempts to decline, the instrument merchant didn’t seem to listen and pulled out a box. A somewhat old-looking wooden box.

‘Whatever comes out of that box, I need to refuse it.’

Creak.

The instrument merchant opened the lid. Something glittering caught my eye.

Only after my eyes gradually adjusted to the sparkle did I realize what was inside the box.

“This is…”

“These are gold strings that our shop has been carefully preserving. I’ve been treasuring them ever since I happened to acquire them from a craftsman.”

Seeing the gold strings I had only heard about in stories, I couldn’t tear my gaze away.

The technique of making gold into thin threads of consistent thickness was impressive enough, but twisting hundreds of such gold threads with precise tension and uniformity was an extremely difficult task.

If silk strings were expensive, gold strings were priceless.

“I haven’t been selling these, so I’ve kept them secret from customers until now. I was planning to give them to a bard capable of playing music worthy of these gold threads. But yesterday, when I heard your music, Lady Orphea, I finally felt I had found the owner of these strings.”

‘Hmm… If something like this comes out, it changes the story…’

Despite my resolve to refuse whatever came out of the box, my eyes wavered with desire.

I want them!

The instrument merchant smiled with satisfaction, as if he knew I would be tempted, and made his proposal.

“As it happens, didn’t the silk strings you purchased from our shop get damaged? So I thought these strings would be perfect for you, Lady Orphea.”

If the instrument merchant had simply offered those strings as payment for saving him, I would have felt more guilty…

‘If he’s giving them to me because I have the skill worthy of gold strings… that is true, after all.’

My head spun with self-rationalization as I desperately wanted those strings.

“…Ahem, ahem.”

I cleared my throat. I still had at least a minimum of conscience left.

“I’ll accept the gold strings. But I want to pay for them at least.”

“But…”

“Gold strings are something you can’t obtain even if you carry a thousand gold pieces, aren’t they? Just selling them to me like this is enough.”

Of course, paying for the gold strings wouldn’t be an easy task. The money currently in the manor wouldn’t be enough, so I’d have to borrow money from here and there.

But the gold strings were worth obtaining even if I had to do that.

‘How much is in my account? If necessary, I should ask if installment payments are possible. If I tighten my belt for a while…’

After boldly declaring I would pay the full price, talking about installment payments was somewhat embarrassing. But for me, wiping my mouth clean about Eurich and receiving those strings for free would be even more embarrassing.

Of course, I could receive Gert’s support, but even for me, having just paid for silk strings yesterday and then purchasing gold strings with Gert’s money today felt awkward.

Just as I was busily calculating in my head, Berta, who had been serving tea beside me, stepped forward.

“If you write down the amount here, we’ll prepare the money right away.”

“Right away?”

I turned to look at Berta in surprise.

Berta looked at me as if asking what the problem was and leaned toward me. I whispered softly in Berta’s ear.

“Um… those strings will be more expensive than expected… probably around 2000 gold… Do we have that much cash at our house?”

When I had previously called an instrument merchant to Lübenhartz to make purchases, gut strings cost about 50 gold, so this was almost a 40-fold difference.

From what I remembered, even scraping together all the cash I had wouldn’t amount to 2000 gold.

Berta’s eyebrows rose upon hearing the amount. Sure enough, it was clearly more than Berta had expected.

Feeling like I was overspending, I hurriedly added in guilt:

“B-but it’s not that expensive! Gold strings have much better durability than silk or gut strings, so they can be used much longer… Actually, being able to buy them for even 2000 gold is almost like getting them for free.”

While I was rambling on with excuses, Berta suddenly raised her hand to stop me. Then she asked incredulously:

“…Didn’t I tell you that the dress you nearly ruined last time cost about that much? Of course we can pay that amount. Why on earth did you think you didn’t have enough cash?”

“That dress was a gift, and cash is different, isn’t it? I don’t have much money.”

No matter how ignorant I was about worldly matters, I at least knew that real estate assets, valuables, and cash were different even if they had the same value.

In my case, while I might appear to live luxuriously at first glance, everything was sponsored by Gert. Since I couldn’t sell what I received as I pleased, there would certainly be limits to the amount I could freely use…

“Lord Gert left money for you to use comfortably in emergencies.”

‘Gert…! You’re truly the best patron…!’

Gert’s thorough arrangements almost brought tears to my eyes.

‘…But if I’m paying for the strings with money Gert gave me, isn’t that no different from billing Gert directly?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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