Pretending to Be Human Is Exhausting Again Today - Chapter 72

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

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Pretending to Be Human: Episode 072

Perhaps sensing my inner thoughts, Alberto let out a hollow laugh.

“Ha, haha. The grace of the Sun God… That’s quite a beautiful phrase, isn’t it?”

“Without the grace of the Sun God, how else could such a miracle have occurred?”

It was a topic difficult to challenge outright, even knowing it was absurd reasoning. Especially when the other party was a member of the Imperial Family who claimed to be the incarnation of the Sun God.

I couldn’t very well question whether the Sun God’s miracles would truly manifest for such a person.

‘Of course, suspicion will deepen and favorable impressions will decline.’

It was an unavoidable choice to protect our secret.

“Ha, this is quite the situation.”

As Alberto scratched the back of his head in apparent distress, Loreil beside him had tilted his head slightly and was suppressing a smile.

After a long moment, Loreil returned to his expressionless state and spoke in a grave tone.

“What matters is that Her Highness the Princess and Chloe emerged victorious without injury. But I suspect there’s something else you wished to ask, Alberto?”

At the mention of injury, he glanced briefly at my neck. Though I had applied salve, it hadn’t fully healed yet.

Alberto cleared his throat.

“Ahem, yes. I was curious about the secret to victory as well, but this is the main matter… Your Highness the Princess, I heard you’re returning to High Society this spring.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Having concluded the event and attended the Imperial Palace banquet, word of my return had apparently spread to the provincial nobility as well.

“In that case, what if you were to wear jewels from our Yoner when you return to High Society?”

“That means…”

“I intend to present jewels to Your Highness the Princess.”

His proposal came so abruptly that I couldn’t answer hastily. As I paused to gauge his true intentions, Loreil stepped forward with an explanation.

“The raw gemstones and jewel-cutting techniques from Yoner rank among the finest in the Empire. However, due to certain circumstances, we’ve never established a single trading connection in the Capital. We’re hoping to use Princess Chloe’s return to high society as an opportunity to break into that market.”

‘So there was a plan all along.’

No wonder they’d welcomed me so lavishly—they had their own agenda.

Yet what still seemed odd was why I was the target of all this.

“It sounds as though you wish to sponsor me for promotional purposes, but I doubt I’d be of much help. If anything, it would only breed malicious rumors.”

I couldn’t judge how beautiful the gemstones from Yoner Mine truly were, but I doubted the noble ladies of the Capital would covet them simply because I wore them.

That wretched epithet of “cursed princess” still clung to me and showed no signs of fading.

But Alberto shook his head, disagreeing.

“Speaking from the humble perspective of a merchant, malicious rumors are also a form of advertisement. Any attention is better than indifference, after all. Besides….”

He suddenly leaned forward and seized both my hands, his eyes gleaming with an unsettling intensity as he spoke.

“My jewels deserve to be worn by someone as beautiful as Your Highness. Anyone who fails to recognize your beauty is unworthy of possessing my gems.”

“Is… is that so?”

His face seemed normal enough, but his gaze was deeply unsettling. There was a madness in his eyes that I’d never sensed even from the Demons.

‘I really wish he’d let go of my hands.’

Was he the type who believed that holding someone’s hands would allow sincerity to pass between them?

“Alberto.”

Loreil’s voice cut through the moment, low and warning.

“Release her hand. She is not someone you may treat so carelessly.”

“My apologies. I overstepped.”

Alberto startled and withdrew his hand, bowing respectfully. I assured him it was fine, then spoke carefully.

“I appreciate your high regard for me. But might I ask why you haven’t been able to conduct business in the Capital?”

“Ah, of course. The reason is simple. I simply dislike going to the Capital.”

“…Pardon?”

“Political intrigue, high society, and all such complications utterly repel me. I have few friends, so I lack connections. And asking favors from strangers seems unlikely to yield results.”

It was an absurd reason. I glanced at Loreil with questioning eyes, and he responded with a complicated expression.

“Of course, that’s not the whole story. The real issue is his poor relations with the jewelers in the Capital.”

“Why jewelers?”

“When drunk, he frequents jewelry shops and makes a hobby of appraising counterfeit pieces.”

The account Loreil provided was staggering.

Alberto, who loved beauty as much as he despised its absence, would visit jewelers and accessory shops whenever intoxicated, stirring up conflicts.

He could not forgive the counterfeit goods they sold or the absurd prices they charged for gems.

“Counterfeits have their own charm. But selling them as genuine is unforgivable. Deceiving value is equally inexcusable.”

Alberto straightened his shoulders proudly, insisting his quarrels were righteous.

Loreil sighed upon witnessing this.

“The moment he became the lord, he made enemies of dozens of jewelers. They’re from the Merchant’s Union, so they conspired together to refuse purchasing Yoner’s gems.”

Thus expelled from the Capital, Alberto had failed to secure respectable trading partners.

‘And then, a Princess appeared—someone who could draw everyone’s attention through her return to high society. The timing worked perfectly in Alberto’s favor.’

I glanced at Loreil and asked.

“Couldn’t you help him?”

“It’s difficult. The Prime Minister himself doesn’t view Alberto favorably either.”

Their friendship seemed to transcend the bonds between houses—it was a connection between two human beings.

“Even if I were to help directly, Alberto only sells his jewels to those he personally approves of….”

“There are few jewels suited to Loreil. At least among those from our mine, there’s nothing worthy of offering.”

For someone in such urgent circumstances, he was remarkably particular about his gems.

Alberto seemed to sense my reluctance, and spoke in a subtle tone.

“Of course, someone like the Princess could certainly find even finer jewels. So I’d like to offer a small token of appreciation.”

‘I’m not that wealthy.’

Perhaps due to my victory in battle, he seemed to hold me in high regard. In truth, I was the sort who couldn’t even afford carriage fare and had to work as a fortune teller instead.

“I’ll give you one of the treasures hidden within our family. What do you say?”

There was no reason to refuse a gift. I feigned curiosity and opened my eyes slightly wider.

“What sort of treasure?”

“We have jewels and ornaments that our family has cherished for generations. Choose whichever one strikes your fancy.”

In exchange, he raised a finger.

“You’ll sign an exclusive contract to wear our jewels for the next six months. How does that sound?”

Without question, I welcomed the proposal. I pretended to deliberate for a moment, then nodded and agreed.

‘An exclusive contract—that works perfectly for me.’

I needed more exclusive merchants anyway. There was no reason to refuse when a Lord with a mine was becoming my ally.

“An excellent choice! Now, shall we go see the jewels?”

He led us eagerly toward the mansion basement, his joy evident. The fact that he was offering the reward without even discussing the contract details in depth gave me a clearer sense of what sort of person Alberto truly was.

The basement we arrived at was a treasure vault straight out of a fairy tale, lined with countless jewels and ornaments on display.

Chloe, who had entered with me, couldn’t close her mouth in astonishment, and even Loreil frowned, saying he’d never seen it in person before.

“With this much wealth, why does he live in such a small manor…?”

“Ha, you don’t understand, Loreil. Treasures aren’t meant to be sold. They’re meant to be cherished and given as gifts.”

Leaving the troubled Loreil behind, I advanced straight toward a jewel in the far corner of the warehouse. I could sense a familiar aura emanating from that direction.

Soon I discovered a blue diamond encased within a thick glass box.

“Alberto, what is this?”

“Ah, it would be best if you didn’t touch that.”

Alberto’s expression hardened as he issued the warning.

“That is a cursed diamond. It’s not a jewel that can be given as a gift.”

Apparently, there was a gruesome tale behind it—the diamond had claimed the lives of five of its owners.

‘Of course it is. This jewel is genuinely cursed.’

I leaned forward to examine the jewel more closely.

Within its brilliant blue hue, I could see dozens of curses swirling violently. For reasons I couldn’t discern, it was undeniable that curses dwelled within it.

Its appearance was quite beautiful, and before I knew it, I had opened the glass box and placed the jewel upon my palm.

“Your Highness!”

Alberto and Loreil, both alarmed, rushed toward me simultaneously, but I was already entranced by the jewel’s radiance.

Such tremendous malice, curses of every conceivable kind contained within this tiny stone—admiration spilled forth as if I were witnessing an intricate mechanical device.

The moment I caressed the jewel with my fingertip.

Crack—!

Intense light poured forth from the jewel.

“…!”

The startled crowd retreated backward. I too was taken aback, my eyes widening as I examined the jewel closely.

After the light subsided, the jewel underwent a transformation.

“The color… changed?”

The blue diamond’s hue had shifted to a brilliant gold. Moreover, the ominous aura that had lingered around it—the curse and malice—had vanished entirely.

Seeing this, Alberto hesitantly inquired.

“Has it been purified? Could it be… that Your Highness the Princess is a saint?”

“How could you speak such a discourteous thing.”

Unable to help myself, I refuted his crude remark.

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

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