Standard Contract Guidelines for a Fraudulent Marriage - Chapter 92

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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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Chapter 92

At Clicker’s bewildered voice, tears spilled from Ellie’s eyes, followed by a sharp, tinny cry.

“Yes! I’m crying! So what!”
“No, wait—what is this? No, first just stop crying. Hold on, where is my handkerchief…?”
“I don’t need it! I have my own—”

But Clicker had already pulled a handkerchief from his front pocket and was diligently wiping the tears from her eyes.

Ellie, robbed of any chance to protest, flailed as she tried to escape from him, but the hand gripping her shoulder showed no sign of loosening.

“Stop! If you rub like that, you’ll wipe away all my makeup!”
“Eh? Rub? I was just wiping away your tears. And, ah, your nose too.”
“Don’t even say that word!”

Ellie kicked Clicker’s shin hard. He staggered back with exaggerated drama, then heaved a long sigh.

He turned to Adelia and asked.

“What… what is happening here?”

Adelia spoke.

“Can’t you see what’s happening, Clicker? It’s time you and Ellie had an honest conversation.”
“That’s ridiculous…”

Ellie’s voice rose sharply.

“What do you mean ridiculous? Do you really hate talking to me that much?”
“No, of course not. I mean, it’s not that… it’s just…”

Clicker, flustered and uncertain, plumped back down into a chair.

His face flushed with embarrassment and mortification, he rubbed his cheeks with his palms several times before speaking.

“What is it you want to talk about?”

Just then, Adelia hastily inserted herself between them.

“The rest of this conversation should be just between the two of you. Use the Reception Room—talk freely there. Understood?”

Without waiting for their stunned protests, she whisked herself out of the room.

As she shut the door firmly behind her, her own face flushed crimson and she bounced excitedly on her toes.

‘Good heavens! What if they actually work out? Oh my!’

Low murmurs drifted from the Reception Room, and though she longed to eavesdrop, Adelia conducted herself with proper decorum and withdrew discreetly.

***

Meanwhile, having successfully (?) concluded his conversation with Rumble Count and his wife, Loerston rode back to his residence in the carriage, exhausted.

Something glimmering caught his eye through the window. Peering open his eyes at the bright flash that stung the corner of his vision, he saw a row of stalls laid out with small gem rings and other trinkets.

“What day is this?”

At his question, the Coachman, who had been glancing around, answered.

“Yes, sir. These markets appear every month or two. Local girls take shells, glass shards, stone fragments they’ve collected, refine them into new pieces, and sell them as accessories.”
“Do they fetch a good price?”
“Ha! Hardly, sir. They go for very little. I shouldn’t think they’d be worth your attention.”
“Still, let’s stop for a moment.”

The Coachman, taken aback, quickly brought the carriage to a halt.

As Loerston descended and adjusted his hat, the stall vendors and the young women gathered to browse all covered their mouths and blushed in unison.

“That’s the Insel Duke! I saw him at the last party.”
“How can someone be that beautiful? Are all Capital men like that?”
“Don’t be foolish. We see Capital men a few times a year, and you still come out with nonsense like that?”
“My word, did anyone catch his scent? If I could just shake his hand once, I’d have no more wishes in life.”

Their whispers—or rather, their not-so-quiet chatter—caused Loerston’s ears to flush slightly. Not from pleasure, but from embarrassment.

Even in the Capital, such crowds gathered wherever he went, but here in Market Stall Alley, every eye was fixed solely on him. It was always taxing.

Nevertheless, he maintained his composure and stopped before one particular stall. The vendor was a black-haired young woman with freckles across the bridge of her nose, and the moment their eyes met, she broke into a bright smile.

“Welcome! What are you looking for? A necklace, a ring, earrings… We have any accessories you could want!”

It was no accident that Loerston had stopped before her stall. As he’d walked past, he’d noticed that her work displayed particularly delicate and beautiful craftsmanship.

She has quite skilled hands, he thought.

“What is this ring made from?”
“Ah, that’s lapis lazuli. The color is quite beautiful, don’t you think? Like the deep sea. I Polished it myself just recently.”
“You Polished it? Do you hold a Jewel Handling License?”
“Ha, well, if you ask that way, there’s not much I can say… All the girls in this town know how to do this. Because it’s an important Means of Livelihood for us. I’m sure you understand.”

In other words, she had no license.

Yet the surface of the stones she’d polished was flawless. Her Cutting work was beyond reproach. Half the merchants in the Capital who hung official First-Class Jewel Handling Licenses in their shop windows could not match the skill in this girl’s fingertips.

“And this—is it a Wind Chime toy?”
“Ah, you can use it for a baby, but it also looks lovely hung by a window. It’s made from thin-carved seashell. When the wind blows, it makes a very clear sound.”
“I’ll take one. And this ring as well.”
“Thank you so much, sir!”

The girl beamed as she carefully wrapped the seashell Wind Chime and the ring. While she worked, Loerston, who had been browsing other pieces, spoke again.

“Do you ever trade these accessories to the mainland?”
“The mainland? No, surely not. There are far more beautiful things on the mainland—how could I?”
“Your skill seems refined enough to succeed there. If you don’t mind, could I have a name card?”
“A… a name card? I don’t have anything so grand…”

As the girl fluttered with surprise, Loerston touched the brim of his hat slightly.

“Forgive me. Then tell me your name and where you live.”
“Ah, yes… My name is Cora Roslie, and I live nearby.”
“Good. I’ll send someone around later.”
“Yes? Ah, yes. Pardon?”

But Loerston had already disappeared into the carriage with the wrapped Accessories.

The other young women crowded around Cora as she watched the carriage recede into the distance.

“Hey, hey! Cora! What did you talk about with him?”
“Why did he ask where you live?”
“You’re going to marry into a noble family and live your best life now, aren’t you?”

At that last comment, Cora let out a dry laugh.

“That’s not possible. Besides, he’s married. I saw a ring on his left hand.”
“Good heavens, listen to her—as if being a mistress isn’t good enough?”

But Cora smirked and straightened the scattered Accessories on her stall.

“I won’t take a mistress’s place, not even for a season’s amusement. Sure, a nobleman would probably shower me with gold, but that’s too empty for me.”
“Greedy thing, aren’t you?”
“Well, Cora can live comfortably on her skill alone. She doesn’t have to support a family either.”

Cora spoke.

“That’s right! One day I’ll earn my Jewel Handling License and move to the mainland. Then I’ll open my own jewelry shop. With a dream like that, who has time to be some nobleman’s mistress? Ha ha, now shoo, all of you. I need to arrange new stock.”

***

When Loerston arrived home, Adelia was sitting in the drawing room eating fruit. A notebook lay open on the table, filled with dense writing.

“Loerston!”

Adelia sprang to her feet and rubbed her cheek affectionately against his.

“You’re back! How did it go?”
“Well enough. If the Rumble family lends a hand with the Brewery construction, we’ll cover their wages. They seemed satisfied with that.”
“Well done! But what are you holding?”

Loerston pressed a kiss to Adelia’s cheek.

“That’s a secret. What were you writing?”

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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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