Chapter 49.1: Beautiful Immitation

Rishe looked up at the door in front of her.

She was brought to a section of the Imperial City on the outskirts of the city.

At the heavy door beyond at the end of the staircase that stretched down to the basement, there hung a sign that said, "Knock a set number of times."

"The shopkeeper of this place doesn't come to the castle when I call him. Thanks to that, I'll have to come down here myself."

"The shopkeeper? What the heck?"

Arnold didn't answer, but knocked five times slowly on the door.

Rishe heard nothing, but he must have gotten a reply inside. He opened the door and prompted Rishe with a glance. Making sure there weren't any elements to watch out for, she entered the store.

The first thing she saw was a large wooden counter.

The interior of the store has a wooden floor.

There were no fancy decorations, and instead of shelves that seemed to display merchandise, there was a leather sofa and a low table.

At first glance, it's a modest storefront, but... that counter is a single plate of Karin wood.

Something poking sounded, reminiscent of a cane.

Then a beautiful petite old woman with grayed hair came out of the back.

She had a soft smile on her face, and her face was covered in elegant, light makeup.

She was accompanied by a man in his mid-twenties, who was supporting her steps. The old woman stood in front of the counter and bowed deeply.

"Long live Your Royal Highness, Crown Prince. It's good to see you well..."

"Don't humble yourself. Raise your head up."

With Arnold's permission, the old woman looked up.

Then she looked at Rishe and smiled.

"Beautiful lady, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am the proprietor of this shop."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Rishe Ilmgard Wertzner.

"This is my grandson. Come on, you should pay your respects to Rishe-sama."

"Ah... Oh, that..."

The man maintained a respectful posture the whole time looked up a bit.

His complexion was pale and almost bloodless. His shoulders and voice were trembling, as if scared of something.

And he stubbornly refused to look at Arnold.

He must be afraid of His Highness Arnold... He must have been influenced by His Highness' 'notoriety'

The horrifying rumors about Arnold have reached the people's ears.

Rumors about his brutal behavior on the battlefield, of piling up the corpses of his enemies, probably terrified the man in front of them.

Even though he was the hero who had led his country to victory, it was perhaps natural to be scared when he was in the presence of the real deal.

Though the man in question didn't seem to give a damn about it at heart.

She glanced beside her, but no emotion altered Arnold's neat profile.

While she was immersed in her thoughts, the old woman said with a bitter smile, "I'm sorry, I scolded him severely a moment ago. It's because my grandson couldn't determine the authenticity of the goods we sell here."

It didn't look like it, but perhaps she was protecting her frightened grandson.

The old woman, who seemed very fond of her grandson, on the other hand, continued, "Well, it's quite difficult to distinguish them. If you don't mind, Rishe-sama, why don't you give it a try?"

"Oh, Grandma! That's disrespectful to the Crown Princess!"

"Lorenz, bring me that box."

With the old woman's order, the man hesitantly withdrew to the back of the room.

Eventually he returned, bringing a red velvet box. The old woman took the box, and placed it on the counter.

"This merchandise is the commodity you deal with here in the shop?"

"Yes. Please take a look."

Rishe looked down at the box that was slowly opened and her eyes widened.

"We are a humble jeweler."

Inside the jewelry box, there were three beautiful gems in a row."

"Which of these gems do you think is an imitation? It's just for fun, so feel free to pick one."

"Answer, Rishe."

"Okay."

Arnold spoke, so Rishe looked at the gems intently.

The one on the far right was a pale violet color. The middle one was golden like honey dissolved in water, and the left one was a dark red gem.

They're all transparent. The cut is delicate and very beautiful.

"What do you think?"

Jewelry was once also a favorite commodity for Rishe as a merchant. She had seen many stones with her own eyes and had learned a lot.

That was why Rishe answered frankly.

"I'm not sure."

"..."

The old woman nodded slowly, with a smile on her face.

"What a crystal clear answer. It's wonderful how you answered honestly and don't misrepresent what you don't understand—"

"So, shopkeeper..."

Rishe looked at her and continued, "Can I borrow a magnifying glass, if you don't mind?"

"...!"

The old woman was instantly surprised.

"Tweezers and a cloth, just in case. Then, please excuse me for a moment. May I take a look at it in the light by the window?"

"Huh...Hmm."

The old woman squeaked.

"Ah, um, this way, please."

The man, her grandson, held out his tools to her while shivering.

"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Rishe took them and moved to the window and grabbed a pair of tweezers.

She had to make sure she knew exactly how much force she needed to apply. Otherwise, she would lose momentum and let the gemstone fly.

She picked a gem carefully to prevent this from happening, and tried to see it through the light.

It's still beautiful even looking like this. But...

As she looked through the loupe and observed the details of the stone, she determined that her initial impression wasn't wrong.

So she told the old woman. "All these three stones are imitations."

"T-this is..."

Looking at the old woman's astonishment, she was probably right. Her grandson, standing next to her, also looked at Rishe and gaped.