Episode 13

The jewelry shopping didn’t take as long as Elouise had anticipated. Until now, she had always assumed sapphires came only in blue, but she discovered they also appeared in delicate pinks, soft greens, and even transparent varieties.

Marcus purchased quite a bit of jewelry for Elouise. A necklace and earring set composed of thirty-six large baroque pearls, a beautifully interlocking lapis lazuli bracelet and necklace, a blood-red square-cut ruby necklace with a matching silver bracelet…

The jeweler in Cliff beamed with delight as he eagerly presented tray after tray of gemstones he had personally set.

With every new piece, Marcus turned to Elouise and asked, “What do you think?” When she appeared overwhelmed, he summoned a clerk to hold the jewelry up to her neck for better viewing.

“Pearls suit you beautifully. So does lapis lazuli. Your fair complexion complements every gem... But that turquoise is too dull. And the topaz—these stones are far too small. Don’t you have anything larger?”

Marcus clearly possessed far more expertise in gemstones than Elouise. It wasn’t until she had tried on nearly ten necklaces that she was finally offered a cup of tea.

As she sipped the tea brought by the jeweler’s assistant, Elouise cautiously asked Marcus,

“You seem to know quite a bit about jewelry.”

“I wouldn’t say that. I’ve simply picked up a lot over the years.”

“If you just picked it up…”

“I’ve given jewelry to every woman I’ve ever loved. Some had very particular tastes, while others—like you, El—are more receptive to everything. In those cases, I’ve had the pleasure of choosing for them myself.”

Receptive to everything. Elouise almost let out a bitter laugh.

It wasn’t open-mindedness—it was experience.

Apparently, Marcus Hanger really had courted many women, just as he claimed. Even the way he spoke—carefully selecting each word—was polished by experience. A considerate lunatic, if ever there was one.

Marcus didn’t hesitate much when choosing most of the pieces. Part of the reason was that Elouise had a delicate, graceful neck and pale skin—she appeared radiant in nearly everything.

In areas where she lacked knowledge, Elouise decided to rely on Marcus’s judgment.

“But the ring,” Marcus said, “should be your decision, El.”

When it came to the ring, Marcus insisted she have complete say. The reason was simple: he didn’t care about the ring he’d wear. After all, the marriage was a charade, and he planned to remove it after the first month.

“No sane man wears a wedding ring while conducting an affair.”

Those were his exact words.

Regardless of what Marcus did with his ring, Elouise would be wearing hers for 120 days. She browsed through the numerous gemstones, uncertain of what to select.

The jeweler didn’t even bother offering anything under one carat. But Elouise specifically requested something under six carats, saying she wanted a piece she could wear daily. A selection of smaller stones, ranging from three to six carats, was laid out on velvet before her, glistening.

“Isn’t it true that diamonds are the traditional choice for a wedding ring?”

Marcus teased from beside her, but Elouise set all the diamonds aside. Just thinking about the 122-carat diamond she already had was enough to give her a headache.

Her eyes wandered over exquisitely cut rubies, sapphires, and emeralds—until they paused on a small, pale green gem.

“What’s this one?”

“Ah, that is a tourmaline. You have an exceptional eye, madam!”

“Tourmaline? What’s so special about that…” Marcus began, but the jeweler interrupted him with a knowing smile.

“This tourmaline’s true brilliance doesn’t reveal itself under these conditions.”

Marcus furrowed his brow. Logan cleared his throat and added,

“If I may, sir—Sir Hanger’s sister is the matron of the Deveres family.”

At those words, the jeweler’s smile widened even further.

“Ah! Then this is ideal!”

He immediately signaled to one of his assistants.

“Bring the candle!”

Elouise, still puzzled, listened as Logan explained that the Deveres family ran one of the most prestigious jewelry houses in the capital and owned several legendary gem mines. It was a thinly veiled warning: Don’t even think of swindling someone connected to them.

“Now, observe closely.”

The jeweler closed all the curtains in the room and brought a candle near the tourmaline. Elouise’s eyes widened. The pale green gem now shimmered a vivid crimson.

“Oh my, it’s…!”

“Yes. Under our gas lighting, it appears green.”

The jeweler grinned with pride.

“But that’s not all.”

He drew back the curtains and led Elouise and Marcus to the window. In the sunlight, the tourmaline now glowed with a gentle pink hue. Elouise’s cheeks flushed with excitement.

“This is remarkable! I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“It’s called a color-changing tourmaline. It’s a rare mineral mined exclusively on an island that takes over a month to reach by sea. It appears green under gaslight, red under candlelight, and pink in sunlight.”

The jeweler puffed up with satisfaction. Even Marcus, though intrigued, remained skeptical.

“But tourmaline has low market value. Not exactly liquid, is it?”

“Young master. Why would you concern yourself with liquidity when choosing a wedding ring?”

Logan cleared his throat meaningfully. Marcus opened his mouth, then closed it again. He had no doubt that Elouise would sell the ring once the contract ended.

But Elouise simply gave a playful shrug. The gesture said: Don’t worry about that.

“Does the bride of House Hanger really need to worry about resale value?”

She had already grown accustomed to speaking Marcus’s language. He raised a brow, then chuckled.

“Fair enough. So, do you like it?”

“I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s mesmerizing. It doesn’t need to be expensive. We already purchased enough of that earlier. And…”

“And?”

Elouise smiled slyly at Marcus and said,

“It reminds me of you, sir. Very changeable.”

“Oh dear.”

Marcus laughed helplessly. Still, he didn’t miss the opportunity to add one more thing.

“I told you to call me Marcus, didn’t I, my love?”

The color-changing tourmaline was six carats. The jeweler promised to have the ring completed in time for the wedding the following week.

All the previously selected jewelry was carefully loaded into the carriage.

Elouise gently touched the large pearl earring dangling from her earlobe, feeling oddly self-aware.

It was the first time in her life she had ever worn earrings.

---

Juliet had fallen fast asleep, worn out from the long visit to the dressmaker and jeweler. When Logan returned to the estate carrying her on his back, he began walking—not toward the rooms they had been staying in.

Elouise, about to stop him and correct the direction, suddenly remembered what Marcus had told her the day before:

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll be moved to the largest room in the west wing.”

Ah, right. He had said that.

But something felt amiss. Logan was unmistakably heading not to the west wing, but to the east. As Elouise hastily stepped down from the carriage, she lost her footing.

“Oh!”

Marcus, already waiting to assist her, caught her just in time. “Careful now,” he said as he gently steadied her. Elouise, startled, tried to push him away, but Marcus was quicker. His firm arm encircled her waist, and he smoothly lowered her to the ground.

He looked down at her with a soft smile.“Are you alright?”

“Y-yes, thank you.”

“Mind your step.”

With that, Marcus stepped back. It was impeccable. Not inappropriate, not overly familiar—his timing and demeanor could have come straight from an etiquette manual. Flustered, Elouise asked,

“I thought our new room was supposed to be in the west wing?”

“Ah, that...”

Marcus’s expression shifted into one of realization, as though he had just grasped the reason for her urgency. Gracefully, he offered her his arm, and Elouise instinctively took it.

Guiding her gently toward the east wing, Marcus murmured,

“I did originally request the largest room in the west wing. But the head maid asked why I wanted to switch rooms.”

“...”

“I told her it was because the woman who’s going to be my wife deserves something more suitable. She was completely taken aback.”

“Well, no wonder...”

Elouise found herself sympathizing with the head maid, suddenly informed of an impending wedding. Marcus Hanger might not be nobility, but the Noskina family certainly was. And technically, so was Elouise. Weddings hosted at noble estates were extravagant beyond imagining—and Marcus had already vowed not to cut any corners.

To be notified of such a wedding just one week in advance? The head maid might very well want to throw herself from the rafters. But Marcus’s explanation took a different turn.

“She said it wouldn’t be proper to place a bride-to-be in a guest room. So, with my aunt’s consent, they’re assigning us the room in the east wing—with the adjoining hall.”

“A room with a hall...”

“That would be the room my uncle used when he was alive.”

“What?!”

Elouise let out something close to a shriek. Her voice was loud enough that Logan, walking ahead with Juliet on his back, turned around in alarm. Marcus blinked at her, while Elouise stood frozen, visibly pale.

“N-no, I can’t! How could I possibly use the room that belonged to the master of the house—!”

“It’s alright. My aunt gave her permission. Of course, she doesn’t know about the wedding yet. I just said I needed more space...”

“That’s even worse!”

Elouise was thoroughly flustered. What kind of household just hands over the master’s chamber to a guest?

Even the grandest room in the west wing had felt too indulgent for her. This was infinitely worse. And to occupy such a space without Madam Noskina knowing the full truth?

She couldn’t even fathom what the lady of the house might think of her.

“How can I, when Madam Noskina—!”

But the real bombshell came next. Marcus tilted his head and casually dropped it:

“But after the wedding, that’s the only room she’d offer us anyway, right?”

“...Us?”

Elouise’s blue eyes widened even further. Marcus blinked innocently, then smiled.

“We’re going to be married, aren’t we? And technically, I’m still a guest in this house too, so we’ll share a room.”

In that moment, Elouise felt she might collapse.

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