Evelyn’s Ring 9
9. RUBY AND THE POCKET WATCH (2)
“What is this mess early in the morning? Let me sleep at least on holiday! Why the hell are you asking me to choose an accessory for you to wear?!”
Hmm, Evelyn Lehil. Why are we meeting so frequently? I especially didn’t want to meet her today.
He narrowed his eyes as he saw, through the window, Henry and Evelyn enter the shop. Evelyn’s annoyance was clear from her irritated voice and her scowling face. While Henry had a blank expression. Though his ears were ringing from Evelyn’s loud voice, there was a smile on his face.
“Can’t you perceive the gemstone’s energy well? Everything is the same for me.”
Silently watching them, Kyren clicked his tongue. Seems like Henry wants to divert his childhood friend in another direction… Is it because he is still young? Or not pressed enough to upgrade his tactics? (T/N: Alternatively, this also means sharpening his skills.) Appealing his incompetence to an able woman is like dragging the mat under one’s feet. It was no surprise that Evelyn’s face morphed into a fierce expression after seeing Henry’s laidback attitude.
“Are you a preschool kid?! How is there a 7th Circle Mage who can’t choose his own accessory?! How did you break it this time?!”
“I stepped on it accidentally, then it broke.”
“You have a lot of money, huh? Just buy any that’s big and expensive. How many jewelers do you have to go to? My legs are hurting!”
“As you said, an accessory is not a penny or two, I must choose carefully. The first place we went, the luster was murky so, don’t like it. The design from the second shop was bland. It was too feminine for a man, and the claws were too thick to ignore…”
“Do you think I am wearing this tacky ring because I am fond of it? How can an Archmage, who puts his life at stake, be picky about the design?! If the energy and condition are good, then just wear it!”
Kyren’s lips twitched watching Evelyn exploding like a volcano. Oh, so she knows that it’s tacky. Thank goodness. Thought that her eyes were on her foot. (T/N: He is mocking her here because the ring is very lousy and thought it was to her taste. In short ‘u must be blind to like this.’) (E/N: Basically, Kyren thought that Evelyn’s design/fashion sense was garbage because of the ring lmao)
“Okay, okay. I will treat you to lunch. Your favorite mushroom soup from the famous store which is best for…”
“Gryela?”
“Yes, there. Anyway, it will be mostly occupied now. Instead of waiting in the line, how about taking a look here, Hm?”
The constantly complaining Evelyn finally shut her mouth. She was won over by food? Her taste is high-class though. Kyren giggled. Hearing the jingling bell he hesitated. He was done with his work here and must pass through the shop to go out, but then if he goes there he will bump into Evelyn.
“What should I do…”
Why was he hesitating? Kyren felt unfamiliar with himself. To greet an acquaintance was as easy as breathing for Kyren. All the more, the only daughter of Count Lehil and the firstborn of Duke Price were people that he would need to create opportunities. However, seeing the words and deeds of Evelyn Lehil, sans the smiling, and thinking about it was tiring.
Wait a bit then go out. It’s okay if they don’t buy anything, or rather I would be thankful if they can nitpick here and there, and then leave my store. Kyren, who disregarded the economic logic for the first time, laughed at himself at the absurd feeling that he was experiencing.
“Want a Ring, for him. Show the biggest Ruby or Sapphire ones.”
Patrick showed a generous smile while stealthily peeking at Evelyn and Henry.
They were not here for an engagement ring… If they were asking for a big stone, they must be rich… Hmm… The dress she is wearing is simple but the shoes are quite good. Looking at the ring on her finger, Patrick breathed hard. He tried hard to maintain a calm expression.
My God. How many carats is that? At least 10 Carats…? Though the design is old-fashioned and the cabochon cutting is out of style, the stone is the best Pigeon blood… Huh, it must be at least 200,000 Ceylon. Uhh, She can’t be from an ordinary family.
He spoke as gently as possible, yet there was a tremor in his voice at the end, “Do you want to match the design with each other?”
“No. The design doesn’t matter.”
Why should I wear the same ring as him?
Startled by Evelyn’s simple reply, Patrick soon put himself together and took out the rings with relatively big stones. After looking carefully, among all of them, she chose three. Seeing her picking the most expensive products, Patrick swallowed hard.
The allowance itself will be… (T/N: In shops, when products are sold, the shopkeepers will get a commission, the allowance means that commission.)
“How about this one?”
“Mm, it doesn’t give that ‘This is the one feeling.’”
“Then… this one?”
“This is sapphire, I like rubies”
“The heck, it’s an accessory, what’s your taste and what’s not doesn’t matter. If you want to act perverse, why did you ask me to come? You should have just brought whatever you liked then.”
Patrick, who silently watched them bickering, carefully glanced around. He can’t understand the criteria that they are using as they choose the rings, but the one who is buying the ring seems to prefer ruby more than sapphire. Since they don’t seem to consider the price and the low saturated ones… Rather than caring about a petty allowance, Patrick once again looked around and lightly took out another ring.
“How about this one sire? I didn’t take it out earlier because the ring is too fine for a male guest but it’s pure ruby. If you like the stone, we can adjust the ring however you want.” (T/N: “The ring is too fine for a male guest” means that the ring’s body is too fine/ too feminine for a man.)
Piercingly staring at the ring that Patrick took out, Evelyn slowly turned her head towards Patrick.
“This… What did you say?”
“It’s ruby, Sire. A much alike gemstone that you are wearing.”
Um… You say it’s Ruby..? With hands folded, Evelyn was lost in her thoughts. What should I do…? Aghh… It will be troublesome to quarrel here, should I just leave it like that? The lawsuit is already annoying enough, I am not an apostle of Justice… But then this fraud will sell it to some pushover saying it’s Ruby.
“Ruby… What about the price?”
“The quoted price is 120,000 Ceylon. If you buy right away, At my discretion, you can buy it at 117,000 Ceylon.”
“Oh, is that so? Can I see the appraisal?”
“Of course, Sire. Please wait a moment.”
Evelyn read the statement that Patrick brought very thoroughly. She roughly swept her hair and faked a smile. Woah… This guy is very thorough, huh? If you want to cheat, do it right. And you picked the wrong person today. If you had even hesitated a bit, I would have closed an eye and left silently, but taking out a fake appraisal with this much dedication? You are asking for trouble.
Evelyn took some deep breath with her eyes closed and slowly opened it. She said with a cold, emotionless voice, “Who is in charge here?”
“I am, Miss Lehil. What is the matter?”
Suddenly hearing a familiar voice from behind, Evelyn turned around. Recognizing Kyren’s face, she frowned. Ah, this is under Nights’. Damn, that’s too familiar of a person and Ian’s friend at that.. Tsk. I can’t even flip over with my temper.
Quickly scanning inside the store, Evelyn clicked her tongue with a displeased face. On this holiday, there were many customers inside the jewelry store. The Clerk had a ‘what a jinx, I was caught’ like expression. It was a disgrace and it was disgusting. For a business, credibility is what matters. If there is a rumor of selling fake products, they must close down the store.
Watching Evelyn rustling her hair with nervous hands, Kyren carefully asked, “Was our employee presumptuous to Miss Lehil…?”
“Let’s talk alone, senior. This ring is the problem.” (E/N: The ‘senior’ here does not mean that Evelyn is calling Kyren an old man. It’s like she is calling Kyren her “senpai.” I’m not too familiar with Korean honorifics but from a quick google search, she is most likely using sunbae/sunbaenim when referring tro Kyren. I hope that clears things up!)
Looking at the ring that was being pointed by EvelynPatrick paled. Kyren took the ring and led her to the inner room. Evelyn, who politely rejected the tea, went straight to the point. This is not a topic for amiable chatter.
“That person tried to sell this ring to me saying it is Ruby. He even showed me an appraisal stating it a Ruby. He also said to cut 3000 Ceylon from 120,000 Ceylon.”
Kyren took a close look at the ring on the table. Even in that dim light, the gem was bright with high saturation and had a beautiful red color.
For now, it seems to be ruby in my eyes… But putting aside his personal opinion, the Evelyn Lehil he knew wasn’t a ridiculous person who disputed with anyone. She, who had a renowned name, had no benefit in making a fuss.
“So, Miss Lehil means this is not ruby?”
“Yes. Though I am not sure what it really is, I am sure it isn’t ruby.”
“How are you so sure?”
“Because what I am wearing is also Ruby.”
There were no big changes in Kyren’s expression but Lehil immediately noticed that he didn’t understand her words. Ah, he doesn’t have mana at all. Then how should I explain this? It will sound to him like catching clouds. It will sound absurd to him.
“Mages have an affinity to certain gemstones. In my case, it’s Ruby. Other than Ruby, no matter how big or high-quality stone it is, it won’t be of any help when I use mana. So this is definitely not ruby.”
“No exceptions at all?”
“Yes.”
Slightly nodding at Evelyn’s firm response, Kyren gestured at the Manger who was anxiously watching them from a distance. Honestly, he doesn’t believe this sense that mages have but that doesn’t mean he would just pass this suspicion.
“Please bring Master Bucheri here.”
Though Kyren had a calm face, his head was working at a fast pace. No matter what the outcome will be, it’s trouble. Patrick, who is being suspected, has been working in this jewelry for seven years. He was quick-witted and knew how to respond to people. A good employee with good sales.
If Evelyn Lehil is right… Was this the first time? But if what she said was gibberish? How should I fix it? Kyren was busy with his thoughts.
Bucheri came in with a cold face as if he heard something while coming up. As soon as he saw the ring, he took a deep breath. That expression in itself explained the results.
“Master. Mr. Patrick offered this ring to this Miss at a price of 117,000 Ceylon saying it is Ruby.”
“Sigh… This is red spinel, Young Master. The rough stone was brought in last month. The cutting, as well as the appraisal, was done by myself.”
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