Unlike last time, Rosetta showed up looking fresh. She wasn't drunk, and her clothes were relatively neat.
With her red hair tied up high and wearing trousers, she looked so free-spirited. It was no wonder Jacqueline fell in love with her at first sight.
How much of a goddess must she have seemed to the young prince, who was bound by duty.
As we approached, she immediately frowned.
“What is this...”
It must have been Rosetta's greatest patience not to say anything. A look of pity was dripping from her face as she looked up and down at Jacqueline's clothes.
“You, you son of a bitch, you don’t know where you’re going, so you came dressed like this? Huh?”
I interrupted before Jacqueline's face turned even redder.
“That, that’s what I asked him to wear.”
“...”
“Uh... So, there’s a ball I have to go to this evening?”
Jacqueline looked at me as if I were her savior, but Rosetta wasn't fooled at all by my lies. She gave me a pitiful look. No matter how good a liar you are, it's not easy to fool someone with eyes like that.
As we stood there awkwardly, Rosetta put her hands in her pockets as if nothing was going to happen.
“...Well, yes. Follow me. It’s not far.”
We followed her along the beach.
Contrary to her words that it wasn't far, we had to walk quite a long way. We even had to go down a steep coastal cliff, and there was no properly maintained path, so we almost fell down several times.
If Enoch and the Knights had known, they would have been furious... but they were only at the entrance to the village, and the important thing was that they got down safely.
“Is it still far?”
I asked, panting. The fluttering dress kept wrapping around my legs and was uncomfortable. It was the shortest dress I could have chosen, and yet it was like this.
“Just a little more.”
Rosetta replied without looking back.
Now we began to descend into a small crevice in the cliff, a cave that looked like something the waves had carved out.
If I had known it would be such a rough road, I would have come dressed in hunting clothes. No, Jacqueline, where did you know you were going? You could have at least told me that these clothes would be difficult.
I glared at the back of Jacqueline's head as he walked ahead, but I lost my energy. He was wearing uncomfortable uniforms, too, so what could I expect?
Even though I was complaining, I thought it was fortunate that my body was tired. Whenever I could catch my breath for even a moment, Laskan kept coming to mind.
When I think of him, I feel like a lost child, as if I am faced with a problem to which I do not know the answer.
Even though I finally admitted that I loved him, our problems didn't go away.
Nothing had changed. If I weren't the real Princess, he was still just a Duke who deceived the Emperor. Love could solve everything, only in fairy tales.
I raised my head as I nervously touched the crafts in my arms. Rosetta suddenly stopped walking.
“It's here.”
“...Here?”
I looked around in confusion. It was an underground cave, like a wide open space. Sunlight was streaming in through the cracked ceiling.
I looked around carefully, relying on the light. She said he would take me to where the blue jewel was. But there was no jewel...
But judging by Rosetta's serious expression, it didn't seem like she was lying and bringing me to the wrong place.
“Where is the blue jewel?”
“At your feet, young lady.”
That made it even more difficult to understand it. Underneath my feet were only translucent white pebbles. They were unique, but it was embarrassing to call them jewels, and if you were to ask if they were blue, they were even less so.
I looked back at Jacqueline in confusion, but he just shrugged his shoulders, as if he had known this would happen.
“Just wait quietly.”
Rosetta took out a small bottle and a mirror from her bosom with a look of extreme annoyance.
The bottle contained a clear liquid. Rosetta sprinkled it carelessly on the floor. Then she began to focus the sunlight with a mirror and illuminate the wet area.
The change was not long in coming. At first, it was a very faint glow. But soon a soft blue light began to spread out like waves from Rosetta's feet.
All the pebbles that had even a little bit of water on them were emitting a blue light.
“What the heck is this...”
I took a step back with a slight goosebump. When I looked back at Rosetta, she said calmly.
“Yes. The Stone of Oidos, the Blue Opal Mine.”
The blue light from the opal soon disappeared. The cave became dark again, just like when we first entered.
“The Stone of Oidos.”
I tried repeating Rosetta's words once. There was something magical about them.
First of all, it looked very different from regular opals. The opals I knew didn't change color when exposed to water, nor did they emit a soft blue glow.
“What on earth is that? I’ve never heard of such a gem before.”
“Because it’s not an ordinary jewel. It’s a relic from Bartivesa.”
Bartivesa. The lost age of magic. I never thought I would hear the same words I heard in the temple. I held my breath in surprise.
“So does that mean this stone really has magic in it?”
“In theory. But no one can use it right now anyway.”
I looked around once more with a suspicious gaze. The road we had taken was rough, but it was not a place where people could not come.
If this was truly a relic of the magical age, it was all the more surprising that it had not been discovered until now. It was even more so because to the untrained eye it would appear to be nothing more than an opaque white pebble...
Someone must have known what it was for. Rosetta, at least the pirate one. I looked straight at her and asked.
“Knowing this, why didn’t you use it?”
“What can I use it for?”
“If this is really the Bartivesa stone, it must be worth the price.”
“It’s exactly as you said, young lady. Let’s say I sell it.”
She continued, wiggling one finger.
“There’s no way I, a pirate, could do such delicate work, so many people would join me. Even if I’m lucky enough to meet a trustworthy person and somehow succeed in crafting and refining it, what happens when it starts to be distributed on the market?”
“...”
“People would think there would be a mine somewhere. Opal is usually found in veins.”
That was true, but I still thought crookedly.
Why don't you keep it a secret? If you refine this and sell it, you can buy not just a pirate's rag, but half of the East.
Rosetta snorted as if she could see right through me.
“Is there a perfect secret in the world? It’s only a matter of time before rumors spread that there’s a vein of gold here. If pirates come running, we can just subdue them with force.”
Her blue eyes had a sinister glow.
“Even noblemen run like pigs to the smell of money.”
“...”
“Belcruz is the town where I was born and raised since I was a child. It is a barren and insignificant land where pirates barely manage to make a living in hiding. Am I the only one among the residents who knows about the existence of this mine?”
I shook my head.
“That’s right. It’s not that we don’t know about it, so we don’t touch it. Even if we make some money at first, it’s obvious that in the end, it’ll only benefit the nobles. The foundation we’ve worked so hard to build for decades will also collapse.”
Rosetta's blue eyes, which had been floating in the air, turned towards me as if swallowing me up.
“How would you use this, young lady?”
It was a very difficult thing to conclude.
In my head, I knew the easy way out. I just had to ignore Rosetta's wishes, fill a box with opals, and head to the capital. Then I had to tell everyone that I had found an opal mine in Belcruze.
If I were lucky, I would win the contest, and if I were unlucky, I would get about the same number of votes as Princess Veronica.
But that would be disregarding Rosetta's faith. And Jacqueline's faith. I don't know why they trust me, but...
If they had read me, they were right. I could not dare to trample on someone's land. I had seen it all my life in George, and it was not just a generational misfortune.
I told her that I would think about it a little longer and give her an answer, and as a gesture of good faith, I left the box of jewels in Rosetta's hands. I told her that I would write to her when I made up my mind, and that if she was satisfied with the answer, then she should return the box.
It was barely enough to buy some time, but what else could I say in that situation? It was a better choice than giving the wrong answer and receiving pitying looks.
I got into the carriage with my head pounding. Several options came to mind, but none of them were ones I could decide on my own.
“What are you going to do now?”
Jacqueline, who had been sitting in silence the entire way back to the mansion, blurted out.
“If you leave the jewelry box like this, what do you plan to submit for the competition?”
“No, then what the hell was I supposed to do there?”
I didn't want to grumble, but I couldn't help but grumble.
“It’s not my place to say this, but are you planning on taking the pirates’ circumstances into consideration?”
That was a bit disappointing. It was the woman he loved. Could it be that Jacqueline also had an inescapable aristocratic mindset?
I narrowed my eyes and glared at Jacqueline. He couldn't hold out for long and turned his head away. I chuckled.
“You’re cute, but you say things you don’t mean.”
“...Please, say that I’m cute...”
“If I were that kind of person, I wouldn’t have taken you to Belcruz.”
“That is a separate issue...”
Jacqueline tried to stammer an excuse, but then stopped, buried his red face in his hands and sighed deeply.
I ended up laughing out loud. It was a bit strange to see him like this, unlike his first impression of being a rascal.
I stopped teasing him and responded seriously.
“Of course I have thought about it.”
With her red hair tied up high and wearing trousers, she looked so free-spirited. It was no wonder Jacqueline fell in love with her at first sight.
How much of a goddess must she have seemed to the young prince, who was bound by duty.
As we approached, she immediately frowned.
“What is this...”
It must have been Rosetta's greatest patience not to say anything. A look of pity was dripping from her face as she looked up and down at Jacqueline's clothes.
“You, you son of a bitch, you don’t know where you’re going, so you came dressed like this? Huh?”
I interrupted before Jacqueline's face turned even redder.
“That, that’s what I asked him to wear.”
“...”
“Uh... So, there’s a ball I have to go to this evening?”
Jacqueline looked at me as if I were her savior, but Rosetta wasn't fooled at all by my lies. She gave me a pitiful look. No matter how good a liar you are, it's not easy to fool someone with eyes like that.
As we stood there awkwardly, Rosetta put her hands in her pockets as if nothing was going to happen.
“...Well, yes. Follow me. It’s not far.”
We followed her along the beach.
Contrary to her words that it wasn't far, we had to walk quite a long way. We even had to go down a steep coastal cliff, and there was no properly maintained path, so we almost fell down several times.
If Enoch and the Knights had known, they would have been furious... but they were only at the entrance to the village, and the important thing was that they got down safely.
“Is it still far?”
I asked, panting. The fluttering dress kept wrapping around my legs and was uncomfortable. It was the shortest dress I could have chosen, and yet it was like this.
“Just a little more.”
Rosetta replied without looking back.
Now we began to descend into a small crevice in the cliff, a cave that looked like something the waves had carved out.
If I had known it would be such a rough road, I would have come dressed in hunting clothes. No, Jacqueline, where did you know you were going? You could have at least told me that these clothes would be difficult.
I glared at the back of Jacqueline's head as he walked ahead, but I lost my energy. He was wearing uncomfortable uniforms, too, so what could I expect?
Even though I was complaining, I thought it was fortunate that my body was tired. Whenever I could catch my breath for even a moment, Laskan kept coming to mind.
When I think of him, I feel like a lost child, as if I am faced with a problem to which I do not know the answer.
Even though I finally admitted that I loved him, our problems didn't go away.
Nothing had changed. If I weren't the real Princess, he was still just a Duke who deceived the Emperor. Love could solve everything, only in fairy tales.
I raised my head as I nervously touched the crafts in my arms. Rosetta suddenly stopped walking.
“It's here.”
“...Here?”
I looked around in confusion. It was an underground cave, like a wide open space. Sunlight was streaming in through the cracked ceiling.
I looked around carefully, relying on the light. She said he would take me to where the blue jewel was. But there was no jewel...
But judging by Rosetta's serious expression, it didn't seem like she was lying and bringing me to the wrong place.
“Where is the blue jewel?”
“At your feet, young lady.”
That made it even more difficult to understand it. Underneath my feet were only translucent white pebbles. They were unique, but it was embarrassing to call them jewels, and if you were to ask if they were blue, they were even less so.
I looked back at Jacqueline in confusion, but he just shrugged his shoulders, as if he had known this would happen.
“Just wait quietly.”
Rosetta took out a small bottle and a mirror from her bosom with a look of extreme annoyance.
The bottle contained a clear liquid. Rosetta sprinkled it carelessly on the floor. Then she began to focus the sunlight with a mirror and illuminate the wet area.
The change was not long in coming. At first, it was a very faint glow. But soon a soft blue light began to spread out like waves from Rosetta's feet.
All the pebbles that had even a little bit of water on them were emitting a blue light.
“What the heck is this...”
I took a step back with a slight goosebump. When I looked back at Rosetta, she said calmly.
“Yes. The Stone of Oidos, the Blue Opal Mine.”
***
The blue light from the opal soon disappeared. The cave became dark again, just like when we first entered.
“The Stone of Oidos.”
I tried repeating Rosetta's words once. There was something magical about them.
First of all, it looked very different from regular opals. The opals I knew didn't change color when exposed to water, nor did they emit a soft blue glow.
“What on earth is that? I’ve never heard of such a gem before.”
“Because it’s not an ordinary jewel. It’s a relic from Bartivesa.”
Bartivesa. The lost age of magic. I never thought I would hear the same words I heard in the temple. I held my breath in surprise.
“So does that mean this stone really has magic in it?”
“In theory. But no one can use it right now anyway.”
I looked around once more with a suspicious gaze. The road we had taken was rough, but it was not a place where people could not come.
If this was truly a relic of the magical age, it was all the more surprising that it had not been discovered until now. It was even more so because to the untrained eye it would appear to be nothing more than an opaque white pebble...
Someone must have known what it was for. Rosetta, at least the pirate one. I looked straight at her and asked.
“Knowing this, why didn’t you use it?”
“What can I use it for?”
“If this is really the Bartivesa stone, it must be worth the price.”
“It’s exactly as you said, young lady. Let’s say I sell it.”
She continued, wiggling one finger.
“There’s no way I, a pirate, could do such delicate work, so many people would join me. Even if I’m lucky enough to meet a trustworthy person and somehow succeed in crafting and refining it, what happens when it starts to be distributed on the market?”
“...”
“People would think there would be a mine somewhere. Opal is usually found in veins.”
That was true, but I still thought crookedly.
Why don't you keep it a secret? If you refine this and sell it, you can buy not just a pirate's rag, but half of the East.
Rosetta snorted as if she could see right through me.
“Is there a perfect secret in the world? It’s only a matter of time before rumors spread that there’s a vein of gold here. If pirates come running, we can just subdue them with force.”
Her blue eyes had a sinister glow.
“Even noblemen run like pigs to the smell of money.”
“...”
“Belcruz is the town where I was born and raised since I was a child. It is a barren and insignificant land where pirates barely manage to make a living in hiding. Am I the only one among the residents who knows about the existence of this mine?”
I shook my head.
“That’s right. It’s not that we don’t know about it, so we don’t touch it. Even if we make some money at first, it’s obvious that in the end, it’ll only benefit the nobles. The foundation we’ve worked so hard to build for decades will also collapse.”
Rosetta's blue eyes, which had been floating in the air, turned towards me as if swallowing me up.
“How would you use this, young lady?”
***
It was a very difficult thing to conclude.
In my head, I knew the easy way out. I just had to ignore Rosetta's wishes, fill a box with opals, and head to the capital. Then I had to tell everyone that I had found an opal mine in Belcruze.
If I were lucky, I would win the contest, and if I were unlucky, I would get about the same number of votes as Princess Veronica.
But that would be disregarding Rosetta's faith. And Jacqueline's faith. I don't know why they trust me, but...
If they had read me, they were right. I could not dare to trample on someone's land. I had seen it all my life in George, and it was not just a generational misfortune.
I told her that I would think about it a little longer and give her an answer, and as a gesture of good faith, I left the box of jewels in Rosetta's hands. I told her that I would write to her when I made up my mind, and that if she was satisfied with the answer, then she should return the box.
It was barely enough to buy some time, but what else could I say in that situation? It was a better choice than giving the wrong answer and receiving pitying looks.
I got into the carriage with my head pounding. Several options came to mind, but none of them were ones I could decide on my own.
“What are you going to do now?”
Jacqueline, who had been sitting in silence the entire way back to the mansion, blurted out.
“If you leave the jewelry box like this, what do you plan to submit for the competition?”
“No, then what the hell was I supposed to do there?”
I didn't want to grumble, but I couldn't help but grumble.
“It’s not my place to say this, but are you planning on taking the pirates’ circumstances into consideration?”
That was a bit disappointing. It was the woman he loved. Could it be that Jacqueline also had an inescapable aristocratic mindset?
I narrowed my eyes and glared at Jacqueline. He couldn't hold out for long and turned his head away. I chuckled.
“You’re cute, but you say things you don’t mean.”
“...Please, say that I’m cute...”
“If I were that kind of person, I wouldn’t have taken you to Belcruz.”
“That is a separate issue...”
Jacqueline tried to stammer an excuse, but then stopped, buried his red face in his hands and sighed deeply.
I ended up laughing out loud. It was a bit strange to see him like this, unlike his first impression of being a rascal.
I stopped teasing him and responded seriously.
“Of course I have thought about it.”
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