Episode 54. The Disappearing 'Red Tears'
Viscount Ankart held a jewel party to unveil 'Red Tears' to the public. The Viscountess wore it and showed it to the guests.
When the Viscount first saw the 'Red Tears' that Kalin had won, he clicked his tongue.
'Isn't there a scratch? It's worth ten million gold!'
He rubbed the sharp scratch on the red diamond metal decoration with his hand, but it wouldn't go away.
Kalin laughed.
'Father, this is history. No, it's a legend. This is the 'Red Tears' guaranteed by Riley Auction House, and the name alone is worth ten million gold.'
The Viscount's worries were for naught, as word of the jewel party spread, so many people asked to be invited that it was difficult to handle.
The popularity of 'Red Tears' was beyond expectations.
The Viscount used the situation to his advantage by issuing invitations only to those who had business interests.
While lively music played in the banquet hall and champagne flowed ceaselessly, the 'Red Tears' were in the treasury of the Viscount Ancart.
The Viscountess wore the 'Red Tears' on a deep-cut red ruffled dress.
It is said that only women who know nothing can match the colors of their clothes with large jewels, but those who saw the Viscountess had no time to think about it.
The 'Red Tears' resting on her cleavage were strangely glowing red in the light of the chandelier.
It didn't matter what color dress she was wearing.
The guests' exclamations were worth ten million gold.
The entranced gazes and the noise of admiration gave the Viscountess the feeling of being a woman worth ten million gold.
The speed at which she emptied her champagne glasses as she moved among the guests became faster and faster, and the laughter became louder and louder.
Viscount Ankart, who was wary of her intoxication, pulled his wife’s arm.
“Go in and take off your necklace. If you’re so drunk that someone cuts your throat and takes your necklace, you won’t know.”
“Is the necklace more important to you than me? Why don’t you let me have a good night!”
The drunken Viscountess tried to ignore her husband’s words in anger, but the knights he had already called stopped her.
“This is how I live!”
The Viscountess returned to the Viscount’s study on the third floor under the escort of the knights.
Hurt, she raised her hand to take off her necklace, but shouted at the knights who had followed her.
“What do you want to see your mistress take off?”
The knights went out with embarrassed faces.
The Viscountess’s hands slipped due to her intoxication, and after several failed attempts, she finally took off the necklace.
When she put it in the box on the desk, the porcelain placed in the corner of the balcony shattered.
“Oh my!”
“Viscountess! What’s wrong?”
The knights rushed in and drew their swords. The Viscountess pointed to the porcelain, clutching her startled chest.
“It must have been the wind!”
But the knights simply thought that the Viscountess had made a mistake because she was drunk.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. Yes. Let’s go out.”
The Viscountess put the necklace box in her husband’s safe and went outside. Her legs gave out from the drunkenness that had grown stronger, and she leaned against the wall.
***
Locard, who appeared through the darkness on the roadside, got into a carriage without a pattern and threw off his hood.
“I thought I would never climb a wall again!”
Grayon, who had been waiting in the carriage, did something he never usually did.
He picked up the hood, folded it neatly, and placed it gently on Locard’s lap with a big smile.
Locard saw this and smiled vainly, took out the ‘Red Tears’ from his bosom, and handed them to him.
Grayon, who had started the carriage, frowned at the ‘Red Tears’ he had been holding up in the moonlight.
“No one noticed?”
“I distracted the Viscountess and quickly got her out. She was so drunk that she thought she was hallucinating even if I walked around in front of her.”
Grayon said happily.
“I can still see the red-roofed house of Chieftain Amata hanging from the cliff. If you hadn’t stolen the chieftain’s staff there and lowered the morale of the Amata tribe, our losses would have been enormous.”
“Ugh...”
“I’m the one who showed you how great a talent for thievery you are, so thank you, Locard. My servant.”
“Ugh.”
Grayon said as he put the ‘red tears’ into a small box he had prepared in advance.
“A scratched jewel is worth ten million gold. I guess it was a good idea not to buy it. I’ll use it nicely and return it nicely.”
“I won’t know when I return it.”
As Locard spoke, Grayon laughed happily and sinisterly.
When the carriage entered the capital city, Locard stopped the carriage.
“I will get off here, Your Highness. I will see you tomorrow morning.”
Grayon looked displeased, but did not ask where Locard was going.
***
The morning that the Targan News published an article about the theft of the ‘Red Tears,’ Locard was in the Second Prince’s Palace.
Grayon read the newspaper in front of him.
The famous red diamond that the wealthy Viscount Ankart had purchased at the Riley Auction had been stolen from his home just a few days after it was purchased. Since expensive gems with such a name were difficult to sell within the Empire, there was a high possibility that they would disappear again and be smuggled overseas after several decades of appearance.
The article ended with a tragic ending, saying that Viscount Ankart may have paid ten million gold just to admire the gem for a few days.
Only then did Grayon realize that Locard had gotten off the carriage while stealing the Red Tears to report this article.
“Sometimes I’m scared of you.”
“The more the news of the theft of the Red Tears spreads, the better. It should spread to the ends of the earth.”
Grayon said proudly of his attendant.
“If it’s this noisy, whoever catches the culprit will rot in prison for the rest of their lives. He’s the thief who stole ten million gold coins.”
Locard pretended not to hear.
“Let’s leave tonight.”
“I’m seasick.”
Locard suppressed his anger at Grayon’s complaint and headed to Wheened’s pharmacy. It was to get some motion sickness medicine.
But Wheened was busy with other things right now. Asking someone who had been up all night for days to make motion sickness medicine was too much.
“If it’s motion sickness medicine, even Miss Lorisha could make it.”
Locard suddenly thought of her and felt irritated that he couldn’t get her help in this situation.
When he went to the pharmacy, he saw Wheened working in a hunched posture. The shadows under his eyes extended down to his chin.
Locard changed his face and went in with a smile, then slightly wrinkled his nose at the smell of the medicine.
“Please ventilate. Your Excellency’s health will suffer.”
“Ventilate... please.”
While Locard opened the window, Wheened poured a suspicious liquid into a small bottle with a cynical face.
“It will be ready before the sun sets.”
“I... I came because I need motion sickness medicine for His Highness.”
Then Wheened turned his head sharply. His eyes were gleaming with madness.
“Then it will be ready after the sun sets, Your Excellency.”
Kydel scratched his temple and looked at Whined’s expression.
Wheened narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly.
“Call Miss Loire. She should be able to make motion sickness medicine.”
“Director.”
“I heard it while I was asleep. Miss Loire already knows!”
The lack of sleep had awakened something that had been dormant beneath Wheened’s usual gentle nature.
He spoke in a fit of rage.
Seeing the dangerous liquid about to spill from his trembling hands, Locard stood there, swallowing hard.
“I heard that the Prince dragged Miss Loria into the warehouse and did something. So, ask her for the motion sickness medicine!”
“What did you do...! Director? I don’t know what you imagined while you were asleep, but it’s absolutely not true. I’m just Miss Loria’s mouth...”
Wheened cut Locard off by gesturing nervously at that part.
“I’m the royal apothecary. So why am I making this?”
Locard wanted to strongly protest that his actions in the warehouse were purely for the sake of a cause.
However, Wheened was in no condition to accept such an explanation right now.
He suppressed his emotions and spoke affectionately.
“Before you were an apothecary, you were the best alchemist in the empire?”
“Yes.”
Wheened wrinkled his nose while making a displeased expression.
Usually calm and gentle, he would suddenly change like a sullen girlfriend when stressed.
Locard said soothingly.
“I can’t call Miss Loire. If this goes wrong, she’ll be executed for treason, so we can’t involve her, right?”
“Here, take out a handful of herbs from that blue bottle.”
Wheened pretended not to hear the treason part and ordered Locard to make the motion sickness medicine himself.
Locard boiled the herbs as Wheened told him to and kept an eye out for them the whole time. Then he found an opening.
This was very important to him.
“Director, I really didn’t do anything to Miss Lorisha in the warehouse….”
“Is that important now? Your Excellency?”
Personal honor was very, almost absolutely important to Locard.
However, when he saw the workbench that Wheened pointed to with his sullen eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth.
In this case, Wheened’s role was as important as securing the ‘red tears’. He couldn’t let him make a mistake.
Locard pressed hard and said,
“I think it’s all boiled over now?”
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