<span>Rishe looked up at the door in front of her.
<span>She was brought to a section of the Imperial City on the outskirts of the city.
<span>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.”
<span>“The shopkeeper of this ce doesn’te to the castle when I call him. Thanks to that, I’ll have toe down here myself.”
<span>“The shopkeeper? What the heck?”
<span>Arnold didn’t answer, but knocked five times slowly on the door.
<span>Rishe heard nothing, but he must have gotten a reply inside. He opened the door and prompted Rishe with a nce. Making sure there weren’t any elements to watch out for, she entered the store.
<span>The first thing she saw was arge wooden counter.
<span>The interior of the store has a wooden floor.
<span>There were no fancy decorations, and instead of shelves that seemed to disy merchandise, there was a leather sofa and a low table.
<i><span>At first nce, it’s a modest storefront, but… that counter is a single te of Karin wood.</i>
<span>Something poking sounded, reminiscent of a cane.
<span>Then a beautiful petite old woman with grayed hair came out of the back.
<span>She had a soft smile on her face, and her face was covered in elegant, light makeup.
<span>She was apanied by a man in his mid-twenties, who was supporting her steps. The old woman stood in front of the counter and bowed deeply.
<span>“Long live Your Royal Highness, Crown Prince. It’s good to see you well…”
<span>“Don’t humble yourself. Raise your head up.”
<span>With Arnold’s permission, the old woman looked up.
<span>Then she looked at Rishe and smiled.
<span>“Beautifuldy, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am the proprietor of this shop.”
<span>“Nice to meet you. My name is Rishe Ilmgard Wertzner.
<span>“This is my grandson. Come on, you should pay your respects to Rishe-sama.”
<span>“Ah… Oh, that…”
<span>The man maintained a respectful posture the whole time looked up a bit.
<span>Hisplexion was pale and almost bloodless. His shoulders and voice were trembling, as if scared of something.
<span>And he stubbornly refused to look at Arnold.
<i><span>He must be afraid of His Highness Arnold… He must have been influenced by His Highness’ ‘notoriety’</i>
<span>The horrifying rumors about Arnold have reached the people’s ears.
<span>Rumors about his brutal behavior on the battlefield, of piling up the corpses of his enemies, probably terrified the man in front of them.
<span>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.
<i><span>Though the man in question didn’t seem to give a damn about it at heart.</i>
<span>She nced beside her, but no emotion altered Arnold’s neat profile.
<span>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.”
<span>It didn’t look like it, but perhaps she was protecting her frightened grandson.
<span>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?”
<span>“Oh, Grandma! That’s disrespectful to the Crown Princess!”
<span>“Lorenz, bring me that box.”
<span>With the old woman’s order, the man hesitantly withdrew to the back of the room.
<span>Eventually he returned, bringing a red velvet box. The old woman took the box, and ced it on the counter.
<span>“This merchandise is themodity you deal with here in the shop?”
<span>“Yes. Please take a look.”
<span>Rishe looked down at the box that was slowly opened and her eyes widened.
<span>“We are a humble jeweler.”
<span>Inside the jewelry box, there were three beautiful gems in a row.”
<span>“Which of these gems do you think is an imitation? It’s just for fun, so feel free to pick one.”
<span>“Answer, Rishe.”
<span>“Okay.”
<span>Arnold spoke, so Rishe looked at the gems intently.
<span>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.
<i><span>They’re all transparent. The cut is delicate and very beautiful.</i>
<span>“What do you think?”
<span>Jewelry was once also a favoritemodity for Rishe as a merchant. She had seen many stones with her own eyes and had learned a lot.
<span>That was why Rishe answered frankly.
<span>“I’m not sure.”
<span>“…”
<span>The old woman nodded slowly, with a smile on her face.
<span>“What a crystal clear answer. It’s wonderful how you answered honestly and don’t misrepresent what you don’t understand—”
<span>“So, shopkeeper…”
<span>Rishe looked at her and continued, “Can I borrow a magnifying ss, if you don’t mind?”
<span>“…!”
<span>The old woman was instantly surprised.
<span>“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?”
<span>“Huh…Hmm.”
<span>The old woman squeaked.
<span>“Ah, um, this way, please.”
<span>The man, her grandson, held out his tools to her while shivering.
<span>“Thank you. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
<span>Rishe took them and moved to the window and grabbed a pair of tweezers.
<span>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.
<span>She picked a gem carefully to prevent this from happening, and tried to see it through the light.
<i><span>It’s still beautiful even looking like this. But…</i>
<span>As she looked through the loupe and observed the details of the stone, she determined that her initial impression wasn’t wrong.
<span>So she told the old woman. “All these three stones are imitations.”
<span>“T-this is…”
<span>Looking at the old woman’s astonishment, she was probably right. Her grandson, standing next to her, also looked at Rishe and gaped.
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