My husband took me to a luxurious building.
After waking up in Milenaâs body, it was completely unfamiliar to me to enter a building like this on a daily basis. Even those who frequented the building were unaccustomed to its grandeur. The only time in my previous life when I was surrounded by such luxury was during a trip to Europe that I saved up money for.
âEven at that time, I didnât buy anything and just went out to lookâŚ..â
Built with marble, the building itself in its magnificence could be called a work of art. A luxurious chandelier that craftsmen must have made all night long. Expensive and grandiose products that left the building shining.
Those things and I seemed to be out of touch forever. After waking up in Milenaâs body, I touched a blank check for the first time. My hand, which was drawing crooked zeros with a fountain pen, trembled.
âNo, what kind of pen has a diamond attached like thisâŚ..â
Since the manager liked fountain pens, I couldnât decide if it was merely a pen or a piece of jewellery whose price could easily reach 10 million won. No, the body I possessed was the body of the famous Rochester daughter, so I didnât know if it was worth billions.
It was quite difficult for an average citizen who lived in Korea to catch up with the noble girl of the Empire. âI spend 700 million won a day every day, but if I put 1 won on the side, itâll be 100 million won in a year vs the money disappearing.â This was a post I glanced across when I was trying to pass time.
âAt that time, I shook my head as if asking a question and then clicked back.â
âŚIt had come true. In a slightly similar wayâŚ.
Being in a new body, I had to pretend to spend money every minute with my eyes open. It wasnât just to prepare for the debutante ball.
They said you didnât mention a word about Ervanciaâs new outfit this time around
About one week after the possession, a letter came from the first son of the family.
Itâs no use trying to get attention. Youâve already turned down my advice and pushed your way, and youâre no longer Rochester but Roam.
The response conveyed a parental tone, like one disciplining their big-mouthed child who pushed away food they had previously eaten well. That day, I looked through Ervanciaâs new catalogue.
It was quite sweet and terrifying for an average citizen to have luxury in his hands, but I adapted. Everything seemed like an out of place waste and in the end, when I wrote down the price and shifted my gaze, it was a farewell to the past.
The place Siegfried took me to was like a building from another world. It was even more dazzling when compared to the fancy department stores Iâve seen so far, except for when it wasnât.
The empty space here and there was cool and quiet. Just like Siegfriedâs room. Everything was in order and there was a sense of desolateness. There was nothing wrong. At the same time, everything seemed astronomically expensive. To put it simply, it showed the difference in status.
Only the sound of his shoes and my heels echoed on the smooth floor. It must have been the same air as outside, but every time I walked, I felt a chill.
Today was the first time I felt overwhelmed by a building.
Even though I had been trying to adjust to being surrounded by copious luxury. Swallowing dry saliva, I felt like I had to do something, so I leaned close to Siegfried.
At the end of the walk was a luxurious leather sofa, not a colourful display stand or dazzling lights reminiscent of a jewellery exhibition. Siegfried sat on the sofa as if he were familiar with it and leaned back comfortably. With one leg on the other knee, he pulled an iron case out of his arms.
When he took out his cigar, an employee approached him in the dark and lit it. His eyelids fell languidly and his chin raised arrogantly. The look was natural without unnecessities.
It suited him to say that he was born to rule.
Soon a neatly dressed gentleman walked in from afar with a large box. The two beautiful women behind him walked expressionlessly, wearing the same suit.
Siegfried nodded at the manâs greeting with boredom, without even looking at them. His eyes soon shifted from my husband to me. For a man like a statue who was considered to be one of the most popular in the social world, I thought about how boring it must be when he saw someone who had only a certain degree of beauty.
Three people came before me, put their hands on their chest, and bowed down with modesty.
âItâs an honour to serve you, Mrs. Roam.â
The man introduced himself to me.
âIâm Cornell Calvin. I am a gemologist and adviser to the Max McKillister Diamond Company.â
Max McKillister Diamond Company was world-renowned. It was responsible for distributing, mining and selling diamonds worldwide.
To have the person in charge of advice bow down in such a place. Should I assume the name Roam was the reason for such actions?
âAs noble as you are, I hear that you are well versed in jewellery.â
Siegfried, who had remained silent all this time, opened his mouth.
âMy wife likes shiny things.â
He rubbed his cigar into the ashtray that was pulled out and wrapped his hand around my waist. The hand that touched the fabric in between was hot.
âI see. Iâm ashamed to show my limited knowledge to someone who really loves jewellery. Iâll do my best to serve Mrs. Roam. Elsie, Grace.â
At that, the two women bowed their heads, opened the box and took the jewels out. On the display stand was a necklace with large diamonds connected like a chain.
âIt looks heavy just by looking at itâŚâ
âIt is said to have been used by the Queen of Van, the Kingdom of Romance which is now extinct. Fine emerald cuts, regular 3 carats and grades are all FL (flawless) and âperfectâ. Itâs a transparent diamond with no impurities. Itâs a pretty bold thing, but itâs a funny toy for the owner of a gem like âEternal Life of the Deep Seaâ, right?â
Pretty. Definitely pretty.
âThe necklace is made of 21 carats of platinum. The queen wanted to increase the purity of the gold, saying it was a material to weave her favourite jewellery collection. But how could the dull gold withstand this heavy stone? This was the biggest compromise. Itâs really a masterpiece.â
In the world where I lived, it was a work of art that I only saw over the glass at the jewellery fair. Jewels lined up on the thin white fingertips that flowed down like a stream of water. I stared blankly at the scene.
âOr how about âPraise of the Forestâ? Emerald, cut in pear shapeâŚ.â
After that, a huge number of treasures were laid out in front of me.
I was mesmerised as I looked at them. It was incomparable to the necklace I wore around my neck while playing beads with my friends when I was younger in my previous life
âEven then, I wanted to be surrounded by these shiny things.â
Wouldnât everyone have done it at least once? Imagining oneself surrounded by colourful diamonds. Wearing a pretty dress, riding in a carriage to the magical kingdomâŚ
What made me happy was not just that these treasures were beautiful, but that they evoked nostalgia for the past.
I think I laughed. A little.
Even the memory of the moment I trembled while holding Janeâs bonnet was blurred for a moment. If I needed jewels, he told me, all I had to do was to tell him.
Then âitâ came up on the shelf.
âMrs. Roam, donât you know this one? ItâsâŚ.â
Calvinâs voice was triumphant as he said so.
ââŚâ The Coarse Heartâ, the only one in the worldâŚ.â
Tuk, the emerald brooch in my hand rolled on the floor. I didnât even think it would be a huge loss. Because I was out of my mind.
âDidnât I sell thatâŚ.â
The brooch bounced on the smooth floor as if skipping stones on water. Siegfriedâs black shoes slowly trampled on the precious treasure that should have been picked up quickly.
A jewel of fascination that took up to 10% of the Rochester familyâs money. In order to fix Milenaâs previous corruption, I took and sold it as soon as I possessed her body.
Because there must be something to rely on everywhere.[1]
I was no longer âMilenaâ in the original work, and I did not save this pretty stone enough to eat 10% of Rochesterâs income. Preparations for the future when I would be abandoned were quite solid.
âHow much did I study to sell it at a reasonable price?â
There would have been a lot to lose if I looked like an idiot. So, I studied the slang of the auction house, the market price of jewellery, and the auction procedure. After wearing a mask, I attended the auction house as an anonymous auctioneer and observed everything quietly.
Roam didnât help, so I did everything on my own. How thrilled I was to sell The Coarse Heart for a little bit more than it was worth and look back at the checks I got that day.
The cost of the jewel was safely returned to Rochester, and the rest of the money was saved as money for my escape.
And there was a man who made all my efforts in vain.
âIâm the only one who knows that there must be a reason why Milena sold this previous jewelâŚâ
It was the only brilliant diamond in the world to receive a âdiabolic redâ colour. I stared blankly at the diamond I had sent away.
âItâs a diamond that seeks its master.â
The dealerâs words echoed in my head. It was the memory of Milena.
âEven if there are many people who covet this treasure, this beautiful heart will always be for you. It will come back to you.â
The dealerâs comment had made me roll my eyes while reading the original. Coincidentally, this gem had returned to me. By the arrangement of my husband.
âJust smile like that from now on.â
Suddenly, my husband approached me behind my back and whispered softly to me.
âDonât go anywhere.â
It was a treatment that really brought tears to my eyes.
(T/N: sheâs being sarcastic)
There are still things that I was not used to living as âMilena Roamâ. Once again, the first one was my husbandâs murderous smile.
âWhatâs wrong, Milena?â
ââŚdonât you like your present?â
It was his bare face as if the circuit had gone out.
Siegfried had a knack for saying that he would tie me to Roam as the only jewel in the Empire.
He knew my plan. He knew it. Reflecting on that fact, I slowly shifted my gaze forward.
The âCoarse Heartâ , a colour that seemed to have been extracted from an animal at any moment, was pounding in front of me.
No, diamonds were just red stones, so the beating might have been my heart.
Not the luxurious stone in that glass case.
[1] ëšëš ě¸ëě´ is an expression meaning that people need something to rely on in order to start or achieve something so sheâs saying the coarse heart was her stepping stone and helped her to get to where she is.