C17
"What? Intelligent?"
"She told me proudly to do my job correctly. I'm sure of it."
"Prince. How did you suddenly come to such a conclusion? Isn't that being too naive?"
Miguel swallowed the words that reached his throat.
"The fact that Princess Deborah, who had been ordering the servants to bring her desserts, came to the shop in person means she had something to tell me. She sent a signal because the requests weren't progressing well."
"Didn't she just destroy everything without thinking because she was upset while fighting with the young ladies?"
Miguel refuted it immediately.
"Actually, she's not the type to be swayed by emotions. She's intelligent and cynical."
"If you look back at the past events and Princess Deborah's reputation, she's an impulsive person. Where there's smoke, there's fire. People don't change so easily."
"Sooner or later, we'll find out who's right. And what she did to Cookie."
Isidor's emerald eyes gleamed as he gently calmed his discontented pet, which was growling.
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The acquisition of the pink diamond by Seymour, and not by Montes, has long been consumed as a major gossip in the social world.
Because it was a shocking outcome that no one expected.
Most aristocrats, who thought that Duke Seymour treated Princess Deborah coldly because he considered her a disgrace to the family, were amazed.
The fact that he gifted her a jewelry with an astronomical price tag means that Duke Seymour's affection for his only daughter still exists to some extent.
It was obvious that Princess Deborah, who behaved condescendingly, was destined to become even more animated, which was mostly seen as negative.
Furthermore, aristocrats who secretly wanted Philap Montes to win the pink diamond could not hide their disappointment and laughter towards him.
"How could he not predict the winning bid? He was so confident; he was too optimistic."
"Even if he's the heir Montes, compared to the wealth and intelligence of Duke Seymour, he's like a lizard in front of a dragon."
It was impossible for Philap not to notice how the social world reacted.
He pretended to be dignified because they would only laugh at him if he got angry, but as Mia's birthday approached, the anger he had been suppressing finally erupted, like a volcano.
"You couldn't even get that pink jewel and make me look ridiculous? You're useless!"
Philap, angry, kicked the charred man's face violently. The burnt man was already foaming and unconscious, but Philap didn't stop kicking him.
There were rumors throughout the Empire that he was aiming for the jewel but couldn't win the bid. The more he thought about it, the more ashamed he felt of himself.
What was worse, the owner of the jewel was the woman he hated the most, Deborah Seymour.
"This useless thing!"
Philap, who made the servant more dead than alive with glassy eyes, left the dungeon with a spirit emitting red flames.
The servant waiting at the entrance immediately dropped to the ground and, with a handkerchief, cleaned Philap's dirty boots.
As if nothing had happened, Philap looked at his pocket watch and asked the servant, who tidied up his disheveled appearance.
"Has Lady Mia arrived at the mansion?"
"Not yet."
The servant bowed with a look of regret.
"Why?"
"There are many patients who need to be attended to today."
"Oh, will she do it even on her birthday?"
Thinking, "That's just like Mia Binoche," Philap clicked his tongue.
As the embodiment of the Saint, she displayed her divine power even to the humble.
People who were healed by Mia seemed to be talking about her everywhere, praising her as the light that comes from the goddess.
"I like the fact that she's not worldly."
If she had such a high-purity divine power, she wouldn't have a hard time.
The fact that power and money couldn't influence her made her quite attractive to Philap.
To the point that even if she delayed their appointment, he would gladly overlook it.
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"Mr. Philap. Thank you for inviting me."
As the dinner prepared by the mansion's chef cooled down, Mia appeared and greeted him politely.
It was obvious that she had been working. Her pink hair was disheveled, and there was a slight hint of fatigue on her face.
"I'm the one who thanks you for accepting my invitation. Rest a little on your birthday. If you overexert yourself, your body won't bear it."
Mia's round eyes widened at Philap's kind words.
"Ah, then..."
"Why are you so surprised?"
"In truth, I forgot that today is my birthday."
Playing with her fingers, she smiled shyly and bit her lip.
"It's because I don't usually celebrate it."
"Is there someone who celebrates it for you?"
Despite his somewhat direct question, she didn't show any discomfort.
"This year, Mr. Philap remembered me. I'm happy. It's like receiving an unexpected gift."
"You speak beautifully."
As he liked her answer, Philap smiled satisfied.
Then, a rumbling sound came from Mia's stomach.
Philap burst into laughter as he looked at her ears and cheeks, which had turned red.
"First, let's eat. You seem hungry."
At Philap's gesture, hot food appeared on the table.
Watching Mia, who was eating the soup slowly as if she were adorable, he suddenly began to speak.
"The academy permission has been issued."
Despite her advanced age and coming from a fallen family, Mia was able to join the academy thanks to a letter of recommendation from the Montes family.
"Thank you very much. It has been the desire of my life to study there."
Philap acted arrogantly as he watched Mia thanking him repeatedly.
"You didn't think this was the end, did you?"
Acting conceited, he gave her a diamond necklace as a gift.
Since the item he was looking for had been stolen by Duke Seymour, he had no choice but to hastily purchase a diamond necklace crafted by the capital's most famous artisan.
When Mia saw the enormous diamond, she immediately showed disapproval.
"Is it really necessary? You've already written the academy recommendation. A gift like this is too unwarranted and burdensome."
"Please accept my sincerity in getting it. You said you haven't had a proper birthday."
"But something like this..."
"You saved my life, so let me repay you. Please, Lady Mia."
"I've already received too much. It's alright, really."
Their argument lasted a long time, and Philap had no choice but to back down so Mia could eat.
"I really can't stop you."
Philap couldn't hide his frustration even though he was touched by her pure heart.
Damn it, I should have bought that pink diamond. It's a gem that suits Lady Mia much better than Deborah Seymour.
It was a pink jewel the same color as Mia's hair, and she could pretend it was nothing since it was so old-fashioned that she didn't even know pink diamonds existed.
Later, when Mia found out that the jewel was astonishingly expensive, they would relocate her, but all his plans were ruined because of Deborah Seymour.
I really hate everything about her.
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After meeting with Philap, Mia, who had returned to the mansion on the outskirts of the Yones district, sat on her bed and looked out the window.
"I'm tired."
Whenever the wind blew, the ill-fitting window frames made a loud noise and vibrated.
The garden outside the window was as gloomy as a tomb, overgrown with weeds. The view clearly showed that the Binoche family had fallen terribly.
A servant entered, but Mia still had her gaze fixed outside the window.
"Are you looking at something?"
A middle-aged woman asked.
The woman introduced herself as Madame Ophelia and told Mia to address her comfortably.
"I'm looking at that."
In response to the woman's question, Mia pointed with her finger at a single flower blooming on a dry branch at the wrong time.
"It will freeze to death tonight."
The woman muttered under her breath and handed Mia a large jewelry box.
"A servant from the Montes family approached me and delivered Miss Mia's gift."
When Mia opened the jewelry box, the woman hung the beautiful diamond necklace around her slender deer-like neck.
"How does it look?"
When Mia asked timidly, she clicked her tongue softly.
A delicately crafted diamond necklace atop the worn and outdated dress; it was embarrassingly out of place.
Like the flower that had beautifully bloomed on that dry branch there.
"For a necklace like this, you need to wear a suitable dress. Philap Montes isn't as sensitive as the rumors suggest."
The woman spoke with a cold face.
"If you wear something like this with a tattered dress, only the nobles will laugh at you."
"..."
"If it were that pink diamond, it might have been a different story, but..."
Even without elegant clothes, it would have matched Mia's pink hair.
"Society would have taken notice of you. That's very unfortunate."
The woman spoke coldly and left the room.
As she toyed with her fluffy pink hair with her fingers, Mia reached for the academy admission permit, which she had left by her bedside.
[Congratulations on your admission.]
A strange gleam flickered in her eyes and disappeared.