Chapter 5: A Necklace in the Cafeteria

“Dorothy, once you’ve delivered that, you may take a break as well.”

Seeing Leticia nod with a smile at Aurelia’s words, Dorothy decided to accept the offer.
It was already close to noon.
If she delivered these documents now and then went to the cafeteria, it would be the perfect timing for lunch.

“Yes, then I’ll be going.”

Basically, as long as either Leticia or Dorothy was by the Empress’s side, that was sufficient.
Since Dorothy was still new here, she was the one moving around more so people could remember her face.
Thanks to that, she had memorized the routes fairly well.
As long as she wore this dress, the mark of being an Empress’s attendant, no one dared bother her inappropriately.
Dorothy liked her current life, finding it fulfilling.
She would divorce eventually and be on her own anyway.
She might as well continue working here, and when the imperial couple retired and moved to a detached palace, perhaps they would take her along.
Lately, she found herself thinking that way, and her days were far more satisfying than when she lived with her birth family or the Miller Count House.

She handed over the documents in good spirits and went straight to the cafeteria to eat.
Yet she wondered why this man was now sitting across from her.

“…Sir Silas, do you need something?”

The taste of her delicious meal vanished in an instant.
The cause was the man sitting opposite her, her husband in name only.

“This.”

What he held out was a small box.
Dorothy had absolutely no idea what it could be.

“What is this box?”

Judging by the size and shape, it looked like it might contain jewelry, but there was no reason for him to hand her such a thing.
If anything, she had once been shown an empty jewelry box and suspected of stealing.

“…I want you to take it.”
“There is no reason for me to do so. What is inside, to begin with?”
“Open it.”

No matter how much she thought, ‘I really don’t want to,’ she was told to do so, and she hesitantly opened it.
As expected, inside was a necklace.
It was not a lavish piece meant for evening parties, but a small diamond necklace suitable for everyday wear.
That only made it even harder to understand why she should receive it.

“Sir Silas, what exactly is this?”
“It’s a gift for you.”

That made even less sense, especially being handed to her in the cafeteria.

“Sir Silas?”
“Many women who work at the imperial palace wear ornaments of about this level.”
“Well, that is true.”

Leticia also wore a sapphire necklace she had received from her lover.
As long as it was not something improper or disruptive, no one would be warned, so many women wore simple, modest necklaces.
Naturally, Dorothy owned no such accessories at all.
At her birth home, such things went to her older sister and younger sister, and at the Miller Count House, she had never been given any in the first place.
She had owned little more than a wedding ring, and even that she had left behind when she moved out.
She vaguely thought she might buy one someday when she saved enough money, but she herself had little interest in accessories.
Even then, she had been thinking of a colored gemstone rather than a diamond.
Diamonds were not at fault, but being given jewelry at this stage felt pointless.

“I have no reason to accept it.”

If he was going to do this, she wished he had at least chosen somewhere other than the cafeteria, preferably somewhere with fewer eyes.
Doing this in such a crowded place would inevitably spark rumors.
Not that one or two more rumors mattered now, but she did not want to be forced out of the palace.

“…You are a countess.”
“…Ah, so that’s it.”

Someone must have said something to him.
Doesn’t your wife even wear a necklace?
Is that really acceptable for a countess?
Everyone else wears at least that much.
Doesn’t your wife even know that?

They must have said it with mocking smiles.
They belittled Dorothy while laughing at the fact that Silas had never given her any jewelry.
Spurred on by such tasteless friends, Silas had hurriedly brought a necklace.

“Sir Silas, if it is necessary, I will buy one myself, so why not give that to Lady Daisy instead?”

If rumors spread that Silas had given Dorothy a necklace, Daisy would immediately demand it.
According to Daisy, since it belonged to the Miller Count House, the person worthy of it should wear it.
If that was the case, Dorothy would rather have Silas give it to Daisy directly.
Daisy would be happier that way.

“No, I will not give it to Daisy. This is yours. If you will not accept it, then I will have no choice but to throw it away.”
“Sir Silas, are you serious?”
“I am. I bought this because I wanted to give it to you.”

Seeing Silas’s unusually serious expression, Dorothy felt regretful, thinking that if they had talked like this earlier, perhaps things might have turned out differently.
But it was already too late.
Silas’s happiness had been entrusted to someone other than Dorothy.
It had already slipped from her hands.
Even so, Silas likely had not realized that yet, or perhaps he was pretending not to.

Though it was a little early for lunch, people had already begun to gather around.
She could maintain a firm refusal, but she did not have the energy for that.

“…Very well, Sir Silas. I will accept this necklace. Is that satisfactory?”
“Yes, that will do.”

Silas looked visibly relieved.
Dorothy accepted the necklace with the intention of keeping it only temporarily.
If someone said something later, she could return it to Silas’s new wife or to Daisy.
Thinking that, she took the necklace.
When she did, Silas looked at her with eyes full of expectation.

…Was he expecting her to put it on right here?

That was probably the correct interpretation, but she had no intention of doing so.

“Sir Silas, I do not know why you brought this necklace, but you truly do not need to force yourself.”
“…I am not forcing myself. But if possible, I would like you to wear it.”

With Dorothy gone from the house, Silas was experiencing a sense of loss for the first time.
It angered him that nobles who had previously only known Dorothy in theory now saw her working at the palace and gossiped about her.
And yet, most of those people praised her.
The ones who belittled Dorothy for working were Silas’s own friends.
It might be too late now, but within Silas, the desire to start over with Dorothy was growing stronger by the day.