Chapter 8: Before the Wedding ⑦ ~Aria and the Earrings~

Staring intently at the mirror, Aria hummed softly and nodded in satisfaction again and again.

The earrings adorning her ears were beautiful blue topaz.

They were custom pieces, exquisitely polished by craftsmen especially for Aria.

Since she wanted to wear them every day, she had chosen a simple design.

The gemstone, the same color as her husband’s eyes, decorated Aria’s ears.

“Nice.
Looking at them like this, I can always think of Edel’s eyes.”

The Empress was exceedingly satisfied.

Compared to sapphires, blue topaz was not considered a particularly expensive gemstone, but to Aria, it had become more precious than anything else.

She valued it even more than the heirloom jewels passed down through generations of the Border Marquis family.

“Lady Aria, are you truly certain?”

“About what?”

“Wouldn’t the violet sapphire suit you better…?”

A staff member responsible for appraising gemstones at the mine asked timidly.

Among the jewels extracted from the same jewel-jewel, the sapphire had been selected for the wedding.

Of the remaining stones that were just the right size for earrings, there were blue topaz and violet sapphire.

Aria had made both into earrings, but the appraiser was surprised that she chose the blue topaz for herself.

He had been told beforehand by the mine’s overseer, but even so, upon seeing the beauty of the violet sapphire, he could not help but think that no one but the stunning woman before him was worthy of it.

“It’s fine.
This is for my husband.
Giving my husband something befitting him is part of a wife’s worth.
Edel possesses a beauty that suits dresses better than I do.
I want him to wear something appropriate for the consort of the Border Marquis in his everyday life.”

Edel himself was not particularly concerned with appearances, but after being polished by the maids, his smooth skin and glossy hair had given him an appearance well worth adorning.

On top of that, since even cross-dressing suited him, the maids were in high spirits.

Since she had entrusted his clothing entirely to them, Aria at least wanted to be the one to give him jewelry.

And she wanted it to be something that made it immediately clear to anyone who saw him that he was her consort.

The violet sapphire earrings were precisely what suited Edel best.

At Aria’s words, the women present sparkled with excitement, while the men split into two reactions.

Those who only heard the words thought, “No, that’s not it,” while those who had actually seen and knew Edel thought, “Ah… yes, that’s true.”

“I spoke out of turn.”

“Fufu.
It can’t be helped that those who don’t know my husband wouldn’t understand.
Does this gemstone resemble my eyes?”

“Yes, of course it does.
That is exactly why I thought it suited you, Lady Aria.”

“Then all the more reason to give it to Edel.
If Edel sees this in the mirror every morning, he’ll remember whose consort he is.”

That final remark sent another wave of excitement through the women.

(So the lady head really loves her consort that much.)

(Is she perhaps surprisingly possessive?)

(But to be loved that deeply by the lady head… how fortunate.)

Meanwhile, those who knew the two of them well, watching the women exchange glances and squeal internally, thought calmly,

(They’re not even at that stage yet, are they?
At least push Edel down first before saying things like that.)

Incidentally, none of them considered the possibility of Edel pushing Aria down.

Unaware of the many emotions she was stirring in those around her, Aria carefully put away the box containing the violet sapphire earrings.

She had created matching earrings out of a maidenly desire to wear gemstones the same color as each other’s eyes, but it felt like she had ended up with an exceptionally effective deterrent.

From now on, if anyone were to fall for Edel, they could despair the moment they saw the earrings the color of Aria’s eyes.

She would not allow anyone to lay a hand on her consort.

“Ahh, but that husband of yours seems like the type who’d say he can’t wear something so expensive,”

Sean, the commander of the Second Army, said casually, instantly chilling the atmosphere.

At his words, the women glared at him with thoughts of, “Damn it, why would you say that!”

The men screamed internally, “Commander, that’s not something you should say.”

Even Aria herself thought that Sean’s observation was entirely plausible.

Apparently, Edel had become knowledgeable about gemstones during his travels and knew well which ones were rare and expensive.

He had said that he rarely had the chance to see the real thing, but that the jewels of the Border Marquis family were too valuable to touch.

If she gave such a rare pair of violet sapphire earrings to Edel, he would likely panic and stash them away somewhere.

“That’s true.
Then from this moment on, these are not violet sapphires but simple amethysts.
If that’s the case, Edel can wear them casually.
Don’t you agree?”

When Aria asked, everyone present answered without hesitation.

“Yes!
Those are amethysts!”

Their voices were perfectly in sync, and just like that, the gemstone became an amethyst.

Aria was very satisfied with this answer as well.

“Milady, that feels a bit too forceful,”

“Don’t worry about it.
As long as Edel believes these are amethysts, that’s all that matters.
In the end, it’s just about how others perceive it.
Whether or not someone dares to lay a hand on a person wearing earrings this color beside me.
If they intend to, they should come prepared for the annihilation of their entire clan.”

If someone approached with half-hearted resolve, she would destroy them without fail.

Even if they came with unwavering resolve, she would still destroy them.

The Border Marquis, known for being calm and unflappable in all matters, was a woman with a fierce core.

“Wow… I mean, I’ve been wanting to ask, but are you actually in love with Edel?”

The traveling minstrel who had suddenly appeared and, before anyone knew it, become the Border Marquis’s husband.

He certainly had a pretty face, but he wasn’t physically strong, nor had he aggressively pursued Aria.

If anything, he seemed like a gentle young man constantly being led around by her.

“Edel is my husband.
Nothing more, nothing less.”

With a faint smile, Aria gave a non-answer that answered nothing at all, and Sean gave up.

So we’re free to interpret that however we like, huh.
Yeah, let’s go with that.

At Aria’s words, everyone present thought in unison,

(She’s head over heels.)

And for Aria’s sake, they all kept that thought a secret.