“Uhm, Mr. Chris—”

“—‘Mr. Chris’?”

Uh-oh, I accidentally used an honorific…

That Dylan’s watchman would pay minuscule attention to details was expected. She’d be immensely grateful if Chris were to overlook that particular one, though.

Avril, who made up her mind, declared.

“That was a mistake. Chris.”

“…Yes?”

“I wonder if you could have the clerk to bring the jewelry back?”

Almost immediately, the clerk presented the jewelry box to her once again. It was difficult to believe that just a moment ago, said clerk was dejected. While being drenched in cold sweat, Avril stared at the jewelry on display.

…As I thought. At first, I didn’t realize it because I was too immersed in admiring their beauty. I’ve seen these gems in books. Be it this gem or that one, they’re all rare and valuable. They can only be collected from specific places. As the mines have closed, their numbers are unlikely to increase, making them especially precious.

Despite being thought of as incompetent in the Count Allingham family, Avril was confident in her memory. Thus, she made a resolute decision.

Amongst those pieces of jewelry, there was only a single gem she had never seen before. Moreover, the piece of jewelry only had one particular gem inlaid at its center Compared to the others, its design was also simple.

Indeed. I have never seen this sort of gem before. Not only is it beautiful, it should also be affordable…

While spending money lavishly might strengthen her image as a villainess, she was still a contractual bride. As such, what if upon leaving the Duke of Lancester three years later, the amount she wasted were to be subtracted from her alimony?

She had to avoid that at all cost. Therefore, she had to be very careful.

After making a safe decision, Avril smiled and pointed at the necklace.

“Alright, I wonder about this one.”

“…This one?”

“Correct. As for the payment, forward the bill to the Duke of Lancester.”

If it was only that one piece of jewelry, the price shouldn’t be that expensive.

There, she had fulfilled her duty as a villainess.

The next moment, the clerk’s eyes shone brilliantly.

“Oh my, Customer… such keen eyes!”

“Eh?”

“This necklace is the most expensive one in the store. Despite its size, this stone is so rare, it doesn’t even appear in pictorial books about gems and minerals. The previous owner was a millionaire. This particular piece of jewelry is extremely rare on the market. After all, it has been kept for a long time.”

“…!?!?”

There was such a thing…!?

The fact that she had managed to suppress her urge to scream, somebody had to praise her for that. To Avril, who went aghast, Chris smiled widely.

“What’s wrong, Lady Avril? I’m sure that Lord Dylan will be delighted at being able to bestow upon you such a precious gift.”

“No, that’s… Indeed, it’s a perfect piece of jewelry for me.”

Actually, no. Not at all. What if the amount of compensation I receive in three years is reduced…!? What should I do!? Living alone isn’t a problem, but I’d like to repay Keira and the others!

Ignoring Avril, who went blue, Chris gave instructions to the clerk.

“Milady, you seem to have finished shopping. Oh, that’s right, we’d like to purchase that blue dress, as well. I’m sure it’ll look good on the young lady.”

“What? About that, I prefer that scanty red dress…!”

Chris asked Avril who was still somehow trying to improv as a villainess.

“Prudence would be wise. Can you truly wear that red dress?”

“…”

Such was impossible. Literally impossible. After all, said red dress would be delivered to Corinna before the tea party could even take place.

“…Uh, I feel like it’ll disappear before I could even wear it.”

“? I’m not sure I understand, but let’s get the blue dress instead.”

I mustn’t do anything unnecessary.

Sometimes revealing her true intentions, that was one of Avril’s bad habits.

Thus, Avril’s shopping activity as a villainess ended in a disaster.

---

***T/N: Everything she did end up with the opposite of what she intended to achieve LMAO.

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