The Necklace

Following Jason's guidance, Dalia arrived at the drawing room, where a familiar face awaited her.

The moment Dalia entered, Orly, who had been seated, sprang to her feet.

"Dalia!"

Acting overly familiar, Orly approached Dalia and gave her a quick hug as though she were overjoyed to see her.

The strong scent of Orly's perfume made Dalia scrunch her nose.

"Oh my, why haven't you been in touch since your wedding? So, I heard you spent time at the villa with the Duke. Did you enjoy your trip?"

Orly's unusually obsequious attitude made Dalia furrow her brow even more.

'Why is she suddenly acting so friendly?'

Feeling uneasy, Dalia glanced at the seat Orly had been occupying.

She noticed the teacup in front of Orly was spotless, without a single trace of use.

It indicated that Orly had been waiting for her, filled with anxiety and impatience.

Dalia gave a disinterested glance at Orly, who was behaving unusually fawning, and took a seat.

She then gave Orly a look that said, "Get to the point," and spoke.

"What brings you here?"

"Does a mother need a reason to visit her daughter? But…"

Despite Dalia's cold tone, Orly didn't show the slightest irritation and handed her a small cloth pouch that had been sitting next to the sofa.

"While tidying up a room recently, I came across something."

"Something?"

"Yes."

Dalia glanced at Orly, who answered with conviction, and then lowered her gaze.

The cloth pouch Orly handed her looked worn with age.

Unable to guess what it might be, Dalia tilted her head and opened the pouch.

"This is…"

"It's something you cherished a lot in the past. I found it while cleaning the house recently."

It was an old necklace.

The pendant, crafted from sterling silver with a blue gemstone, depicted the phases of the moon transitioning from a full moon to a crescent in intricate detail.

It was as if a piece of the night sky had been compressed into it, radiating a mystical aura.

Though it showed signs of neglect and age, with proper care and restoration by a skilled jeweler, it could become an even more enchanting reminder of the night sky.

As Dalia found herself staring intently at the necklace, Orly's voice brightened as if she had expected this reaction.

"You were so upset when you lost it as a child, weren't you? How fortunate to have found it now…"

Dalia didn't know the story behind the necklace, but from the way Orly spoke, it was clear that the original Dalia had cherished it deeply.

She alternated her gaze between the necklace in her hand and Orly.

'It's strange for a necklace lost for so long to suddenly appear…'

Although she didn't know the full story, Dalia had a feeling Orly had hidden it away and was now conveniently returning it.

There had to be some other reason for Orly to go through the trouble of returning the necklace.

Placing the necklace down, Dalia asked.

"You didn't come all this way just to return a necklace… Do you have something else to say?"

Orly, staring at Dalia for a moment, let out a sly laugh.

"Haha. Well, yes, I did have something to discuss… You've heard about your father, haven't you? We're so grateful to the Duke for paying off his debt."

"…Debt?"

Paying off debts? This was the first Dalia had heard of it.

"Yes. But all he did was pay off the debt… Thanks to that, we've managed to keep the house. But wouldn't it be right for the Duke to help your father get back on his feet? The monthly allowance he sends us isn't enough. And now Sophie is of marriageable age, but without a dowry, well…"

Listening to Orly's words, Dalia's brow furrowed deeply.

Of course. So that's why Orly was suddenly acting so nice—it seemed they had run out of money.

'More importantly, when did Clayton repay their debt?'

She was grateful to Clayton, but her shameless family made her feel embarrassed.

After composing herself for a moment, Dalia let out a short sigh.

"So, you've come to borrow money from me, is that it?"

"Oh my, borrow? Such a cold word between family. I'm not asking for a loan; I'm just suggesting you increase the support a little."

How could someone be so shameless? Dalia had thought this before, but she truly couldn't bear to be around them for even a moment.

To quickly rid herself of this unpleasant sight, Dalia opened her mouth to speak.

"Since the necklace was originally mine, I won't bother thanking you for returning it. As for the money…"

Pretending to ponder deeply, Dalia trailed off.

"Just be grateful for what the Duke is already giving you and live within your means."

"…What? Dalia! What are you saying? Do you know how much your husband gives us? A mere thousand Darks a month! That's barely enough to buy a single dress!"

A thousand Darks was more than six months' wages for the average commoner.

To hear her complain about such an amount as a monthly allowance—Dalia shook her head, utterly exasperated.

"Then if you can't afford it, don't buy dresses. Do you even know how much money Father has taken from the Duke so far? Be grateful for the monthly allowance and spend it wisely before I ask the Duke to cut it off entirely. Jason!"

With those words, Dalia called for Jason, who was waiting outside.

"The Baroness Molden is leaving. Please escort her to the front of the estate."

"Yes, my lady."

"Dalia!"

Orly's sharp voice rang out behind Dalia as she left the drawing room.

* * *

Back in her room, Dalia dragged her exhausted body inside.

She dropped the necklace Orly had given her onto the vanity and sat down with a quiet sigh.

"Hah…"

With the fatigue of the trip still lingering, dealing with Orly had drained the last of her energy.

She decided to take a break from writing letters and was about to rest in her room when—

Samantha entered the room.

"My lady, are you alright? You look very tired…"

Samantha's gaze was filled with concern, as though she already knew what had happened in the drawing room.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"Here, have some refreshing lemonade. You haven't seemed to enjoy tea much lately."

"Thank you. This is exactly what I wanted."

Dalia, impressed by Samantha's intuition, gave a short thanks, drank the lemonade in one go, and handed her the empty glass.

As Samantha took the glass, her eyes fell on the necklace lying on the vanity, and she asked.

"My lady, where did this necklace come from? I've never seen it before."

"My mother just gave it to me. She said it was a necklace I lost a long time ago."

"Oh, really? May I take a closer look?"

"Go ahead."

The moment Dalia gave her permission, Samantha, with her tray at her side, picked up the necklace.

"It's a little tarnished, but it looks like it could be cleaned up to look brand new."

"Really? Should I send it to a jeweler for repairs?"

"Hmm… No, I don't think that's necessary. If you don't mind, I could take care of it. There's a silver-cleaning solution in the kitchen that I could use."

"Really? Then please do."

"Yes! I'll be right back!"

Samantha patted her chest confidently and quickly left the room with the necklace.

However, Dalia didn't have high expectations.

She had planned to ask the butler later to find a skilled jeweler instead.

"My lady, look at this! Doesn't it look brand new?"

Samantha returned in less than ten minutes, brimming with pride as she handed the necklace to Dalia.

"Goodness…"

It was so clean that Dalia almost doubted it was the same necklace Samantha had taken earlier.

The tarnish had been so severe that the necklace had seemed damaged.

"Samantha, you're amazing. It really looks like new."

Samantha, clearly pleased with the compliment, rubbed her nose with her index finger.

"More importantly, this necklace matches your hair color so well. The pendant isn't too large, so it seems perfect for everyday wear. Would you like to wear it now? It's almost time for dinner with the Duke, after all."

At those words, Dalia stood in front of the mirror and held the necklace against herself.

As Samantha had said, the deep blue hues of the necklace complemented Dalia's hair color beautifully.

"Alright, I like it. Could you fasten it for me?"

"Yes!"

Samantha's prediction was spot on.

The blue gemstone and its etched moon design matched Dalia's enchanting hair color perfectly.

"It's so beautiful!"

Dalia, too, was pleased with the necklace and smiled. It sparkled unusually brightly, as if it had finally found its rightful owner.