A deep blue dress had been chosen for her evening’s attire.

Her hair was tied up by her maidservant, Elise, and braided at the back.

Her hair was coiled back with curls on the side of her face, creating the right amount of glamour, but overall, was elegant and subdued.

Every time Rishe moved a bit, her pearl earrings swayed. After checking her entire length in front of the mirror, she smiled at the maidservants who prepared her for the occasion.

“This is exactly what I was aiming for. Thank you all.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Rishe-sama.”

On this occasion, she asked for an outfit that wasn’t too glamorous or too modest.

In Rishe’s experience, that was the least conspicuous at an evening party. The maidservants seemed shy, but also proud of their work.

Rishe was pleased with their response and regained her spirits.

Once we get to the venue, I can’t be distracted at all. I don’t want to run into Count Rovine, but I don’t want him to think I’m blatantly avoiding him …

She was mulling over this when a knock came at the door.

“Rishe-sama, I have letters for you.”

The maidservant handed her two letters.

One of the letters was from a girl named Marie.

She was the sweetheart of Crown Prince Dietrich, who was once Rishe’s fiancé, and with whom she began correspondence after arriving in this country.

Marie-sama… I see you’re working so hard for His Highness Dietrich in that royal castle.

Marie, who “robbed” Rishe’s fiancé, was still engaged to Crown Prince Dietrich.

However, it seemed that she wasn’t with Dietrich because she has to “put up with it for the sake of her family and marry a wealthy man”, as she did at first.

It seemed that Marie was struggling to reform Dietrich, who had been abandoned by his father, His Majesty, in the castle.

Her letter revealed that she was sometimes kind and sometimes strict with her fiancé, despite being subjected to strong winds against her sails.

I have to write her a reply as soon as the evening party is over. And then–

When she turned over the second envelope, she found the name of the shop, Light Crystal Jewelry Shop, written in one corner.

That was the name of the jewelry store where Arnold brought her to.

Since Rishe had an inkling what it was about, she opened the letter with a paper knife. What came out was exactly what she thought it would be – a single design drawing.

Looking at the ring design drawn on it, Rishe almost let out a gasp.

… Beautiful.

So much that she wished she could just forget about the time and stared at it.

But she gingerly held back and browsed through the letter. The old woman who owned the shop had made various notes about the design that her grandson had drawn.

Her letter goes, “I told you that it would take at least a month to complete the ring, but it seems that a Koyor craftsman has come to the imperial capital. If you commission this craftsman, you’ll surely be delighted because the expected time frame could be shortened significantly.”

She found the detail surprising. Would a change in craftsmen make that much of a difference in delivery time?

Nevertheless, this was good news for Rishe.

The sooner the ring is finished, the sooner I can modify the dress to match it. Chairman Tully has also urge me with my fabric selection…

She stared at the design drawings again.

— Normally, the wedding dress is the highlight rather than the ring. But somehow, I’d like to put more weight on the ring…

What would Arnold say when he saw her fitted with this ring?

She couldn’t help, but be flustered with such thoughts. Then her maidservant, Elise, calls out to her.

“Rishe-sama, it’s about time.”

“Oh, right, I’m sorry.”

After taking a deep breath, Rishe put the letter away before heading to the evening party.

****