Chapter 10
Determined not to be thrown out, he strode inside and quickly took a seat. He settled himself at the table as though he wanted her to listen to everything he had to say, and Annerose sat down across from him with a resigned sigh.
Was he going to talk about state affairs? That was what she thought, but his eyes remained fixed on her.
“Today, I brought some red gemstone jewelry that I thought Annerose would like. A foreign jeweler came to visit.”
“Gemstones?”
“Yes. Gems that look just like my eyes. I want you to think of me every day. And they resemble roses, too, so I’m sure you’ll like them, Annerose.”
When Iver rang the bell on the table, several servants entered the greenhouse carrying large jewelry boxes.
Garnets, rubies, sapphires…
The gemstones seemed to roll in waves of every color of the rainbow, shimmering in the light of the setting sun.
There were even plenty of pieces designed in the shape of roses, seemingly made to suit Annerose’s tastes. They were the sort of beautiful jewels that would have delighted her long ago.
But Annerose merely held the gemstones in her hands and stared at them.
“Don’t you like them?”
“…I don’t need jewels.”
Jewelry? As if she were in a position to accept such things while being held hostage.
As she stared at the glittering gemstones, Annerose was reminded of her own country, where a revolution had erupted after years of extravagance.
There was no way she could look at the jewels Iver had given her with anything but unease.
Annerose pushed the gemstones away and gave him a bitter smile.
“…I thought you’d like them.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just that… jewels make me uncomfortable.”
“…They make you uncomfortable? I’m sorry.”
“Ah.”
At Iver’s dejected words, Annerose realized she had misspoken and hurriedly looked flustered.
She had just refused a gift from the man who would one day become Emperor.
Even from a diplomatic standpoint, that was a tremendous mistake.
“N-No, that’s not what I meant. It’s not that they make me uncomfortable, it’s just… There’s no reason for me to dress myself in jewels while I’m here, is there? There’s no one for me to show them to. And even though I was once a queen, I was never accustomed to extravagance…”
Annerose fidgeted as she rambled out one excuse after another to Iver. Then she blamed herself for making such a mistake simply because life in this greenhouse had become so comfortable.
“I-I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t like them… I’m grateful for the gift, but the Kingdom of Parozera isn’t as wealthy as Costeria. Even the royal family didn’t indulge in extravagance. We only wore enough to keep neighboring countries from looking down on us, so I’m not used to having this many jewels.”
Annerose spoke in a small voice, almost as though she were making excuses, and gradually lowered her head.
“…And I’m not really in a position to wear jewels anymore… Receiving this many is simply too much.”
It wasn’t that Annerose didn’t understand the value of jewelry. She had once been a queen, after all, and there had been a time when she adorned herself with jewels.
She knew perfectly well that even a gemstone no bigger than a fingernail could be worth more than a poor farmer’s wages.
But perhaps after living for so long, she had simply grown numb to their value.
‘Still, they’re a gift. Maybe I should accept at least a few. I should keep some of those, just in case. If I ever get out of here, I might need them.’
After a moment of thought, Annerose picked up several gemstones. They were the rubies that gleamed most deeply among the jewels in the box.
Like Iver’s eyes. Like red roses. The rubies rolled quietly across Annerose’s palm.
Just as she was about to say that this was enough, Iver was smiling as though he had anticipated even this reaction from her.
“This one is beautiful. It matches the color of your eyes. I’ll take this one.”
“Is that the one you like best?”
“Yes.”
Annerose lifted the gemstone she had chosen and held it up to the sunset. Bathed in the warm evening light, the ruby glowed an even deeper red, making her eyes sparkle.
“You chose the gemstone that resembles my eyes out of all these. That makes me very happy. All of these jewels are yours, so you can use them whenever you like. I’ll have them kept over there. Use as many as you want.”
At Iver’s command, the servants placed the gemstones in an appropriate spot before waiting by the door.
Annerose was relieved that Iver seemed to be in a better mood. To keep him feeling that way, she poured rose tea into his teacup.
“These are roses I grew myself. I liked the fragrance, so I made them into rose tea. I’m not sure if you’ll like it, though.”
“I like roses. Even more so when they’re grown by you, Annerose.”
“Really? That’s a relief. I have plenty! I also made lots of cookies with rose jam. Would you like to try some?”
Annerose smiled brightly at Iver’s words and went to a small cupboard beside the table. She returned with a tin of cookies and placed it on the table.
The sight of her, so girlish that it was hard to believe she had once been a queen who ruled over her people, finally made Iver laugh.
“You really haven’t changed at all, Annerose! You look even happier than when I gave you the jewels.”
“Ah… That’s…”
“Perhaps I should have brought roses along with them.”
Iver chuckled for quite some time as he watched Annerose grow flustered.
“To be honest, I thought you’d like roses more than jewels. But I wanted to give you enough jewels that you’d never feel lacking, too. Next time, I’ll bring the roses you like. Enough to fill this entire greenhouse.”
At Iver’s smiling promise, Annerose faltered slightly. Then she clenched her trembling hands into fists, trying to steady herself.
Why is he being this kind to me when I’m nothing more than a hostage?
Are the feelings Iver has for her really true affection?
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