Chapter 17: 17

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As soon as I finish dinner, I head back to my room.

I had been planning to get everything that I need ready before my grand departure but…. I couldn’t think of anything that I actually needed to prepare.

Since I’m just going to the village to observe its condition with my own eyes, I don’t really need to bring anything along with me.

“Ali~! Duke’s come to see you!”

What? He’s here? At this time??

How does that make any sense? I must have misheard what Albert-Oniisama…

“Ali~!”

Or not…..? I leave my room and walk over to the parlor where we typically receive our guests.

Duke-Sama came to see me…. for what exactly? We haven’t even talked that much before….

I mean, sure, in the game Alicia was head over heels for Duke-Sama, but I’m not. I couldn’t be, not while knowing how this story is going to play out.

So I have absolutely no clue why he would have come all this way just to see me.

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When I enter the parlor, I see Albert-Oniisama and Duke-Sama both waiting for me.

I greet them both, giving a small bow.

“Duke said that he has something that he’d like to give you, Ali,” Albert-Oniisama says before I can ask what business they have with me.

At his words, I don’t say anything. I just stare blankly in surprise, even as Duke-Sama is smiling gently and walking towards me.

Ugh, this guy really is dangerous. With a face like that, making such a tender expression while walking this way…. it feels like my heart will pound right out of my chest.

I can feel my pulse quickening with each step he takes towards me.

“I’m a little late, but happy birthday,” Duke-Sama says, offering me a small box.

His words are so unexpected that I feel myself stiffening in surprise. I never would have imagined that Duke-Sama would ever give me a birthday present.

I mean, throughout the whole game, he never once gave Alicia any sort of gift after all.

For a fleeting moment I wonder if Duke-Sama might actually have feelings for me, but after thinking about it a bit more, I doubt that’s the case. Duke-Sama and I have a five year age gap between us, so maybe he just thinks of me as a little sister.

Honestly, we haven’t conversed enough for me to be able to guess why he would be giving me a gift.

“Thank you,” I say, taking the box from his hand.

“May I open it?”

“Sure.”

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Having received permission, I remove the top from the box, but the moment that I see what’s inside, I’m so shocked that I instantly close it again, my eyes going wide.

Was that….. Did I just see it wrong?

“Do you not like it?”

“N, no. That’s not…. Um, this is…..” I assure him right away that it’s not that I dislike it. But I phrase my surprise as a question, hoping that he’ll confirm what I just saw.

“It’s a necklace but…?”

“N-no, um, this gemstone is….?”

“Ohh, it’s a diamond.”

So I didn’t see it wrong.

Even if he is the son of the king, isn’t it a bit too extravagant to give a gift like this to an 8-year-old girl?

“Ali, if you don’t dislike Duke, then you should just gratefully accept it,” Albert-Oniisama says, guessing at my thoughts after seeing my expression.

It’s not that I dislike him…. In fact, it’s just the opposite, so I give him a deep bow, and say my thanks once again.

A villainess shouldn’t become flustered just because she received an expensive jewel but I can’t help it. I can’t seem to accept what just happened as reality.

“Since my business is finished now, I’ll take my leave for today,” Duke-Sama says, before he turns and walks out of the room.

Did he really come all this way just to give me a gift….?

He doesn’t even want to at least talk with Albert-Oniisama before he goes?

In the end, I’m so surprised by this whole turn of events that I even forget to see him out.

I stand there for another moment, utterly dumbfounded, and then I look down at the box in my hand. I take off the top one more time and re-affirm its contents. It really is a diamond.

The value of diamonds in my previous world can’t even compare to how expensive they are in this country, you know? They are insanely valuable here.

So to receive one as a gift….. As an 8-year-old girl no less…..

It’s mind-boggling. Even though it all happened right before my eyes, my brain still can’t seem to process what just occurred.

As I continue to stand there silently, I stare down at the diamond. It glitters up at me, and as I watch, there almost seems to be a faint blue light twinkling from within its depths.

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T/N: Note about last chapter: I initially said the magic barrier was around the woods, but I was wrong. After reading ahead in the raws, I realized it’s around the impoverished village. Sorry about the confusion! I’ve gone back and fixed that mistake.

Lol, this chapter was a bit anti-climactic since anyone who has read the manga would have seen this coming but…. I still love the imagery of Alicia shutting the box as soon as she opened it XD I feel like I can imagine the surprise on Duke’s face after seeing her do that haha.

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