I Won't Accept Your Regrets

Vishteyn, flushed, tried to open her mouth, but I was the first to do it.

“It seems that I have never even heard the name of Count Vistein. I wouldn’t even have recognized you if it were not for Mrs. Sios.”

“What?!”

I turned away from the bubbling Vistein and smiled at Celine.

“And even though many hardships fell to the lot of Mrs. Celine, it seems that the main thing in the gift is sincerity. A unique perfume is also a very interesting thing. Isn’t that right, Mrs Sios?”

I ignored Vistein and asked Lisa.

All eyes were on us, and Lisa had to get out of the situation:

“…That’s right. Milady Celine, I will definitely try this perfume. Thank you very much.”

Celine stared at the floor with a drooping face.

I felt the irritation and ragged breathing of Vistein, who was now completely ignored, but I was not affected personally.

After all, that was my intention from the very beginning. I hope Vistein will break loose and yell at me now.

Then I will have an excuse to bury it even further.

But by no means, Vistein just glanced at me and hid her face behind a fan.

She swung it around so violently, as if trying to vent her anger.

Rose gave up too soon. Much sooner than I thought.

What a pity.

Now I turned to Lisa.

“Milady Sios, I also prepared a modest gift for you.”

I handed Lisa a small velvet box.

“My God, thank you.”

She gave me the duty words of gratitude and took the casket from the maid.

“I have no idea about Lady Sios’s tastes, so my choice was based on my own… I hope I pleased you. Would you like to open it now?”

I have prepared this gift to show it to everyone.

Lisa stopped turning the box in her hands. Now she is staring at me with a smile.

“As you wish.”

Lisa slowly opened the lid of the velvet box. Soon Lisa’s green eyes crawled to her forehead from what she saw. Delighted, she could hardly move her lips.

“This is… This is beautiful.”

“This is a blue diamond necklace. You like?”

“Blue diamonds?” Vistein shouted in surprise.

As if she had forgotten her anger in a moment, she jerked towards the box in Lisa’s hands.

Rose Vistein stared hungrily at the blue diamonds. Now she looked at me with completely different eyes.

“But from where? The extraction of blue diamonds is so scarce that no one can buy them even for big money.”

Although Vistein was an immature wildcat, her doubts were now well founded.

Blue Diamond is a mineral that can only be found in the mines of the Lund Kingdom. Unlike other diamonds, blue production was more than modest. Therefore, the price for them was exorbitant. Yes, even having laid out the money, it could be bought only after several years of waiting.

Therefore, there were many fakes on the market, ordinary diamonds colored blue.

It wasn’t only Vistein who found it difficult to believe that the stones in front of them were genuine.

I smiled softly, looking at Vistein.

“You say I came with a fake?”

“Are this really blue diamond?”

Vistein’s eyes trembled. I looked at her and smiled even wider.

“If you want, I will show you the certificate of authenticity. Straight from the Lund Kingdom.”

After such a statement, there was no room for doubt.

“Then, they are real…”

“That’s right. Obtaining such a jewel is not easy, but… I contacted the Phoenix organization and pulled the strings. Since this is my first visit in so many years, I wanted to make a special gift for the lady of the house.”

Vistein’s eyes lit up with amazement.

Other people were surprised too. There was a whisper behind my back.

Most noblemen have never had a glimpse of blue diamonds in their entire lives.

Surprise was an understandable reaction if someone brought such a precious piece of jewelry as a simple tea-party gift.

But, unlike ordinary people, it wasn’t difficult for me to get blue diamonds.

Phoenix’s headquarters was in the Lund Kingdom.

In addition, Phoenix owned several diamond mines.

One of them turned out to be a blue diamond mine.

And of course, Lumont tore his hair out, all the while repeating that giving such a thing as a gift was a form of madness.

On my part, this was just another measure to restore the prestige of our family.

“Just think… And by the way, Mrs. Croft donated 4 000 gold to the treasury just recently,” said a woman I didn’t know, sitting at a table at a distance.

Everyone around began to chew on this story.

“Right. I heard that she brought it directly to the court.”

“To be able to throw out such an amount… I can’t even imagine her wealth.”

Now it’s done.

Contrary to my expectations that the story of 4 000 gold would cause a stir in the Empire, there wasn’t a word about it after the trial.

There were articles about the Duke Croft’s innocence, but I didn’t find a single report on the donated money.

Everyone seemed to have taken water into their mouths.

The reaction of the nobility was sluggish.

According to Lumont, the lower nobles admired my gesture, but the higher nobles remained staunchly silent.

As if someone warned them.

That is why I brought blue diamonds here, jewels that every aristocrat dreamed of.

Even if the nobles closed their mouths under the pressure of Sios, after today the rumors couldn’t be stopped.

“That’s how it great. And no wonder, since the Croft house is the first family in the Empire.”

“They are amazing,” someone said with envy in their voice.

Then Vistein quickly came to her senses and hid her excitement.

Like little children, seeing Lisa’s hint, everyone around suddenly closed their mouths abruptly.

“From this gesture, it is obvious that Mistress Croft is investing great efforts in the common cause of the Empire. On that day, I was also at the trial and saw with my own eyes how mrs transferred a large sum in favor of the Empire. It’s too late for such words. But, as representative of the people of the Empire, I express my gratitude to Lady Croft.”

“What do you mean, it’s natural for a nobleman.”

“You have done such a great job, but His Majesty is so busy, and there are no official thanks… You seem to be very annoyed by this?”

A feigned sadness was felt in Lisa’s voice.

Lisa hinted to me so much that Raymond deliberately ignored my show at the trial.

Plus, she spoke as if she knew what Raymond had in his heart.

If she knew his hidden intentions, this would indicate their extreme closeness.

As if all the guests caught this hidden meaning in her words, their views on me changed dramatically.

Lisa, Raymond and me.

The relationship between the three of us will now forever remain the subject of gossip for the entire Empire.

As soon as Lisa mentioned the Emperor, not only the young ladies, but also the maids, drew attention to us.

If we started tearing each other’s hair out now because of Raymond, it would be a fun show.

And then I will suffer a loss in my image.

All of them now secretly hoped for such a sight.

However, Lisa and her prick in my direction were not at all worth such a fight, because in fact, she didn’t know at all about Raymond’s intentions.

The Emperor used to send gifts to the family to pay tribute to when nobles made sacrifices to the Empire.

Thus, Lisa concluded that Raymond, if he had not yet shown gratitude, simply ignored me and my contribution to the treasury.

And here was her mistake.

Very soon, Raymond was to make an official statement on behalf of the Emperor.

The declaration on behalf of the Emperor was an honor that cannot be compared to an informal gift sent to an estate.

Lisa’s green eyes trembled slightly, as if she was embarrassed by my confidence.

I aimed at her and began:

“His Majesty… He summoned me to an audience one-on-one and informed me of his plans. My sacrifice was too great to pay with a worthless gift. Therefore, His Majesty will personally declare my father’s innocence and at the same time officially thank me for my help.”

“Do you mean an official statement on behalf of the Emperor?” asked the young lady sitting next to him. And those alarmed green eyes didn’t escape my attention.

“Right. This was the will of the Emperor. The official statement will come in a few days.”

Shove it.