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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Flames and Jewels
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I hung the torch on the wall and looked around at the jewelry boxes neatly arranged on the shelves.
The place was filled with beautiful jewels that could mesmerize even someone like me, who had little interest in glittering trinkets.
I was no expert on gems, but living in the imperial palace had taught me a thing or two.
‘These are all incredibly valuable.’
The treasures here weren't valuable simply because they were made of diamonds or gold.
Their historical and artistic worth far surpassed the value of their materials.
Some jewelry boxes had descriptions, like a necklace worn by a certain queen at a past event. For others, a single glance at their design revealed the era and the artisan who had crafted them.
These were unique, named jewels, crafted or worn by great figures of the past.
Among them, I could see some that had originally belonged to my mother, and others that appeared to be Cavalla’s.
The jewels seemed to make the dark storeroom glitter brightly.
‘I don't have time to stand here admiring them.’
Nearly mesmerized by the treasure, I quickly collected myself.
‘How am I going to carry all of this?’
I started hanging necklaces and bracelets on my arms wherever they would fit.
Every time I moved, the jewels clinked against each other.
Soon, I lamented.
‘How could I be so stupid? Coming to steal treasure without even bringing a bag to carry it in!’
I berated myself for a while before stopping.
It was ridiculous to torment myself like this, especially when I had just decided to start cheering myself on.
‘You've done an amazing job just getting this far without being caught, Chloe. Calm down and let's find a good solution.’
Then, as if by magic, I noticed a sack I hadn't seen before.
It was covering something in a dark corner.
‘What's that?’
Everything else was in a luxurious box. Why was that thing in such a shabby sack?
‘Is it not treasure?’
But this was a treasury. Of all the places, why would anyone store something else here?
‘Not my business, though.’
Though curious, I quickly dismissed it.
What I needed was the sack covering the object.
I untied the rope knot that bound the object and pulled off the sack.
The object inside was revealed.
‘…?’
I glanced at it absently.
Inside the sack was a large holy grail, about a span and a half tall.
An oval bowl sat atop a vase-shaped stem and a domed base—a cup typically used for religious ceremonies.
Decorated lavishly with rubies, blue diamonds, and gold, the grail didn't seem particularly impressive compared to the other treasures here.
Even considering that the items here couldn't be judged on appearance alone, the craftsmanship of the gems didn't look remarkable, nor were the minerals of the highest quality. It even had many small scratches.
It seemed to be an object that had weathered a tumultuous history.
One peculiar thing about it was that, while it was shaped to hold liquid, a long hole ran through it, from the bowl, through the stem, to the base.
‘Is it for decoration?’
If actually used, any liquid poured into the grail would just leak out.
‘Is it something meaningful to Cavalla herself?’
Having acquired the sack, I paid the grail no more mind.
It would only be heavy to carry, and I probably wouldn't get a good price for it.
‘I'll just take the jewels that are obviously valuable, and only the smallest and lightest ones.’
I haphazardly stuffed jewels into the sack.
After filling it to my satisfaction, I tried to lift the sack to leave the storeroom, but I let out a small groan and collapsed.
‘Hah.’
My pupils trembled.
‘It's so heavy…!’
How could it be this heavy? I hadn't even packed that much.
I was flustered.
I looked back and forth between my own frail arms, like dried roots, and the bulging sack.
To think that the unexpected obstacle in my perfect treasury heist was me.
‘Calm down.’
To distribute the weight, I wore as much of the gold as I could.
I hung a diamond-studded necklace around my neck, loaded my wrists and ankles with as many bracelets and anklets as they could hold, and neatly concealed them with my clothes.
Just from that, my body swayed as if I were wearing the heavy dress from my engagement ceremony.
Fighting back tears, I removed about half of the jewels from the sack.
Now, the sack held only three or four necklaces, three tiaras, and a few pairs of rings and earrings.
‘This should be enough, right?’
As I turned to leave, I felt a pang of regret and added a few more rings and earrings.
Among them was a ring my mother used to wear often. I knew I wouldn't be able to bring myself to sell it, but after hesitating, I greedily packed it anyway.
The most expensive pieces of jewelry were the necklaces with multiple large gems, rather than the rings or earrings, but Cavalla's ornate, multi-layered necklaces were as heavy as they were bejeweled. I couldn't carry any more.
‘Ugh.’
Panting, I hugged the sack to my chest.
My back wouldn't straighten, so I remained hunched over as I barely managed to pick up the torch.
There was a reason I had brought the torch this far.
I boldly set fire to a velvet cushion on a shelf with the torch.
In an instant, the cushions on the shelf were devoured by flames, one after another.
‘Perfect!’
I set the storeroom on fire to erase my tracks and make it difficult to determine who did this and what jewels were missing.
The jewels I couldn't steal and had to leave behind would likely be pilfered in large quantities by the palace staff amidst the chaos of extinguishing the fire.
‘That way, even if the missing jewels resurface later, it will be hard to trace them back.’
As the flames soared, a thrilling sense of ecstasy spread through my entire body.
I clutched the sack and quickly left the storeroom.
Or, I tried to.
“Hmm…”
For some reason, the holy grail I saw earlier was bothering me.
‘If that thing is truly meaningful to Cavalla…’
Wouldn't it be more helpful in making her miserable?
My hand, which had just set down the torch, was free.
I gritted my teeth.
‘Just a little more strength, Chloe!’
Even if I collapse tomorrow.
* * *
After escaping the storeroom, I returned to my palace unnoticed and hid the stolen treasures in a spot I had picked out beforehand.
It was in a small hole under an ornamental tree in the garden.
The ornamental tree, its roots exposed after a past downpour washed away the soil, had been neglected by a lazy gardener for a long time.
After finishing everything, I returned safely to my bedroom and meticulously straightened my clothes.
‘Thank goodness no one is here.’
There were no guards or maids in my chambers.
Judging by the loud shouts of “Fire!” from outside, it seemed everyone had rushed out after hearing that Cavalla's treasury was ablaze.
Whenever a fire broke out in the imperial palace, the royal guards would protect the Emperor, while the rest of the staff had to drop everything and rush to carry water.
At times like these, all royals other than the Emperor and Empress were given the cold shoulder.
It took a great number of people moving quickly to prevent this magnificent palace from burning down.
Royals other than the Emperor and Empress might receive better treatment than other nobles, but they were not considered more valuable than the palace's property.
Such were the cold laws of the imperial family.
I lay down in bed, feigning nonchalance as if nothing had happened.
I offered a small prayer that an assassin wouldn't suddenly appear in my empty, unguarded chambers to kill me.
“Yawn.”
It had been a rewarding day.
The savory scent of burning things drifted on the wind, reaching my bedroom.
I listened to the sounds of the palace staff shouting for water and screaming, treating it as a lullaby as I drifted off to sleep.
There was no need to be anxious.
Cavalla's storeroom and my chambers were far enough apart.
That night, I had a dream.
It was a dream where Cavalla, upon seeing me draped in gold and jewels, flew into a rage before bursting into tears.
* * *
The next day.
The maids, who had been mobilized to suppress the fire and had been running around all night, looked exhausted.
The excitement from last night's incident still lingered on their faces.
“How on earth did a fire start there?”
“They said a thief broke into the Empress's chambers last night. Don't you think it was the thief's doing?”
“But how did the thief just vanish in a palace with so many eyes? They haven't been caught yet, right?”
“I asked a guard I know who works over there. He said they definitely caught him once, but when they went back, he had vanished without a trace.”
“That's uncanny.”
I nodded to myself in satisfaction.
Just as I had planned, the palace staff were assuming the red-haired thief was the one who set fire to Cavalla's storeroom.
“Of all places, to set fire to that storeroom! I heard it was filled with incredibly expensive treasures!”
“What happened to all the jewels? Do you think the thief set the fire and stole everything?”
“I heard a significant amount is missing.”
“Our poor Empress… I heard a single necklace from there could buy an entire mansion.”
“Just one mansion? I heard things like the necklace the first queen, Queen Lucia, wore at her wedding were in there. Something called the ‘Tears of God’?”
Those very Tears of God were buried safely in my garden.
Just then, a maid lowered her voice and whispered.
“But… I think I saw someone suspicious yesterday.”
