Count Ankhart held a party to unveil the “Red Tear” gem to the public, a jewel that would be worn by the Countess for the guests to see.

The first time the Count saw the “Red Tear” that had been won at auction by Kalin, he clicked his tongue.

“Not a scratch? It’s worth ten million gold!”

He disdainfully rubbed a sharp imperfection on the red diamond’s metallic setting, but it did not go away.

Kalin laughed.

“Father, this is history. No, it’s a legend. This is the ‘Red Tear,’ authenticated by Riley Auction House. Its name alone justifies its ten-million-gold value.”

Despite the Count’s concerns, word of the gem party spread so fast that there were too many people asking for invitations to manage.

The popularity of the “Red Tear” exceeded expectations.

The Count only issued invitations to people with business interests, exploiting the situation to his advantage.

While lively music played and champagne flowed in the ballroom, the “Red Tear” was safe in Count Ankhart’s vault.

The Countess wore the “Red Tear” with a deeply plunging red ruffled dress.

Some may say matching the color of a dress with a large jewel is an uninformed choice, but anyone who saw the Countess had no time for such thoughts.

The “Red Tear” on her chest caught the chandelier’s light, emitting an eerily red glow.

No one cared about the color of her dress.

The guests’ exclamations were indeed worth ten million gold.

The intoxicated gazes and admiring noises from the crowd gave the Countess a euphoric feeling, as though she herself was worth ten million gold.

Her pace quickened as she navigated through the guests, emptying her champagne glass, and her laughter grew louder.

Concerned by his wife’s inebriation, Count Ankhart pulled her arm.

“Go inside and remove the necklace. You’re so drunk, someone might cut your throat and take it.”

“Do you care more about the necklace than me? Can’t you let me enjoy myself for one night!”

The tipsy Countess tried to ignore her husband, but he had already called for the knights, who blocked her way.

“Let me live like this!”

Escorted by the knights, the Countess returned to the third-floor study.

Frustrated, she reached to remove the necklace, then yelled at the knights who had followed her in.

“Do you want to see your mistress undress?”

With awkward faces, the knights left.

After several failed attempts due to her inebriation, the Countess finally removed the necklace.

As she placed it in a box on her desk, a vase in a corner of the balcony suddenly shattered.

“Mother of God!”

“Countess! What happened?”

Knights rushed in, swords drawn. The Countess, clutching her startled chest, pointed at the broken vase.

“The wind must have done it!”

However, the knights thought the Countess had simply made a drunken mistake.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, yes. Get out.”

The Countess put the box with the necklace in her husband’s vault and staggered out, leaning against the wall due to her increased inebriation.

Duke Rocard emerged from the darkness by the roadside and got into an unmarked carriage, tossing aside his hood.

“I never thought I’d climb walls again!”

Inside the waiting carriage, Greyan did something uncharacteristic.

He neatly folded the discarded hood and placed it on Duke Rocard’s lap with a smile.

Seeing this, Duke Rocard chuckled and took out the “Red Tear” from his pocket.

Greyan, who set the carriage in motion, scrutinized the ‘Red Tear’ under the moonlight and frowned.

“Did anyone notice?”

“The Countess was so drunk she’d think she was seeing things even if I was right in front of her,” said Greyan, pleased.
The red-roofed house of the Amata tribe chieftain, clinging to the cliff, still lingered in sight. Had you not stolen the chieftain’s staff there and undermined the morale of the Amata tribe, our forces would have suffered immense losses.

“Hmph…”

You should be grateful. It was I who revealed your excellent skills in thievery. Rocard, my servant.

“Heh.”

Greyion put the ‘Red Tear’ into a small box he had prepared beforehand.

A flawed gem worth ten million gold. I think I’ve done a good job not buying it. I’ll use it well and return it nicely.

“I won’t know when you return it.”

At Rocard’s bitter words, Greyion laughed sinisterly and gleefully.

When the carriage entered the capital, Rocard stopped it.

“I will get off here, Your Highness. I will see you tomorrow morning.”

Greyion looked displeased, but didn’t ask where Rocard was going.

The morning the article about the theft of the ‘Red Tear’ appeared in Targanzi, Rocard was in the Second Prince’s Palace.

Greyion read the newspaper in front of him.

Lord Anckart’s famous red diamond, won at Riley’s auction, had been stolen from his residence just days after its purchase.

Given the gem’s high profile, it will be difficult to sell within the empire and will likely be smuggled abroad after disappearing for decades.

The article ended by implying the tragic conclusion that Lord Anckart might have paid ten million gold just to admire the jewel for a few days.