Living As the Villainess Queen

There’s indeed quite an amount of jewelry back in the palace which must have been the former possession of her imposter. And Eugene didn’t feel like wearing them since she couldn’t quite shake off the feeling that they don’t belong to her. She hardly brought any for her trip to the Holy City as well.

“Do you like it?”

Startled by his voice, Eugene raised up her head and saw him standing right next to her. She smiled sheepishly in worry that he might have misconstrued her behavior when she only intended to browse. She was going to say no to him. But then she thought, ‘So what if he thinks I want it? I could ask my husband to buy it for me,’ and gave him a nod for an answer instead.

As soon as Kasser turned his head around, four attendants, who seemed to have been summoned by the assistant manager, came over and lifted the glass lid by holding up at its four corners. The jewelry had not been allowed to be tried on nor had been exposed before such a crowd since such valuables were usually locked up, so they would not go astray.

‘Wow.’

The jewelry looked sharply different now without the glass lid. And among them all, it was the necklace which was set with both ruby and diamond that instantly caught her eyes. It surely stood out among the various types of adornments displayed within the showcase.

“May I try it on?”

“Of course. Which one would you like to try on, Anika?” responded the assistant manager without any hesitation. He then personally took the jewelry, which Eugene had pointed to with her finger, placed it on a silver tray and showed it to her.

‘I guess they do train their sales attendants here in this world as well.’

Eugene regarded the assistant manager’s sincere hospitality only as a part of the customer service. She couldn’t possibly have known how he felt like he could even lick at their shoes if it was needed.

Kasser was fast to pick up the necklace before Eugene. He then went around to her back and leaned slightly forward to put the necklace on for her. Eugene swiftly gathered her hair to one side and revealed her bare neck before him.

As he hooked the chain of the necklace, Kasser took in the sight of her white neck with his eyes. He suppressed his strong urge to plant a kiss. He instead grazed her neck with his thumb which didn’t escape the queen’s notice. Eugene’s face turned scarlet, startled by the unexpected contact. She quietly shot a sidelong scowl at Kasser standing behind her back.

She checked her reflection in the mirror which the attendants had brought to her. The necklace seemed a little too flashy at first glance, but it didn’t really stand out as much as she worried now that she actually tried it on.

She liked the way it looked around her neck but not as much as she really wanted to buy it. Eugene felt torn since it didn’t truly take her fancy and also as it seemed like it would cost a fortune.

Eugene decided to sound Kasser out and make a decision based on his response.

“Are you going to buy it for me?”

Kasser broke into laughter like someone who’s just heard a joke.

“It’s already yours.”

A faint exclamation broke out amid the crowd. Eugene’s felt heat rising in her face along with a sudden sense of pride. She tried to cool off her heated cheeks by pressing down with the back of her hand. Eugene couldn’t help but to admit that her already perfect husband seemed much more charming today. So she held onto her husband’s arm to stand on tiptoe and pressed a light kiss on his cheek.

Kasser turned up the corners of his mouth into an unmistakable smile when Eugene pretended to look elsewhere with her head turned away from him.

“Assistant manager.”

“Yes, Your Grace.” The response came quickly from the man like he was a loyal servant to the king.

“I’ll take everything in this showcase.”

“Have you gone out of your mind?!” exclaimed Eugene with a startle. After belatedly realizing there were eyes all around them, she quickly whispered as she stood closer to his side.

“Don’t do it. I really don’t need them.”

“Do you not like them?”

“Well, that doesn’t matter.”

“I’ll take them.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“I said no.”

Everyone in the shop was staring at the two of them, looking half-stupefied, as if they could not believe their eyes. Although there had been many speculations and rumors about the reason Anika Jin chose to marry a king, no one ever thought they had affection for each other.

“How wonderful.”

Madame Janette clasped her hand, looking profoundly moved, while Lady Ditheo fell quiet for the first time. She wordlessly stared at the lovely couple, her eyes widening in astonishment. It was clear that their affection for each other was genuine as everything from their expression to the atmosphere around them wasn’t something that could be feigned.

“Lady Arse, I must say your daughter couldn’t look any happier.”

Dana, who was watching her daughter and son-in-law with an unmistakable smile on her face, turned around at the remark. “I’m most glad to see her happy with her marriage. She must have found her peace of mind after she got married. As she’s now become more considerate to others.”

Janette couldn’t help but nod with agreement as she also got the impression that Anika Jin has become a totally different person judging from her behavior today. Janette vividly remembered how arrogant and particular Anika Jin was in the past, whenever she encountered her in the Arse manor.

Lady Ditheo seemed like she still couldn’t quite shake off the shock as Anika Jin’s notorious disposition was still fresh in her mind. The reason she had stuck her nose in around Lady Arse and her daughter today was simply because of her astonishment.

She had in fact occasionally wondered about ‘How the apple does fall far from the tree.’ wherever she saw Jin in the past. And although she had a son just about the same age as Jin, she had never once even joked about setting her son up with Anika Jin.

But now, Lady Ditheo wondered if she was wrong about Jin after all, since Jin couldn’t look more lovely as she smiled and spoke amiably to her mother throughout the countless fittings without a slight hint of annoyance. And to see Jin getting all lovey dovey with her husband had made Lady Ditheo deeply regret for not setting her up with her son.

“Now that I’ve regained my health, I’m thinking of starting to socialize again, little by little. And since my daughter has come back for the first time in a long while, I’m planning to throw a welcoming banquet in our manor for her.”

“A banquet? In the Arse Manor? Does that mean you will be hosting it yourself?”

“I’m a little worried since it’s been years since I last hosted a banquet.”

“That’s so modest of you. Sophisticated tastes such as yours never quite fade with time.”

“Although I’ll send out the invitations once the date is set, I wonder if you would spread the word out before that.”

“It would be my pleasure. A banquet in the Arse Manor. I bet everyone will go all out to obtain the invitation. Can I assume that you will set aside an invitation for me, Lady Arse?”

“Of course I will.”

Without Janette even having to try, the word was bound to spread out in no time from the mouths of the people in the shop, whose ears got pricked up to eavesdrop on the conversation.

As a matter of fact, no customer has left the shop ever since the arrival of Lady Arse and the royal couple. Everyone lingered on, pretending to pick out their clothes although all their attention were focused on the three unexpected visitor.

And just as Janette said, people will go all out to get their hands on the invitation, which will grant them to attend the very banquet that is to be held in the Arse Manor.