Elena’s POV
Duchess Hermoine closed the box with quiet finality and looked up at me with a sincerity glinting in her eyes. “I’ll explain.”
Somehow, I felt the need to brace myself for it, and so I did.
- 27.
“Your mother,” she started. “…is really the one who bought this jewellery. She ordered it from Vince, the same jeweller I ordered from. I later found out that it’s supposed to be her gift to you for your wedding.‘
I froze at her words as my eyes landed on the jewellery box again.
My brows furrowed. “But I thought… I thought you said that you had it customised?”
She let out a small laugh and shook her head before shrugging her shoulders casually. “It turns out your mom and I had the same taste.”
Opening the box again, she pointed at the moon part. “There was a mix–up at the shop. When I came to collect my order, Vince handed me this instead. I didn’t realise it’s a mix–up until I noticed it had more gemstones on the moon than mine.”
I stare at the enchanting bracelet with a pounding heart. Then… this was never hers. It was always mine.
My hands slide on the sides of the bracelet gently, like it’s made of feathers, while I ask for her confirmation with a frown, “So this wasn’t even the one you ordered?”
“No,” she confirmed. “I confronted Vince about that afterwards. That’s when I found out he’d accidentally given me your mother’s order. And… the worst part? The piece I designed was never found. It turns out that the assistant goldsmith stole it and fled the city. Vince didn’t want to tell anyone, so he just switched the orders.”
I swallowed. “That’s… incredibly unprofessional.”
“Not to mention illegal,” Hermione agreed. “When I realised the bracelet wasn’t mine, I tried to return it to your mother. I visited your pack and went to her personally.”
My heart clenched. That must’ve been awkward.
“But… she didn’t want to take it back,” the Duchess said softly. “She said once something had passed into another woman’s hands, it no longer held value as a wedding gift. That… that it wasn’t… proper.”
That sounded like my mother–proud and deeply principled, even to a fault.
Then, she let out a smile like she reminisced about the past.
“But she still did thank me,” Duchess Hermoine went on, “but she insisted that I keep it.”
Pushing it closer to me, she looked deep into my eyes and added, “I never wore it, though. It didn’t feel right. So I placed it in my collection and left it there.”
“My mother once told me,” I murmured, “that she will gift me something that will remember the bravery of my late six brothers and father.
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Hermione blinked in surprise and couldn’t help but ask, “Six?”
I nodded, voice softer now. “Six older brothers. I was the youngest. They teased me endlessly, but never let a single thing touch me. She said when I married, I’d wear something that carried all of them with me,”
Duchess Hermione went quiet, waiting for me to continue.
I could almost hear my brothers‘ laughter again–feel their footsteps pounding across wooden floors, chasing each other like it was the only thing that mattered.
Holding the bracelet tightly around my palms, I looked up at her with stinging eyes as tears threatened to form in the corners of my eyes. “Thank you for keeping it.”
She reached over and gently held my hand together, keeping the bracelet completely enclasped in our hands. “I think your mother always knew it would find its way back to you.”
And damn her words did hit deep.
I reached for my bag and fumbled for my coin pouch. “I… I’d like to pay for it. I know it’s mine in some way, but it doesn’t feel right just taking it after all these years.”
Hermoine’s brows rose, but she didn’t argue. “Then give me what you feel is fair.”
With a huge smile, I reached for 2000 dollars and gave it to her without hesitation.
She looked at it for a while before getting only the thousand bill, as she gave me a faint but approving smile. “This will do. It’s not actually a sale, but rather a gesture between two women who loved the same thing.”
I nodded, blinking away tears I hadn’t expected to feel.
Though we didn’t end up in a heated conversation, this moment somehow felt even heavier than any confrontation I’d had in the palace. There was no shouting, and no slander to clear. Just a silent recognition of the past, the loss, and the quiet strength passed from one woman to another.
Before I left, the Duchess reached out one last time. “Elena?”
I turned around and looked back at them.
“Wear it proudly,” she said. “Not because of who gave it to you, but because of who you are.
With one last smile at her, I left her pack with the box clutched tightly in my hands.
And for the first time in years, it felt like my family… hadn’t truly left me.
”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
