Living As the Villainess Queen (Web Novel KR)
chapter-168

“An empty seed…”

Eugene gained more clues from all the memories she had seen today. She now knew that Jin went to the treasure trove specifically to find the Lark seed, and the ancient books that she collected had something to do with the seed as well.

“Do people know of this treasure?” Eugene asked.

She saw from the memories that when Jin came looking for the seed, she wasn’t entirely sure if it’s placed in the treasure trove at all. She took her chances when she went there, and she probably gained information about its’ existence from a reliable source, too.

“Almost no one knows about it, since I never confirmed its existence.” said the king.

“But who could possibly know of its’ whereabouts?” Eugene asked as her forehead scrunched in concentration.

“The people who are assigned to maintain and check on this treasure trove must have seen it.”

“What about the people from the other kingdoms, like the Holy City?” Eugene prodded further.

With Eugene’s question, Kasser thought deeply to himself, thinking of other people who might have known of its’ existence, and the only person he could think of was ‘that woman’, the woman who gave birth to him. He was almost certain that she had wandered into the treasure trove when she resided here in the palace.

With uneasiness, Kasser thought of other people who could have gone here, and another person popped into his mind.

“Sang-je…?” Kasser guessed.

Eugene felt her heart sink. It’s likely that Jin had gotten the information from Sang-je. “Does Sang-je know about the treasures each kingdom has?”

“Not really, but this seed is a historical artifact, so it was probably reported to Sang-je. If a written report was made, then the knowledge of this seed has been kept at this palace, until now.”

Eugene nodded. It’s no use jumping to conclusions when they have no solid evidence that it was indeed Sang-je who had informed Jin of the seed’s existence. Jin could have also found out about it when she came across the written report.

Eugene had so many questions.

‘I wonder if Jin had married the Desert King solely for the seed?’ Eugene thought internally. It sounded ridiculous, but it was possible. The seed was kept in a secured place, and one can only have access to it when they have the king’s permission.

‘But Jin wasn’t even sure of its location in the first place. What if it wasn’t here? Why was she so rash? And why is the seed so important anyway?’ Eugene questioned, as thought after thought came crashing into her head.

“Your Majesty, may I know the significance of this seed?” Eugene asked.

“I don’t know what uses it possesses. But it is valuable since it is the national treasure.”

“National treasure?” Eugene asked in a surprised tone. She only thought of it as an artifact. “Are you saying that the national treasure was stolen? I thought you were going to hide the fact that it was stolen.” Eugene went on.

“I told you, it is not well known, it’s only symbolic, really. Nothing we can’t handle.” Kasser answered her in a relaxed manner.

“I apologize, Your Majesty.” Eugene said, suddenly aware of her informalities towards the king.

Eugene didn’t exactly remember when Jin took the seed, but she was sure that she did. Even if she regained more memories, taking it back from Jin was highly unlikely, and she wouldn’t even know how to retrieve it in the first place.

Kasser chuckled lightly at Eugene’s glum expression. He felt strange, seeing that the woman in front of him is way different with the person who had stolen the seed. Both of them had the same identical bodies, yes, but their personalities were leagues apart.

“Does this mean that the necklace you were talking about was nonexistent?” Eugene asked Kasser as they left the treasure trove.

“No. It’s not entirely nonexistent.”

“Is it here then?” Eugene asked in a heighted tone.

“Yes. What I told you before is true, except for the fact that you stole it.” Kasser replied, finding Eugene’s excitement odd.

“Can I take a look at it?”

Nodding his head, Kasser led Eugene to the room where the necklace is currently placed. Eugene was bewildered at the sight in front of her. The room was filled with various accessories and brilliant gems- rings, earrings, necklaces, tiaras and a lot more.

She was no expert when it comes to jewelry, but she could tell from a glance that these are made of the finest, highest quality. The craftsmanship of each and every piece was unique and well intricately made by the best goldsmiths in town. The karats’ reflection scattered all around the room, showing off its brilliance and splendor.

And there it was- the diamond necklace she was formerly told. Up close, the diamond shone brightly- each facet reflecting light in all directions.

Eugene was smitten with things that are shiny and lustrous. Before she was transmigrated to Mahar, all she did was buy inexpensive, low-quality earrings from different kiosks. It didn’t bother her one bit that the accessories she bought were substandard.

Her hobby of collecting accessories was further fulfilled in Mahar. She now owns a box of high-quality jewelry, no longer like the cheap ones she used to have. It was a joy for her to wear a different necklace everyday. However, she realized that the jewelry box she had in her room was nothing compared to the sight in front of her.

“You mentioned once that I would get to wear this necklace during a wedding or a coronation. Does that mean that I don’t have a chance to wear this necklace soon?” Eugene asked as she stared continually at the diamond.

“Yes, because there are no huge ceremonies coming up.” Kasser answered.

Eugene was still entranced with the necklace in front of her. It was Kasser’s first time to see this side of her. The queen before did not show any interest in jewels, and all she wanted then was ancient books. She had gone in and out of the treasure trove several times, but she did not mind the jewels at all. She only took the national treasure and left.

Kasser made a mental note on the back of his head, ‘My wife likes jewels.’