Chapter 132: Treasure Vault

Climbing out of the pool, Sophie propped herself up with both arms and settled onto the cushion Jane had already laid out for her. Before she could say a word, a large, dry bath towel was dropped over her head, covering her from crown to shoulders. She rubbed her dripping hair dry while blotting the moisture from her skin, savoring the warmth that gradually replaced the lingering chill of the water. 

Jane looked thoroughly satisfied with the now-clean Sophie and paid no attention whatsoever to the flower petals still floating across the pool. The waterfall flowed endlessly. Sooner or later, the current would wash everything clean.

"I had the jasmine bracelets preserved as dried floral specimens," Jane said, finally explaining what had become of them. "The design was beautiful. I'm planning to use it as the inspiration for a pair of earrings and a bracelet."

It was the third gift Sophie had ever given her.

She intended to treasure it forever.

"Isn't that making way too much of it?" Sophie said sheepishly. "They're nowhere near as beautiful as the flower crown you made for me. Why preserve them? You threw your own flower crown straight into the grass."

Jane ignored the complaint entirely. Once she gave an order, she never took it back. "Get dressed," she urged. "Sulpicia promised you a welcoming gift. She's allowing us to choose anything we like from her private treasury."

Judging by Jane's tone, Sophie was absolutely certain that the lady's personal collection contained treasures beyond imagination.

She shook the last droplets from her hair, far too excited to finish dressing properly. Wrapped only in the oversized towel, she beamed at Jane. "Tell me more! What's inside this treasury?"

Jane had clearly visited it more than once. "Jewelry, artwork, porcelain, instruments crafted by legendary masters... just about everything." Seeing Sophie lean closer, curiosity written all over her face, Jane seized the opportunity. She grabbed the loose towel and gave it a sharp tug. "Get dressed first. Once we're inside, I'll show you everything one piece at a time."

Jane could hardly wait to see Sophie wearing the dark gray cloak. Turning her back, she deliberately denied Sophie any chance to stall further.

Although Jane had failed to prove to Aro that she and Sophie truly loved one another, Aro had still granted Sophie a place within the Guard, ranking only below Demetri.

That concession meant far more than it appeared.

Before Jane and Alec had ever joined the Guard, Demetri had served as its leader for many years. Jane understood perfectly that Aro had yielded, if only slightly, and to her, that alone was a reason to celebrate.

By now, Sophie had accumulated enough experience dealing with elaborate gowns to dress herself without assistance.

"Jane, can I really wear this cloak?"

"Of course," Jane replied without hesitation. "And if you continue performing well, you'll wear even finer cloaks in the future."

Sulpicia's treasury was dazzling beyond words.

She possessed more than enough time to maintain every collection with immaculate care, arranging each display so perfectly that it resembled a museum.

"An eighteenth-century Eastern porcelain vase," Jane introduced, gesturing toward an openwork famille-rose vase. "Estimated auction value, around sixty million euros."

She moved on without pause.

"Battle of Anghiari, an original preparatory mural sketch by Leonardo da Vinci from the fifteenth century. It's only a draft, but it's still worth roughly fifty million euros."

"And this," she continued, indicating a rare eleven-carat pink diamond, "is named after one owned by Queen Elizabeth II. Estimated value, another fifty million."

Jane continued introducing one masterpiece after another. Knowing Sophie lacked experience with auctions and fine art, she thoughtfully included market estimates and auction prices as points of reference.

She also happened to choose the most outrageously expensive pieces.

The more treasures Sophie saw, the more restrained she became.

The staggering prices were enough to make her dizzy. Even converted into the virtual currencies of the games she used to play, they represented sums she could never have dreamed of purchasing. Terrified of accidentally bumping into an antique vase, priceless gemstone, or centuries-old oil painting, she practically glued herself to Jane's side, following one cautious step behind the entire time.

Eventually they reached the final display.

Oddly enough, Jane skipped right over the objects inside the glass case and instead asked, "Did anything catch your eye earlier? One of the paintings or porcelain pieces would look wonderful in your room. As for that pink diamond, it would make an exquisite full jewelry set after cutting."

There were also several musical instruments of extraordinary historical value.

Unfortunately...

Considering Sophie' astonishing lack of musical talent, Jane privately believed it would be an unforgivable waste to entrust any masterpiece to someone capable of turning beautiful melodies into painfully off-key singing.

Sophie approached the glass display instead and pointed toward a bronze-colored object resting inside.

"Jane... this looks like a pocket watch."

"It is." Jane unlocked the display and lifted it out without the slightest hesitation. "Gold leaf enamelwork, rose-cut diamonds, and instead of numbers, each hour is marked with one of the twelve zodiac constellations."

She adjusted the hands until they pointed to twelve.

A gentle melody immediately drifted into the air.

"There's also a hidden music box built into the back."

"How much is it worth?"

"It's relatively modern," Jane answered. "Less than twenty thousand euros."

Hearing the price, Sophie instinctively felt a flicker of disappointment.

Then she immediately scolded herself.

I've only spent a few minutes looking at things worth fifty or sixty million... and now I'm looking down on something worth twenty thousand?

Her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

She remembered being cheated out of money.

A lot of money.

But strangely, she couldn't remember exactly how much had been stolen.

"Sophie?"

Jane had already finished demonstrating the watch and was preparing to return it to the display.

She had intentionally quoted astronomical prices for the other treasures, assuming the numbers alone would tell Sophie which gift she ought to choose.

"Wait!"

Sophie reached out and stopped her, taking the pocket watch directly from Jane's hand.

"A fifty-million-euro pink diamond. A sixty-million-euro porcelain vase. Those simply aren't things someone like me should own." She smiled as she slipped the watch safely beneath her cloak. "This pocket watch is wonderful. It looks beautiful, and I love the melody from the music box. Twenty thousand euros. I'll choose this one."

"Sophie," Jane said softly, "you deserve the very best."

The words carried two meanings.

She was correcting Sophie' habit of undervaluing herself.

And she was still trying to persuade her to choose something grander.

But if Sophie were the sort of person who could be talked into changing her mind so easily...

She wouldn't be Sophie.

Completely unmoved, she tucked the watch securely inside her cloak and grinned.

"A music-box pocket watch. That's already an amazing welcoming gift." She turned toward the exit and waved at Jane. "Come on. Take me to meet Sulpicia. I should thank her properly in person."