Apparently, I’m a Poisonous Woman Who Sells One-Night Dreams, but I Ended Up Awakening a Hero’s Devoted Love - Chapter 2.8

Where Jerf was pointing stood numerous bracelets beneath the open-air stall’s canopy.

Some were slender, but the most common were about four to five centimeters wide. A bit too large and rugged in design for a woman to wear. Chunky.

“Lord Jerf, are you unfamiliar with the myths of Cortaus?”

“Ah, completely. Are they famous?”

“In Cortaus, there are versions translated for children, and it’s the most popular picture book parents first give their children. The official version is a five-volume epic, think of it like a scripture.”

It chronicles the founding of Cortaus, along with ancient legends of saints, adults, and monsters.

Originally a warlike nation, it has a history of expanding its territory through battles with neighboring countries. A distinctive feature is that many stories depict heroes from that era as if they were mythological figures.

“The most popular picture book for children is ‘The Heroic Tales of Delmis.’ With a single swing of his sword, he could fell a hundred enemy soldiers, and he even split a raging river in half to cross to the other shore. I suppose you could do that too, Lord Jerf?”

“Getting back at me for earlier, are you? Well, I’ll say I can.”

“Please show me someday. Anyway, the hero Delmis wore a golden bracelet given to him by his beloved wife. Delmis was an incredibly handsome man, and a witch, smitten by his looks, tried to ensnare him using a charm spell. Delmis, caught off guard by the witch’s lovely form, nearly fell into her clutches.”

“For a hero, huh? Well, even heroes are men, so perhaps they’re weak to bewitching femmes’ fatales.”

As Jerf deliberately twirled his silver hair around his finger and smiled, Mariadoll gently grasped his arm.

“But at that moment—”

“Wait, which moment?”

“Since it’s a picture book, please just go with it. At that moment, the bracelet shone, and the hero regained his senses, driving a dagger into the witch’s chest. Amid the sheets stained crimson with blood, Delmis kissed the bracelet and thanked his wife, or so the story goes.”

After that, it became a custom for wives to give these to their husbands upon marriage as protective charms against evil.

“Seems to me it’s just given to prevent cheating.”

“Hehe, I suppose so. But over time, it came to include another meaning. Cortaus is a warlike nation with constant battles. If someone died in a distant battlefield, it was difficult to return the body to their family, so instead, they would send the bracelet. Nowadays, more people wear it for the latter meaning. Those sending their loved ones off to war supposedly say, ‘Come back with the bracelet.'”

Noticing Jerf’s expression darken slightly, Mariadoll regretted not stopping the conversation earlier. Perhaps it was the relaxed atmosphere of the foreign city, but she had become a bit too loose-lipped.

“I’m sorry. That turned into a gloomy topic.”

“No, so… is that what they’re selling at that stall?”

“Those are likely for tourists and probably made differently. I hear some people buy them as souvenirs with the ‘infidelity prevention’ meaning in mind. It’s one of this country’s specialties. Would you like to take a look?”

Having finished her gelato, Mariadoll headed to the stall, picked up a bracelet, and handed it to Jerf.

“As expected, it’s not the real ‘Delmis’s Bracelet.’ The genuine one has a keyhole and can only be opened with the wife’s key.”

“I see, so it can’t be removed while alive. But even as an infidelity deterrent, the keyhole seems effective.”

“True, but for a souvenir, that’s a bit too heavy, don’t you think? I hear some wives still give ‘Delmis’s Bracelet’ to their husbands, but in that case, they order a custom size from a jeweler to fit the husband’s wrist. It’s a gift filled with deep affection.”

“Ah,” Jerf furrowed his brow slightly. Was it just his imagination, or did it seem like an inescapable collar?

The stallkeeper, who had been listening to their conversation, brought out a wooden box and showed it to them.

“If you’d like, I also have ones with keyholes. Ma’am, your husband has such striking looks that he probably gets constant attention from women—how about one?”

“Eh, no, I’m not his wi—”

As Mariadoll tried to deny it, Jerf pressed his index finger to her lips with a firm smile and took the bracelet.

“Indeed, it has a keyhole. Naturally, the wife holds the key, right?”

“Yes, it’s common to hang it from the neck on a cord. Some men even wear it themselves as a proof of loyalty.”

The shopkeeper clasped his hands in front of his chest and struck a playful, eager pose. It seemed he thought the same as Jerf.

“Are you wearing one, shopkeeper?”

“Haha, well, you see—one with a keyhole. But since I’m in this trade, I know a blacksmith and have a spare key. My wife doesn’t know, hahaha!”

The shopkeeper, about ten years older than Jerf, laughed heartily. His face, with its sun-bleached, dry brown hair tied back roughly, did seem like it would appeal to women.

“Mariadoll, which one should we get?”

“You’re buying one? Then, without the keyhole. I trust you, Lord Jerf. Besides, you won’t be going to any battlefields anymore.”

Here, Mariadoll lowered her voice.

“This is something knights wear during war. I wouldn’t recommend wearing it tomorrow when you meet His Highness Prince Dennis.”

Jerf looked back at Mariadoll with a start, then nodded.

“As expected of Mariadoll. You’re right. Then, could you pick one without a keyhole that suits me?”

“Understood.”

Mariadoll shrugged slightly and scanned the items on display at the stall.

Since it was a souvenir shop, they were too cheap for Jerf to wear, but she decided not to mind, thinking of it as a travel memento.

(With Lord Jerf’s build, a thick bracelet would likely suit him.)

From the five-centimeter-wide bracelets, she chose one engraved with a vine pattern, handed it to the shopkeeper, and took out her purse from her pouch.

“If it’s money, I’ll—”

“No. Since it’s an infidelity-prevention bracelet, it has no meaning unless I give it to you.”

Mariadoll handed over several silver coins and clasped the received bracelet onto Jerf’s wrist with a click.

“Hmm, somehow it feels like you’ve got the reins.”

“Hehe, then please keep it on for today.”

At that moment, Mariadoll never imagined that Jerf would treasure something bought for a few silver coins at a souvenir shop.