The first stop was a jewelry store, and Katherine's eyes immediately widened at the dazzling sight before her. The moment she stepped inside, she felt like she had entered a dragon's hoard—if the dragon had particularly refined taste in accessories and a penchant for bankrupting people.
Necklaces, bracelets, and rings glittered behind pristine glass cases, each piece more breathtaking than the last. The sheer variety was overwhelming. There were delicate silver chains adorned with sapphire pendants, gold rings set with emeralds in intricate patterns, and tiny, shimmering brooches shaped like flowers, birds, and even a particularly smug-looking owl.
This was the kind of place that could turn even the most fiscally responsible person into a financial disaster.
"Ooh," she murmured, pressing her face against the glass like a kid outside a candy store. "I bet if I put on one of these rings, I'd unlock some secret noble heritage I never knew about."
