Chapter 85. Plain Looking

The old lady smiled warmly and nodded. "Try them on!"

"But... this is far too valuable!"

Inside the rosewood box nestled a pair of earrings so green and lustrous they looked like morning dew captured in gemstone. Each teardrop-shaped piece was roughly 30 by 15 millimeters, crafted from flawless chrysoprase-a rare and radiant apple-green stone often mistaken for jade in older eras.

Set in antique gold with fine milgrain detailing, they shimmered with the elegance of old-world luxury. In today's market, the pair would be worth several million at auction.

Serena knew the value didn't lie just in the stones-but in the craftsmanship, the era, the sentiment. And to receive something so precious from someone she'd only met twice? It felt far too extravagant.

But the old lady didn't blink. She picked up the