Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
In response to the voice coming from inside, Lucio entered the study.
Whether he had been working all night or not, his father, Duke Elard, sat in front of his desk with a tired expression on his face.
“You came earlier than expected.”
“Yes.”
“Did you also stay up all night? You look tired.”
The Duke stood up from his seat and sat on the sofa, speaking.
His son’s face, so similar to his own, seemed like looking into a mirror, equally composed and with slightly dark circles under his eyes.
“Tsk, you finally came home after a long time, and yet you don’t rest properly.”
“I slept. I just tossed and turned a bit.”
“Could it be that you’re excited to see your family after such a long time?”
“….”
Considering it not worth answering, Lucio responded with a cold gaze instead.
And he immediately got to the point.
“So, what do you want to talk about?”
“You, boy, you’re in a hurry. Acting so indifferent even to the family you’ve finally met after such a long time. What’s with that temperament of yours?”
He shook his head helplessly at his eldest son, who was not affectionate like Diana nor teasingly playful like Allen.
Yet, Lucio’s expression remained unchanged.
Rather, he stared intently, as if silently asking, ‘Who do you think I resemble?’ Feeling the weight of that gaze, the Duke quickly cleared his throat.
It was embarrassing how much Lucio resembled him, not just in appearance but also in personality.
Thinking that he had made unnecessary remarks, the Duke also got straight to the point.
“You should already know, but there have been many events in the domain.”
As the heir to the dukedom, Lucio was aware of all the major and minor affairs of the family, but hearing it directly from the Duke was different. So, he began explaining the events one by one.
Starting from the rescue of the missing Diana, the expulsion of the Valerie and Valerie Viscount families, the incidents at the gathering where the guests were gathered, and the discovery of rare herbs in the domain.
And also, the story that cannot be omitted among all those events: the story about the child.
“So, Father…?”
“Lia. That child’s name is Lia.”
“…. Anyway, are you trying to express your desire to support that child in such a long-winded manner?”
“Why am I being so long-winded… Everything has been settled, and it would be a waste to keep her as just a maid. She is intelligent and talented. She will excel in anything she is taught.”
“….”
Upon hearing the Duke’s definite statement, Elard, who usually keeps people other than his family at a distance, Lucio closed his mouth. And he recalled the moment when he first met Lia yesterday.
At that time, Luccio felt an indescribable sensation.
A pain as if his heart was being cut by a knife, resentment rising from deep within, and… longing.
Just thinking about that child now made his chest ache and his body tense.
Lucio, who had been pretending not to notice this pain, slowly spoke up.
“Well, if you want to support her, you can do so as you wish. Do you really need to consult me about such matters? Are you already getting senile?”
“What? Are you calling that my words? I was never respectful to begin with… But today, it feels particularly worse. Is it because of my mood?”
“….”
Lucio closed his mouth and turned his head, unable to say anything more.
The Duke let out a hollow laugh but, seeing his son’s face looking more sensitive and sharp than usual, he spoke again with a forgiving tone.
“Why wouldn’t I have spoken up? I’ve already been rejected.”
“She… rejected the sponsorship?”
“Yes. She said she wants to be a maid. I told her to speak up about what she wants, and she asked for a maid uniform. Can you believe how absurd that is?”
The Duke sighed, thinking of Lia.
“She’s still young, and everyone treats her tenderly because she’s Diana’s favorite. But I’m worried because her personality is so straightforward. I can’t force her to study when she doesn’t want to, even though I don’t want that for her.”
“So, what do you want me to do?”
“Hmm. You need to step up.”
Lucio looked at the Duke, seemingly not understanding what he meant.
“Allen, despite being older than Lia, is much younger in terms of mentality. He doesn’t know how to subtly bring up issues or tease her. Even if he tries, I don’t think Lia would listen to Allen.”
“So… you’re not asking me to persuade that child, right?”
When Lucio asked with narrowed eyes, the Duke smiled as if to say, “Why not?”
“Lia is deeply attached to Diana, if not to anyone else. You resemble Diana, and I’ve heard that you’re quite popular among the nobles at the academy. Even among the maids.”
“….”
“Since you’re currently attending the academy, can’t you naturally bring it up? The curriculum, or even the facilities…”
“Diana takes after Father, not me. But Father failed, so why are you doing this to me? Besides…”
Lucio spoke sharply.
“That child is afraid of me.”
“…Afraid of you?”
Surprised by the puzzling question, Lucio’s eyebrows subtly furrowed.
When he first saw the child tremble in fear, he suspected that it might be because of his infamous father, just as Nicholas had said.
But during dinner last night, he didn’t see any signs of fear in the child, even when she looked at their father.
‘Rather, she seemed slightly happy.’
He, too, had an impression that kept most people from approaching him easily.
But he had never become a source of fear like his father.
‘But then… why?’
Lucio sighed softly, looking at the Duke’s puzzled face.
“If I speak, it might have the opposite effect. This issue should be handled by someone else. Ah, I should talk to Mother about it. They seemed to get along well when I saw them yesterday.”
The Duke stared at Lucio with a surprised expression, and asked in a puzzled voice, “You seem upset. What could have upset you so much?”
“I didn’t mean it that way…”
“I see. I’ve lived long enough to see you like this.”
“If you’re done talking, I’ll take my leave.”
As if teasing him with a mocking remark, the Duke continued, making Lucio stand up from his seat. As Lucio reached for the doorknob to leave, he paused.
“But…”
“…?”
“If the child agrees to sponsorship, will she leave this house?”
The Duke was taken aback by Lucio’s question. He had never thought about that issue before. In fact, the Duke of Elad had always been generous in his support for those he sponsored, providing them with financial assistance for their basic needs and even arranging accommodations with servants if they desired.
However, the Duke immediately shook his head.
“She’s still young. Where would she go? She will stay in the academy or the magic academy under the Duke’s patronage. Diana also can’t do without Lía.”
With a firm and decisive answer, the Duke surprised Lucio, who nodded in agreement.
“Very well then.”
With that, Lucco left the study and naturally changed his footsteps.
The Duke’s residence in the capital was a place Lucio had been familiar with since he was young, before he entered the academy. Moreover, even after moving into the dormitory, he always had his own place to stay when he came to the Duke’s residence, so there was no hesitation.
At that moment, as Lucio walked quickly, he furrowed his brow and lightly pressed and released his temple. He hadn’t had a good night’s sleep because his dreams had turned violent and woke him up halfway through.
When he woke up, he couldn’t remember what the dream was about, but one thing was certain: it left him with an uncomfortable feeling.
“Unsettling…”
In fact, it was a complex emotion that couldn’t be simply defined, but he didn’t have the leisure to deeply think about a dream that he couldn’t remember properly.
He had too much to do.
* * *
“Really? Cleaning the main library, not the annex?”
Lía asked again in a trembling voice.
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“No, no problem!”
In fact, she was so happy that she felt like jumping for joy.
“That place only has precious books, so you have to manage the temperature and humidity well. It has to be spotlessly clean, without a speck of dust. Understand?”
“Yes, yes! I will!”
Lía nodded quickly in response to the senior maid’s words, forcing her tail, which was about to rise in excitement, to lower.
She was worried that if she showed too much excitement, they might not assign her the task of cleaning the library next time.
Although her situation was bitter, unable to express her joy for good things properly, she was still thrilled by the fact that she would be visiting the library. Moreover, it wasn’t just any library in the annex where the Duke’s administrators and officials came and went, but the Duke’s personal library, accessible only to those directly related to the Duke.
It was the Duke of Elad’s library, a long-established noble family, so she had high expectations for both its scale and the quality of the books it held. Rumor had it that it had as many valuable books as the palace library, and she was excited at the thought of being able to read such valuable books without others noticing.
“The Duke really dislikes being disturbed, even if the Madam and the Miss take care of that child.”
“Even if the Madam and the Miss protect
her, she might face disfavor.”
Blissfully unaware of the maids giggling and whispering behind her as she walked away, Lía couldn’t contain her excitement. The library, which had been empty and unvisited all this time, was, in fact, a place where Lucio spent more time than his own room.
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Translator Note:
This chapter was translated by Bree.
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