“Let’s stop here for today.”
“Already?”
Jack asked Allen as he put down his sword.
Allen, who would easily skip lunchtime if they started sparring after the morning sword training, replied with a smile when he saw Jack’s expression.
“My brother is here. He’s even harder to see than our father… Ah! Now that we’re in the capital, maybe we’ll get to see him often?”
Allen, who had been scratching his head, blinked and clapped his hands.
“In that case, we can ask him to watch our sparring. Actually, while we’re at it… Let’s go see him now. He’s probably at the library.”
From the moment he brought up the topic of his brother, Allen, who was excited, pulled a bewildered Jack along and headed towards the main building.
And all the way there, Allen began boasting about how amazing, smart, and capable their brother was.
From his words alone, he seemed like a perfect person in the world.
Remembering what Diana had said before about her older brothers being handsome, Jack thought that this sibling bond was truly wonderful.
Of course, when he looked at Allen’s face, he couldn’t help but think that the words weren’t false.
As Jack casually let Allen’s words slip through one ear, he looked around on their way to the main building, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lia busily going back and forth with cleaning tools.
And that’s when it happened.
“Head maid?”
“…Young Master.”
Allen raised his head, seemingly losing his usual composure, and looked at the head maid as, who was climbing the stairs in a hurry. Her face was pale.
“Why are you in such a hurry? What’s the matter?”
“Oh no… I was on my way to Young Master.”
“Oh really? That’s good. I was also going to see my brother.”
Saying they could go together, Allen took the lead. Naturally, their destination was the library, which was practically Lucio’s dwelling.
“Brother, it’s me, Allen! I’m coming in.”
Without waiting for an invitation, Allen swung the door open wide.
“Lia?”
And his eyes widened at the face he didn’t expect to see here.
“Don’t worry, eat.”
At that moment, Lucio, who was sitting slowly with a cup of tea in his hand, spoke up.
Upon closer inspection, a refreshing salmon salad, orange juice, and a sandwich were arranged on the table.
Lia, sitting on the sofa across from Lucio, glanced uncomfortably at Allen and then started nibbling on the sandwich she was holding, with an awkward expression.
Observing this with bewilderment, Allen asked, “Brother, what are you doing? And Lia, why are you here?”
Lia couldn’t answer because her mouth was full of food.
However, her expression clearly showed her confusion, indicating that she also didn’t understand the reason.
* * *
A little earlier.
Lia thought that I would receive a scolding without a doubt.
However, as soon as Lucio shook the bell, he calmly said to the maid, as if he had been waiting, “Prepare a warm tea and a light meal.”
With that said, he started scribbling something with a fountain pen as if that was all he had to say.
The maid’s expression became flustered.
Considering Lucio’s usually cold and strict demeanor, it was unthinkable for him to let someone trespass into his private space without permission.
Therefore, the maid, who thought that he would immediately drag the intruder out and punish her, stood hesitantly in front of the door.
“Why are you just standing there instead of leaving?”
When Lucio looked at her again with a chilly gaze, she hastily ran out.
Lia, sensing the situation, also tried to follow along.
However, Lucio spoke in a stern voice, “Didn’t you say you came here to work? Are you just going to leave like that?”
“Th-Then should I continue cleaning?” Lia asked.
“No. It’s something else.”
Lia swallowed nervously at his response.
But what Lucio asked her to do was nothing significant.
He scribbled on a piece of paper for a while, then tore it off and handed it to Lia. At a glance, it looked like the title of a book.
Quick-witted Lia nodded and started surveying the vast library.
Meanwhile, two maids came with food.
Seeing that there were more maids than before, it seemed that other maids had gathered at the door.
Lia pretended not to care and carefully climbed up the ladder, taking out the books Lucio had ordered and placing them next to him one by one.
The maids, who were supposed to put down the food, bit their lips in frustration as things didn’t go according to their plan.
However, since Lucio remained still, no one could say anything and they had no choice but to retreat.
And finally, when Lia had found all the books.
“Well done. Now let’s eat this.”
Without saying much, Lucio poured tea from the teapot into his cup. It was a mint-scented tea that was strong enough to wake someone up.
As he gracefully held the teacup and took a sip before placing it back down, Lia hesitated and spoke cautiously.
“Um, I’m not hungry. I had breakfast late.”
It wasn’t a lie. Thanks to Diana, who loved to sleep in, breakfast was always a leisurely affair for Lia.
And as soon as Diana left for her morning classes, it was Lia’s routine to go and receive her tasks for the day.
But when she mustered up the courage to honestly express herself, the response wasn’t very favorable.
Seeing Lucio’s eyebrows slightly furrow, Lia couldn’t help but pick up the sandwich, saying, “Haha, but it looks so delicious, I want to eat it.”
Cursing silently, why did these aristocrats always torture people with food whenever they saw them.
And just then, Allen’s voice was heard from outside, interrupting the current situation.
Instead of Lia, who couldn’t explain this long story and was struggling to swallow the bread, Lucio responded to Allen.
“Well, I’m just having tea.”
“And why is Lia here?”
“She said she came to clean.”
“Clean?”
Allen blinked his eyes and suddenly jumped up.
“She came here to clean?!”
As much as Allen really liked his older brother Lucio, he was now scared of his cold personality.
Whenever he followed his father to the capital, his older brother always stayed here, and when he didn’t allow anyone, no servant dared to linger around this area.
If anyone violated this rule, Lucio would mete out punishments even more terrifying and ruthless than their father, which is why even the maids who were eager to catch his attention tried to avoid this place.
“Why did you do that? This is basically my personal study.”
Even though it was evident from the current situation that Lia was not in danger, Allen shouted anxiously.
He could brush it off if it were his younger brother suddenly barging in, but Lucio considered that there was no reason to be lenient with Lia, who had no relevance to him.
In response to Allen’s questioning, Lia swallowed what was in her mouth and said with a resentful expression.
“It’s always empty, so I didn’t know.”
Allen was left speechless.
This place was only for the direct descendants of the duke.
Father would leave early in the morning and return late at night, always staying in his office, even when he stayed at the mansion. Mother had become unusually busy since she came to the capital.
He was immersed in swordsmanship, and Diana was still at an age to read fairy tales, so there was no reason for anyone to come to this library.
Until Lucio arrived, the lights were always turned off here, so it was understandable that Lia misunderstood.
‘But why didn’t anyone warn me?’
Even the dull ones would find it strange.
The librarian, who was standing behind Allen, stepped forward and stood beside him.
“I apologize, young master. It was a mistake made by one of my maids…”
“I don’t care if it was a mistake or not. But make sure it’s dealt with properly. If something like this happens again…”
“Absolutely, I will ensure that nothing like this happens again. I apologize for causing concern.”
The librarian bent halfway at the waist and bowed his head.
Lucio still had a cold gaze, but he didn’t add any more words.
The librarian regarded it as a sign of trust and straightened his back. Then he turned his gaze to Lia.
It was the moment when he was about to say that they would leave with the child.
“From now on, I will entrust the management of this library to this child, so keep that in mind.”
“….Excuse me?”
The expression on the librarian’s face changed momentarily upon hearing Lucio’s words.
As if she had heard something she couldn’t believe.
However, Lucio didn’t respond to her question.
Instead.
“So, come here again tomorrow. Don’t do anything else, just come straight here.”
He said to Lia, who was sneakily tearing off pieces of bread while being cautious.
“Even when I return to the academy, keep coming.”
“….”
“You’ll only do the tasks I assign you.”
Lucio raised his chin, waiting for Lia’s surprised blink.
“Master.”
At that moment, the librarian called Lucio in a stern voice.
“May I ask why you are entrusting the management of this place to this child…? May I inquire about the reason?”
As Allen was also curious, he pretended to perk up his ears.
Lucio, who had been looking at Lia slowly, turned his head.
“Helen.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Do I have to explain everything in such detail?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
“Then leave.”
As Lucio turned around, he noticed Allen and Jack standing awkwardly beside the librarian.
“So, Allen. What’s the sudden matter?”
“Um… I just asked him to watch our sparring with you, brother.”
“I’m busy now. Later in the afternoon.”
Lucio swiftly picked up a book again, cutting off the conversation.
However, Allen couldn’t easily leave his seat. Forgetting that he had to introduce Jack standing next to him, Allen asked.
“Uh, but brother. What are you assigning Lia to do?”
“…Various things.”
“Then what about the food that’s prepared right now?”
More specifically, it was a question about why Lia was having a meal here in the first place.
In response to that question, Lucio lifted his head from the book he was reading and muttered half-heartedly.
“Reward. It’s said to be the best food… for feeding.”
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
This chapter was translated by Bree.
If you like my work please support us in Patreon. Next post will be released on September, 23.
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