“….”
“…My lord. When did you arrive?”
I asked with a trembling voice.
Lucio, who had been staring at the fallen book on the floor, looked up and glanced at me.
“Just now.”
“Ah… Haha. So, that’s what happened.”
Please give me a warning before you appear, seriously!
I was absorbed in the book and let my guard down. I bit my lip.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“What?”
“….”
I asked, but instead of answering, Lucio let out a sigh and started moving.
Of course, I quickly bent down to pick up the fallen book without realizing that he was heading towards the desk.
And when he raised his head…
“…?”
Lucio was sitting on the opposite sofa.
Even though I was surprised, he didn’t pay any attention and shook the bell on the table.
After a moment, a maid entered.
“Bring tea and milk.”
Lucio enjoyed mint-scented tea even on ordinary days. He didn’t add milk separately.
‘So asking for milk means…’
There was no denying that it was clearly my responsibility.
In fact, over the past few days, Lucio had constantly brought me snacks and such, so it wasn’t that surprising.
‘Thanks to that, I’ve gained a bit of weight recently.’
The maid, who was aware of this, looked at me with a displeased expression. Of course, she didn’t say anything out loud.
After the maid left, Lucio stood there, looking at me as if asking what I was doing.
I had no choice but to tidy up the books and sit on the sofa.
It was most agonizing to sit facing each other like this.
‘Think of something else. Let’s think of something else.’
I decided to ignore the situation and stared into empty space.
While contemplating what to think about, I remembered that Lucio enjoys mint tea.
Having been a member of the Information Guild for a long time, I had access to a lot of information that was unknown to the political and social circles. This included the wine preferences, hobbies, and even private matters like sleeping preferences of major nobles.
However, information about the Elad Ducal House was highly restricted, making it almost impossible to know about Lucio’s preferences. It was deemed difficult to approach the Elad Ducal House, second only to the royal family in the political scene of Tarencheum. So, there was no need to explain separately how rare and valuable that information was.
Therefore, if the information that Lucio enjoys mint tea were to be sold to noble ladies or ladies of high society, it would fetch a very high price.
‘But I can’t do such a thing.’
Though I was once an information agent, I am currently a servant under the Elad Ducal House. Even if I were to leave the Ducal House in the future, there were matters that needed to be considered.
Moreover, I knew not just about Lucio’s trivial preferences but also about a truly hidden secret, but I had not revealed it to anyone.
‘In fact, Lucio is a swordsman on the continent, like Allen…’
Crackle.
Just then, while deeply immersed in other thoughts, I heard a strange sound.
Unable to resist my curiosity, I shifted my gaze directly and saw that he had torn open a brown envelope he had been holding since entering the library and was taking something out.
“…!”
I was so surprised that I held my breath.
Lucio glanced at me briefly, but I couldn’t help it.
What he took out was bread.
It was a bread that was too plain to be eaten by the successor of a noble house, deep-fried after being coated with flour dough and generously covered in sugar.
It wasn’t luxurious bread with various chocolate chips or nuts in it, just plain bread.
However, this seemingly plain bread was quite famous near the Academy.
Young nobles who had only eaten high-end desserts in their mansions gained popularity as they entered the Academy, an independent space, and opened their eyes to street snacks.
‘I wondered where you went this morning. But surely, you didn’t go to the Academy?’
There was no reason for someone who came home to rest after the exam to visit the Academy.
However, I was extremely suspicious, even though I knew it was unlikely.
“Eat it.”
Lucio offered me the bread with a blunt face.
I stood frozen, not knowing how to respond.
Suddenly, a voice I thought I had long forgotten echoed in my ear.
“Do you want to eat what you’ve been staring at for so long? Isn’t that right?”
His words were correct.
Every time I saw the students of the Academy carrying this bread and eating it, my gaze was always drawn to it.
Already hungry and with such a warm and fluffy-looking bread, how much I wanted to eat it.
I wanted to pretend I didn’t know when the other street children of the beggar gang planned to steal it, to the extent that I wanted to join them.
As I snapped out of my thoughts at the sound, I saw a maid placing tea, a teapot, and a cup of white milk on the table.
The maid alternated between looking at the bread inside the brown envelope that Lucio had spread open and me, with an expression of disbelief.
By the time we returned to the lodging, rumors would spread that I had comfortably played and eaten the bread brought by the young master from the library. But I didn’t mind.
I felt the rich and sweet aroma permeating my nose as I confidently took a bite of the bread.
The warm bread was soft and chewy, and the crunchy sugar was perfectly sweetened.
Eating it with the milk created a moist and smooth texture that filled my mouth with delight.
‘So this is how it tastes.’
In truth, at that moment, I couldn’t eat the bread that he recommended and just stared at it dumbfounded. It was because I couldn’t understand his intentions.
Then he tilted his head and asked.
“Why are you making that expression?”
Perhaps it had been a long time since I looked in the mirror.
At that time, I had no idea what expression I was making.
So, I nervously raised my hand and touched my face.
The corners of my eyes and lips were clearly downturned.
Maybe I wanted to cry.
Unable to understand why I wanted to cry, I shook my head, and he let out a small sigh.
Then he put down the bag and took out a small bottle from his pocket.
“This is a magic potion that makes you feel better.”
I widened my eyes at Lucio’s words.
I knew that magic existed in this world, but I had never actually seen it, so my heart pounded heavily.
Moreover, since Lucio was such a remarkable nobleman, I naturally believed that his words were true.
I couldn’t resist, so I slowly put what Lucio handed me into my mouth.
It was the first time in my life that I tasted “chocolate.”
After having it in my mouth for a while, Lucio asked me while I was savoring it.
“Do you feel better now?”
When I was at the orphanage, I only had plain meals, and from then on, picking up garbage or starving became a routine.
The chocolate I tasted for the first time sent shivers down my spine, so I thought, “Magic potions are truly amazing!” and nodded continuously.
Lucio seemed momentarily surprised by me and soon curved his eyebrows.
It was the first smile of Lucio that I saw.
At that time, without being surprised by my frozen state, Lucio spoke.
“Then, try calling my name, like you did last time.”
“…Yes?”
I blinked my eyes and recalled the day I first met Lucio when I casually mumbled his name while practicing writing.
I thought he didn’t get angry at the time and quietly passed over it, but in response to his sudden command, I was taken aback and quickly dropped to my knees, begging.
“I’m sorry. I won’t call Your highness’s name without permission ever again.”
“…”
Luckily, Lucio only let out a shallow sigh without saying anything.
That’s it. After that, he occasionally gave me chocolate.
I couldn’t bring myself to bite into it because I thought it was too precious, so I slowly melted it in my mouth.
However, the other street children who saw this told me that it wasn’t a magic potion but chocolate.
I was shocked and soon became melancholic.
Why did he show such false sympathy to a mere beggar, and why was it me among so many other children? I wondered.
But I could never know the answer.
‘Because it hasn’t been long since I left the beggar life.’
Afterwards, while running the café operated by the guild, I tried many desserts and chocolates.
However, I could never taste that same flavor I had when I first tried it.
‘..No, I knew I wouldn’t be able to.’
When I came to the duke’s residence with Diana.
The chocolate handed to me by the duchess was just like the magic potion from that day.
It was so sweet that tears came to my eyes and my whole body trembled.
Perhaps the first time is important.
“Um…”
Without realizing it, I called out Lucio’s name, and when our eyes met, I was taken aback.
I don’t know where I found the courage.
It was just an impulsive expression of the worries and curiosity that had been occupying my mind lately, as I thought of the duchess.
For the past few days, Diana, Allen, and even the duke visited the library, but only one person didn’t.
The duchess never set foot in the library, even though she had busy days.
There were many days when she stayed at the mansion doing her work, and she could have come at least once.
But she never visited the library, even when she asked me how my day was going.
I could easily guess the reason.
It was because Lucio thought he made her uncomfortable.
I was even more worried because I had seen his forced smile several times.
I suddenly became scared at the thought that it might somehow affect the duchess’s death.
Was that the reason? I asked Lucio, who still hadn’t taken his eyes off me.
“Why do you call the head maid by name?”
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Translator Note:
This chapter was translated by Bree.
If you like my work please support us in Patreon. Next post will be released on October, 7.
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