Chapter 134
Everyone came out to the front of the main building to welcome the young duke, who had returned from his first territorial inspection without any issues.
“I was worried when I heard the teleport gate was closed, but I’m so relieved you made it back safely before the graduation ceremony.”
Lucio gave a small nod to the duchess, who smiled warmly at him.
Then, he lifted his gaze and scanned the family members who had come to greet him.
It wasn’t surprising to see his mother and younger siblings, but the presence of his father, who should have been at the Imperial Palace, was unexpected.
At that moment, a strange sense of unease crept over Lucio. He looked over the gathered people once more.
The source of his unease was quickly revealed, someone who should have been here was missing.
Did she catch a cold?
He recalled the small figure curled up, waiting for him in the heavy snowfall for hours.
Though several days had passed, her frail and undernourished body might not have withstood the bitter cold.
It was a good decision to return to the estate immediately upon arriving in the capital, without stopping to receive any reports.
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
“Huuu… big brother!”
Suddenly, Diana burst into sorrowful tears and threw herself into his arms.
“Diana?”
Lucio looked at her in confusion, but her crying only grew louder. A strange discomfort stirred in his chest.
He turned to his family for an explanation, but they all awkwardly avoided his gaze.
“Sis’s gone… Hic…”
“…What?”
“She left Dana. I want to see her.”
Lucio’s face froze, his eyes blinking slowly. The blue eyes, which rarely revealed his emotions, wavered with uncertainty.
“…Gone?”
Diana nodded as she sobbed even harder.
“Lucio, let’s go inside first.”
“Yes, we’ll explain everything in detail once we’ve settled inside.”
Both his mother and father spoke in turn, but their voices barely registered in Lucio’s ears.
She really left? Why?
She had promised him that day that she wouldn’t leave the duchy.
I shouldn’t have believed her. I should have assigned someone to watch her at the estate…
“Lucio.”
He had been so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice his father approaching until the duke placed a hand on his shoulder and called his name again.
“…Where did she go?”
“Let’s talk in the study.”
The duke, glancing at his dazed son in bewilderment, led him toward the study.
He had waited to personally receive him, both to congratulate Lucio on his successful inspection and because his wife was worried about how he would react.
‘But I never expected to see him like this.’
As he looked at his son, who felt strangely unfamiliar today, the duke began his explanation.
And a short while later.
“Lucio! Are you even listening?”
“…”
“Well, I suppose it’s hard to believe. I couldn’t believe it either. Even now, when I think about it—how could that angelic child be…?”
“Dear.”
The duchess quickly stopped her husband from getting carried away and rambling. Then, she gently added,
“We wanted to tell you right away, but as you know, the teleport gate was blocked.”
“So you’re saying she was really…”
“She is the Grand Duke’s lost daughter.”
“…Ha.”
A dry laugh escaped Lucio’s lips.
The duchess, watching him closely, hesitated before adding,
“Oh, right. Before she left, Lia asked me to give you a message.”
“…What is it?”
“She said, ‘Thank you for being kind to me.’”
“I see.”
Lucio nodded, his face now devoid of any earlier turmoil.
‘This is a good outcome.’
The House of Elard was one of only two ducal families in the empire, enjoying unparalleled power and wealth under the imperial family’s trust. However, they had no particularly close alliances with other noble houses.
Even the Marquisate of Diapel, with whom they had relatively amicable relations, was a military-oriented family and not a significant force in the political landscape of the capital.
In such circumstances, strengthening ties with the House of Belus, a grand duchy that owned mana stone mines and the Mage Tower, would be an invaluable asset.
Of course, his father had maintained a good relationship with Ascart since long ago, but finding the lost grand princess would undoubtedly solidify their bond even further.
At that moment, as Lucio reached a perfectly rational and logical conclusion, he suddenly stood up.
“…Lucio?”
“I will visit the marquisate.”
“To see the grand duke’s son?”
Lucio and Ascart had been friends for a long time, so it was only natural that they would be together in this joyous occasion.
Moreover, since few people were aware of the grand princess’s return or the details surrounding it, Ascart was likely itching to talk about it.
Recalling Ascart’s bright expression as he proudly introduced his little sister, the duchess smiled and said,
“But you just got back. Why don’t you rest a bit first?”
“I’m fine. I had plenty of time to rest while I was stuck in the territory.”
“I see. Then, take care.”
Watching Lucio immediately leave, the duchess tilted her head slightly in puzzlement.
At first, Lucio seemed quite flustered upon learning that Lia was gone, but he quickly regained his usual composure.
Yet, for some reason, there seemed to be a hidden edge to his final words. It even felt like he was gritting his teeth.
‘…It must be my imagination.’
“Pfft!”
Just then…
Hearing a sudden burst of laughter, Lucio turned his head to see his father laughing uproariously, slapping the sofa in amusement.
***
Lucio hesitated as he stepped into the marquisate’s estate under the butler’s guidance.
Though he hadn’t visited often, the atmosphere was drastically different from usual.
The mansion, which normally exuded the austere and disciplined air befitting a military family, was now filled with a soft, sweet aroma as if he had stepped into a dessert café.
“Lucio!”
At that moment, the drawing room doors flew open, and Ascart himself greeted Lucio.
Seeing the butler bow and take his leave, Ascart’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“You just got back today? Since you came straight to see me, I guess you’ve already heard the news?”
“Yeah. Where’s the marquis?”
“Grandfather’s not here right now!”
Waving off any formalities, Ascart led Lucio to the sofa.
Lucio narrowed his eyes as he studied him.
Ascart was always kind and warm, but he had never seen him this cheerful before.
…No, actually, he used to be like this when we were kids.
A distant memory surfaced—back before the grand princess had gone missing, Ascart had been nothing but pure sunshine.
‘Is he taking after that child?’
Lucio silently observed Ascart, who radiated happiness as he chattered away.
Before he knew it, time had passed, and he had already downed three cups of tea.
“Now that I think about it, I must have felt an instinctive connection to Lia the first time I saw her at the academy.”
“I see.”
“I just wish Mother had felt the same. That poor girl must have suffered so much in silence.”
Even as Ascart continued to talk endlessly, Lucio, instead of coldly cutting him off as usual, displayed an unusual amount of patience.
Noticing this, Ascart was even more moved and grew even more excited.
“But isn’t she amazing? How did she even think of going to the temple? If it were me, I would’ve just given up.”
Lucio didn’t respond.
A vision of Lia flashed through his mind, her eyes red and swollen as if she had cried too much.
And at the same time, the sight of her frantically demanding money.
Ascart let out a deep sigh.
“Our Lia must be almost at the grand duchy by now. I wish I could’ve gone with her.”
“Why is the graduation ceremony so late?”
Lucio quietly watched Ascart grumble before suddenly pulling a fountain pen from his pocket.
“Here. Take this.”
“Huh?”
“You said you liked it when I lent it to you last time, didn’t you?”
“Oh, well… yeah, but…”
Ascart looked confused as Lucio rummaged through his pockets again.
“…?”
“This is a pocket watch crafted by an artisan from the Kingdom of Rudin. It runs on magic stones and will always keep perfect time unless broken.”
Handing over the watch, Lucio added,
“Since you do a lot of experiments, you probably need it more than I do.”
For a moment, Ascart was speechless.
Lucio, seeing him blink in shock, continued nonchalantly.
“Try it out. If you like it, let me know. I can order a few more and send them to the grand duchy.”
“Huh? Oh… Thanks. But why are you—”
“Also, take this.”
Lucio cut off Ascart’s flustered question and handed over something wrapped in brown paper.
Feeling as if he were under some kind of spell, Ascart unwrapped the thick, heavy package.
“What is this…? Wait—!”
As soon as he tore off the last bit of wrapping, his eyes widened in shock.
“The Advanced Theoretical Magic book by Avissio!”
“You mentioned wanting to read it before. I found a copy in the duchy’s library, so I brought it.”
“Lucio, you…!”
Overwhelmed with emotion, Ascart looked up at Lucio, his eyes glistening.
“This is a rare edition! It’s impossible to find… Thank you so much. I’ll read it carefully and return it before the graduation ceremony!”
“No need. It’s yours.”
“Lucio…!”
Overcome with gratitude, Ascart jumped up and spread his arms wide, ready to embrace Lucio.
But Lucio swiftly dodged and spoke calmly.
“By the way, Ascart.”
“Hm?”
Ascart looked at him expectantly, his expression full of enthusiasm.
Seeing that, Lucio smirked slightly and asked,
“Would it be alright if I visited the grand duchy?”
Ascart beamed brightly and responded.
“Nope.”
