“Nobody will know if you don’t say anything.”
“…Shut up.”
“Come on, let’s go to the wedding together.”
“I said shut up! Keep your mouth shut!”
“You actually want to congratulate the duke, don’t you?”
Even though Luciard lashed out with harsh words, Hestia wasn’t fazed at all. Instead, she kept poking at the feelings he was desperately trying to bury and ignore.
Luciard tried again to push her away but he found himself hopeless.
As he hung his head silently, Hestia bent down to pick up his tattered ceremonial outfit.
“I’ll help you. Let’s go to the wedding together.”
“…How? This outfit is in poor condition.”
“Just wear something else. We don’t have much time.”
Hestia suddenly grabbed Luciard’s hand.
Luciard, bewildered by the small girl dragging him along, could only stare in disbelief. Just as he was about to question what she was doing, Hestia stopped in her tracks.
“Where’s your room?”
“…Sigh. Follow me.”
Resigned, Luciard led her to his room, almost in defeat.
***
“Is this all the clothes you have?” Hestia asked.
“Yeah.”
“Hmm…”
A small number of clothes that don’t fill up an entire wardrobe.
It was absurdly shabby for a wardrobe belonging to a duke’s brother.
“Didn’t the duke buy you more clothes?” she asked.
“When I first got this room, there were more clothes, but they disappeared one by one over time.”
“Someone stole them?”
“Probably.”
Hestia shook her head in disbelief.
Still, she searched the wardrobe thoroughly and found something to put for the wedding.
“Hurry and wash up. You’ve ten minutes.”
“What?”
“You’re not planning to go like this, are you?”
Hestia gave Luciard a pointed look, eyeing him from head to toe. He looked disheveled, either from being in the storage room earlier or because he’d never been properly taken care of.
Luciard flushed, embarrassed by his own appearance.
“Forget it. I’m not going,” he muttered.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake! You’re so stubborn! Hurry up and wash already!” she snapped, grabbing his shirt and pulling it up.
“Whoa!” Luciard jumped back, swatting her hand away, but not before Hestia got a glimpse of his body.
“…”
Luciard froze, clutching his shirt tightly, as he saw Hestia standing there, stunned.
Feeling exposed, he averted his eyes. “See? This is why I said I’m not going…”
His voice was shaky, barely above a whisper, filled with a vulnerability that made Hestia’s ears perk up.
She snapped back to reality and immediately yelled, her face contorted in anger.
“Are you out of your mind?!”
Luciard flinched, stepping back in surprise.
“That must’ve been the work of that vile servant or whatever, right?!” she demanded, her voice rising in fury.
Instead of answering, Luciard pulled at his clothes, trying to hide his bruised body, avoiding her gaze.
Hestia let out a bitter laugh. When she lifted his shirt, she saw his body covered in bruises, there were clear signs of abuse.
“Why did you let this happen? You should have told the duke immediately!”
“It wouldn’t have mattered… My brother finds me a nuisance.”
“Who told you that? Did the duke himself say that to you?!”
Hestia was now right in front of him, seething with anger, she held her breath.
Luciard shook his head reluctantly.
“Those words—they were all from the people who’ve been mistreating you, weren’t they?”
“…Yeah.”
“Unbelievable! Ugh, seriously!”
Watching Hestia vent her frustration, Luciard felt a strange sensation. He’d never had anyone care about him or sympathize with his situation before.
‘Why is she getting so angry over something that isn’t even her problem?’
She’s odd.
Having never been worried about by anyone, Luciard found Hestia’s actions foreign. But they weren’t entirely unpleasant.
“Listen to me carefully,” Hestia said, grabbing both of his shoulders, her eyes fierce.
“From now on, you’ll get ready with me, go to the wedding, and after the ceremony, you’ll tell the duke everything that’s happened.”
“But… my brother—”
“Your brother is worried about you! I saw it myself yesterday!”
Now that she thought about it, there had been strange items in the audience chamber—like a gold boat and a jewel-encrusted bear statue. They didn’t fit the room at all.
They were likely things that Icarus had bought in an attempt to get closer to Luciard.
“Do you think I’m lying?”
“…No.”
“Trust me this one time. If you’re still worried, I’ll be with you the whole time.”
Looking at Hestia, who was much smaller than him and seemed so fragile that she might topple over with just a push, Luciard couldn’t help but feel conflicted.
‘But… what if my brother really does care about me?’
The memory of Icarus leaving a sandwich at his door last night flashed through his mind.
“Fine. I’ll do what you say.”
“Good! Now go in there and wash up right away! Use this to scrub yourself clean!” Hestia’s fierce determination was short-lived as she quickly handed him a bar of soap and shoved him into the bathroom.
Luciard blinked in confusion but found himself chuckling softly as he undressed.
‘Flowers, huh…’ he thought, sniffing the soap’s floral scent, a rare smile tugged at his lips.
—
“Ugh, all those disgusting people who hit kids deserve to rot in hell,” Hestia muttered under her breath as she rummaged through the wardrobe, still fuming while the sound of running water came from the bathroom.
The reason she was so angry was simple.
Before she returned to the past, her younger siblings had been beaten once.
It was after their family had collapsed, and they had barely escaped in the middle of the night. Not long after that, their money started to run out, and they hadn’t had a proper meal in days.
At the time, Hestia had been 18, and her younger brother Elvin was only 13.
Her siblings were too young, and she had never earned a living before, so she had no idea how they would survive.
Still, they couldn’t just starve to death. So, she left her siblings at an inn and went out to find work.
But when she returned empty-handed after searching all day, Elvin’s face was a mess of bruises.
***
[“Elvin! Who did this to you? Who’s the bastard?!”]
[“Eric tried to eat someone else’s food, and… it just happened…”]
[“Hic! I’m sorry, sis… It’s all because of me! Because of me! Eric got hurt!”]
***
Her youngest brother, unable to endure the hunger, had tried to eat leftovers from another guest’s plate, and that guest had been furious. Elvin had taken the beating to protect his little brother.
At that time, Hestia had to swallow her tears, feeling powerless to do anything.
That’s when it all started—her determination to work, no matter what the task.
Having calmed down somewhat, Hestia regained her composure and stared intently at the bathroom where Luciad was.
In truth, there was no need for her to help Luciad to this extent.
Even though Icarus had asked her to befriend Luciad, this level of involvement was entirely out of sync with her plan to distance herself from the Winston family.
“But who knows what the future holds?”
Already, her involvement had allowed Frost to take a step away from Harbor’s threats, and she had expedited the development of fragrant soaps, laying the groundwork for Frost’s foundation.
Just like this, the future might slowly begin to change because of her actions.
“Who knows? Maybe their relationship will improve, and it could prevent Leonhard’s misfortunes in the future.”
While she couldn’t be sure if this would change Icarus’s fate, if she managed to clear up the misunderstanding between Luciad and Icarus and bring them closer together, Luciad could potentially lead the Winston duchy in Leonhard’s place.
Even though he was an illegitimate child, Luciad was still of the same bloodline.
“This is like an insurance policy for a secure future.”
Hestia repeated this to herself over and over, justifying her impulsive actions.
“Uh… I’m done.”
Just then, freshly bathed, Luciad approached, dripping water from his hair.
Hestia approached him and wrapped a towel around his head.
“We don’t have much time. Dry your hair quickly.”
“Okay.”
While Luciad was drying his hair, Hestia hung the clothes she had picked out beforehand over the partition.
“Once you’re done drying, change into these.”
Luciad obediently followed her instructions.
In a white shirt and black suspender pants, he now looked much more like a young nobleman.
To be honest, before washing up, he had looked more like a commoner than a noble.
“Please, have a seat.”
Hestia had already prepared a chair. As soon as Luciad sat down, she began applying her moisturizing cream to his face.
“Wh-what is this?”
“I’m making you look pretty.”
Her ten years as a maid were certainly proving useful.
A maid’s duties were varied, and one of them was grooming the master.
Having cared for not just noble ladies but even retired elderly gentlemen, she skillfully and quickly tended to Luciad’s hair.
Since he was already quite handsome, slicking back his hair with oil brought out his looks even more.
To add a bit of liveliness, she applied a bit of the blush and lip color she had taken from her mother’s belongings and trimmed his eyebrows.
Lastly, she tied a white handkerchief around his neck in place of a cravat, giving a simple yet refined touch to his outfit.
“It still feels like something’s missing…”
As she circled around Luciad, checking his appearance, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and had a brilliant idea.
Hestia took the pink rose from her hair and pinned it to Luciad’s chest.
“How about now? Looks good, right?”
Luciad, seeing his reflection in the mirror, nodded, somewhat bewildered.
Compared to custom-made clothes, the outfit was simple, but the transformation from casual attire to something more formal was quite impressive.
“Who… exactly are you?”
“I told you, Hestia Frost.”
“You’re a noble, aren’t you?”
“I have a family name, so yes.”
“And nobles know how to do these kinds of things? This is usually what maids…”
Hestia’s heart skipped a beat, and she cleared her throat awkwardly.
“Ahem! I have a younger brother, you know. My family isn’t wealthy, so I help him get dressed.”
“Huh…”
“Anyway, let’s hurry! The wedding starts in ten minutes!”
Ignoring Luciad’s narrowing eyes, Hestia quickly stepped outside.
Through the window in the hallway, she could see the guests taking their seats.
The wedding was about to begin.
* * *
“So Luciad’s not coming after all…”
Waiting for the groom’s entrance as the ceremony began, Icarus glanced at the flower boy’s spot and sighed bitterly.
Even after bringing him a sandwich last night and visiting his room briefly this morning, Luciad hadn’t even shown his face.
‘He seemed to be getting close to me at first, though.’
After their parents’ funeral, Icarus had returned to Luciad the things he should have rightfully enjoyed.
Even if he was an illegitimate child, he was still a part of the Winston duchy.
Since then, Icarus had been too busy with his new duties as the duke to see much of Luciad, but he had assigned him a personal servant to ensure he was comfortable and made sure he could buy anything he wanted.
Yet, for some reason, Luciad became more distant with each passing day.
‘I don’t even know what to do anymore.’
“Duke, it’s time for your entrance.”
At the attendant’s words, Icarus opened his eyes.
Casting one last regretful glance at the empty flower boy’s spot, he hardened his expression and took his first step forward.
