051. Summer Lake (5)

“Because you said those things by the lake earlier!”

What came in response to the question was such nonsense.

Lucia frowned, not understanding, and more incomprehensible words followed.

“You knew everything, didn’t you? You knew Father already figured it out, and you’re mocking me…!”

It was so absurd that Lucia let out a hollow laugh.

Who did he think she was?

Lucia stared at her insignificant half-brother.

“Louis.”

Her voice echoed, cold as ice.

Although there were definitely servants passing by, they pretended not to see the current situation.

It was only natural.

No one wanted to get involved in the affairs of their superiors, knowing it would only lead to trouble.

Moreover, they were already accustomed to it.

The arguments between Louis and Lucia were not a one or two-day occurrence.

Since the current duchess came in, their quarrels were a foreseen fact and had been ongoing.

“Don’t expect too much.”

Although she wasn’t wearing high heels, the sound of her steps echoed due to the marble floor.

Lucia stopped just one step away from Louis.

“Why would you think I would care about you that much?”

Lucia’s beautiful face was devoid of any smile, cold and impassive, more pallid than winter.

“I am different from you. While you seem quite interested in me, I have little interest in you.”

Lucia’s hand lightly touched Louis’s forehead, pushing him gently but without much force. Louis showed no reaction.

Under his frozen, red eyes, he seemed to have turned to stone.

“So, I won’t bother you for such trivial reasons. It’s too troublesome and tiresome.”

Perhaps her words seemed unkind to the young boy.

Despite the excessive demands from his mother and father, he was a child who received love.

Such thorough indifference would be a first for him.

After all, he was the successor of the Edelte Duchy.

No one would dare ignore or dismiss the young duke, except for her.

“You’ve never called me sister, have you? You probably never thought of me as your real sister. There could be other reasons too.”

“…”

“Whatever the reason, I don’t really care. I’ve never considered you my brother either. So why try to act spoiled?”

Seeing the frozen boy, Lucia withdrew her hand.

She felt he had probably understood enough.

Lucia turned away without any lingering attachment.

Though she didn’t want to, she had to go to the duke’s office as he had summoned her.

“This is unfair.”

As she headed for the stairs, she heard a voice behind her.

Ignoring it, she continued walking, but the resentful voice followed.

“Why does someone like you have red eyes?”

Ah.

He finally said it.

The immature and young Louis finally made the mistake.

“Do you resent that someone useless and unkind like me was born with such eyes?”

She stopped on the stairs and turned around.

The anger flickering in his eyes was laughable.

This child was furious over such a trivial matter.

He resented, struggled, and eventually shouted.

“But what can you do? I was born this way.”

Her foolish half-brother saw something unnecessary as a complex.

No one had ever talked about her eyes in front of her.

Oh, come to think of it, maybe one or two people did.

The Duke and Duchess of Edelte must have regretted it greatly.

They were the ones who saw her as a thorn in their side.

“Don’t be angry about an unchangeable reality.”

Lucia turned around and went back down the stairs.

The angry child was still standing there.

“Only you lose out. You’re just pouring out your emotions into the void.”

He should have known better after living under the Edelte family’s support for nineteen years.

But her naive half-brother still didn’t understand.

“No one will acknowledge it. No one will comfort you.”

The Duke of Edelte was not a warm person.

Not just warm, he didn’t have the qualities to be a parent.

“Do you think anyone can empathize with your struggles?”

The Duchess of Edelte was no different.

She lived solely for her status and benefits.

At least, the Duke loved his wife a bit, making him somewhat better.

The problem was that their love was an affair.

“Next year, you will be an adult too, Louis. You need to realize it now. I’m not the only one who can’t tolerate your whims.”

There were no decent people in this cold, dreadful Edelte family.

Being born in such a place, he should have realized it sooner.

Instead of running away and resenting.

“It’s all people like me here. It’s not that I’m particularly harsh, it’s you who are out of place. In Edelte.”

She whispered the last words.

It wouldn’t be good if the Duke or Duchess of Edelte heard this.

Louis flinched.

Lucia patted his shoulder and moved on.

“Go back to your room now.”

She turned and continued walking.

This time, fortunately, there were no more words to hold her back.

Lucia arrived at the duke’s office after climbing to the second floor.

“Your Grace, Lady Lucia is here.”

The waiting servant announced her arrival in front of the office.

“Let her in.”

“His Grace has permitted your entry.”

With those words, the door to the office opened.

The Duke of Edelte was, as usual, buried in a pile of documents.

“You called for me.”

“Take a seat over there.”

The Duke pointed to the sofa.

Lucia walked over and sat down, waiting. She had a good idea of what the Duke wanted to talk about, so she wasn’t particularly nervous. She generally wasn’t the type to get nervous anyway.

“You must have heard what Duke Verdun was saying today.”

“Yes.”

She had been right next to them; it was impossible not to hear. So, there had to be another reason for bringing it up.

That reason was probably…

“I want to know what you think.”

He was urging her. Lucia was at the age where marriage was appropriate.

It was too late for an engagement but a little early for marriage.

An ambiguous age.

In noble society, twenty-one was such an age.

“I’ll give you an answer after the Imperial banquet.”

Honestly, Lucia didn’t want to rush Owen. Even though it was something that would inevitably happen, as Owen said, she didn’t want to pressure him anymore.

It could be called a whim.

People might think that a person who had always lived selfishly was now pretending to be considerate over some trivial whim.

“The Imperial banquet is soon. Did he say he would go with you?”

“Yes, we even had the clothes tailored.”

“Alright, then.”

At the mention of attending the Imperial banquet together, the Duke of Edelte nodded in agreement.

“Then, after the banquet, you can proceed with the engagement.”

“Yes.”

This was probably the maximum delay the Duke of Edelte could afford.

Lucia gave a positive response and thought that she would need to talk to Owen about this the next time they met.

***

Owen nodded when he heard from Lucia that they would likely get engaged after the banquet.

“So, it has come to this.”

Lucia tilted her head in puzzlement at his unsurprised reaction.

“The Duke of Edelte is just that kind of person.”

Although she nodded in understanding at his explanation, she soon asked another question.

“Do you know my father well?”

“It’s hard to say that I know him well.”

“Really? You seem to know him quite well.”

In response to her follow-up remark, Owen simply smiled quietly.

“I once had a conversation with him, so it might seem that way.”

In truth, there was a completely different reason, but this was the only plausible excuse.

He couldn’t very well bring up the story of “The Flower of the Empire,” so Owen mentioned a past event.

“When I visited you during your illness. The Duke called for me that day.”

“My father did?”

Lucia looked surprised, as if this was news her father hadn’t shared with her.

Owen nodded and added more explanation.

“He seemed like a good person outwardly, but in reality, he was different.”

“Did you notice that right away?”

Lucia replied slowly, sounding as if she caught onto the nuance that he had perceived what her father wanted to conceal.

“His words gave it away.”

Owen casually brushed it off.

Honestly, anyone with a bit of perception would have thought something was off from his words.

Even if he made up this story, it wouldn’t seem strange.

Not that he could figure out that the Duke of Edelte was merely pretending to be a good father.

“By the way, the banquet dress should be ready by next week.”

“That’s right.”

Not wanting to arouse Lucia’s suspicions with a longer explanation, Owen changed the subject immediately.

Fortunately, Lucia just nodded without saying more.

“The banquet is soon, indeed.”

The banquet, which had been postponed for a month, was imminent.

The season had ripened, and it was now the height of summer.

“It’s already mid-July.”

Time had flown by quickly, and it was already July.

Their first meeting in April, when the cherry blossoms bloomed, seemed like it had been months ago.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

As she reminisced about the past few months, Lucia smiled.

Owen, who had been staring into the distance, turned his gaze to her.

Seeing this, Lucia’s eyes curved into a smile.

Today, the two of them were meeting in the garden of Verdun Manor.

The garden, at the peak of summer, was filled with various summer plants.

Flowers that bloomed in summer were in full bloom, and the green leaves were as lush as the blooming flowers.

The gardeners kept the place well-maintained, so it didn’t look messy, but the dense shade and the smell of the greenery were vivid.

“What about you?”

Seated at a table in the manor’s garden, the two were having tea.

Owen looked at Lucia, who had asked the question, and replied quietly.

“Me too.”

Though he found crowded places tiring, he was happy to be going with Lucia.

Lucia naturally enjoyed bustling, lively places, so it was only natural for her to look forward to the banquet.

“You don’t seem to like banquets. Is that not the case?”

“I don’t particularly enjoy them.”

When Owen answered honestly, Lucia furrowed her brows slightly.

“Then why are you looking forward to it? Is it because of the noise?”

“Partly. Places with a lot of people can be exhausting.”

Banquets were inevitably crowded spaces.

Moreover, this summer banquet would be the grandest and most elaborate one, according to the setting of “The Flower of the Empire.”

But that wasn’t all.

Banquets were filled with dancing, music, and alcohol.

It was almost astonishing how these noisy elements could combine in such a variety of ways.

Even in Korea, he had avoided clubs, pubs, and bars after one bad experience.

The one time he had gone was because he had been dragged there by a friend.

“But I’ll be with you.”

If it were just a mandatory event, he would still hate it.

But this time was different.

He would be spending time with Lucia.

“And since you seem to like it, I can’t help but look forward to it too.”