Chapter 23
“Why are you spitting on Aunt’s hand? That’s gross! Full of germs!”
“…”
“Aunt, wash your hands! Scrub them with soap!”
Yeah, that figures.
Lucian was never going to easily take my side.
He could barely understand complicated words anyway.
“Wash it, wash it quickly!”
…But I didn’t expect him to get so focused on it.
“Okay, Aunt will wash her hands now.”
“Hurry up!”
Lucian grabbed my hand and pulled me.
As I headed for the bathroom, I spoke to Claude, who was still kneeling.
“My head hurts, so let’s talk about this later.”
“…Understood.”
Thankfully, Claude got up without resistance. Amelia did the same.
“Still, you can’t go back on your word.”
She muttered quietly just before I left, though.
“Oh, my fate…”
I washed my hands, leaving the closed door behind me. A light compensation wasn’t enough, but an oath for the family’s honor? That was a lot of pressure.
“Aunt! Scrub harder with soap!”
“I used soap. Look.”
“It’s still not enough! Wash more!”
I had no idea what his problem was, but Lucian climbed up on a step stool to monitor me washing my hands.
“This won’t do.”
Finally, Lucian rolled up his sleeves and started rubbing soap on my hands.
“You never listen when Aunt asks you to wash your hands.”
“But Aunt’s hands were dirty, so we need to make them clean!”
“Yeah. I’ll do it your way.”
I let Lucian take over and stared at the mirror in front of me.
The reflection was a complete mess.
After being sick for three days, my skin was dry and my under-eye bags were dark. My hair, which I hadn’t noticed while lying down, was greasy.
“It feels like I should shower first, not just wash my hands…”
As I said that, I froze from the sudden chill running down my spine.
‘Did I… meet the Marquis looking like this?’
Like a beggar?
“Crazy…”
“Aunt, don’t use bad words!”
“I’m really crazy.”
“Seeing you say bad words, I guess the germs on your hands have infected your brain too.”
I need to save Aunt! With a determined face, Lucian started scrubbing my hands so hard that it felt like my skin was going to come off.
‘Did my hands… smell?’
I was a little hopeful when he kneeled in front of me.
Maybe he’s doing this because he’s in love with me.
‘In love? Yeah, right.’
There was no way he could fall for me, looking like this. He might even be disgusted by the smell of my hands.
‘Yeah. This isn’t love. He’s just genuinely grateful to me.’
I swallowed my tears and lifted Lucian, pushing him out of the bathroom.
“I’ll just shower. So I don’t smell, scrub scrub.”
“That’s great!”
I closed the bathroom door behind me, leaving Lucian who was giving me a thumbs-up. The sound of water washed away my tears.
Claude and Amelia walked down the hallway from Lucella’s room, side by side.
The servants couldn’t help but marvel at how much they looked alike, though neither of them heard it.
“Uncle, do you think that’s enough?”
“…”
“Was the oath for honor the best option?”
“…”
“I know. It wasn’t enough.”
Three days were enough for a tearful reunion. Now that Lucella had woken up, they needed to figure out how to repay her.
She was the Savior who had changed both of their lives.
“Lucella’s surprisingly shy. What were you thinking, asking her to swear an oath like that?”
“Then what should I have done?”
“Why are you asking me? You’re the adult here, Uncle.”
Amelia was happy to have met her uncle, but the thought of parting with Lucella made her sad. The Agris family estate was quite far from here.
But she couldn’t just take Lucella with her without a reason.
After much thinking, Amelia came up with a good plan.
“Marry her.”
“What…?”
“Marry Lucella.”
If Lucella became the Marchioness of Agris, she’d have a legitimate reason to take her to the estate.
“I heard she’s living at her brother-in-law’s house and being treated poorly. Let’s bring her here and give her a good life.”
After all, Lucella wasn’t in a good situation at the Duke’s place. If she became Claude’s wife and moved to her estate, she could live with her head held high.
‘I don’t think Uncle would reject someone as good as Lucella.’
She even appealed to Claude by mentioning everything Lucella had done: firing the headmistress and staff and visiting the orphanage every three days to play with the kids.
“Amelia, marriage isn’t something so easy.”
Despite the somewhat harsh-sounding voice, Claude’s face was gentle.
No, more than gentle.
“What’s with that expression?”
“What about my expression?”
“It’s… kind of gross. Like how Dad looks at Mom.”
Claude’s expression was like someone who had eaten a whole stick of butter, his eyes sparkling like a dog who had found its owner.
A gross dog, yuck.
Amelia barely managed to hold back her nausea and pointed her finger at him.
“Anyway, the only way for you to repay her is marriage.”
“That’s not wrong. To repay her, I’d have to stay by her side all the time.”
“Right? So what should we do now?”
“…”
Just then, Claude’s eyes seemed to light up as if he had realized something.
A maid came to tell him that Lucella had woken up, and Claude, who looked like he couldn’t walk without a crutch, moved quickly to her room. He was even carrying Amelia in his arms, using only one hand.
“Uncle, just handle it well. Let’s not be ungrateful people.”
“Don’t worry.”
After making that promise, this was the result!
“Someone like Lucella should be harder to win over, an oath of honor wouldn’t work on her.”
“Slowly win her over… How exactly do I do that?”
“Wow, Uncle, really…”
I knew he wasn’t great with women, but I didn’t expect him to be this clueless.
“Try inviting her to eat something nice. Or suggest having tea.”
“Meals…”
“If that doesn’t work, pretend you’re sick. People usually soften up when someone’s ill.”
“Hmm, that’s not bad.”
Claude nodded without thinking but then hesitated, realizing that this wasn’t a conversation he should be having with a child.
“You must’ve learned all the wrong things from the headmistress and staff. It seems they were pretty bad.”
“So, are you not going to pretend to be sick?”
“Pretend to be sick? I’m actually sick, not pretending.”
Amelia and Claude’s bickering faded as their footsteps went further down the hallway.
Maybe it was thanks to the rest and care I got. My body, which had been aching, was recovering quickly.
Normally, I would have felt guilty about lying down when I was just staying here, but now I didn’t have to worry.
I had the justification of having saved the Marquis of Agris, after all.
The servants at the Duke’s residence were incredibly kind to me, considering I was the benefactor of such a noble family.
‘Now, I can’t even fake being sick without a good reason.’
I turned the pages of the calendar on the table.
It had been a week since Claude came to the Duke’s residence. Winter was slowly coming to an end.
‘I haven’t been to the orphanage in over a week.’
The kids were fine without me, but I couldn’t help worrying about whether they were doing well.
Especially Edwin, who was left alone without Amelia.
Edwin, who was usually shy and reserved, had trouble making friends, except for Amelia.
He must be anxious now that Amelia is suddenly gone for a week.
‘I should stop by.’
They had told me to rest completely for now, but the fever was gone, and I didn’t have any muscle pain anymore.
‘I should bring Amelia and Lucian too.’
Amelia would need to say goodbye to her friends.
‘I should bring Claude as well.’
He’d probably be curious about the environment Amelia grew up in and the friends she made.
The image of Claude Agris, a handsome man with blonde hair and blue eyes, naturally made me recall the moment when he made that oath of honor without hesitation.
Thank you! ✨