CH 40

The day of an important appointment.

As always, Lucia had her maids help her get ready.

But unlike in the past, the maids’ faces were full of dark clouds, and Lucia’s eyes were closed.

She knew that the reason she was dressed so finely was for a blind date.

Just a few days ago, she had been cheering herself on, hoping that things would work out with Herwin.

Of course, when Lucia had shown up crying before, the maids had some idea of what had happened between her and Herwin, but they hadn’t expected to see a blind date so soon.

“…… is ready, my lady.”

At the maid’s words, Lucia opened her closed eyes. As expected, she was beautiful in the mirror.

Whereas before she had worn fresh makeup that accentuated her cuteness, now she wore a more subdued, demure style.

Lucia raised the corners of her mouth as if she was satisfied.

“Thank you, your makeup looks good again.”

“……….”

The maids should have been pleased with their master’s praise, but none of them were. Instead, the smiles turned sad.

“What’s wrong with your face? Anyone would think I’m being taken away.”

“But, miss. Not this sudden date. It’s too soon.”

“That’s right, it hasn’t been long since you broke up……Hmph!”

The maid realized her mistake and hastily covered her mouth. She looked nervously at Lucia, but she only laughed.

“You have to say it right. We didn’t break up. I got dumped. We never dated in the first place.”

“Lady…….”

“And you don’t have to blame dad because it’s me who first said I wanted to have a date.”

Lucia stood up and prepared to leave.

“Lady, you must go.”

Aaron arrived just in time. Lucia left the sobbing maids behind and followed him down to the first floor.

“Huh? Father.”

As she entered the carriage, she saw John standing in front of it.

He stood with his back to her as if waiting for her.

“It’s the day you meet each other, right?”

“Yes, today we will meet the first candidate.”

“……….”

John studied Lucia’s face for a moment. Unlike before, when she had been heartbroken and sinking into the abyss, she was calm now, as if she had never been.

In John’s eyes, she looked more uneasy.

It had only been a little over a week since her heartbreak. It had been more than a decade since the period of unrequited love, so he knew it would take her a long time to recover.

‘I hope you’re not overdoing it.’

He was worried that she was trying to overwhelm herself so she wouldn’t think about it. There was so much he wanted to say, but he kept it to a minimum.

“Have a good look at it. Tell me if you don’t like any of the four. Then I’ll pick another candidate.”

“Yes, I’ll do that. It’s time for an appointment soon, so I’d better get going.”

Lucia climbed into the carriage, escorted by John.

She could see John standing there for a long time after the carriage had moved. Only when the house was out of sight did Lucia turn her gaze forward.

“Whoa…….”

A sigh escaped her that she couldn’t tell was from nervousness or exhaustion.

“Nervous?”

Sean asked, sitting across from her. Lucia forced the corners of her mouth up and shook her head.

“Just…… realizing I’m getting married now.”

“You’re not even engaged yet.”

“Once I’m engaged, marriage is easy. As long as it’s not someone weird.”

“……….”

Sean glanced at Lucia, who stared out the window for a moment, her jaw clenched. She was as worried about Lucia as John was.

“……Are you okay now?”

Lucia replied with a meaningful look.

“I don’t know.”

“I’m glad you got over it quickly, but I’m worried that you’re overdoing it.”

Lucia was silent for a moment. When she thought back to the last three days, when she was still reeling from her heartbreak, she understood her concern.

Back then, she was completely at the mercy of her stormy emotions.

Still, she was able to come to her senses faster than she thought because she poured everything into her emotions.

Of course, her feelings for Herwin didn’t disappear, she just let go of them.

‘He was never meant for me.’

As he says, there’s only so far a friendship can go between her and himself.

Admitting what she’d been denying felt strangely clear.

If he were to date Arista or someone else of the opposite sex, she could take it in stride.

“Maybe it’s because of what you said.”

“What?”

Lucia muttered in a low voice, and Sean cocked her head.

“I always did my best to Herwin. So I don’t have any regrets, it’s just that I couldn’t make it work despite my best efforts.”

“……is that so?”

“Yes. So when you go home, tell the others well. I can’t get enough of the pity party.”

Realizing she was referring to the maids, Sean nodded.

“Yes, I’ll make sure they don’t say any more.”

Sometimes silence is more helpful than a hundred words. Once again, Sean’s silence was a huge help.

“Thanks, Sean.”

“No problem, I didn’t do anything.”

The carriage came to a stop just in time. Looking through the window at the meeting place, Sean smoothed Lucia’s disheveled hair.

“Miss, I hope this is a man you like.”

“I hope so. I’ll be right back.”

Lucia stepped out of the carriage and entered the café where they had agreed to meet.

She checked her watch and realized she was about five minutes behind schedule.

She looked around to see if the other person had arrived before her. She had memorized the other person’s face from the picture that came with the materials.

‘Is that him?’

In the distance, she saw a man with reddish-brown hair sitting down.

Lucia approached him cautiously, recognizing his likeness from the drawing she had studied.

“Are you, by any chance, Simon Deyhad?”

The handsome man looked up, saw Lucia, and stood up.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Oh, that’s right. Nice to meet you, my name is Lucia Agnes.”

The two awkwardly greeted each other and took their seats.

“You still have time left, but you came early.”

“I’m early because I have some work in the neighborhood.”

Lucia’s greeting started the conversation. It was a ritualized exchange of words without much substance.

Still, the mood was good, and the tension eased a bit.

‘Not bad.’

Simon Deyhad.

The second son of Count Deyhad, and is said to have been named the heir to the top position in the family business now run by Count Deyhad.

He is five years older than her. He is the oldest of the candidates to face.

Perhaps because of the age difference, there was a seriousness and ease about him that she don’t see in people her age.

The way he spoke, behaved, and carried himself was a passing grade.

Once the awkwardness was over, Simon slid off the backrest.

“To be honest, I’m a little surprised that Agnes made the first move, I thought you had someone in mind for a long time.”

He asked the question he’d been dreading.

“I understand you’ve had a longtime crush on Phoenaeus, is that correct?”

There was a knife in his soft voice.

Like Lucia, Simon was reconsidering her suitability as his future spouse.

It wasn’t that Lucia didn’t know what he was thinking, but the words left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Lucia’s fondness for Herwin was all over social circles.

What’s more, what had happened at the Academy had been distorted, so there was a rumor that Lucia tends to hang herself from Herwin.

It’s one thing to have a long-standing crush on a man, but no one is going to welcome a woman with such rumors hanging over him like a tail.

Especially when the other man is no ordinary lord, but the Duke of Phoenaeus.

Simon needs to make sure that Lucia is worthy of his acceptance, even after all the rumors.

“……that’s not wrong.”

Lucia says, half-heartedly, because lying doesn’t work. Then Simon’s eyes lit up.

“Oh, I see. I didn’t know the details because there was an age difference with the young lady.….”

Lucia was stunned. She immediately calmed down for a moment even though she was agitated.

Even if he was just gossiping, he could find out enough if he dug deep enough. It was better to reveal it at the first meeting than to notice it later.

She glanced up to study Simon’s expression. He was stroking his chin as if he was thinking about something.

But then the corner of his mouth lifted.

“That’s great, then I don’t have a problem with that.”

“……what?”

Great. What was so great about that?

After a moment of puzzlement, Lucia noticed a change in Simon’s mood. He’d gone from tidy to a little disheveled.

His clothes, hairstyle, and face were the same, but she couldn’t figure out why.

“Actually, I have a lover.”

Lucia’s eyes widened at the unexpected bombshell. Then Simon smirked.

“Well, it’s not like you’ve been fighting for my love, anyway.”

“That’s true, but…… I think you need to explain a bit more if you’re suddenly saying you have a lover…….”

“Aw, why would you be so naive?”

At the sarcastic words, Lucia frowned, unable to manage her expression.

“I’m saying let’s free each other because neither I nor you have feelings for each other anyway. Isn’t the young lady also like that with Phoenaeus?”

Lucia’s mouth dropped open at the shocking, embarrassing story.

“My lover is a commoner, so marriage is impossible, but I’ve promised to give her my heart, so I need a moderately decent bride in name only. I don’t think it’s a bad suggestion for the young lady either. Isn’t it hard to marry Phoenaeus in reality?”

“So…… now, you’re saying we’ll just get married and be free to have lovers or not?”

“Yes, that’s right, we’re just going to have the title of marriage and not touch each other’s love lives, and of course, we’re going to treat our spouses well. And we’ll be supportive.”

Simon nodded his head in agreement. After a long moment of silence, Lucia stiffened and stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“I think it’s best if we don’t have this meet-up.”

As Lucia turned to leave, Simon jumped to his feet and grabbed her.

“What’s the matter with you all of a sudden, you don’t like my suggestion?”

Lucia turned around, barely able to contain the bubbling in her stomach.

“Yes, it was so rude that I couldn’t take it anymore.”

“……what?”

Simon’s face contorted, but Lucia stiffened and glared at him.

“I want a good, family man, not a debauched one.”

“Ha, you call me debauched?”

Simon grinned sharply as if he was annoyed.

“Who are you to say such things to……!”

“And apparently you’ve got it all wrong. I only had a crush on Phoenaeus. I’m not his lover or anything, so please don’t take it the wrong way.”

Lucia shook off Simon’s hold on her arm and strode out of the café.