CH 46

It’s the day of Ares’ engagement party. Countess Agnes is busy preparing for the party.

When everything was ready, Julian made her way to Lucia’s dressing room.

Lucia was there, getting ready with the help of her maids.

She was dressed in a subdued, mature gown, her hair pulled up into a single bun to match, and she wore the topaz earrings Bern had given her.

Julian couldn’t help but marvel at how beautiful Lucia was, even though she was her child.

It was as if her daughter, who had always been young and cute, had grown into a mature woman.

“My daughter, I wouldn’t be fooled if you told me you were getting married tomorrow, you’re so beautiful.”

“When did you get here?”

Lucia asked in surprise, her eyes still closed from applying her makeup. Julian gave her a small smile and walked over to her.

“Just a little while ago. Are you almost done?”

“Yes, ma’am. Just need to finish.”

The maids busied themselves with finishing touches to Lucia’s makeup.

In keeping with her mature dress, her makeup was not overdone and focused on defining her natural features.

Lucia didn’t recognize her face in the mirror today.

Everyone around her told her how beautiful she was, but when she smiled in response, she wasn’t sure if she was smiling at all.

She felt like a puppet being controlled by a string.

“Lucas said he’s going to the party tonight, too, so if you go, you’ll get to see your brother for the first time in a long time.”

“My brother’s back?”

She hadn’t seen Lucas in almost half a year. After a moment of surprise, she realized why he was back now.

“Well, he’s an aide to Lydia now, isn’t he? It would be weird to miss his engagement party.”

“I wish Lucas would get married soon, but he seems to end a relationship every time, so I’m worried about him, and I hope he’s at least engaged to the young lady he’s dating this time.”

As she prepared to let her daughter go, she was worried about her remaining son. It was frustrating that he kept seeing girls, but there was no talk of engagement or marriage.

“There you are.”

John appeared, and he stopped short of calling for Julian when he saw his beautiful daughter.

“Honey, don’t you think my daughter looks beautiful today?”

“……Yes, she is so beautiful.”

John slowly approached and reached for Lucia. But before he could reach her, he withdrew his hand.

He couldn’t bring himself to touch her beautifully made-up face and set hair. Instead, he flicked the earring in Lucia’s ear.

“I’ve never seen these before.”

“Bern gave them to me a few days ago, so I thought I’d wear them to this party.”

John’s eyebrows wiggled, but he nodded without comment.

“He’s obviously taken a liking to you.”

“You think so, too, don’t you, Lucia, do you think he likes you?”

Lucia smiled self-deprecatingly at Julian’s girlish delight.

‘Bern likes me?’

Well, as a fiancée, she’s sure he likes her, but she doesn’t think he likes her as a person.

He was just doing his best for the woman who might become his fiancée.

Some people might find that sad, but Lucia didn’t find it a burden. In fact, it made her like him more.

On a person-to-person basis, of course, not with the opposite sex.

Part of her reason for wearing the earrings was out of courtesy to Bern, but it also included a promise to herself.

A grueling reminder to stop dreaming of fairy tales and get real.

She would feel the weight of the earrings with every movement and steady herself.

“It’s almost time for us to go.”

Checking the time, John escorted Julian out.

“We’ll go first. Take your time with the Marquis.”

“Yes, we’ll see you at the party.”

John and Julian left first, and Lucia stared silently at her reflection in the mirror.

As if she shouldn’t say a word, all the maids, including Sean, stood silently behind her.

“My lady, the Marquis of Casper has arrived.”

Not long after John and Julian left, a servant announced Bern’s arrival.

Lucia slowly left the room and made her way to the front door. Bern stood in the doorway.

His dark green hair was swept neatly back, and he wore different glasses than he usually wore, accented by a jeweled frame.

He wore a topaz brooch on his chest that seemed to match her earrings.

Behind the glasses, his kindly golden eyes seemed more intelligent today.

As Bern checked his pocket watch, he heard footsteps and looked up.

Finding Lucia descending the stairs, he smiled at the earrings in her ears.

“Beautiful, Lucia.”

“You look so good today, Bern.”

The words weren’t loving, but they were heartfelt.

Taking Lucia’s outstretched hand gingerly, Bern placed a small kiss on her gloved hand as they climbed into the carriage.

“I am glad you are wearing the earrings I gave you.”

“What else would I wear on a day like today but these earrings that Bern gave me?”

“Haha, is that so? It took me a while to pick them out, but I think I made an excellent choice. The bright yellow color matches Lucia’s mood very well.”

Lucia flicked her earrings. The jewelry made a statement.

Her nerves calmed a little at the thought of running into Herwin at the party.

“I’m really looking forward to this party. How is Lucia?”

Lucia answered Bern’s question, sinking the wall low.

“……I’m looking forward to it too.”

Her eyes were no longer shaken.

* * *

A large engagement party at the imperial palace.

A large number of people have gathered because the empress is engaged to be married. Herwin has arrived early and has been spotted around.

As soon as he entered the party, all eyes were on him.

A strong jawline, a sharp nose, and rebellious red eyes that sparkled like jewels through black hair. He had the kind of looks that anyone could fall in love with, and there wasn’t a woman in the world who couldn’t be swept off her feet by his strong chest and abs, which were reflected in the way he dressed.

Not only did he have the looks, but he also had the family name, making him one of the few top-tier suitors among the many bachelors.

Many of the women tried to use the party as an excuse to get through to him, but his cold demeanor and iron fence kept them at bay.

This made the women more competitive and motivated.

At that moment, Herwin’s impassive face lit up. His smile caused some to fall over, while others watched him approach, jealous of the woman who had made him smile.

It was Arista. The sister of Ares, who would be engaged to an empress today, and a woman as popular as Herwin himself.

Men and women lusted after them, biting their lips at the sight of a couple who looked like a picture from afar.

Whether they did or not, Herwin and Arista greeted their long-awaited reunion.

“There you are, I thought you weren’t coming.”

“It’s a big event for the country and I can’t miss it. My parents can’t make it, so I have to come.”

Herwin smirked at Arista’s playful tone.

“You said you were going to slay monsters, so you’ve been to the north?”

“Yes, I arrived last night.”

“Ho-ho, so how was it in the north?”

“Not bad. Just a bunch of monsters.”

Arista’s eyes flashed at the blunt answer.

“So, what were they like? Were they strong, and what kind of monsters were they?”

“……Ha, come on. That’s more important than my well-being, isn’t it?”

“Of course it is, the only place in the Empire where monsters appear is in the north.”

It was absurd that he was pushed out by a monster for a while, but seeing Arista’s expression full of expectations, he couldn’t help but laugh.

He thought he liked swinging a sword but compared to Arista, he was new blood.

“If that’s the case, would you like to go monster slaying with me later?”

“Really?”

Arista’s face visibly brightened. Seeing her violet eyes light up, Herwin couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Then, as if offended, Arista gave him a sour look.

“What was that laugh about?”

“No, I just thought you were so easy to figure out.”

“Are you saying I’m an easy girl?”

“No, I’m saying that you’re not, because you can’t think on your feet, and all you care about is the sword.”

Arista, who had been eyeing Herwin with suspicion, lifted her chin.

“Arista Lydia is nothing but a dead body without a sword.”

“Is that it?”

“Of course! I’ve had a sword in my hand since birth. You mustn’t forget what you said today, I want to see the monsters.”

“You don’t mean you want to wrestle a monster?”

“Something like that.”

Arista grinned mischievously.

“So there you are, huh?”

Just then, Brian, Ethan, and Christine dressed to the nines for a big party, approached, side by side.

As soon as they saw him, they asked if he was hurt.

“As you can see, I’m unharmed.”

“That’s good to hear, I can’t tell you how surprised I was when I heard you were going to be out slaying monsters.”

“I know. I don’t there will be no other freak who voluntarily subjugates monsters than you.”

Ethan stuck his tongue out in agreement with Christine. Herwin glanced at Arista with a smirk on his face, and she gave him a look that told him what to do.

“Arista, today is your brother’s engagement, how are you feeling?”

“Why would I want to sleep in, it’s not my engagement.”

Brian’s question made Arista gag as she’d chewed on something astringent.

“Well, at least he’s engaged, so he’ll be free of our parents’ nagging for a while, and they’ve been nagging him about how he should be engaged.”

“That’s been on my mind a lot lately, too. I know they’re worried about us being of marriageable age, but we still want to play.”

Christine responded if she understood Arista’s struggle.

“I think it’s more of a parental thing, with all the engagements around here, and some of our classmates are married.”

“Yeah, it’s starting to creep in. I wonder which one of us will be the first to get married?”

Brian’s out-of-the-blue question caused everyone to turn to look at Herwin. He cocked his head, puzzled by the sudden focus on him.

“Why are you looking at me?”

“Nothing, I just thought you’d go first.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Taking it as a joke, Herwin shook his head.

“What’s the point of getting married when you don’t even have a girl? The way I see it, Ethan, you’re going to go first.”

Despite Herwin’s words, his friends whispered among themselves that he would be the first to go.

“But Lucia’s running late. Isn’t she here yet?”

“Yeah, I keep looking around, but I don’t see her.”

At the mention of Lucia’s name, Herwin’s face darkened. He had written to her, apparently just before he left for the North, but had received no reply.

Given the time it takes for letters to travel back and forth, it must have gotten to her three days ago, so he wondered if she hadn’t bothered to reply, and felt uncomfortable.

He couldn’t stop thinking about her tearful face right before they parted ways.