CH 54

After the tour of the house, they had tea in the garden and asked how each other was doing.

It had been two weeks since the party, and they hadn’t been able to make plans to meet until today.

“I didn’t expect you to invite me home. I thought your family would be here, but there’s no one here except your mother?”

“My father had some work outside, and my brother said he had an appointment with a friend, so he’s out of town. I didn’t invite you here to put you under any pressure, so please relax.”

“I’m a little relieved to hear you say that, I was just a little nervous that you might be looking out for me.”

Bern trailed off, and Lucia felt sorry for him.

“It’s embarrassing, you know, because I’m a daughter of a nobleman, and I didn’t grow up with anything valuable. It’s not that I don’t like Bern, I just don’t like men around me.”

“Haha, that’s very sweet of you, you must be very loved by your family.”

Bern laughed at her cuteness, but Lucia blushed and felt embarrassed.

“Uh, huh. There’s a reason I brought Bern here today.”

Lucia turned the conversation around and cut to the chase. Lucia waved and Sean approached, holding in her hand the invitations she and Julian had been sorting the other day.

Bern’s eyes widened at the sheer number of invitations.

“Oh my God, are these all invitations?”

“Yes, I guess the announcement at the last party that we were getting engaged had a big impact because we got all these invitations.”

“Wow, that’s like ten bodies short.”

“So I’m only going to a few, and the reason I showed you this is that I wanted to get your opinion.”

“My opinion?”

The object of most of the invitations is not Lucia Agnes, but the fiancée of the Marquis of Casper.

Even though their engagement is only a verbal contract, Lucia is still the Marquis Casper’s fiancée in the eyes of everyone else.

People will want to know about the future Marquess of Casper, and Lucia will need to act accordingly.

Aristocratic society is all about self-interest, so there will be those who are friendly with the Caspers and those who are not.

You don’t want to make friends with people who are unkind and hostile to the Caspers, so you want to be careful.

Bern nodded silently, understanding Lucia’s words. He looked at the invitations Lucia had selected for him.

“I don’t think you should go here. We have not been on good terms with them for generations, and you would not be welcome there. I’m surprised they even sent you an invitation.”

“I’d like you to come here. We’ve been working on a joint project with them recently, and it would be nice to show your face, if only for a moment.”

After listening to Bern’s explanation, she learned a little more about him and his family.

Lucia organized the information in her mind.

“Thank you, I’ve learned a lot.”

“No, I wouldn’t have thought anything of the sort if Lucia hadn’t mentioned it first, so I’m glad you did. I get invitations like this from time to time, is there anything I should be on the lookout for?”

“Umm, not really.”

Lucia started to extend her hand, but something flashed through her mind and she paused.

She pursed her lips.

“If there is…is my rumor?”

Behind his glasses, Bern’s eyes widened. By the look of embarrassment on his face, Lucia was sure he knew about her rumor.

Lucia smirked.

“I was wondering when you were going to ask me about my rumors, but I didn’t think I’d be the first.”

“Lucia…….”

“I think you’re well aware of my rumors, and I won’t say any more about them.”

Bern clamped his mouth shut as he called Lucia, his eyes filled with sadness. It was more pity than compassion.

“The only reason I brought it up is because of what people are saying about me, and I’m afraid they’re rumors, and I’m afraid they’ll say the wrong thing to Bern.”

Lucia’s gaze dropped downward in a shy manner.

Given her long-standing crush on Herwin and the rumors that circulated about her, people would surely ask Bern about Lucia.

It might be out of simple curiosity, but it was far more likely to be a mockery.

Even if she’s used to it and doesn’t mind, Bern is not, and she doesn’t want to cause him any harm.

Lucia can’t help but feel sorry for him, and then there’s a rustling sound and a huge hand on her lap.

She looked up and saw that Bern had risen from his seat and was standing next to her.

He dropped to one knee and looked up at Lucia in the chair, his eyes filled with pity.

To Bern’s eyes, Lucia looked precarious, as if she could fly away if he blew on her, which made the familiar shape seem superimposed.

Bern squeezed Lucia’s hand. Contrary to what she’d expected, his hand was quite cold.

“Lucia, Lucia, it’s not your fault.”

“……….”

“So you have nothing to apologize for, nothing to be sorry for. I chose Lucia of my own free will, and what other people say does not affect me.”

The golden eyes behind his glasses were unwavering and steadfast as if they could see right through her simple mind.

Lucia smiled slightly, sensing his sincerity without embellishment.

“Mr. Bern is a man of integrity.”

Lucia lowered her gaze to look at Bern’s hand in her.

It was soft and cold, with few calluses compared to Herwin’s warm, rough hands.

He was the polar opposite of Herwin in appearance, personality, and even body temperature, but he was so much like Herwin in his warmth that she felt like crying.

“You haven’t asked me anything until now because you care about me, right?”

Bern didn’t nod or say yes, but she could see the positivity in his demeanor as he looked at Lucia.

“Thank you, you’ve put my mind at ease.”

Lucia took a deep breath and let it out. She felt refreshed. With a brighter face, she spoke,

“You said the other day that you picked me because I resemble you, but I’m not sure what you mean by that, because there’s a lot about me that I haven’t told you.”

Bern thought for a moment, then patted Lucia’s hand away.

“I… have a few things to hide, too. I’m not as upright and honest as Lucia thinks I am.”

Bern closed his eyes and kissed Lucia’s hand. His loneliness was palpable through the touch.

It was the opposite of his usual sunny, carefree image.

“I hope one day we can tell each other everything.”

She didn’t know what he was hiding, but she understood his sentiment.

“…… Me too.”

Lucia laid her remaining hand on top of Bern’s in a comforting gesture.

It was the first time the two of them spoke without pretense, genuinely connecting.

* * *

Whoo-hoo! Whoo-hoo! Whoo- Whoo!

A sharp blade appeared and disappeared in midair, accompanied by the sound of fierce wind.

Herwin was the one swinging the sword in a trance.

He had been swinging his sword in the same place for nearly three hours, and Jerome was beginning to worry about him.

Normally, he would have asked him what he was doing, if he had lost his mind, but these past few days, Herwin’s moods had been at their worst.

He’s not usually one to get rowdy or irritable, but the dark aura that hovered a meter in front of him made it impossible for anyone to approach him.

Boom-!

The sword finally stopped in midair.

Herwin wrinkled the bridge of his nose.

‘This …… is not refreshing at all.’

Ever since the party, an unidentifiable malaise had been crawling through his body and all sorts of thoughts had been running through his mind.

He found myself thinking about Lucia dozens of times a day, and whenever he thought of Bern with her, it only amplified the unpleasantness and made it unbearable.

He started swinging his sword to distract himself, but that didn’t help either.

It was exhilarating to move his body, but now he felt tired, not exhilarated or proud.

If anything, he felt like he was going to lose his mind as Lucia’s thoughts invaded his head again.

“……Darn it!”

“Surprise!”

Jerome, who had been sneaking up on Herwin, saw him throw the knife and took a step back, furious.

Realizing Jerome’s presence, Herwin glared at him.

“When did you come?”

“I’ve been here since you took up the sword.”

Jerome answered bluntly as usual, but the lowered gaze made him clear his throat unnecessarily.

“Hmph, Master, what’s been bothering you lately?”

“……Nothing.”

“If it’s nothing, then please look at me.”

When Herwin looked at him like he didn’t know what he was talking about, Jerome let it all out.

“You’ve been in a bad mood lately, and the whole mansion is grim, and it’s taking my breath away. On top of that, you’re swinging your sword for hours a day, and people think you’re crazy…hmm.”

Jerome chuckled softly, then realized his mistake and shut his mouth.

“Well, you know, I didn’t mean to say that on purpose. It’s just that you’re more than…….”

“……Did I sound like such an asshole?”

Jerome, who had closed his eyes tightly in anticipation of anger, opened them at the unexpected weakness in his voice. Herwin now wore an impish expression.

“Master ……, you’re not angry, are you?”

“No.”

A heavy silence fell. When Jerome was sweating profusely in the uncomfortable atmosphere, Herwin spoke to him.

“There’s something I want to ask you.”

“Yes? Alas, yes, what is it?”

“Well, it’s not about me, it’s about a friend of mine…….”

Jerome looked at Herwin in disbelief. But he didn’t notice and continued.

“He has an old childhood friend? That childhood friend has liked my friend for a long time. But a few days ago, the childhood friend suddenly brought her fiancée with her.”

‘This must be… about you, right?’

Though he was trying to keep it to himself, Jerome could tell that this was Herwin’s story.

“The childhood friend liked my friend, but she brought her fiancée with her without telling him. Then she told my friend that they should be best friends now.”

“Hmmm, I see, so your friend is confused?”

“Confused? …Yeah, if it’s confusion, it’s confusion.”

Herwin muttered, remembering his anomalies.

“So what are you wondering about?”

“Curious?”

“Yeah, I thought you wanted to talk to me, so you could ask me questions and I could answer them.”

Herwin stood there dumbfounded, then realized what he had wanted to ask.

But his head was spinning, and he couldn’t figure out what he wanted the answer to.

Jerome sighed softly as Herwin continued to stumble.

“So let me get this straight, your friend has a childhood friend, and that childhood friend has had a crush on him for a long time, and then one day, out of the blue, she brings her fiancée, and your friend is confused and embarrassed.”

“Right.”

“So your friend realizes that this person has had a crush on him for a long time, but then your friend did not accept his childhood friend’s confession all this time?”

“Right?”

“And now that his childhood friend has brought her fiancée, he’s confused?”

Herwin nodded, and Jerome gave him a disgusted look.

Seeing the disdain in his eyes, Herwin involuntarily shrank back.

“His childhood friend got tired and went out.”