CH 72

Behind Scarlett stood Jerome, watching Herwin’s every move. Scarlett crossed her arms, frowned, and looked him up and down.

“You don’t look very well, my son.”

“How did my mother get here…….?”

Ignoring the question, Scarlet stepped into the room.

The smell of alcohol filled the room, and Scarlett wrinkled her nose, looking around the darkened room. She went straight to the window and drew the curtains.

Bright light streamed in, and Herwin frowned.

“My God, you mean you drank all of this by yourself?”

Scarlett was horrified to see the bottles scattered around the room.

“And they’re all strong alcoholic drinks. How long have you been like this?”

“Not long.”

“He hasn’t left his room for a week, hasn’t eaten, and has only been drinking, my lady.”

Jerome corrected Herwin as he began to make excuses. Herwin’s sharp gaze was directed at Jerome, but he shrugged it off and followed Scarlett to draw the curtains.

“I came down in a hurry when I heard Lucia was getting engaged, but your condition is more serious.”

“I see you’ve been contacted by ……Henry.”

“Yes! Do you know how surprised I was to hear that Lucia was getting engaged? I was expecting you to tell us about your relationship at some point. What the hell is going on?”

“I’ve never been in a relationship with Lucia.”

“Say something that makes sense. It’s obvious you like Lucia, so where are you lying? It’s not like Henry would write such a weird thing in a letter……..”

After a moment of snorting, the corners of Scarlett’s mouth slowly turned downward as she saw Herwin avoiding her gaze.

“No ……?”

“Yes.”

“Well, what about Lucia, didn’t she like you too?”

“Lucia is…….”

Herwin’s mouth dropped open. Then, remembering Lucia and Bern, he clutched his head painfully.

Scarlett panicked at the sight of her son, more broken than she could have ever imagined.

“Excuse me, ma’am… may I have your ear for a moment…….”

It was then that Jerome, who had been hovering around Scarlett, explained what had happened to Herwin.

“It seems that something happened with Lady Agnes at the party he attended last time. He’s been drinking since the day he came back from the party.”

“Hmmm…….”

Scarlett looked him up and down slowly, vaguely recognizing the situation.

“Let’s save the details for later. Jerome, go to the chef and tell him to prepare the meal now, and you, Herwin, go into the bathroom and wash up.”

His face was a mess of a week’s growth of beard. He hadn’t eaten and had poured himself a glass of wine on an empty stomach, so he didn’t look too good.

“Mother, I’m fine, just go back to …….”

“Do you think I’m going to wash my grown son myself? Stop talking and get in there! You’re not coming out until you’re clean!”

There was no way Herwin was going to be able to overcome Scarlett’s insistence, so he went in to get cleaned up against his mother’s wishes.

After washing every inch of his body and shaving off his overgrown beard as Scarlett had told him, Herwin stared at his reflection in the mirror.

He looked like a broken man, with soulless eyes and a haggard face, as if he had lost everything.

“There’s nothing different.”

He was tormented by his late realization and regretted pushing her away. If this isn’t heartbreak, then he doesn’t know what this is.

Herwin studied his face in the mirror.

He ran a hand through his hair and stepped out of the bathroom, feeling refreshed.

The air was crisp and clean, and the room, which had reeked of alcohol, was freshly cleaned.

“I see you’re cleaned up, Mistress is waiting for you downstairs.”

Just then Jerome appeared with a change of clothes.

Herwin obediently changed into the new clothes and went downstairs.

Jerome was uneasy when the man who had once vomited at his every word complied.

“My, it’s been a long time, how have you been?”

“Yes, of course, I’m well, it’s been a long time, Duchess.”

Just then, he heard Scarlett’s laughter and a familiar voice.

Herwin felt uneasy at the sound of a voice that shouldn’t be there. Quickening his pace, he went to where the voice was coming from, and there stood Arista, her blonde hair flowing.

“Arista?”

Arista turned around at the sound of his voice. She was dressed as usual, in her usual pants and shirt.

When she saw Herwin, she made a face.

“……What’s wrong with your face?”

After scrutinizing Herwin, Arista stormed over to him.

“……You disappeared from the party without a word, what happened to you?”

The last time she’d seen him at the party, he’d seemed a little uneasy, but now he didn’t look like a different person at all.

His cheeks were hollow and he hadn’t eaten.

Sniff.

Just then, Arista caught a faint scent on the tip of her nose.

“Have you been drinking?”

“Do I smell ……?”

“Not much, but my nose is so good.”

Arista wondered what happened to the guy who didn’t drink a drop of alcohol no matter how much she urged him.

“Then why are you here, unannounced.”

“No message. How many times have I and the others tried to reach you, and you didn’t get it?”

Herwin glared at Jerome, and Jerome gave him an indignant look.

“You told me not to let anyone in, and I told you several times that your friends had contacted you!”

“Did you ……?”

Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. He hadn’t been thinking straight the last few days, so he couldn’t remember.

“So what are you doing here?”

“I came to see you and check on you. The sword is finished.”

One time, at Herwin’s request, Arista entrusted the making of the sword to the blacksmith belonging to the Lydia family.

Arista showed him the new sword, but Herwin only looked at it with a grim face.

“You don’t like it? I can’t help it if you don’t like it! You have to pay for it!”

“No, I like it. Talk to Jerome later. I’ll send you the payment.”

Herwin thanked her and nonchalantly put the sword back down.

Arista was dumbfounded. Herwin was as obsessed with the sword as she was.

She expected him to be as happy as a child with a new toy.

After watching Arista and Herwin’s conversation for a moment, Scarlett stood up.

“I’ll make room for you, so talk to your friend. I’m sure it’s easier for you, Herwin?”

“Mother…….”

“Arista. Do my ugly son a favor. I think he’d confide in you more than in me.”

“What? Yes, ma’am.”

Arista replied hesitantly, not knowing anything about what had happened to Herwin.

After Jerome and Scarlett were gone, Herwin sat down, looking tired.

“Never mind what my mother said. It’s nothing.”

“It’s nothing. Look at your face and tell me. I’ve never seen you so broken. Does Lucia know about this?”

“……….”

Herwin’s face darkened, and Arista, noticing the change, narrowed her eyes.

“Lucia is probably busy with her fiancé right now.”

Arista crossed her arms at Herwin’s self-deprecating comment.

“So what happened at the party with you and Lucia?”

Herwin’s hand twitched. Arista slammed her fist down on the table.

“Tell me what happened with Lucia.”

Herwin clenched his jaw and turned away from Arista. In response, Arista sat down across from him and crossed her legs tightly.

“I’m going to stay here until you tell me, so don’t be stubborn.”

“……….”

“Or should I go to Lucia and ask her myself?”

Arista sighed heavily at his reaction to Lucia’s name.

“I left you two alone to talk last time, and you still haven’t reconciled?”

Herwin pursed his lips, realizing that she was referring to the time when they have eaten together with Bern and Lucia.

“That was… no…….”

“Then what was it about?”

“Lucia…….”

“Lucia?”

“She was kissing the Marquis of Casper.”

Arista was momentarily taken aback by the mention of her friend’s make-out session, but she quickly composed herself.

“Well, they’re engaged to be married, so it’s nothing special.”

Herwin grimaced at the thought.

There was a moment of silence, and then Arista, seeing her reflection in Herwin’s eyes, spoke up.

“If you’re going to regret it so much, why didn’t you catch it sooner?”

“……what?”

“You’re upset that Lucia kissed another man, and if you’re so obviously in love with her, why didn’t you catch her sooner? I thought she liked you too.”

“……Do I look like I like Lucia?”

“I mean… it’s not the first time the others and I have talked about when the two of you are going out, or if you’re hiding the fact that you’re dating.”

Arista’s words caught Herwin off guard.

“Since when?”

“Um… since the academy. Why, in the first year, you saved Lucia’s life once, and I’ve known since then that you liked her.”

Arista added that it was the same as the others.

That was the day she was convinced, but her suspicions had been there long before.

Arista and their friends had been vaguely aware that the two had a crush on each other.

Imagine their surprise when one day they got into a big fight.

It was during a time when Lucia was avoiding her, so Arista grabbed Herwin and begged him to apologize to Lucia.

‘It’s annoying. I mean, why the hell they can’t make up?’

‘She won’t even tell me what the hell happened.’

Brian clicked his tongue in frustration at the coldness between them, while Christine cringed at Lucia’s refusal to tell her anything.

‘Hey, do you see that? Herwin’s staring at Lucia again.’

They were in such a cold war that even the people around them could tell, but Herwin’s eyes were always on Lucia.

Ethan grumbled that he couldn’t understand why he couldn’t reconcile with her.

‘But when she looks at him, he just looks away.’

Whenever Lucia turned her head toward Herwin, Herwin immediately looked away.

Arista watched from start to finish as the two walked a tightrope that only they knew.

It wasn’t long before she realized that Lucia was in trouble, and when Herwin manifested his Auror for the first time, Arista knew.

‘He likes Lucia.’

That was the moment she realized why Herwin’s eyes were always on Lucia.