101CF 47

Chapter 47

“Could the road be blocked or something?”
“Well, with how many people were invited, that could happen.”

Leaving Herwin lost in thought, his friends started chatting about Lucia. Ethan, who had been looking around to see when she might arrive, suddenly spotted someone in the distance.

“Huh? Isn’t that Brother Lucas over there?”

At his words, the others turned their heads. Sure enough, they could see Lucas talking with a group of people some distance away.

And beside him stood a beautiful woman.

“If Brother Lucas is here, then Lucia must’ve come too, right?”
“I don’t see her anywhere.”
“They probably didn’t come together. Lucas has been with Lord Lydia the whole time. He must’ve returned to the capital just today, right, Arista?”

Startled out of her daze, Arista blinked and nodded in a flustered way.
“Y-yeah. He was with me at the ducal territory.”

“Oh, right. You said you’re serving as the young lord’s aide, didn’t you?”

Only then did the friends realize Lucas was now Ares’s assistant.

“But wait, aren’t those Count and Countess Agnes over there?”

This time, Brian spotted Johan and Julian on the opposite side of the hall. Every member of the Agnes family—except Lucia—had already arrived at the party.

“……You’re right. Then Lucia must be here too.”
“This hall is huge. Maybe she just hasn’t found us yet.”

The friends began scanning the crowd even more intently. Herwin too searched the banquet hall for Lucia.

There were many women with brown hair and blue eyes like hers, but one glance was enough for him to know they weren’t her.

“Ah?”

A startled sound escaped someone.
“What’s wrong?”
“……Over there. Isn’t that Lucia?”

Following Arista’s finger, they finally spotted Lucia’s face among the crowd.

“You’re right—it’s Lucia.”
“……But who’s that beside her?”

Their joy at finding Lucia quickly turned to shock when they noticed the man standing next to her.

Just three minutes before her friends discovered her, Lucia had entered the ballroom alongside Vern.

“Would it be all right if I introduced you to my friends tonight?”

At Vern’s question, Lucia looked up at him.

“If it makes you uncomfortable, you may refuse,” he added gently, waiting patiently for her answer.

Lucia hesitated. Vern seemed to want to introduce her as his fiancée.

They hadn’t officially decided on an engagement yet, but judging by the atmosphere, it was only a matter of time. That must be why he was asking this. And since she had come here precisely to make their relationship known, there was no reason to refuse.

“Yes, that’s fine. I’ll introduce you to my friends too.”
“Truly? Lucia’s friends, huh. I look forward to meeting them.”

Smiling softly at his kind expression, Lucia then spotted her group of friends in the distance—including Herwin.

The moment she saw him, her heart plummeted.

“They’re right over there.”

Her voice trembled slightly, but she forced herself to look calm, tightening her grip on Vern’s arm.

Matching his pace to hers, Vern walked forward. As they drew nearer, the shocked expressions on her friends’ faces came into view.

Lucia’s throat tightened with nervousness. Feeling the weight of the earrings Vern had given her, she forced herself not to tremble.

“Hey, everyone. It’s been a while.”
“H-huh? Oh, yeah. It’s been a while, Lucia.”

While Lucia spoke casually, her friends were utterly flustered. Smiling awkwardly, Arista carefully asked,
“Lucia, who’s that beside you?”

Seeing Lucia arrive with a man they’d never met, her friends froze.

Herwin too was visibly stunned—his red eyes wide open.

Lucia felt his gaze pressing on her like a weight but deliberately avoided looking at him as she said,
“He’s the man who will be my fiancé.”

Ethan and Brian froze with their mouths hanging open. Christine’s half-lidded eyes flew wide like crystal marbles, and Arista gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

They had noticed Lucia being affectionate with some man, but to hear her actually call him her fiancé—it was beyond anything they’d imagined.

Their eyes soon turned instinctively toward Herwin.

Herwin glared at Vern with wide, burning eyes.

Lucia, who had purposely been avoiding Herwin’s gaze, didn’t notice his expression at all.

Only Vern, feeling the intensity of Herwin’s stare without understanding why, could manage a strained smile.

“Aren’t you all a little too surprised? You’re being rude to him,” Lucia scolded lightly.

“Ah, s-sorry… it’s just unexpected.”
“If we’ve offended you, we apologize. It’s just that—”
“Vern Casper,” Vern said smoothly. “I’ve heard a lot about you all from Lucia. I imagine we’ll be seeing each other often.”

His name struck them like a bell. The Casper Marquisate! Realizing who he was, Lucia’s friends once again gaped in disbelief.

Vern extended his hand politely. Herwin only frowned, staring stiffly at the offered hand without taking it.

When Lucia finally noticed Herwin’s expression, she grew anxious. No matter how cold he could be to strangers, he wasn’t someone who acted rudely.

Before the silence could grow awkward, Ethan quickly took Vern’s hand instead.

“Hello, I’m Ethan Belluna—Lucia’s academy classmate and close friend.”

After Ethan, the rest followed one by one.
“Arista Lydia, nice to meet you.”

When it was finally Herwin’s turn, Arista, noticing his hesitation, jabbed his side with her elbow until he muttered,
“……Herwin Peneus.”

“Pleased to meet you all,” Vern said warmly.

Despite the tense atmosphere, he kept smiling. Lucia couldn’t help but feel guilty toward him.

“You two arriving together really surprised us. Lucia, why didn’t you tell us sooner?”
“Yeah. If you’d mentioned it, we wouldn’t have been so startled.”
“Sorry. I only met Vern recently…”

When Lucia spoke Vern’s name so naturally, Herwin’s eyebrow twitched.

“How did you two meet, if you don’t mind me asking?” Christine asked curiously.

“We met through a formal introduction,” Vern replied. “I was late that day due to unforeseen circumstances, but Lucia waited for me anyway. I was so lucky—otherwise, I might’ve missed the chance to meet such a wonderful woman.”

It was such unabashed praise that Lucia lightly pushed his arm in embarrassment. Vern laughed quietly.

Anyone watching them could tell they looked like lovers. It was both strange and fitting at the same time, and the friends couldn’t help but steal glances.

“An arranged meeting? Since when—”

“We’ll be off for now,” Lucia cut in abruptly before Herwin could finish. “We should greet some others. Let’s talk later.”

Herwin opened his mouth to stop her, but Lucia was already walking away with Vern.

He stood there, staring blankly at Lucia’s retreating back as she disappeared into the crowd.

“Lucia went to a matchmaking meeting… who would’ve guessed?”
“I honestly thought she and Herwin would end up together.”
“So… are they over now?”

Brian, Ethan, and Christine whispered among themselves, careful not to let Herwin hear.

None of them had expected this. If things hadn’t worked out between Herwin and Lucia, they would’ve assumed it was his fault—not that Lucia would move on first.

They all knew how much she’d liked him, so the shock didn’t fade easily.

Herwin felt the same. His eyes were hollow as he stared at the spot where Lucia had stood moments before.

Arista, worried, spoke softly.
“Herwin, did you know about this?”
“……No.”
“Really? I thought she might’ve at least mentioned it to you…”

Herwin trailed off, recalling their last conversation before he’d gone north.

“Let’s meet again with smiles on our faces.”

Her face that day—half laughing, half crying—flashed in his mind.

So that’s what she meant by smiling when we meet again?

Indeed, Lucia had smiled tonight—brightly, happily—beside another man.

She had truly let go of her feelings for him.

It was something he’d told himself he wanted, yet somehow, he couldn’t smile about it.

If she was happy with another man, he should be able to wish her well. But he couldn’t.

No, the sight of that man beside her made his chest burn unbearably.

It felt like there was a gaping hole inside him. Why did it hurt like this?

The light returned to his once-empty red eyes, flickering dangerously. He clenched his fists.

“I’m going to find out exactly what’s going on.”

His voice was low and sharp enough to make his friends swallow hard.

They couldn’t help but worry—would Herwin and Lucia end up fighting over this?

Lucia, meanwhile, clung to Vern’s arm like a lifeline, hurrying away from her friends.

My heart’s going to explode.

Her heart, which she’d barely managed to calm earlier, now pounded furiously after seeing Herwin’s twisted expression.

It wasn’t the flutter of excitement, but a pounding born of tension and fear.

No one had even criticized her, yet she felt terrified.

The louder her heartbeat thudded in her ears, the narrower her vision became, as though she were the only one left in the world.

Her face went pale, her hands trembling. Vern placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Lucia. Are you all right?”

When she didn’t respond, he quickly turned her toward him, holding her shoulders.
“Lucia!”

“—Hah!”

Lucia gasped as if she’d forgotten to breathe. Seeing how unwell she looked, Vern frowned.

“S-sorry. What did you say?”
“I didn’t say anything. But your complexion isn’t good. Shall we rest for a bit?”

Lucia blinked and looked around. People nearby had begun to glance their way.

“I’m fine. The party hasn’t even properly started yet.”
“But still…”
“Really, I’m fine. I must’ve just been nervous.”

No matter how much she smiled, Vern couldn’t relax.

He lifted his head slightly and looked toward where Lucia’s friends stood.

Herwin was still there, glaring daggers at him.

Vern could easily guess the reason for Lucia’s distress.

He had many questions, but swallowed them for now.

“Lucia. Look at me.”
“…Huh?”

Before she could react, Vern gently took both her hands and met her eyes.

“Look into my eyes and breathe deeply. In—out—just like that.”

Lucia blinked in confusion but obeyed. After a few breaths, her pounding heart began to calm.

When color returned to her cheeks, Vern smiled faintly and brushed her face lightly with his fingers.
“Feeling better now?”
“Yes… really. I’m fine now.”

Her trembling voice had steadied. Vern nodded in relief.

Standing beside her again, he guided her hand back onto his arm.

“If you start feeling anxious again, try the breathing I showed you—or hold my hand. I’ll help you through it.”

“Thank you. I must look so pathetic… You must’ve been startled earlier because of my friends, right? I never told them about the matchmaking, so they were probably shocked.”

Finally regaining her composure, Lucia spoke apologetically.

“It’s all right,” Vern said gently. “It’s the same for me. I didn’t tell anyone either.”

Leaning closer, he whispered teasingly near her ear, making Lucia laugh softly despite herself.