Chapter 53
After receiving Christine’s letter, Lucia replied that she could meet anytime.
Christine quickly set a date just two days later, and now Lucia was on her way to meet her.
When Lucia arrived at the place Christine had mentioned, she saw a restaurant bearing the crest of the Tion Trading Company—run by Christine’s family.
Once Lucia gave her name, an attendant led her to a VVIP room, where Christine and Arista were already waiting.
“Am I late?”
“No, we still have time before the appointment. I just got here too.”
“Welcome, Lucia!”
Arista said lightly that they still had plenty of time, while Christine jumped to her feet and greeted Lucia with enthusiastic warmth.
Lucia found Christine’s chatter endearing and allowed herself to be pulled along by her energy.
When it seemed Arista had finished looking around the room, she asked Christine curiously:
“I didn’t know a place like this existed. You mentioned starting a new business before—is this part of it?”
“Yes! That’s right. This time, Father gave me full authority personally.”
“Oh, really? Then this must be your first business venture?”
Christine blushed and covered her reddened cheeks with both hands.
“That’s wonderful. You’ve always said you wanted to follow in your father’s footsteps. Congratulations—if I’d known in advance, I’d have brought a gift.”
“Actually, I bet Lucia’s just your excuse—you called us here to show this place off, didn’t you?”
As Lucia offered sincere congratulations, Arista teased with a knowing grin.
“How could you say that? I invited just you two so we could have a private girls’ talk, of course.”
Christine put her hands on her hips, pouted dramatically, then giggled.
“Though… I did want to show off a little.”
“Hahaha! I knew it!”
“As my first VVIP guests, please give me a brutally honest review. Everything today is on me!”
At her confident declaration, Lucia and Arista clapped and cheered. Soon they were ordering a variety of dishes without hesitation, and their lively conversation began.
Naturally, the first topic was Lucia’s arranged meetings.
As soon as the waiter left, Christine and Arista leaned forward with gleaming eyes and pressed her for details. Expecting this, Lucia raised both hands in surrender and told them everything—well, almost everything.
She left out the part about being dumped by Herwin and going on the blind dates afterward.
When Lucia described the three worst men she met before Bern, both friends reacted differently.
“How could all three of them be so rude? Just hearing about them makes me angry!”
“Knowing your father, he wouldn’t have chosen strange men for you… but still, in a way…”
Christine was furious, while Arista just looked dumbfounded. Lucia laughed helplessly.
“Crazy, right?”
Both nodded in agreement.
“At first, I thought Marquis Casper being late was awful, but compared to the first three, that’s nothing.”
“What families were those men from? I’ll make sure never to deal with them again!”
“Don’t take it so seriously. They’re just people I’ll never see again—I barely remember their faces.”
Thinking of it as just stepping in dog poop made it easier to shrug off. Time had blurred their faces anyway.
“Well, that’s the end of my matchmaking story. Not very exciting, right?”
“Not exciting? You’ve been through quite a lot.”
“Exactly! At least it ended with Marquis Casper.”
“…Right. It’s a relief I met Bern, at least.”
Lucia smiled faintly. The expression looked both wistful and strangely peaceful.
That uneasy blend of emotions made the two exchange glances before asking cautiously:
“Are you really okay?”
Lucia, lost for a moment in thought, looked up at her friends’ worried faces.
“Of course. It was something I had to do sooner or later. I’m just doing it a bit earlier than you two.”
“But, Lucia—about Herwin…”
“Christine!”
Arista quickly cut her off, and Christine’s face went pale as she fidgeted nervously.
Lucia had wondered why Herwin’s name hadn’t come up until now. But contrary to their worries, she seemed calm.
“I’m fine, really. There’s nothing between us. It was a one-sided crush on my part—we never dated or anything. I told him I’d rather stay friends.”
Even though she spoke brightly, the atmosphere remained subdued.
Trying to lighten the mood, Lucia narrowed her eyes playfully.
“Instead of worrying about me, you two should be nervous now. Haven’t your parents started bringing up engagement talks?”
At that, both friends groaned in unison. They clearly didn’t want to think about it—but Lucia wasn’t about to let them off the hook.
“Ugh… yes. My parents keep asking if I have any thoughts about marriage lately. I pretend not to hear them, but I don’t know when they’ll suddenly force me into a blind date.”
Christine looked as weary as Lucia had before her own arranged meetings. Arista, on the other hand, looked relaxed.
“Maybe because Ares just got engaged, things are calmer for me. I guess my parents are satisfied with marrying into the imperial family—haven’t heard a word about engagements lately. Their smiles don’t fade anymore.”
“Really? Everyone’s got their own situation, huh. So if you did have to go on a blind date, what kind of person would you want to meet?”
“Honestly, as long as he’s not weird, I don’t really care. My business comes first right now. Oh—but if there’s one thing I’d want, it’s someone who doesn’t oppose what I do. There are still men who hate when their wives work.”
It was such a typical Christine answer. As the daughter of a powerful merchant family, she had a deep interest in trade management.
Lately, with rumors of her becoming the next successor and her new business venture, marriage clearly wasn’t her priority.
If anything, she’d probably approach marriage like business—looking for a match that brought the best returns.
“What about you, Arista?”
Lucia turned to her. Arista thought for a moment, her expression darkening slightly.
“…Since it’s someone I’ll spend my whole life with, I’d want it to be someone I truly love.”
Lucia and Christine both blinked in surprise.
The word “love” had never come out of Arista’s mouth before. They had assumed she wasn’t interested in romance at all.
“Oh my goodness! Arista, do you like someone right now?!”
Christine jumped up, leaning over the table. Arista just gave a small, self-mocking smile and shook her head.
Christine deflated instantly.
“Aww, I got my hopes up for nothing.”
“Haha, and what would you have done if I did?”
“Well, nothing really. I just thought you’d say you planned to marry your sword instead.”
“What? No matter how much I love swords, I’d never say that!”
Arista burst out laughing, and soon Christine joined in. Their laughter filled the room brightly.
Only Lucia remained quiet, her eyes fixed on Arista.
For some reason… she felt like Arista was lying.
Who could it be?
As Lucia mentally went through the men Arista might like, she suddenly sighed.
Because Herwin’s face appeared vividly in her mind.
If Arista liked Herwin…
Lucia pressed her lips tightly together, forcing a smile soon after.
“If it’s you, Arista, I’m sure it’ll work out.”
Arista turned to look at her. Lucia smiled softly.
“There’s no man in the world who could reject you.”
“Lucia…”
“So if you ever fall for someone, make sure to confess, okay? Who knows—maybe he feels the same way.”
If it was Herwin, he would definitely accept Arista’s feelings.
Unlike with me…
Lucia closed her eyes, Herwin’s image flickering in her mind.
It was almost laughable to compare herself to Arista. They had started from completely different places.
Arista had been the first to reach Herwin’s heart—while Lucia never could.
A small difference, yet an enormous one.
When she decided to move on and meet other men, she had already imagined Herwin and Arista together. So the thought didn’t hurt as much as it could have.
Still… it’s bittersweet.
Of course, she couldn’t say she felt nothing. It was only natural to feel sad when someone you’d loved for thirteen years found someone else.
“Thank you, Lucia.”
Lucia opened her eyes at Arista’s quiet gratitude. There was a new light in her violet eyes, as if Lucia’s words had given her courage.
“Hearing that from you makes me feel braver. I’ll do as you said.”
“…Good.”
Lucia smiled, her expression gentle.
She feared her true feelings might show, but thankfully neither friend noticed.
And so, Lucia managed to keep smiling until their gathering ended.
* * *
“Thank you for inviting me, Lady Lucia.”
At Lucia’s invitation, Bern arrived at the Countess of Agnes’s estate, looking immaculate, a bouquet of flowers in hand.
The rich scent of pink roses filled the air.
Julian, who happened to be beside Lucia, smiled brightly when she saw her daughter receive the bouquet and welcomed Bern warmly.
“Welcome to the House of Agnes, Marquis.”
“It’s been a while, madam.”
Without the slightest awkwardness, Bern bent over Julian’s hand and brushed it with a polite kiss, making her gasp with delight.
“The last time we met was so hectic, I didn’t get to bring anything then—so I prepared a few small gifts this time.”
Bern glanced back toward his carriage, and his attendants began carrying several gift boxes.
There were four in total—apparently one for each member of the Agnes family. Picking up the smallest, Bern offered it to Julian.
“This one’s for you, madam. I hope it pleases you.”
“Oh my, you really didn’t have to! We didn’t prepare anything…”
“Please don’t worry—it’s simply something I wanted to give.”
Even before opening the box, Julian beamed in delight. Then she nudged Lucia’s back playfully.
“Don’t just stand there—come inside, you two. Lucia, show him around properly.”
With that, Julian tactfully excused herself, leaving the two alone. Even the servants withdrew, and before long only Lucia and Bern remained in the hall.
Lucia’s cheeks warmed—was this all a bit too obvious?
“…I’m sorry, Bern. My mother seems more excited about this than I am.”
“Haha, not at all. It makes me happy—it feels like I’ve been accepted. Do you like the flowers?”
Lucia looked down at the bouquet in her hands. The soft pink roses were full and fragrant, pleasing both her eyes and nose.
“Yes, they smell wonderful.”
“When I saw them, they somehow reminded me of you.”
Straightening his back, Bern took in Lucia’s image—the roses in her arms suited her even better than he’d imagined.
For an instant, his gaze softened, as if overlapping her with someone else, before returning to his usual kind smile.
“They suit you perfectly.”
“I’ll have them placed in my room later. For now, please come in—I’ll show you around.”
Lucia lightly took the arm Bern offered, and together they began their tour of the house.
Unlock soon?~