101CF 64

Chapter 64

“Hmm, a party.”

“This time it’s supposed to be quite a grand one. Lucia, you’re definitely coming, right?”

Lucia examined the invitation Christine had given her, turning it over in her hands before letting out a small smile.

“Of course. It’s the official event to announce your business. I’ll go with Bern. Is that alright?”

“Of course! Naturally! I should probably send another invitation to Marquis Casper too!”

“Oh? Then I’ll get to see many beautiful ladies, won’t I?”

Hearing Brian’s remark, Christine pouted and gave him a sharp look.

“Do you still only think about women? When will you ever grow up?”

“What can I do? Beautiful women just can’t leave me alone. That’s why being handsome is a crime.”

“Ugh, the person who marries you is going to have a hard life.”

Lucia couldn’t help but laugh softly as she watched Christine and Brian, still bickering as usual.

It had been a while since Lucia had accepted Christine’s invitation and visited her house. Perhaps because she only invited close friends, the only guests were herself and Brian.

“Brian, shouldn’t you start settling down soon? You can’t live like this forever.”

“Even you, Lucia?”

“Take it seriously. Lucia wouldn’t say this if she didn’t mean it.”

Christine chimed in, and Brian leaned back against the chair with a reluctant expression.

“It’s not like it matters much—I’ll probably end up with the woman my father chooses anyway, so a little indulgence isn’t harmful.”

Brian’s handsome face tensed as he answered, the weight of responsibility clear in his voice.

“Could it be… your father is still pressuring you?”

Christine frowned at the seriousness in his tone, and Brian glanced at her briefly.

“He’s always like that. I’m lucky to be the second son. Compared to my older brother, I have a little more freedom. Though my brother is exactly like him, so it doesn’t really matter.”

Brian was the second son of the Counts Cersis, a family with a long history of knights. Naturally free-spirited, he had grown up under a strict father, fostering resentment toward his family.

Perhaps for that reason, he always tried to live a life completely opposite to what his father wanted.

‘Is that why he’s so fond of women?’

Though he liked women and changed girlfriends often, he wasn’t a scandalous or reckless person. He had his own principles and boundaries. In fact, people who approached him expecting a carefree playboy lifestyle often ended up disappointed.

“Still… maybe it’s time to put an end to this lifestyle, as you said…”

“Yes. It’s better this way. What if your future fiancée misunderstands you?”

“Of course, I’ll get along with my fiancée. It’s his fault, not hers.”

Lucia smiled faintly, seeing this glimpse of his sense of responsibility.

“Then, why don’t we get engaged? Our parents know each other, so we could discuss it…”

Before Lucia could finish her thought, Brian leaned toward Christine with a sly whisper.

Christine couldn’t hide her look of contempt as she glared at him.

“Even thinking about that is horrifying. Don’t say such things, even as a joke.”

“Joke? I’m serious. Isn’t it sad that you don’t understand my feelings?”

When Brian feigned tears, Christine shook her head but glanced at him nonetheless.

Lucia, watching the usual banter between the two, tilted her head in curiosity.

‘Does Brian like Christine?’

Now that she thought about it, he did sometimes say things like that to Christine—not asking to date, but proposing engagement.

‘Brian doesn’t like me. I want to marry him, but he avoids even talking about engagement.’

She remembered when one of Brian’s exes had tearfully confessed this after she had accidentally met her.

Lucia narrowed her eyes and studied Brian, who had been teasing Christine, and he turned away.

“What? Do I have something on my face?”

“Huh? Ah, nothing.”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Lucia scratched her cheek awkwardly.

“Oh, right. Brian, you said you had business at the Peneus estate tomorrow, right?”

Christine mentioned the Duke of Peneus, and Lucia’s hand trembled slightly.

“I wanted to personally deliver the invitation, but I couldn’t get in touch. Could you deliver this invitation tomorrow?”

“Alright, I’ll give it to Herwin.”

Brian tucked the additional invitation into his coat.

“I was planning to go myself anyway since I couldn’t reach them. And you weren’t answering either—what happened?”

“Who knows. It’s usually not so easy to get in touch… maybe they’re busy?”

“Busy at this time of year? That seems unlikely…”

As she listened to their conversation, Lucia thought of Herwin.

Since deciding to give up her feelings for him, she hadn’t sent any letters or tried contacting him.

‘…He seemed fine the last time.’

When he had walked her home, he had seemed to be in good condition.

‘Though, the mood wasn’t very good when we parted.’

Lucia briefly wondered if it had anything to do with their previous conversation, then shook her head with a self-deprecating smile.

‘No, that can’t be it.’

It was probably just her overactive imagination.

“What? Where do you think you’re going now?”

“I already told you. Christine is hosting a party today.”

Lucia, dressing for the party, frowned at the sudden appearance of Lucas.

He hadn’t been home for several days, so why the fuss now?

‘Is it really that surprising that I’m attending a party?’

“If you want to go too, go ahead.”

“No, that’s not it. You’re going with the Marquis, aren’t you?”

Ah, that’s what he was upset about.

Lucia rolled her eyes at how obvious his emotions were.

“Of course I’m going with Bern. Who else would I go with?”

“You can’t! Stop it! Go with me instead!”

“No. Bern will be here soon. Move aside and stop being bothersome.”

Finishing her preparations, Lucia absentmindedly examined her accessories.

Seeing her composed attitude, Lucas thumped his chest in frustration.

“Listen to me! You absolutely cannot go with the Marquis!”

Lucas repeated himself, and Lucia let out a deep sigh before finally turning to him.

“Why can’t I? If you’re going to say Bern is no good…”

“He had a lover he’d been with almost until marriage!”

Lucia froze at his words. The maids exchanged glances at the strange tension between the siblings.

“Everyone, out for a moment.”

Sending the maids away, Lucia turned back to Lucas.

“What exactly do you mean?”

“I wanted to tell you myself, but something urgent came up, so I couldn’t.”

Lucas had planned to tell her immediately after learning from Becky about Bern, but a pile of pressing tasks had kept him from returning home.

“Marquis Casper had been dating a girl since school. Though their families were mismatched, they loved each other so much they promised to marry.”

Hearing Lucas’s words, Celine Lemario came to mind.

“After breaking up with her, Casper didn’t leave his house for a whole year! It was clearly because of heartbreak!”

“And… why does that matter?”

“How does it not matter? If that girl comes back, he’ll surely be shaken!”

Lucia’s hand trembled slightly.

“If you were engaged and about to marry him, and that girl returned, there’s no way Marquis Casper wouldn’t waver. They had promised marriage, after all.”

Lucas had a point. If true, Bern would likely be unsettled. Compared to a former lover he had loved madly, she would be just a political match with no real feelings. But—

“Is that all?”

“Lucia! Is that all? This is a huge deal!”

“Lucas, everyone has a first love, and everyone breaks up with people they’ve loved more than once. You’re no exception. How many girlfriends have you had?”

“It’s different for me! I loved my girlfriends too, but not like Marquis Casper!”

“Well, from what you say, Bern was really close to his previous lover. But in that case, it’s the same for me too.”

“Why the same…?”

Lucas’s eyes widened, unable to continue.

“Even if I never dated Herwin, I loved him for a long time, and I still haven’t let go. If Herwin proposed to me now, I’d be shaken. I’m no different from Bern.”

He opened his mouth, but seeing her sad eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

“And, the thing you’re worried about won’t happen. That ex of Bern? She’s already married.”

“What?!”

“Seems like you didn’t know.”

Lucia began gathering her things.

“No, I mean… you knew this?”

“Not exactly, but roughly. I saw her a few times at a tea party.”

“And you didn’t say anything…?”

“That’s how political marriages work, isn’t it?”

Lucia gave a bitter smile.

“And if it’s Bern, he won’t cheat on me. And I wouldn’t allow it either.”

Since deciding to become engaged to Bern, she had made that promise to herself. She hadn’t asked him, but he would likely feel the same.

“Miss, the Marquis has arrived.”

Hearing the maid, Lucia opened the door.

“Bern’s here, so I’ll leave. There are more invitations, so come if you want, Lucas.”

Lucas couldn’t stop his sister as she walked away.

Bern hadn’t committed any past mistakes—he had simply had a love he was deeply devoted to, so devoted that he hadn’t left his house for a year.

Yet Lucas found the fact unsettling. Even in a political match, he hoped Lucia would have a man who loved her unconditionally.

“…Damn it!”

Ignoring the faint curse from Lucas in the room, Lucia resolutely headed to the main entrance.

Bern was there.

“You look beautiful today as well, Lucia.”

As always, he was neat, polite, and composed. Lucia silently placed her hand in his.

Though his compliment didn’t feel empty, it didn’t make her feel love-struck either.

Bern’s gaze was gentle, but the golden eyes within were dry.

“You look handsome too.”

‘Of course. We aren’t in love with each other.’

Lucia smiled faintly as Bern escorted her into the carriage.

When Bern smiled at her from across, she returned the smile.

A memory of something Bern had said in the past came to mind.

‘Could this be why he said I’m similar to him?’

She and Bern were alike in one way: she had loved Herwin for a long time, and Bern had loved a partner so deeply that he hadn’t ended up with her. In that sense, perhaps they were similar in their failures to attain true love.