Chapter 66
About twenty minutes before Herwin saw Lucia.
Lucia entered the party hall with Bern and was in the middle of greeting Christine.
“Christine, congratulations on your first business. It’s a small gift, but please accept it.”
It was a bouquet of daisies she had prepared after hearing the news that Christine was holding a party. Naturally, Christine was overjoyed to receive the bouquet from Lucia.
“I wish your business great success.”
“Thank you so much, Lucia! I’m truly touched.”
“Congratulations on your new venture, Lady Diores. Next time, why don’t we have a chat as well?”
“As long as it’s convenient for you, Marquess. Please contact me anytime.”
After a brief greeting, Christine moved toward the person calling her.
“You have a wonderful friend. At her age, she’s already running a business of this scale. Amazing.”
“Christine is remarkable, indeed. Ever since academy days, it was her dream to run her own business.”
From afar, watching Christine manage multiple people, she seemed to radiate a kind of halo.
“I suppose I should treat Lucia even better. That way, my friend might think more favorably of me, right?”
“Haha, don’t worry about that. Bern has already accomplished quite a lot, hasn’t he?”
They were pleased that Bern, who was also running a business like Christine, had gained good business contacts.
Seeing Bern a little excited reminded Lucia of something Lucas had said before she left the mansion.
‘That guy had a girlfriend right before getting married!’
A girlfriend… Was it true that Bern had once been in a relationship with Celine Lemario, as she suspected?
She wanted to ask.
As Lucia stared intently, Bern smiled faintly.
“Do you have something you want to say to me?”
“No… it’s nothing.”
Lucia shook her head with a smile.
But now was not the right time. Besides, Bern, knowing full well the rumors between her and Herwin, had never once asked about them.
‘Then I’ll wait too.’
He must need some time to prepare, just as she did. Or perhaps he hadn’t said anything because there really had been nothing between them.
Lucia thought she should show at least this much consideration to someone who had waited silently for her.
“Shall we head over there? My friends are….”
Bern stopped suddenly mid-step, a smile still on his face, as if he had noticed something.
Lucia, whose hand rested on his arm, stopped as well.
“Why…?”
Looking up at Bern, she noticed his pupils trembling. It was the first time she had seen cracks in his usually smiling face.
Turning her head, she immediately understood the reason.
Celine Lemario.
The Marchioness Lemario, whom she had seen a few times at Tapiti, was nearby.
She froze upon spotting Bern. Her green eyes began to glisten.
“…Bern.”
As Celine stepped forward, Bern shuddered slightly, enough for Lucia to notice.
His face paled, and his expression radiated despair, anxiety, and restlessness.
A faint light appeared in his usually dry eyes.
His current state reminded Lucia of herself the first time she had faced Herwin with Bern.
Seeing him frozen, unable to act, Lucia subtly moved in front of Bern.
“Hello, Marchioness Lemario. It’s good to see you here.”
“Ah….”
Only then did Celine notice Lucia, letting out a soft sigh. Soon, her gaze fell on Lucia’s hand, entwined lovingly with Bern’s.
“Did you also come because you were invited, Marchioness?”
“Yes, yes, that’s right. My husband was away on a business trip overseas, so I attended in his place.”
At the mention of “husband,” Bern’s arm trembled. Lucia noticed and tightened her grip on his hand.
“I see. I also came with my fiancé to a party hosted by a friend.”
“Your fiancé…?”
“Yes. We’ve met a few times before, so you know, right? I’m promised to the Marquess.”
“But… you haven’t formally gotten engaged yet…”
“Not yet, but soon, I believe. Right, Bern?”
Calling Bern and tugging on his arm, Lucia finally drew his attention.
“Yes. That’s right.”
He tried to smile, but it was difficult. Sweat trickled down his forehead.
“Are you feeling unwell, Bern? You don’t look so good.”
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
“You’re sweating. You should rest for a moment.”
Lucia wiped Bern’s cold sweat with a handkerchief, whispering to him softly, just loud enough that Celine couldn’t hear.
“If you want to get out of here, follow me.”
Bern looked at Lucia with wavering eyes. Despite her gentle tone and gestures, his blue eyes were resolute. He slowly nodded.
Lucia put away the handkerchief and turned to Celine.
“I’m so sorry. My fiancé doesn’t seem well, so we should be going.”
Before Celine could respond, Lucia quickly grasped Bern’s arm and moved away from her.
“Lu… Lucia…”
“We’ll talk later. She’s still watching us from behind.”
Watching the brown-haired figure before her, Bern kept his mouth firmly shut. The situation was completely the opposite of the princess’s engagement ceremony.
Seeing Lucia’s calm demeanor and protective actions—
‘She won’t follow us here, right?’
Lucia stopped in front of the fountain, holding Bern’s arm and glancing back.
No signs of anyone following were sensed.
“That’s enough. I think it’s safe now.”
“Lucia.”
“Yes?”
Lucia looked up at Bern with a bright face, then paused, slowly hardening her expression like Bern.
“Do you… know everything?”
“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Bern opened his mouth but couldn’t continue. Seeing this, Lucia lowered her gaze.
“I’m not sure if what I know is true. I’m only guessing based on the flow of events and what Bern told me before.”
The corners of Bern’s eyes drooped. He wore an expression of guilt and apology.
“I was just waiting for Bern to be ready to talk. But things have turned out this way.”
Lucia smiled awkwardly and looked at Bern with clear eyes. His face reflected vividly in his blue eyes.
“If you don’t mind, could you tell me what happened?”
Bern adjusted his posture and sat on the fountain’s edge. Lucia sat beside him, waiting for him to speak comfortably.
“How much do you know?”
“Hmm… I know that Marchioness Lemario liked Bern deeply. I noticed this during tea parties when I met her several times. Oh, and I also know that Bern had a girlfriend he promised to marry.”
“You met her often at tea parties?”
“Yes. When we first met, she asked me if it was true that I was engaged to Bern.”
Bern exhaled faintly and buried his face in his hands.
“The girlfriend you promised to marry… it was Marchioness Lemario, wasn’t it?”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
Bern finally spoke, recalling the past with a bitter expression. The always-smiling man finally took off his mask.
“I first met Celine at the academy. Ah… I mean, Marchioness Lemario…”
Unconsciously using her name familiarly, Bern flustered. Lucia shook her head at his awkwardness.
“It’s fine. Please speak freely.”
Bern glanced at Lucia before continuing.
“…I first met her in the second semester of my first year at the academy. I liked reading, so I often went to the library.”
He had once told her he had spent an entire day in the library without coming out.
“That’s where I first saw Celine. By chance, we met twice, then three times, then five times, and naturally started talking.”
Though Celine was a year older, they shared the same tastes and hobbies, so they quickly became close.
By chance, they discovered a secret room in the second library.
‘Wow, there’s a room here! How amazing!’
‘And there are some old books too?’
Although small, the room had everything they needed, so they made it their secret hideout, frequently visiting in secret.
“Falling in love with Celine was inevitable.”
It was only natural that they fell in love.
When Bern was a second-year and Celine was in her final year, they officially began dating.
“My friends congratulated us and cheered us on, but some looked on with disdain. Celine was a baron’s daughter.”
A marquess’s son and a baron’s daughter. Though both nobles, the gap was vast.
Many doubted their love, some gossiped that they would soon break up.
Despite endless slander and whispers, they grew their love even stronger.
“But how did Marchioness end up marrying the current Marquess Lemario?”
The two who loved each other madly were now with different people.
Lucia could clearly see that they still loved each other passionately.
“…We were forced to break up due to parental opposition.”
No matter how much they loved each other, the class gap could not be bridged.
At the prestigious Caspar Marquess family, Celine’s baronial family was looked down upon.
Moreover, her father, Baron Jenson, had a poor reputation in high society.
He squandered wealth on gambling, pursued women openly, and lacked any noble dignity.
Initially, when the previous Marquess reluctantly met with the Jensons, he was appalled and furious.
‘Marrying such common people? I will never approve!’
Bern and Celine were already engaged, but no one supported them.
The Caspar Marquess family refused to acknowledge the Jenson family, and when Baron Jenson, who had rejoiced at his daughter marrying into the Marquess family, saw the marriage stall, he pressured Celine.
‘Why haven’t you married yet? I finally have my daughter in a Marquess’s house, and it’s all ruined!’
‘You must cling to him! Or even have a child with him! Then he’ll have no choice but to accept you!’
‘I borrowed money thinking we were marrying into the Marquess’s family. But the marriage fell through! How do you expect us to repay it all? It’s your fault, you pay!’
Baron Jenson had never been a good father to Celine. He took out loans assuming she would marry and blamed her entirely when it fell through.
The debt was impossible for Celine to manage alone.
Eventually, facing debt collection and the auction of their mansion, the Jensons forced Celine to marry Marquess Lemario without her consent.
Her daughter was sold to a Marquess over forty years old.
Anyone hearing this would be furious. Lucia clenched her fists.
“I… I couldn’t do anything.”
Bern twisted his face in anguish, pain etched across it.
No matter how much he tried to persuade his parents, they wouldn’t understand his feelings. While he struggled to help her alone, the woman he loved disappeared beyond his reach forever.
