Chapter 71
Knock, knock—
“Marquis, Lady Agnes has arrived.”
Just then, a servant knocked to announce Lucia’s arrival.
At the sound of Lucia’s name, Celine’s face hardened, but she quickly pulled away from Bern and locked eyes with him.
“I’ll come again next time.”
Leaving a stunned Bern behind, Celine walked away.
Though the servant seemed flustered, Celine ignored it and moved with confidence.
As she walked, she encountered Lucia approaching.
“You are….”
Her widened eyes and startled expression seemed far too shocked for merely a chance encounter.
Celine clenched her fists tightly.
As expected, Lucia must know everything.
Otherwise, the fact that she had deliberately taken Bern away at the party made no sense.
“Lady Viscountess has come to see me. Could it be to meet Bern?”
Lucia, hiding her surprise, smiled warmly.
‘Did she deliberately call Bern by name to provoke me?’
Celine found it hard to take Lucia’s words at face value. Yet, looking at her serene expression, she could detect no hidden motives.
If only she felt the same way as I do… Celine felt a twinge of guilt.
‘…Still, I can’t give up.’
Celine clenched her fists unconsciously, forcing a small smile onto her tense lips.
“Yes, I came for a brief matter.”
“I see. I also came for a short matter. My appointment time is almost up, so I’ll be going now…”
Lucia passed by Celine with a polite nod.
“Lady Agnes.”
Suddenly, Celine stopped Lucia. When Lucia turned around, Celine spoke with a resolute expression.
“From now on, please call me Celine Janson, not Lady Viscountess.”
“Excuse me?”
“Well then, I’ll see you next time.”
Celine said only what she intended and left the Marquis’ residence.
Lucia was left staring blankly at the space where Celine had disappeared.
“Not to call her the Lady Viscountess?”
Since she said Janson and not Lemario, it must be her maiden name before marriage. Using her old surname—does that mean she got divorced?
‘Divorce isn’t something that happens easily.’
It had only been about a week since the party ended. At that party, she had been the Lady Viscountess. Could she have divorced in such a short time?
‘Strange…’
Though many things seemed off, meeting Bern was her priority, so she pushed her curiosity aside and moved forward.
“Bern. On my way here, I ran into Lady Lemario—what happened….”
Entering the parlor, Lucia stopped as she noticed Bern standing still.
Her heart momentarily calmed, but Bern’s state was odd.
He was completely dazed. Seeing his unfocused gaze, Lucia placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Bern. Bern! Snap out of it!”
Bern shivered. At last, his eyes began to regain light.
“Lucia…?”
“Yes, it’s me. Did something happen with the Lady Viscountess?”
It was a casual question, but Bern visibly flinched and avoided her gaze. Seeing that, Lucia instantly sensed that something had happened between them.
“It seems something did happen with the Lady Viscountess.”
“…Did she say anything to you?”
“Not much… she just told me that from now on, she wants me to call her Janson, not Lady Viscountess. Could it be that she got divorced?”
“Ha…”
Bern collapsed into a chair. Flustered, Lucia instinctively took his hand.
“Aren’t you feeling well? Then sit down on the sofa…”
“…It seems Lady Lemario, the Viscountess, passed away in an accident.”
Lucia, helping Bern up, froze.
“She’s no longer Lady Lemario. She’s free and came looking for me.”
Just from that statement, Lucia immediately understood the situation. She knelt to meet Bern’s eye level.
“On the day we parted, she told me all the harsh words she had said were lies, that she didn’t want to regret anymore, and she held onto me. She said she still loved me…”
Transparent tears fell through her large hands covering her face.
Lucia silently embraced Bern, patting him on the shoulder.
“What should I do? If Celine’s words are true… I…!”
“Bern. Look at me.”
Lucia carefully cupped Bern’s face and met his eyes.
Her golden eyes, glistening with moisture, slowly took in Bern.
“Are you in pain?”
“…Yes, I am.”
“What do you want to do, Bern?”
“I don’t know… my connection with Celine is already severed. But to love her again now…”
They had gone too far.
After suffering such deep wounds, it would be too difficult to accept her again.
Lucia saw the depth of his pain.
“Bern. Let’s get engaged.”
“…What?”
“Let’s get engaged. Bern.”
Her small hands radiated warmth as they touched his face. Bern’s eyes wandered aimlessly.
“Lucia…”
“If it’s too hard to love again… if it’s too painful, then get engaged to me. We were already promised in engagement, so it’s not anything new.”
“But then, what about you, Lucia…?”
Wouldn’t she be uneasy if he wavered for another woman?
He wasn’t even sure of his own feelings—how could she calmly talk about engagement?
Then, her pale eyes shimmered. Like a vast lake embracing everything, she slowly stroked Bern’s face with an understanding expression.
“Before, Bern helped me, and it was a great help. Now it’s my turn. I will be your shield.”
Bern gazed quietly at her eyes, filled with warmth.
Compared to Celine, who had looked at him with a gaze full of love just five minutes ago, Lucia’s eyes felt dry and neutral.
Lucia’s gaze did not hold love. But without love, she offered sympathy, understanding, and a strong support for him.
Bern, as if entranced, slowly buried his face in Lucia’s shoulder.
“Is it alright even with someone like me…?”
“You can’t just ignore someone in pain. When I waver later, then you can hold me.”
He felt guilty just leaning on her, yet he wanted nothing else for now.
The ripple caused by Celine had been overwhelming. If he got swept away again, everything would collapse, just like when he had secluded himself for a year.
He wanted to escape all those emotions immediately.
Bern finally reached out and held her hand, small but offering salvation.
“Please… I’m counting on you.”
“…I’m counting on you too, Bern.”
Bern trembled in her embrace. Seeing him resemble his former self, struggling with love, Lucia closed her eyes tightly.
‘Yes, this is enough.’
Happiness doesn’t have to start with love.
Before, she thought all happiness came from love.
But now, she understood—happiness takes many forms. And she would move forward, seeking happiness.
‘I can be happy even without Herwin.’
Now that she had promised engagement to Bern, she could dream of a future with him, not Herwin.
To do so, she would need to overcome the obstacles ahead with Bern.
Before, Bern had helped her; now it was her turn.
Lucia projected herself into Bern’s arms, embracing a version of herself that mirrored him perfectly.
Thump—
In the pitch-dark room where not a single light shone, a dull sound echoed.
Eyes accustomed to the dark groped to grab what was in front.
He tried to steady his trembling vision and pour from a glass, but the bottle was empty.
“…Nothing.”
Herwin, completely wasted, threw the bottle carelessly.
It tumbled across the plush carpet. At his feet lay several more empty bottles.
For a week since returning from the party, he had locked himself in his room, drinking relentlessly without doing anything else.
Herwin had never been close to alcohol.
He usually avoided it, never enjoyed it. But now, drinking nonstop for a week, it felt unnatural.
By the third day, Jerome pleaded with him to at least eat, but Herwin, stubborn as ever, refused everyone.
He merely stared at his empty glass.
Drinking beyond his limits strangely made him feel clearer-headed.
Herwin ran his fingers over the embroidery on a handkerchief.
It was a gift from Lucia, given during her final confession. Seeing it, he couldn’t help but think of her.
He remembered when she first came to visit the factory at eight years old.
Though he had vaguely enjoyed time with her before, her face came vividly to mind only from that age.
“What was I thinking then…”
Her plump cheeks, short bob, and sky-clear pale eyes—everything was perfect.
“Ah, right…”
He finally recalled what he thought upon seeing Lucia. A small smile spread across his face.
“I thought she was like a fairy.”
A fairy who had fallen into the human world by mistake.
Even now, her childhood face remained vivid in his memory.
At first, their eyes were level, but eventually, he began to see the top of her head, and her cute face slowly matured into a woman’s.
During academy days, he hadn’t realized it, but now he understood why he disliked other men approaching her.
Lucia probably had no idea how many boys had liked her.
Some tried to flirt; others begged him to introduce her.
He struggled to handle them quietly but looking back, it was foolish.
Since academy, or even before, he had liked Lucia—why had he mistaken it for mere friendship?
If they were truly friends, he wouldn’t feel such desire and emptiness.
The image of Lucia kissing Bern haunted his mind.
Herwin furrowed his brow and buried his head in his hands.
No matter how hard he tried not to think, visions of them kissing, sharing a bed, and eventually having a child plagued him.
He didn’t want to see Lucia as another man’s wife. If their child wasn’t his, he felt he might go mad.
Though he drank to escape the pain, in brief moments of clarity, all thoughts returned.
Clutching his throbbing head, Herwin stood.
“Jerome. Jerome…!”
He shook the rope to call Jerome.
“Jerome! Bring one more bottle…!”
But Jerome didn’t come.
Puzzled, Herwin looked up at the door. He sensed someone on the other side.
Assuming it was Jerome, he flung the door open.
“Why are you so late—”
Before he could finish, Herwin froze. The person at the door wasn’t Jerome—
“…Mother.”
Standing there was his mother, the Duchess of Peneus, Scarlett.
