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“With Lucious?”
When I looked at Lennox in surprise at the unexpected suggestion, he nodded and said,
“I heard His Grace the Archduke handled the aftermath of the incident. And my father told me His Grace sent additional personnel to help restore the accident site. He also delivered relief goods and funding not just for the remaining children, but also to the botanical garden and the orphanage.”
“Lucious… did all that…”
I knew he had sent relief goods and funds for the remaining children, but I hadn’t heard anything about support for the botanical garden or the orphanage. And restoring the site of the accident, too?
Could it be… because of what I said?
I had told him that I wanted to go back. Was he doing this because of that? If so, it was something truly touching and heartwarming. He always does things that catch me off guard in the best way.
While I kept my mouth tightly shut from the overwhelming emotion, Lennox continued, carefully.
“I was surprised too, but if he’s paying that much attention, I think he might also consider the additional matters you brought up.”
“Additional matters?”
“What you mentioned—the part about the remaining children, and preventing something like this from ever happening again. Honestly, children like that aren’t only in that place. There are many others in similar situations elsewhere.”
“You’re right. It’s not just those children.”
There are many children who lose their lives due to discrimination based on origin or status, or tragic, unforeseen accidents. If there’s something I can do for them… It might be too broad to help every child in this world, but if I slowly expand my efforts, it wouldn’t be impossible.
It could stay as simple relief work, or grow into something much more—perhaps even a proper business. Either way, it would require a great deal of money, but money wasn’t an issue.
“Of course, the concrete methods and practical implementation might be difficult, and there might be budget concerns. But if you discuss it with His Grace, I think you’ll find a good way forward…”
“I have a budget. More than enough—overflowing, actually.”
“…Pardon?”
“Yes. That’s the solution. Thank you, Leno!”
“N-Noona?”
Grasping Lennox’s hands in both of mine, I expressed my gratitude for the flash of inspiration. He looked at me in bewilderment, but I didn’t have time to worry about that.
“Thanks to you, I found a great solution to something I’ve been thinking about. You’re right—talking to Lucious would be the best course of action. Thank you so much.”
“I-I’m glad if I was able to help.”
He smiled faintly, still looking dazed by the sudden enthusiasm.
Once Lucious returns, I’ll discuss it with him. As I sorted through my ideas, I spent the rest of my time enjoying tea with Lennox.
That evening, right on time, Lucious returned. I welcomed him warmly and hugged him tight, and he embraced me with a bright smile.
“Did something happen? You look happy.”
“A little. Oh, Lennox came by. He said he was worried because of what happened on the trip.”
“So the young lord heard about it as well. Well, it did spread to the Imperial Palace. I guess it’s all over the capital now.”
“Seems like it. There’s not much we can do about that.”
Talking with him, I headed to the dining room. Once seated, the food was served, and while eating slowly, I cautiously brought it up.
“There’s something I’d like to discuss with you regarding the incident.”
“What is it?”
“It might be a long conversation. Can we talk after dinner?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
Smiling happily, I noticed him staring at me, before he burst into a soft laugh. Confused, I looked at him as he cut a small piece of meat, stabbed it with his fork, and offered it to me.
“You’ve been wanting to talk about this, haven’t you? Whatever it is, however long it takes, I’ll listen. But eat first. You haven’t had a bite since we sat down.”
“O-Okay… I’ll eat.”
“Start with this. It’s the tastiest cut.”
“…Thank you.”
Unable to resist his gaze, I accepted the piece of meat. Embarrassed, I turned my head and chewed carefully, but I couldn’t concentrate on the taste with him watching me so intently. Where did he even learn to act like this?
Even after that, he kept feeding me, so while I did eat, I couldn’t really focus on the meal for other reasons.
After we finally finished dinner, we sat together on the sofa in the drawing room to talk properly. Warren brought a refreshing tea for digestion, and at Lucious’s signal, cleared out all the staff, leaving us alone in the room for a quiet conversation.
“What did you want to discuss, Tiana?”
“Before that, thank you. I heard you sent workers to restore the flower garden. And relief goods and support for the botanical garden and orphanage.”
“…Since I was there at the scene, I simply took responsibility to the end. The relief goods and support were part of the responsibilities of someone in charge.”
“You did it because I said I wanted to go back to the garden, didn’t you?”
“…I wanted to go back too. With you, Tiana.”
“Lucious…”
Seeing him smile so casually, as if it were nothing, warmed my heart. He always puts me first. That deep consideration—it’s something I’m endlessly grateful for.
“Let’s go back together someday. And this time, let’s really have a nice lunch with the children.”
“Of course.”
“But before that, there’s something I need to do. So that I can safely enjoy that lunch with the children—something I must prepare for.”
“What is it?”
He looked at me directly, calmly, and I took a deep breath. Seeing him patiently wait, I slowly began to speak.
“I want to start a welfare project. Not just for the remaining children, but for others in similar situations.”
“You mean becoming a sponsor?”
“Yes, as an individual, it would be sponsorship. But I want to expand it on a larger scale. It will start with supplying and delivering relief goods, but eventually, I want it to become a ‘welfare business’ that can support children in building their futures.”
“If it’s to be a business, that implies it will need to pursue profit. And starting it as a business would require substantial initial capital.”
“Exactly. But once it expands, there are limitless ways to generate revenue. At the core, it’s about rescuing and supporting children, but with a foundation of sponsorship, it could even become a system for developing talented individuals.”
“True. There are still many children who struggle to survive because of their background or status and never get the chance to realize their potential. Supporting such children and helping them grow into talent would be a truly valuable welfare project.”
Lucious nodded in agreement, then narrowed his eyes slightly. The subtle change in his gaze urged me to continue.
Taking a short breath, I added,
“I imagine the initial capital needed will be quite large. So I have another question. Is that okay?”
“What is it?”
“Well… about the remaining Navie budget allocated to me… What were you thinking when you gave me so much?”
“Why? Is it not enough?”
“Not at all. It’s the opposite. It’s too much. I don’t even have that many things to spend it on… What did that money mean? Is it okay for me to use it however I want?”
I asked him directly on purpose—this wasn’t something to drag out. He’s perceptive enough to know what I was really asking. If things went as I hoped, he would give me the answer I wanted.
Watching me quietly, he smiled gently, then finally nodded.
“Yes. That budget was solely for you, Tiana. It’s money for you to use for whatever you want to do.”
“…Then is it alright to use it as seed money for the welfare project?”
“As much as you want.”
Seeing Lucious answer without hesitation, I broke into a broad smile. Relaxing my tense posture, I leaned back against the sofa, and he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me onto his lap. Overwhelmed with gratitude, I cupped his face and kissed his cheek.
“Lucious! Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. Actually, I expected something like this. Well, not exactly this scale of project, but I thought you’d come up with something meaningful after what happened. That money was saved up over time—meant to be used only for you.”
“How did you know I’d do something like this?”
“Because even up until the day we left the town, you stayed by the children’s side. You watched over them to the end. And when Count Ezach offered to take care of them, you looked disappointed. Because you couldn’t stay. Because you thought there was nothing more you could do, right?”
“…Yes.”
I hadn’t wanted to show it, but I guess he saw through me. As I leaned into his arms, I slowly confessed what had been on my mind since leaving that town.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about that child… I kept hearing the voice of the one calling for her younger sibling, even in my dreams. I wanted to see her wake up and apologize. For not being able to find her sibling…”
“…”
“But I was also scared. Her sibling didn’t seem to like nobles like me… I was afraid she’d end up hating me too.”
“…I don’t think she would. I’m sure of it.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Though Lucious’s comfort touched me, the bitter feeling didn’t fade. Thinking about the child left alone after losing her sibling… It was possible she resented me for not saving them both.
“Either way, that moment has passed. And that child wouldn’t have survived at all if it weren’t for you. So you don’t need to blame yourself any longer.”
“Lucious…”
“I believe you’ve already done everything you could for that child. But if you still want to do more, I’ll be with you. I’ll help you. So you can be free from that guilt.”
Smiling softly, he kissed my forehead, then my eyes, and gently held my face.
Finally, his lips pressed softly to mine, parting them slightly as he kissed me deeper.
