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Chapter 9
Creak—
The door opened and someone stepped in.
At the doorway stood a girl and a boy, about Lucas’s age or maybe a bit older.
They had been chatting happily, but the moment they saw the four children inside the room, they jumped in fright.
“S-sorry, young master! We thought no one was here…!”
“Please forgive us!”
It was a mistake anyone could make, yet the two turned visibly pale and trembled.
“Were you planning to use this place as you pleased if I hadn’t been here?”
A cold voice rang out—the kind none of them had ever heard before.
As if his laughter from earlier had been a lie, Herwin’s face hardened.
“Hey, why are you getting mad? It could’ve been an accident.”
Sensing something strange, Lucas nudged Herwin.
“Yeah, they just won’t do it again. You two should go now.”
Henry also agreed with Lucas and sent the frightened pair away.
The two quickly scurried out, afraid Lucas and Henry might change their minds.
Lucas stared at the closed door, then shot Herwin a glare. Herwin clearly wasn’t pleased with the situation.
“What’s with you all of a sudden? No need to be so touchy.”
“……”
“My brother doesn’t like those guys. Even if he just runs into them, his eyebrows scrunch up like this.”
Henry answered in Herwin’s place, scrunching his own brows exaggeratedly to mimic him.
“Did something happen with those kids?”
“…No, nothing.”
When Lucas cautiously asked, Herwin only muttered evasively. Then, as if nothing had happened, he went back to playing around with Lucas and Henry.
The once quiet space soon filled with laughter.
Hahaha—!
Among the cheerful faces, only Lucia didn’t laugh. She just watched the others tumble and play together.
For a long while, she couldn’t take her eyes off Herwin.
“Big sis! Big sis! Look at this!”
“Clover flowers, huh?”
“I heard if you twist them like this, you can make a ring! I’ll make one for you!”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
When Lucia gave him a bright smile, Henry perked up immediately and focused his tiny hands on crafting the ring.
They were in a small hill behind the ducal residence.
The four of them were eager to find the legendary four-leaf clover that was said to bring luck.
“Wow, this is really hard to find.”
“Yeah, there are so many clovers, but not a single four-leaf one.”
“Exactly, that’s why it’s luck. Luck doesn’t just come to anyone.”
“Really? Then I’ll definitely find one.”
Eyes blazing with determination, Lucas crouched down and searched intently.
Tug—
Just then, someone tugged at his sleeve. Turning, Lucas saw Henry fidgeting nervously.
“What is it?”
“Henry needs to pee…”
“Huh?”
“Big sis, can’t you come with me to pee?”
Lucia’s eyes trembled like aspen leaves.
“B-big brother…”
“What?”
Lucia finally sent out an SOS to Lucas.
“Henry says he needs to use the bathroom.”
“…And why are you telling me that?”
“Because he asked me to go with him…”
“Oh? Then guess I don’t have a choice.”
Lucas stood up and walked toward Henry.
Henry didn’t like Lucas, who teased him constantly.
When Lucas approached, Henry clung to Lucia’s side and glared. Lucas only snorted and scooped him up.
“Uwaah! Put me down!”
“If you need the bathroom, you should ask me or your brother, not Lucia.”
“I don’t like you! Go away!”
“Too bad. Come on, let’s go over there—”
“Waaah! I said put me down!”
Henry hated it so much that he burst into tears.
As his wails grew louder, Herwin turned his head.
“Want me to take him?”
“No, it’s fine. Henry, stop crying and—ahh!”
Lucas suddenly shrieked.
“Ahh! You can’t pee here!”
A faint smell spread as Lucas’s clothes grew damp.
Henry, relaxed after crying so hard, had accidentally let go.
Whether from shame or sorrow, Henry cried even harder.
“I’m sorry, brother. I should’ve just gone with him…”
“No, it’s fine. I didn’t expect him to get revenge like this though…”
Lucas let out a weary laugh and patted Henry’s back.
“I’ll take Henry back inside to change clothes. You two stay here.”
“Are you sure you’re fine going alone? We can—”
“I said it’s fine. This is nothing.”
As Herwin tried to step forward, Lucas waved him off. He patted Henry and carried him toward the manor.
Henry called out for Lucia and Herwin, but his voice faded into the distance.
Now only Lucia and Herwin were left.
Whenever it was just the two of them, the air felt awkward, so they avoided each other’s eyes.
“Should we keep looking for the four-leaf clover?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, let’s do that.”
At Lucia’s suggestion, they went back to searching.
“…Hey, Herwin.”
Amid the silence, Lucia suddenly spoke.
“Yeah?”
“I want to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“Yesterday, those older kids came into the room by mistake, right?”
Herwin froze.
“Why were you so angry then?”
“…Why do you want to know?”
“Well… because you’re not the kind of person to get mad for no reason?”
Herwin lifted his head.
“…You’ve only known me for a week.”
“But we used to live together for a year and a half, remember?”
“That was two years ago. Honestly, I barely remember it. Do you really remember everything we did back then?”
“Not everything… but I do know you’re not that kind of person.”
Herwin’s face twisted. He couldn’t understand what she was saying.
On what basis did she claim he wasn’t “that kind of person”?
Even if she thought kindly of him, that didn’t mean he could reveal everything—especially secrets he wanted buried.
A memory surfaced.
Back when he was even younger than Henry, the other retainers’ children had mocked and tormented him endlessly.
Those days could never be forgotten, no matter how much time passed.
The unpleasant memory hardened his expression.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“…It’s not like I’d tell anyone.”
“I said I don’t want to! Why would I even tell you something like that?”
Herwin’s voice grew sharp with irritation.
“Because… I’m your friend…”
“Friend? Maybe we were close as kids, but not now. We’re not close enough to share our inner thoughts.”
Herwin’s cold glare was filled with rejection and wariness.
Lucia suddenly felt a sting of sadness.
He used to listen to everything I said without question…
She couldn’t be sure since it was so long ago, but her instincts told her it was true.
Herwin now was completely different from the Herwin she remembered.
That difference felt both bitter and infuriating. Lucia pouted angrily.
“Where are you going?”
Without answering, Lucia stood and marched into the forest.
“Hey! Don’t go in too deep!”
“What do you care! I’ll do what I want!”
Herwin was stunned. It was the first time Lucia had yelled at him.
For a moment he was dumbfounded, then his own face darkened.
“Fine, do what you want!”
From inside the woods came Lucia’s shrill cry.
“Herwin, you’re an idiot!”
“What? Idiot? If I’m an idiot, then you’re stupid!”
“Ugh! Fine, I’m stupid, so don’t follow me!”
“Hmph! Who said I’d follow you?”
Panting, Herwin glanced toward the spot where she’d been—but she had already vanished into the forest.
“Why’s she the one getting mad? She’s the one who provoked me first…”
Grumbling, Herwin vented his irritation.
But after a few minutes of sulking, his eyes drifted back to the forest.
Never go into the forest alone. There are no monsters, but there are wild animals. It’s dangerous, so don’t ever go without an adult.
Hail’s warning echoed in his mind.
“She’s not dumb enough to go too deep…”
He convinced himself she’d stop before going far.
Trying to shake it off, he angrily plucked at clovers.
“……”
After a while, he suddenly froze, staring toward the forest.
“…Seriously, this is bothering me.”
He couldn’t get Lucia out of his head.
If only he’d handled things more gently, she wouldn’t have stormed off crying into the woods.
Normally, he didn’t care about others—but with Lucia, it was different.
“Maybe because we used to live together…”
Perhaps old memories, though hazy, still bound him.
When he imagined her sunny smile twisted into tears, his chest ached.
“Argh, damn it!”
Overcome by a strange feeling, he ripped at the grass.
But then—
“…Huh? A four-leaf clover.”
Nestled in his hand was a perfect four-leaf clover, larger than the others.
“Wow! It’s real!”
Excited, Herwin leapt up.
But as he looked around, the joy quickly faded.
If Lucia had been here, she would’ve celebrated with him.
His lips drooped, and his mood sank. He carefully closed his fist around the clover.
“Guess I’ll have to go find her.”
If he gave it to her, surely her anger would fade.
It felt a bit of a waste after all that searching—but if it could make her smile again, it was worth it.
‘Wow, you’re giving this to me?’
He could already imagine Lucia’s delighted face.
“…I wonder if she even knows how much I care.”
Despite his grumbling, his face brightened.
Humming softly, Herwin strode into the forest where Lucia had gone.
“Idiot, mutt, jellyfish, squid…!”
Inside the forest, Lucia hurled out every bad word she knew.
She stomped the ground furiously.
Thud, thud—!
“Herwin’s a big dumb fool.”
If he didn’t want to talk, he could’ve just said so. Did he really have to get so angry?
Sniff, sniffle.
She tried to hold it back, but soon tears and snot welled up.
She didn’t want to cry—showing tears felt like losing to Herwin.
Quickly, she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. But the stubborn tears flowed anyway.
“Hic… Herwin’s a fool…”
What hurt wasn’t his anger, but the fact that he didn’t see her as a friend.
Was that why he’d been hanging out more with Lucas?
Her heart ached.
“Fine! I don’t need a friend like Herwin either!”
Even as she declared it, the knot in her chest didn’t loosen.
The more she thought about him, the sadder she felt.
“Hic… sob… huuu…”
At last, unable to hold back, Lucia cried aloud.
Waaah—!
Her small sobs echoed through the quiet forest.
