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chapter 44
It was strange. Three weeks had passed—enough time for Lucia to have sent letters.
Considering how much she usually sent, there should have been at least three letters stacked up by now…
In the end, Herwin shook the rope to call the butler.
“Did you bring all the letters that have arrived for me?”
“Yes, sir. Is there something specific you’ve been waiting for?”
Herwin hesitated for a moment as he was about to say Lucia’s name and stroked his chin.
“Then, everything sent from the estate as well—everything has arrived, correct?”
“Yes. Letters have been sent periodically from the estate. Your letter must be among them.”
As he looked through the letters again, he noticed several envelopes with double stamps.
So, in the end, it meant that Lucia hadn’t sent a single letter.
No wonder there was an emptiness in his heart. She had never failed to send letters before.
“Sir, would you like me to help if you’re looking for something?”
It was only when he heard the butler, who hadn’t left yet, that Herwin snapped out of his thoughts. He shook his head hastily.
“No, it’s nothing. You may go.”
“Yes, sir. If there’s anything else you need, please let me know.”
With a thud, the butler left, and Herwin scanned the letters with a complicated heart.
Why on earth hadn’t Lucia sent a letter?
Ever since they were children, whenever they were apart, they always wrote to each other.
To be precise, she often sent letters incessantly even before he could reply.
“Ah, maybe…”
A thought suddenly crossed his mind. The last time he met Lucia before coming to the North, she had shown tears for the first time.
Although he had told her to meet him with a smiling face, it made sense that she hadn’t sent a letter if she hadn’t yet sorted out her feelings.
He could still see her tearful face rejecting him.
A heavy, stone-like discomfort weighed on his chest.
Why did she like him? He clearly liked another woman.
Lucia was a truly good friend, but it was awkward to accept that her feelings for him were different.
Yet he couldn’t draw a cold line like he might with other women—she had already become someone important to him.
He didn’t want to become a stranger to Lucia. That was why, although he couldn’t return her feelings, he couldn’t treat her with indifference either.
Her collapsed, tear-streaked face came to mind, and Herwin frowned, rubbing his face. Then he shook his head to erase the lingering image of her.
“Focus… focus.”
Shaking off the wetness from his hair, Herwin redirected his attention to the letters.
Half were invitations to social events, sent to get closer to him, and the other half were from friends other than Lucia—Ethan, Brian, Christine, and even Arista.
Herwin carefully read each one. They were ordinary letters, just asking after his well-being.
Within them, alongside the familiar warmth, were words asking when he would return and to take care of himself. He let out a small chuckle.
Finally, he read Arista’s letter. Seeing her neat handwriting naturally brought a smile to his face.
As he read with a calm smile, he found some important news.
“An engagement…”
It was the engagement that would soon spread across the Empire—the princess and Prince Lydia, Ares Lydia, were to be married.
Arista had once mentioned the possibility of engagement with the royal family, but he hadn’t imagined it would actually happen like this.
Well, with no unmarried prince available, Ares’s engagement was much more realistic than Arista’s.
Still, thinking that Arista might be tied to the royal family made him anxious.
No matter who came, Arista would be far too precious to lose.
If she were to enter a political marriage by family order, it couldn’t be helped—but he hoped she would end up with someone of both skill and admirable appearance.
Herwin had never imagined himself paired with Arista. Due to family relations, it was impossible anyway.
Now, at the very start of marriageable age, marriage was a distant thought for Herwin.
That evening, back at the estate, Herwin had dinner with his family for the first time.
“The princess is getting married.”
“Yes. So I’ll have to go back to the estate soon.”
“Thanks to you, we’ve defeated more monsters than expected, so it’s fine to return now.”
With those words of permission, Hyle savored his food. Scarlet frowned at the cold, matter-of-fact conversation between father and son.
“It’s unfortunate your son has to return so soon. That’s why I told you to stop by the castle more often, at least to show your face.”
“I’m sorry, Mother. Next time, I’ll stay longer.”
“And you! How could you throw your son, who just returned after a long while, straight into a monster-infested place? At least one day, he should rest properly at the castle.”
“It’s true he asked for help hunting monsters, but going there immediately was Herwin’s decision.”
To avoid Scarlet’s nagging, Hyle turned the blame toward Herwin.
Herwin sent a glare that said this is unfair, and Hyle responded with a look telling him to appease Scarlet.
“When will you return if you go to the estate?”
“Well… I suppose I’ll know once I go.”
Scarlet’s eyebrows twitched at the dry answer.
“Why don’t you return to the North now? It’s time to inherit the dukedom.”
“Since graduating from the academy, I’ve stayed at the estate, so it’s about time to come back.”
Hyle nodded in agreement with Scarlet’s remark.
Herwin had expected it, but he hadn’t thought they would tell him to return to the North immediately. He chose silence instead of replying.
“It would be nice to get engaged before inheriting the dukedom. What do you think?”
“Engagement… Since you’ll marry someday anyway, it’s not bad to start looking now. Did you find any young ladies you liked at the estate?”
Seeing the two pairs of sharp eyes on him, Herwin intentionally showed discomfort.
“Do we really have to talk about this today?”
“Oh, there’s no other time. Once you go back to the estate, you won’t come up for a while. When else would you be asked?”
Scarlet, leaning forward subtly, whispered:
“How about getting engaged to Lucia?”
“Mother!”
“Why are you shouting? If there’s no one else you like, isn’t Lucia perfect?”
Watching Scarlet’s blunt insistence, Herwin twitched his lips and wiped his dry face.
“Hmm… Lucia, huh. Not a bad idea.”
“See, you agree, right? How wonderful it would be if someone as cute and kind as Lucia became your wife.”
“Should we formally send a letter to the Agnes family?”
Ignoring Herwin’s opinion, Hyle and Scarlet loudly suggested taking Lucia as his fiancée.
“What are you two doing, talking like this in front of me?”
“And why do you dislike it so much? Don’t you like Lucia?”
“See, Scarlet is right. What’s wrong with getting engaged to Lucia?”
Herwin paused for a moment. For people like them, Lucia was an excellent match.
Yet he couldn’t imagine an engagement between her and himself.
“Since we’re talking about it, let’s ask. I hear Lucia has liked you for over ten years. Have you never seen her as a potential partner?”
Scarlet’s serious question left no room for a casual response.
Searching for words, Herwin suddenly recalled Lucia—her petite figure, round cute features, and frustratingly kind personality.
Her image and atmosphere naturally came to life in his mind.
Her smile, bright and playful, had been a familiar one since childhood.
Had he ever seen her as more than a friend?
Well… he wasn’t sure.
She was undoubtedly a close friend he never wanted to lose, but as a potential partner… he wasn’t certain.
Seeing Herwin’s troubled expression and red eyes, Hyle and Scarlet exchanged glances.
“…I suppose Lucia is simply my most precious friend.”
Herwin finally answered, his voice deeply subdued.
Scarlet was puzzled—was it necessary to ponder so long and answer so seriously if he had never seen her as a romantic interest?
At least from her perspective, it didn’t seem like Herwin saw Lucia as just a friend.
Yet pressing him now would likely make him shut up forever, so Scarlet chose not to push further.
“If that’s how you feel, I won’t say more, but think about it seriously. Lucia will eventually get engaged and married. If you can calmly accept it when she leaves with someone else, you’ll be a true friend. If not… consider it carefully.”
Herwin’s red eyes trembled slightly, then calmed, showing a peaceful expression.
Still, Scarlet could see that he was somewhat flustered.
“It was fun. I heard it was the most popular play these days, and it exceeded my expectations. How did you like it, Miss?”
“Yes, I liked it too. The actors’ performances and singing were delightful.”
Lucia smiled gently as she walked out of the theater beside Bern.
Two weeks ago, she had first met Bern, and shortly after, they made a new appointment. Today was their third meeting.
He had booked an interesting play, and as expected… it was The Other Side of Love, the same play she had seen before Herwin’s final confession.
Watching it again felt slightly repetitive, but this time she could enjoy it with a calm heart.
“Which part did you like the most?”
“Hmm, overall I liked everything, but especially the part where the heroine leaves to find her love.”
Actually, what left the deepest impression was the male lead, who was not chosen by the heroine, leaving bitterly.
It wasn’t that she liked it—it just stuck in her mind.
‘Better than being too honest,’ she thought, since her answer was the scene anyone could appreciate.
“Really? I felt more for the monologue of the other male lead, the one not chosen by the heroine.”
Lucia’s eyes widened at finding that Bern shared her thoughts.
“When the two find happiness, the one left behind inevitably feels utterly lonely—it’s truly sad.”
Bern’s quiet remark made her glance at him in surprise.
He softened his kind eyes with an embarrassed smile.
“Was that too gloomy? Usually, people like the final highlight scene, so I couldn’t help it…”
“No, I was surprised by your answer. It wasn’t strange. I just liked hearing your thoughts, Marquis.”
Her gentle smile made it clear she was speaking sincerely.
“Then I’m glad.”
Bern cautiously offered his arm as an escort.
Lucia looked down at his arm for a moment, then gently placed her hand on his firm arm.
Like approaching a deer in the forest, Bern slowly closed the distance so she wouldn’t feel burdened.
Feeling his careful consideration, Lucia lowered the walls of her heart to match his pace.
Being with him wasn’t uncomfortable at all.
