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chapter 55
“…Tired?”
“Yes. Think about it. Who wouldn’t get tired when the person they have a crush on clearly knows their feelings but pretends not to, and even if they confess, it’s rejected?”
Jerome spoke rapidly, firing words like a machine gun before Herwin could even interject.
“So in the end, you gave up on the crush and got engaged. Surely you didn’t just get engaged to make someone jealous, right?”
Herwin thought of Lucia. It didn’t seem like she had gone through a matchmaking process just to provoke some petty jealousy.
“Even if it’s a childhood friend, why would a friend be like that?”
“What do you mean?”
Herwin, lost in thought, looked up. Jerome put his hands on his hips, exasperated, and continued.
“Why now, of all times, do you care about that childhood friend?”
“Well…”
“You’re not thinking something trashy like ‘I don’t want it, but I don’t want to give it to someone else either,’ are you?”
Hearing this, Herwin flared up and shouted.
“Of course not!”
“Whoa…! Why are you yelling? I’m not talking to you, young master.”
Jerome stepped back, and Herwin regained his composure, wiping his face.
“…Anyway, it’s nothing like that, so don’t say it like that.”
“Alright, understood. Then please tell me what exactly is confusing your friend.”
“So….”
Herwin listed his thoughts in a weary voice, disjointedly: starting from not liking Lucia’s fiancé, that she was avoiding him, and that she hadn’t told him she had gone through a matchmaking process. Jerome’s expression gradually grew uneasy.
“…So that’s why.”
“Um… I’m just asking to be sure, your friend doesn’t like the childhood friend, right?”
“No.”
“Really, not lying? You’re sure?”
“Yes. Why do you keep asking…?”
“From what I see, it seems like your friend has feelings for the childhood friend.”
Herwin stopped mid-sentence, frozen in shock.
Even though Jerome knew Herwin was talking about his friend, he continued without acknowledging it.
“Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense to be worried about the childhood friend now. Plus, you said your friend doesn’t like the fiancé the childhood friend brought, right? Did that person behave rudely? Or have a bad reputation?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“Then it’s clear. Your friend likes the childhood friend. 100%!”
“But…”
Seeing Herwin still confused, Jerome sighed lightly.
“Is it strange to like a childhood friend? Why can’t you accept it?”
Herwin hesitated, then finally said:
“Well… that person already likes someone else.”
“Huh? Young master, you…! Uh! No, no. You mean your friend likes someone else?”
Jerome stumbled over his words, but Herwin, lost in thought, didn’t notice.
“Yes.”
“So that’s why you didn’t accept the childhood friend…”
“Because they like someone else, that’s why they didn’t accept them.”
Herwin’s quiet voice didn’t sound false. Jerome, shocked by this revelation, slowly closed his mouth.
“Then I understand even less.”
Jerome’s tone, playful and high before, dropped drastically. He erased his smile and looked at Herwin seriously.
“If you like someone else, why care about the childhood friend or dislike that fiancé? Normally, if you had no interest, you’d just support your friend marrying a good person.”
Herwin couldn’t easily answer. His pupils flickered as if he had been hit.
“If the childhood friend doesn’t appear as a romantic interest, just support them quietly. No matter how confusing it is, it won’t be like your feelings for that childhood friend.”
Jerome, speaking coldly, relaxed into a slightly incredulous expression.
“But are you sure your friend likes someone else? From what I see, it seems like they like the childhood friend.”
“….”
Herwin stayed silent. Even with a clear answer, his worry seemed only to deepen. Jerome patiently stayed by his side until Herwin returned to reality.
Herwin remained in his seat for a long while, unable to move.
Lucia, forcing herself to shake off the tension, followed the Marquise Reiran ahead of her.
She was currently attending a tea party hosted by the Marquise Reiran.
Although a marquise, the Reiran family was among the newly rising noble families, and she had been asked by Bern to attend.
The glass conservatory they entered was filled with vibrant flowers, and more captivating than the flowers were the distinguished guests present.
Among them were influential married socialites as well as unmarried young women like Lucia, who were in the position of a fiancée.
As the Marquise Reiran and Lucia appeared, all eyes turned to them.
“Everyone, today I’ve invited a very special guest.”
Following the Marquise’s introduction, Lucia lifted her dress slightly and bowed.
“Pleased to meet you, I am Lucia Agnes.”
A small round of applause followed, some welcoming her warmly, others whispering among themselves.
“Agnes, hmm. Has Miss Agnes already reached this level of society?”
“Haven’t you heard? She’s engaged to Marquis Casper.”
“Good heavens, Marquis Casper? I remember many young ladies sought him out. Unexpected that he would be engaged to Miss Agnes.”
“That’s right. Rumor has it they met through a matchmaking process.”
As expected, people were more focused on the fact that she was engaged to Marquis Casper than on her personally.
Lucia stayed composed, as she had anticipated.
She listened to the conversations around her and took a seat in an empty spot.
“I’ve been curious who would win the heart of Marquis Casper, and it turns out to be Miss Agnes.”
A woman approached, radiating charisma and openly curious.
“‘Winner of the heart,’ you say. That’s flattering.”
Lucia awkwardly smiled.
When Julian told her about Bern’s reputation, she had wondered if people were exaggerating, but now she realized it wasn’t. Bern’s popularity seemed even higher than she imagined.
“Don’t you see the other young ladies glaring at you from over there?”
Following the woman’s fan, Lucia saw young women in their early twenties glaring at her with jealousy.
Lucia was embarrassed, and the woman laughed.
“Hahaha, you truly didn’t notice. Soon, you’ll face jealousy and envy like that. What will you do?”
“…I suppose I must accept it as fate. It’s not my fault my fiancé is remarkable, so I must live with it.”
“Fate, indeed. To marry a fine person, you must make that resolve.”
The woman seemed pleased with Lucia’s answer and laughed again.
They continued to converse, and Lucia, initially awkward, soon responded smoothly.
It seemed the woman was one of the key figures of this tea party. As they spoke, other guests approached, trying to join the conversation.
If someone asked a sharp question, the woman would intervene before Lucia even responded.
Thanks to her, Lucia navigated the tea party without emotional distress.
After a while, as interacting with guests became tiring, Lucia found a suitable excuse to leave her seat.
She walked through the empty garden.
“Getting a bit tired.”
Although she had entered high society some time ago, this was her first serious step. Previously, she had avoided mingling beyond close friends.
Rustle-
A presence approached. A woman from the tea party appeared behind her.
Crimson hair, deep green eyes, and small freckles on her face gave her a lively and charming impression.
Though Lucia recognized her face, they had never been formally introduced, creating an awkward silence.
The woman suddenly stepped forward.
“Are you Miss Lucia Agnes?”
Too close, Lucia instinctively stepped back.
“Yes, I am Lucia Agnes… but who are you?”
The woman, anxious and fidgeting, quickly bowed.
“Oh, I apologize. I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Celine Jay… no, Romario.”
She suddenly corrected her surname mid-sentence and then stepped closer.
“I… I have something I’d like to ask…!”
“Yes, go ahead.”
Despite her forward approach, she struggled to speak, trembling visibly.
Finally, Celine closed and opened her eyes tightly and mustered courage.
“Are you really engaged to Marquis Casper?”
The question was so blunt that Lucia frowned.
Most people here already knew she was Bern’s fiancée. Even if not, they must have heard today’s conversations at the tea party, so the question felt odd.
Unlike the envious looks of the other young ladies earlier, Celine seemed genuinely anxious. Her green eyes showed worry, unease, sadness, and a flicker of hope.
“I’m not doubting you, I just want to know if you’re formally engaged…”
Realizing how absurd her question sounded, Celine babbled further.
Lucia, understanding that Celine bore no ill intent, spoke honestly.
“Yes, that’s correct. I am engaged to Bern.”
Celine’s green eyes trembled, her emotions palpable.
“It’s not a formal engagement yet, but there will be a ceremony someday.”
“….”
“Does that answer your question?”
Celine looked on the verge of tears, muttering. Her expression seemed familiar to Lucia, and she immediately realized:
‘She likes Bern.’
Celine reminded her of her past self—the despair she felt knowing Herwin liked Arista. Lucia felt that emotion emanating from Celine.
For both Celine’s sake and her own, Lucia decided to leave. This encounter benefited no one.
As Lucia moved away, Celine reached for her.
Tears had filled Celine’s eyes, making it difficult for her to speak despite holding onto Lucia.
After waiting a while, Lucia finally spoke.
“Do you have any more questions?”
“Well… could it be that Bern hasn’t said anything about me…?”
Celine, desperate, couldn’t finish her sentence and let go of Lucia’s arm.
“No, forget what I just said,” she added, bowing her head.
Through strands of crimson hair, droplets fell, but Lucia ignored them, feeling uneasy at unintentionally hurting someone and uncomfortable seeing her past self reflected in Celine.
She reached out to console Celine but hesitated, fearing it might be misinterpreted.
Ultimately, she withdrew her hand and continued walking.
A soft sob came from behind.
