🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 102
After changing into ordinary clothes, the two of them stored their garments in Lucy’s carriage parked nearby and then headed toward the market.
As soon as they entered the market, Lucas’s eyes darted about curiously.
“What a lively place this is.”
It seemed like this was his first outing of this sort. Watching the busy people and merchants hawking their goods, he whispered softly to Lucy.
“Right? Someone once told me that when they felt troubled, they came to the market just to watch people.”
Lucy suddenly recalled the day she had first met Dino.
The market Dino had taken her and Anna to that day had been this very place.
‘Back then, I believed those words. But if Dino was watching people, it was surely to find his next prey.’
She frowned unconsciously at the memory of Dino’s words and his feigned kindness.
‘I really was such a fool. I thought Dino was the lifeline that would pull me out of that hell.’
That naive belief had cost her dearly. Of course, since then Dino had not only carried out her revenge for her but had also continued to help her, so she held no lingering resentment.
But neither did those memories become sweetened with time.
Her unpleasant recollections were broken off by Lucas’s gentle voice.
“Indeed, seeing the bright expressions on people’s faces makes me feel invigorated myself. Had Ops not been introduced, I wonder if their smiles could have been as bright as this.”
Lucy lifted her head to look at him.
“I didn’t know you were interested in Ops, Lord Lucas.”
“It was something shared among only a very few, but there was the risk of a severe famine. Ops solved that crisis.”
His eyes, visible beneath the hood, gleamed with gravity.
Lucy simply nodded, feigning ignorance.
“Look, there’s a bakery right over there! I’ve heard Ops bread is quite common now—why don’t we try it?”
She shifted the subject and bought a long baguette from the bakery.
“Here, try some.”
She divided the bread into three pieces and gave one each to Lucas and Shan.
“They say this is one of the most popular breads in the market these days.”
Lucy took a bite. The taste was no different from the Ops bread she had once eaten to the point of exhaustion at the Rayford estate.
“It has a nuttier flavor than ordinary bread. In both taste and cost, it surpasses wheat by far.”
Lucas nodded in admiration, then brushed a breadcrumb from the corner of Lucy’s lips with his thumb.
“Sh-Should we keep moving? It’s too soon to be impressed.”
Startled by his action, Lucy quickly changed the topic. The spot his hand had touched felt as though it was burning.
She walked on ahead, heading toward a shop that was particularly crowded.
“Isn’t this a drink stall?”
“Yes. Do you know what sells best here? Juice made from Ops and fruit. They grind Ops and mix it with fruit juice in the right proportions.”
A little later, Lucy ordered three drinks. The beverage was served inside the hollowed-out shell of a melon-like fruit.
“How did you even know about this?” Lucas asked curiously.
“Well… I heard rumors!”
She couldn’t exactly confess that she herself had supplied the ingredients and recipe.
The three of them sipped their drinks while strolling through the market.
“Want me to show you something fun?”
Lucy suddenly tugged Lucas toward another spot.
They stopped before a street stall where all kinds of trinkets were spread out on the ground.
“Pretty lady, take your pick, I’ll give you a good price! These are rare goods from every corner of Fujis.”
The merchant lifted various accessories and household items for display.
“Do you happen to have a portrait of the Grand Duke of Cretane?” Lucy asked while browsing.
“Of course I do! Loads of them! Come this way.”
The stall owner gestured toward the section displaying women’s jewelry.
“All of these items here carry the Grand Duke’s portrait.”
Lucy picked up what looked like an ordinary jewelry box and opened it.
“This is…”
Lucas’s eyes widened at the sight of his own portrait painted on the inside of the lid.
Lucy pressed her lips tightly together to stifle her laughter.
“Truly… all portraits of me…”
From pendant necklaces to the backs of hand mirrors, everything bore his likeness.
“P-Please wrap up everything here with the Grand Duke’s portrait!” Lucas declared to the merchant after a brief moment of fluster.
The merchant beamed as he hurriedly packed the items, while Lucy glanced at Lucas with a troubled look.
Leaning closer, she whispered, “Lord Lucas, what are you going to do with all of this?”
“I couldn’t bear the thought of these things being bought by anyone else.”
“Still, that’s a bit too much…” she muttered under her breath with a sigh.
At that moment, Shan cut in, “Looks like the packing is finished.”
Lucas took the paper bag from the stall owner and immediately handed it to Shan.
Shan blinked in surprise at the bag pressed into his hands.
“This is a gift for Lady Lucy. It looks too heavy for her to carry, so you can hold it and follow along.”
Lucy’s eyes widened this time.
“A… gift?”
“Yes, a gift. Please keep them in your room, and when you look at these portraits, think of me from time to time.”
Lucas gazed at her with a gentle smile.
Flustered, she quickly turned her face away to hide her blushing cheeks.
* * *
“Master, a letter has arrived from Baron Diallo.”
As usual, Lucy was working busily at Pablo Trading Company when her aide handed her a letter.
It was from Baron Diallo, inviting her to a family dinner on the date she had specified.
‘Family, is it? How laughable.’
Lucy sneered at the affectionate tone of Baron Diallo’s letter.
A week passed in the blink of an eye, and soon the day arrived for her to dine at the Baron’s mansion.
After finishing her work at the company as usual, Lucy set out leisurely for the Diallo estate.
“Are you certain this is wise?” Shan asked with concern.
“You’ll be protecting me, won’t you? Besides, I’ve brought the antidote.”
She shook the small vial she had been fiddling with.
Still, Shan gazed at her with a grave expression.
This time, unlike before, as soon as her carriage reached the Baron’s estate, the gatekeeper opened the door as if he had been waiting.
Lucy hid the antidote in her bodice, gave Shan a subtle nod, and stepped down from the carriage.
“Oh! Lucy, we’ve been waiting for you.”
Baron Diallo greeted her warmly the moment she alighted.
Behind him, the Baroness and Jessica waved cheerfully.
Lucy let out a short laugh at their sickening display. Taking her reaction for amusement, the Baron chuckled heartily with her.
“I must be terribly late! The company work piled up so much I barely managed to finish it in time.”
Of course, that was a lie. She had deliberately paced her work more leisurely to prepare for today.
But there was no need to tell them that.
“I know well what it’s like to run a trading company myself! You’re managing that vast business all on your own?”
“What ability do I have to run it myself? I just employ a competent aide and entrust him with everything.”
The Baron nodded knowingly at her words.
“Come in quickly before the food gets cold.”
“Lucy, you don’t know how much Mother fussed in the kitchen this morning when she heard you were coming!” Jessica said, hurrying to her side as the Baron led the way to the dining room.
“She didn’t have to go to such trouble…”
“You don’t know how much I regretted letting you leave last time. We’ve prepared plenty of your favorite dishes, so look forward to it.”
The Baroness slipped her arm affectionately around Lucy’s shoulders.
Lucy clenched her lips tightly, feeling she might gag at their hypocrisy.
