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Chapter 17
“Gah! C-Captain?!”
Just as the commotion was about to settle, the atmosphere froze instantly at the sudden appearance of Licht, who had arrived without a sound.
“Mistress? What nonsense are you spouting?”
Despite it being midwinter, he had only a single shirt on, his expression as icy as the cold weather.
“Seems like I’ve been letting things slide lately, and everyone’s completely lost their minds. To be distracted by something so trivial… I see.”
“I-I’m sorry!”
Why was it that the moment she heard “Mistress” as she stepped into the training grounds, an uncomfortable image flashed through her mind?
Those sparkling eyes, as if coated with sweet syrup.
Thump.
Her heart raced again just at the sight of those round eyes.
“…I just barely calmed things down.”
Licht noticed Luciana’s body starting to falter again and exhaled roughly.
His mood was sour from the near-discovery of that day’s incident and the uncontrollable state of his emotions.
“You’ll have to pay for speaking so carelessly.”
“I-I’ll accept any punishment!”
Without a word, Licht gestured with his chin, and the knights understood, stripping to their shirts and running the training grounds like their lives depended on it.
During this unexpected hellish training…
“C-Captain? What’s going on all of a sudden?”
A silver-haired woman came running, out of breath, realizing the commotion too late.
“What were you doing while this was happening? Without you here, everything’s a mess, isn’t it?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Even though Even was supervising the newcomers’ sparring as vice-captain, he lowered his head in embarrassment for failing to control the knights.
Even glanced at the knights casting nervous looks from afar and waited for Licht’s orders.
“I need someone to go on an external investigation for a bit. About three people. It has to be discreet.”
“Then…”
Finally returning to the main topic, Licht asked Even for his opinion on candidates for the new mission. While Licht held the captaincy, Even handled the detailed management of the knights.
“The first person who comes to mind is Von. He’s careful and suitable for such a task.”
“Not bad.”
“I’ll carefully select the rest and report back.”
“Do it as quickly as possible. Also, starting tomorrow, the entire knights’ corps will begin dawn training. Judging by how much they’re chatting instead of practicing swordsmanship, they clearly have leftover energy.”
“Yes, Captain. Leave it to me. I’ll properly warn them.”
What did they do to upset His Excellency?
Even sighed toward his troublesome subordinates and sent Licht off.
“Hmm…”
It had already been a week since Luciana received the research journal from Licht.
As she had done every day for the past seven days, Luciana spent her day at her desk.
However, she wasn’t focusing on reviewing research records as usual.
She had finished roughly understanding the research conducted at the House of Casio over the past week.
The reason she had set aside time today was to draft a reply to Licht before beginning her actual experiments.
“Since it’s old research, the materials aren’t commonly used these days. The combination methods leave much to be desired.”
For example, almost all experiments used Vinerota stems. It was far more effective to extract juice than to grind the dried stems into powder.
“Perhaps it would be better to use petals rather than stems in this combination.”
Luciana tapped her lips with a pen, organizing her thoughts.
“Since the goal is to sever the imprint, it seems they approached it from a mental perspective… Since this is just the beginning, I should ask him to procure something more effective than the usual materials.”
Luciana began drafting a letter to Licht while reviewing the material list she had painstakingly organized the previous night.
“Hmm… It might look too curt if I only mention the essentials.”
Some of the materials requested from the duke were expensive, making her feel slightly guilty.
“Being polite won’t hurt. Better to add a bit of courtesy than sit with a guilty conscience.”
“Greetings, Duke. This is Luciana Leslie.
With winter in full swing, the weather has become quite chilly. I hope you have been well.
I have carefully reviewed the research journals you sent me. As expected of older research….”
“Alright, I’ll wait for a reply… This should be fine.”
After reviewing for any mistakes, Luciana sealed the letter with wax and placed it in a box.
Having sat at her desk for days left her body stiff.
Stretching her tired body, Luciana locked the box carefully with a key.
Click, click.
“Alright, done.”
So I’m free until the materials arrive?
“Ah… I’m exhausted.”
Having worked hard, she decided to go to bed early.
Luciana shuffled to her bed and quickly fell asleep without a word.
“Mary, can you go to Rodwell again without being late?”
At daybreak, Luciana asked Mary to run the same errand.
Feeling sorry for Mary, who would have to go to Rodwell weekly, she tried to apologize. Brave Mary shrugged and told her not to worry and to just leave it to her.
“Here, this is a personal gift from me.”
“Ah! Can I really accept something so precious…?”
“It’s not just for the errand. I wanted to give you a small gift to thank you for your help this year. The New Year is already well underway, though.”
Mary’s eyes widened at the emerald jewelry that resembled her own eye color.
The tiny earrings, carefully crafted, were clearly high-quality, but their simple design made them wearable even for a maid like Mary.
“Milady…!”
Since Luciana didn’t usually wear emeralds, this gift was clearly prepared just for Mary. Her eyes, as fresh as summer greenery, matched the stone perfectly.
‘Milady… prepared this just for me…!’
Mary’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at the slightly embarrassed Luciana, ready to hug her immediately.
“I’m glad you like it. Now, I need you to take care of things. I have to see off my brother.”
“Don’t worry! You can count on me!”
“Tell me if anything happens.”
“Yes!”
Leaving a highly motivated Mary behind, Luciana walked down the corridor.
‘I’ll have to wait a week for the reply.’
I wish there was a spell that could send the materials instantly.
‘I know this is the best way to avoid being seen by others, but time keeps passing… and I don’t know when the critical period will come.’
Of course, she wouldn’t slack off while waiting, but it was still nerve-wracking.
“Lucy!”
Feeling the cold wind, Luciana wrapped her cape tightly and stepped outside, spotting Lorraine in the distance giving instructions to the servants.
Seeing her parents with him, it seemed they were about to depart.
“Brother!”
Luciana ran to Lorraine, setting aside her research for the moment.
With Luciana in his arms, Lorraine’s eyes softened.
Smiling gently, with a mix of love for his family and sadness at parting, he teased:
“Lucy, you barely showed your face lately. I thought you had completely forgotten about me, always cooped up in your room.”
“That’s…”
Unable to argue, Luciana averted her gaze.
Although she knew he was teasing, she sensed a hidden disappointment and felt quietly sorry.
‘I probably won’t see him for at least a year.’
Thinking about it, she regretted not spending more time with her brother, but reality tugged at her ankle, and she shook her head.
