UIVML 18

Chapter 18

“Don’t make that face, I was just joking. You’ve been busy studying, haven’t you?”
Lorraine lightly poked Luciana between the brows, then cupped her younger sister’s cheek. Noticing how oddly drained she looked, he asked in a worried tone,
“Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”

She didn’t look gaunt enough to be alarming, but the faint shadows under her eyes and her roughened skin suggested she hadn’t been sleeping properly and had been completely absorbed in her research.

“Working hard is good, but you still need to pace yourself.”
“Haha…”
It’s not like I can control it myself…

As Luciana brushed it off while hiding a truth she couldn’t speak aloud, Lorraine shrugged as if she couldn’t help it and spoke gently.
“Lucy, just like always, you’ll do well.”
“…Brother.”

It was a simple remark, but knowing the sincerity behind it made her chest tighten.
People she hadn’t been able to have in her previous life.

“Yes! I will.”
Those words—you’ll do well—felt like encouragement, telling her she could overcome the twisted fate of the original story. For the first time in a while, Luciana straightened her resolve with a bright smile.

“It’s about time we head out.”
“Yes, I can’t believe it’s already this late.”

From afar, the marquis and marchioness, who had been watching their affectionate children with satisfaction, patted Lorraine on the shoulder and exchanged brief farewells.

“Take care not to ruin your health.”
“You too, Father. I’ll write once I arrive.”

After warmly saying goodbye to everyone, Lorraine gave Luciana’s head a gentle pat, then climbed into the carriage, signaling their departure.

“Hyah!”
With the crack of the driver’s whip, the carriage rolled forward smoothly, passing through the mansion gates and soon disappearing into the distance.

When my brother comes back, I’ll make sure I’ve undone the imprint and greet him without any worries.

Watching the carriage shrink until it looked no bigger than a tiny dot, Luciana made a firm vow.

“Whew….”

After finishing a grueling four-hour sword-training session that had started before dawn, Licht sank into the bath and leaned his head back.

It had been a long time since he’d immersed himself in training to the point of skipping meals. Now that he was finally trying to rest, a heavy fatigue washed over him.

The reason Licht had forced himself into this unscheduled early-morning training was to exhaust his body and shake off the stray thoughts branching out like twigs.

“…The intervals are getting shorter.”

He didn’t want to admit it, but it was true. Even now, whenever his concentration slipped in a pathetic way, that woman’s face flickered through his mind.

With each passing day, the number of times he thought of her increased, and he was slower to notice it himself.

This change was especially sensitive for Licht, who was already approaching his rut.

As winter’s cold grew harsher, he felt as precarious as a sandcastle built near the waves, barely holding together.

What if he collapsed in an instant?

Every time he caught himself naturally thinking of his imprint partner like this, a lost sense of pessimism flooded his mind.

“…Come to think of it, Rick should be back at the mansion by now.”

Had that woman brought back any meaningful news?

Licht rose from the tub, dried himself, slipped on a robe, and left the bathroom. After changing into something comfortable, the duke headed straight for his office.

Just as he’d expected, a familiar box sat squarely on the table.

Taking a key from the drawer, Licht opened the locked box and picked up the envelope inside. Brushing aside the foolish thought that he could faintly smell her scent, he removed the seal.

“Greetings, Duke. This is Luciana Leslie.
As full winter sets in, the weather has grown quite chilly. I hope you’ve been well.”

Reading the letter with an impassive face, Licht’s cheek twitched unconsciously at the polite opening greeting.

“…Damn it.”

He quickly caught himself and pulled himself together, but knowing the reason behind his idiotic reaction only made him feel more irritated.

Grinning like a fool over a courtesy greeting anyone could see was purely formal.

He cursed under his breath and found his own behavior distasteful, yet unfortunately, throughout the entire letter, Luciana was all he could think about.

The thought that came to him upon reading the last line wasn’t anything profound, but rather, Her handwriting is soft and rounded—it suits her.

“……”

Perhaps he no longer even had the energy to react to his own hopeless nature.

Deciding it was better not to waste his strength on pointless things, Licht focused solely on writing a reply.

“At least I can tell it’s not just empty talk.”

Even to someone like him, who knew little about magic, the neatly structured logic in the letter clearly carried the air of an expert.

“I’ll have Logan prepare the highest-quality materials, and as for Rick… I’ll need to speak to him separately.”

Seeing the long postscript at the bottom, Licht clicked his tongue lightly.

“P.S. May I ask one small favor? While I agree that security is important, I would appreciate it if you could take care not to frighten the maid running errands. She is someone dear to me, so I find myself worrying about her often. Thank you for your understanding.”

“Did that idiot pull a sword on her or something?”

He had told him to block outside access as a precaution and to convey things only to the correct party, but judging by this direct request, it seemed he’d gone overboard without knowing moderation.

“Still, once he’s warned, he listens well enough. He’ll do it properly next time.”

It would be best to write a reply and summon him.

Licht took out a sheet of clean paper Logan had prepared earlier that morning.

“I have ordered that the materials be prepared at the highest grade, so there is no need to worry about their quality.
I have also conveyed your additional request, instructing the knight to exercise caution, so please rest assured. The previous incident was also partly my fault for failing to supervise properly, so I offer my apologies in his stead.
There is, however, one thing I should mention: it seems some of the family’s knights are beginning to suspect the relationship between the two of us.”

As he wrote fluidly, Licht recalled what had happened at the training grounds and frowned.

From the start, the fact that Luciana had spent a night at the ducal residence was known to a few servants—but with knights, it was a different matter.

“Why did it have to be those three?”

The trio that always seemed to get involved had chatterbox mouths and free-spirited personalities. Despite their burly appearances, they were hopeless romantics when it came to love.

“I told Godwin to guide her out through the back gate so as not to draw attention. I’ve no idea when they spotted her.”

They should focus on their training instead.

For now, his strict warning would have dampened their curiosity, but you never knew.

“It seems they saw the young lady leaving the mansion.
Realistically, it would be difficult to completely conceal the unfortunate incident that occurred that day, but I will ensure that the fact we are bound by imprinting does not leak out. I will continue to keep a close watch on the knights and ensure their silence.”

“Tch. It’d be troublesome if they ran into her by accident.”

Setting down his pen, Licht rubbed his tired eyes.

From what he’d heard today, they were already suspecting Luciana based on nothing more than the clue of her pink hair.

“If they were to meet again, it could cause unnecessary trouble.”

He resolved to be careful not to bring those three along to any place where he might encounter Luciana in the future.

“My lady, are you going to bed late again today?”

Mary, handing her a cup of warm water, asked worriedly as she saw Luciana heading toward the laboratory rather than the bedroom.

“I’ll sleep soon, so don’t worry. Anyone watching would think I go to bed at dawn every day.”
“With your face looking half its usual size, how could I not worry…”
“What kind of half is this big? You should go rest too, Mary. I’ll head in for a bit.”
“Yes, my lady. Please don’t overdo it.”
“I know, I know.”

After giving Mary a light wave, Luciana opened the door to the laboratory.

As if to testify to her long struggle, the inside was a complete mess—remnants of various materials, discarded failures from botched mixtures, and piles of papers recording all kinds of results strewn everywhere.