Chapter 42
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Chapter 42
'From now on, there's only one thing I need to do.'
Prevent Lucian and Edwin from hating each other.
They didn't need to be inseparable best friends, but at the very least, I had to raise them to be children who could understand each other's positions.
'To do that, I need to stop the retainers first.'
Soon the Duke would return to the Capital. That meant the retainers would run even wilder once the person they had to be mindful of disappeared.
'I need to keep a careful watch to make sure the retainers don't say anything foolish to the two children.'
In the old days, I would have been criticized for meddling in another family's affairs, but not anymore. I was the Duke's benefactor for finding Edwin, after all.
Knock, knock.
The sound of knocking from beyond the door cut off the chain of thoughts running through my mind.
"It's Claude Agris."
The person who had come to my room was Claude.
"Yes, please come in."
I quickly rose from my seat and straightened my clothes. At the same moment, Claude opened the door and entered. He was still leaning on his crutches.
I moved quickly to support Claude.
"You don't need to worry about me...."
"No, I do."
Linking my arm with Claude's, I guided him to a chair in front of the tea table.
"I feel sorry for imposing on you every time we meet."
"Imposing? Not at all, so please don't think of it that way. But what brings you here?"
It would be one thing if Claude came downstairs to gather with the children, but this was the first time he had visited my room personally.
"I just... wanted to have a cup of tea with you."
"Suddenly?"
"Yes. The weather's been chilly, so I found myself craving something warm."
Is that so? The temperature does fluctuate quite a bit, but it's not particularly cold for winter.
'His health must have deteriorated quite a bit. To see someone so robust feeling the cold like this.'
It seemed the aftereffects of the carriage accident still lingered.
"In that case, I think ginger tea would be good for you. Ginger warms the body."
"Does Miss Rilprey enjoy ginger tea?"
"Yes, I drink it often in winter."
"Then I would like that as well."
I instructed Riley to bring tea.
Soon Riley, having received the order, left, and only the two of us remained in the room.
"Where is Amelia? Did you come alone?"
"Amelia went to Lucian. She said she wanted to play together and brought along an armful of toys."
"Oh my, Lucian must be delighted."
More than delighted, really. Lucian would jump out of bed at the mere mention of Amelia.
"These past few days have been difficult for Lucian because of what happened, so having Amelia around will surely be a great comfort to him."
"That's a relief to hear."
Claude's smile seemed a bit strained.
He would surely know, given that he had eyes and ears.
The atmosphere within the Bellomen Duchy.
And he would have realized.
That this household was far more chaotic than one could imagine.
"What else does Lucian enjoy besides Amelia?"
Claude shifted the topic. The atmosphere that had nearly grown heavy naturally eased.
"Lucian enjoys physical activities, as boys do. Ball games and sword fighting, that sort of thing. He also likes climbing trees."
"Climbing trees, you say?"
"Yes. He acts as though he's some sort of monkey. Even when I warn him it's dangerous, he insists on doing it anyway."
I recalled Lucian sitting on a tree branch, swinging his legs carelessly, and shook my head. I couldn't fathom whom he took after to be so restless.
"And what does Miss Rilprey enjoy?"
"Me?"
"Yes."
Claude's blue eyes turned toward me.
"I enjoy...."
What did I enjoy? I had scarcely given it thought, preoccupied as I was with Lucian.
"I enjoy sweet things. Chocolate and cookies, that sort of thing."
"And?"
"And... I also enjoy watching lacrosse matches."
The hesitation was brief. Once I began speaking, facts I hadn't even consciously recognized tumbled forth in succession.
The conversation about my preferences continued even as Riley poured the tea.
"Do you not enjoy croquet? It's also a ball sport."
"It's far too static for my taste. I find it entertaining to volley a single ball back and forth, which is why I enjoy watching lacrosse."
"I see. Is there anything else you enjoy besides sports?"
"Besides sports.... I enjoy taking walks on fine days. Going on picnics as well...."
Claude brought the cup to his lips. The moment he did, his expression contorted.
"Ahem, hmm."
He gave a short cough. His face flushed as he cleared his throat.
I observed his complexion and asked.
"Does the tea not suit your palate?"
"No, it does."
He shook his head and brought the cup to his lips once more. His brow furrowed immediately.
"Ginger tea does have a strong aroma, and it's not to everyone's taste, but... didn't you say you enjoyed it earlier?"
"Yes, cough. I do enjoy it."
"Then why...."
Do you keep frowning?
"In any case, cough, which picnic location do you prefer?"
"I often visit the hill behind the mansion...."
As I watched him with concern, continuing to cough while stubbornly drinking his tea.
"Ah...."
I understood why he endured the embarrassment of his face flushing crimson just to drink that tea.
'...It was for me.'
In the original story, Claude was an upright man, but not a particularly warm one.
Yet that rigid person had come to find me alone, dragging his ailing body along.
Whenever the conversation turned to Edwin, he naturally steered it away, and instead asked me about the things I enjoyed.
He said it was fine even as he drank tea that didn't suit his palate.
For no other reason than that I liked it.
'He was worried about me, struggling with the Edwin situation.'
I couldn't bring myself to tell him to be strong. He had taken a long, roundabout way to convey his feelings.
This was Claude's own clumsy way of offering comfort.
"The weather is quite nice, *cough*, shall we go on a picnic while we're at it?"
"Now?"
"Yes, *cough*."
As if he hadn't just complained about the cold.
"Yes. Let's go together."
I nodded lightly with a smile, pretending not to remember what he had said.
The sunlight streaming through the window was warm and gentle.
* * *
Edwin sat perched on the windowsill, gazing at the view outside.
His room was on the Third Floor, and from the window, one could see the hill behind the Bellomen Mansion at a glance.
Edwin pressed his forehead against the glass, staring intently at the man and woman sitting on a mat spread across the hilltop.
To be precise, at Lucella and Claude.
On the yellow mat lay an abundance of various desserts.
Lucella bit into a cookie with a joyful expression. She also admired the flowers blooming in the grass.
Claude smiled as he watched Lucella.
Whenever he ate chocolate, his expression would darken slightly, but it was only fleeting. He would quickly return to a smiling face, as if he had never furrowed his brow.
"That looks fun...."
As Edwin murmured, his breath fogged the window.
He wanted nothing more than to dash down to the hill himself.
He wanted to go to Lucella and beg to join them, to ask if they could eat cookies together.
But he could not.
Because Lucella, who had worn such a complicated expression whenever she looked at him recently, was now smiling brightly for the first time.
A child who had drifted through the Orphanage since early childhood had developed the habit of reading people's moods. And that habit never failed to manifest in front of Lucella.
Lucella was kind and gentle. Yet behind her smile lay a complexity that defied explanation.
After the truth of his being the Duke of Bellomen's biological son was revealed, her expression had grown even more complicated.
She always smiled softly when he spoke to her, but that smile was no longer as light as it had been before.
Yet now, Lucella was smiling with a brightness unmatched by anyone else.
Claude's face, which had been rigid as a statue, was also softening as gently as it did when he looked at Amelia.
Perhaps even more so.
Once he realized this, he found himself unable to approach the two of them.
Yet I couldn't bring myself to seek out Amelia either.
'Where is Amelia right now?'
'Miss Agris is currently with Young Master Lucian.'
'Ah....'
I didn't need an explanation to understand why Amelia had sought out Lucian.
'It's because of me.'
Throughout my stay at the Duke's Mansion, countless whispers had brushed past my ears.
'This is the first time I've felt pity for Young Master Lucian.'
'What will become of Young Master Lucian now?'
'He must be deeply grieved....'
I was someone who paid close attention to others' expressions, and I was equally perceptive because of it.
Though I struggled to fully comprehend the situation, I could at least understand that my arrival had wounded Lucian.
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