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Chapter 102

Lucia, sitting side by side with Herwin in the carriage, fidgeted with her lips, her expression sulky.

Even without looking in a mirror, she could tell from the sensation under her fingers that her lips were swollen.

Whether he noticed her mood or not, Herwin kept smiling brightly at her.

“Seriously, you should know some restraint. If someone else saw this, they’d notice right away.”

Until the imperial attendant arrived, Lucia hadn’t been able to escape from Herwin. At least the servant had shown up at just the right time. If not…

A shiver ran down her spine, and Lucia rubbed her arms.

Just then, Herwin pulled her into his arms. Drawn in naturally, Lucia felt the strength that wrapped around her completely, as if binding her in place.

“Ha… this is nice…”

The sincerity in his voice made her laugh without realizing it. Apparently pleased by her laughter, Herwin rubbed his face against her neck.

He was being excessively affectionate, and it was so adorable that she reached up to stroke his hair. But only for a moment. Soon, Lucia began to feel something was off.

For some reason, Herwin’s breath against her neck felt hot, and the large hand holding hers was damp.

Her confusion lasted only a second. Lucia found herself staring straight into crimson eyes blazing with desire.

The atmosphere suggested something was about to happen.

Sure enough, Herwin half-lidded his eyes and leaned closer. Before his lips could reach hers, Lucia blocked him with her hand.

Herwin looked down at the small hand pressed against his mouth. His eyes narrowed, this time with a different meaning.

“Why are you stopping me?”

“Why do you think? Once you start, you won’t let go until we arrive.”

“Tch.”

As if my guess had been right, Herwin clicked his tongue and buried his face back into her neck.

Being completely wrapped up by Herwin felt a bit suffocating, but his affection was so palpable that it didn’t feel unpleasant.

As Lucia fiddled with his hand, something suddenly came to mind, and she let out a small chuckle.

“By the way, did you know?”

“Know what?”

“That I confessed to you ninety-nine times.”

The arms around her twitched. When she glanced sideways, Herwin looked flustered and apologetic.

“I really was persistent, huh? Confessing ninety-nine times over thirteen years… Even close friends would’ve lost all affection by then.”

She could laugh about it now. Just a few days ago, she never would’ve imagined she’d end up as Herwin’s lover.

As Lucia clicked her tongue at her past self, Herwin’s arms tightened.

After a moment, he let out a deep sigh.

“Why would I lose affection for you? If anything, apologizing to you still wouldn’t be enough.”

“Huh? I wasn’t saying that to get an apology…”

When he took her joke seriously, Lucia made an awkward face. Even when she tried to reassure him that it was fine, his mood didn’t seem to improve at all, so she started rambling.

“Well, I didn’t think we’d ever reach a hundred. But you confessed to me, didn’t you? If we count that one, it’s a total of one hundred and one! I’m not the only one who confessed, so you don’t have to look so miserable…”

When she saw the tears welling up in his red eyes, Lucia faltered. It was hard to grasp the depth of Herwin’s guilt. But somehow—

“Pfft! Kh—!”

Those watery eyes looked so unlike the Herwin she knew that she burst out laughing without meaning to.

When Lucia ended up laughing out loud, Herwin’s expression grew even more sullen.

“Is it funny? Am I that funny?”

“Hahaha! N-no, that’s not it… haha!”

After laughing for quite a while, Lucia finally cleared her throat when she saw Herwin was on the verge of sulking.

“Cough… It’s just awkward, okay? You always had such a cold expression, but now you’re acting all cute and making that sad face.”

“You’re really cruel, you know, not understanding how I feel.”

“Sorry, sorry. Are you sulking?”

Herwin stuck his lips out, glanced at Lucia, then blushed and pressed his forehead against hers.

“I think I’d feel better if you let me kiss you once.”

“No.”

“Tch.”

Seeing through his trick immediately, Lucia refused. Herwin clicked his tongue again.

It felt like a different kind of closeness than when they were just friends. As Lucia stared blankly at the sulky Herwin, she suddenly grabbed his face and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

It happened so fast that Herwin’s eyes slowly widened.

When he jerked his head away, Lucia mumbled, her cheeks flushed.

“…A peck is okay.”

Herwin stared blankly for a moment, then broke into a wide smile and kissed Lucia’s cheek. No—he kissed her all over her face.

Lucia burst out laughing, but as Herwin’s face gradually moved lower, her laughter slowly faded.

His lips traveling from her earlobe down to the nape of her neck made her feel strangely flustered.

“W-wait a second, Herwin…”

Herwin stopped and rubbed his face against her neck.

“Thank you, Lucia.”

“Huh?”

“For not giving up on me for thirteen years. Thank you.”

A soft gasp escaped Lucia’s lips. She never expected to be thanked for her feelings.

All the hardship and pain she had endured felt as though it were being comforted all at once.

“For the rest of my life, I’ll confess to you two hundred times, five hundred times, a thousand times. I love you, Lucia.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn’t want to cry right now. She wanted to enjoy this happy moment with a smile.

“I love you too.”

Smiling at each other like the happiest people in the world, the two naturally closed their eyes and kissed.

It wasn’t a passionate, desire-filled kiss that felt like devouring each other, but a gentle, sweet kiss, playful and tender.

Suddenly, Lucia noticed the estate drawing closer beyond the carriage window.

For once, both of them wished the journey would take a little longer.

By the time night fell, Lucia had finally arrived at the estate. She stopped Herwin from following her inside and entered the main gate alone.

In truth, they had arrived quite a while ago, but neither of them wanted to part, so they’d delayed.

When she got down from the carriage and said goodbye, Lucia noticed Herwin’s disheveled clothes and the excited look around his eyes.

Anyone could tell they’d just done something embarrassingly intimate.

Wondering if she looked the same, Lucia quickly checked her own appearance.

Johann and Julian greeted Lucia enthusiastically as she entered the house looking neat and composed.

With tears welling in their eyes, the two rushed toward her.

“My daughter! A-are you hurt anywhere?”

“Let me see. I’ve called a doctor, so we’ll examine you again… What happened to your hand? You said you weren’t hurt…!”

Without missing a beat, they spun Lucia around, scanning her like hawks for any injuries.

When they spotted the bandage wrapped around her hand, they practically screamed.

Anyone watching would think someone had died.

Well… she had almost died, so it wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Oh dear, Mother, Father, please calm down. Lucia’s walking just fine and talking, isn’t she?”

“You call yourself her brother and you’re this calm?! She nearly died because of a monster! How can you stay calm?!”

“Damn that imperial family! How could they handle things so poorly that an orc appeared?!”

Already beside themselves, Johann and Julian barely registered Lucas’s words.

Lucia smiled awkwardly and hugged both Johann and Julian tightly. Only then did they stop.

“I’m really fine. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

After calming down a little, the two hugged Lucia so tightly it felt like her bones might break. Stepping back, Julian tearfully brushed Lucia’s face.

“If I’d known this would happen, I should have attended the hunt no matter what. I’m sorry…”

“From now on, I’ll never leave you alone in such a dangerous place again. You really aren’t hurt anywhere, are you?”

Lucia nodded with a smile, and Julian wiped her tears.

When she’d heard Lucia had been captured by an orc, she’d been utterly shocked. It felt as if her world had collapsed.

Even after hearing that Lucia had been rescued safely, she hadn’t been able to relax until she saw her with her own eyes.

Only now did the tension drain away from them, replaced by immense relief.

As their focus widened beyond Lucia alone, things they hadn’t considered before began to surface.

Johann, who had been holding Lucia’s hand in relief, suddenly stiffened, his face darkening with quiet fury.

“I will not let this go. No matter that it’s the imperial family. My daughter nearly died. I won’t just brush this aside.”

“I heard there were other victims besides Lucia. We should lodge a formal protest together.”

Julian readily agreed with Johann.

“Lucas told me. You were alone when you were attacked by the orc?”

“Yes… that’s what happened.”

Lucia answered honestly, seeing no reason to hide it. But then she noticed Johann’s face turning red with anger.

Wondering what was wrong, she hesitated—just as Johann spoke.

“Where on earth was Marquis Casper that he left you alone in such a dangerous place?”

Johann was angry at Bern. It wasn’t entirely Bern’s fault, but the fact that he hadn’t been by his fiancée’s side when she was in danger was enough reason to be furious.

Flustered, Lucia shot Lucas a glare.

By the time she’d woken up, he had already left for the estate. Herwin had told her that Lucas knew she and Bern had broken up.

She’d assumed Lucas had already told their parents…

But when she looked at him, Lucas merely shrugged and gestured for her to explain herself.

“That’s right! What on earth was the marquis doing at that time?”

Julian joined in, pressing her for the truth. Their eyes made it clear they wouldn’t let Bern off easily unless there was a legitimate reason.

Lucia pressed her throbbing temples.

“There’s no need to defend someone who couldn’t even protect his fiancée. Just tell us honestly.”

Thinking Lucia was covering for Bern, Johann tried to coax her gently.

Exasperated, Lucia let out a dry laugh.

“Mother, Father, it’s not what you’re thinking.”

“Then what is it?!”

“Well… Bern and I broke up.”

At Lucia’s sudden announcement, Johann froze mid-rant, and Julian stared at her as if she’d heard something impossible.

After a long silence, the two shouted in unison.

“What?!”

Lucas and Lucia both covered their ears. Their parents, now completely worked up, began rambling incoherently.

Why so suddenly? Why did you break up? Weren’t you on good terms just this morning? Questions poured out endlessly, far too many to answer one by one.

Instead, Lucia casually dropped a bombshell.

“And I’m going to marry Herwin.”

Johann and Julian looked utterly stunned, as if they’d been struck. This time, even Lucas’s eyes widened in shock.

“You’re not even dating, and you’re getting married?”

“Yeah. It just sort of happened.”

Wondering how something like that could ever be explained as “it just happened,” Lucas gaped for a moment before recalling what had happened earlier that day and finally nodding.

“Uh… yeah. Well… congratulations, I guess?”

Seeing Lucas offer his congratulations with an awkward smile, Lucia looked genuinely surprised.

“What’s gotten into you? Weren’t you the one who said you’d erased Herwin from your life?”

At her sharp jab, Lucas clutched his chest and staggered.

“Th-that was back then. I had my reasons. And… seeing how much you two love each other, I can’t exactly oppose it.”

Briefly startled by how different Lucas seemed, Lucia soon lightly smacked his arm—a silent thank you.

“Oh, right. Didn’t you say you were getting engaged too, Oppa?”

Another bomb.

Johann and Julian, who had been dazed, turned their faces toward Lucas. Flustered, he began to stammer.

“N-no, that’s— I mean— where did you even hear that?”

“Herwin told me yesterday. He said you promised an engagement a while ago. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“There were… circumstances. Yeah. Until yesterday, I thought I would get engaged, but…”