Chapter 90
The empire had many festivals, large and small, but the biggest by far were the New Year’s Celebration in winter and the Summer Festival in summer.
Since these were organized under the royal family’s guidance, countless nobles from across the nation flocked to the capital to enjoy the Summer Festival.
On the first day of the Summer Festival, Lucia held Vern’s hand as they stepped out of the carriage.
“As expected, it’s just as magnificent as always this year.”
“It seems the royal family put a lot of effort into this one. Bringing in this many flowers… the scale is incredible.”
Lucia and Vern slowly entered the party hall. From the entrance, the lavish floral decorations already hinted at something extraordinary, but once inside, the sheer scale of the event left them both wide-eyed in awe.
“Oh my, they even have an ice sculpture. It must have been difficult to get ice this large in summer.”
“That’s true. As expected of the royal family.”
It seemed that Lucia wasn’t the only one impressed; the other guests at the festival also marveled at the grandeur of this year’s Summer Festival.
“Oh, who do we have here? It’s Marquis Casper.”
At that moment, someone approached Vern and spoke to him. Vern recognized the man, likely a business associate, and greeted him warmly.
“I wanted to discuss some things regarding the current business. Do you have a moment?”
“Yes, that’s fine. Lucia, I’ll be back shortly to talk.”
“Go ahead. I’ll look for some friends while you talk.”
Vern gave Lucia’s hand a gentle squeeze and left with the man. Lucia immediately scanned the area to see if she recognized anyone.
Since the Summer Festival was a major royal event, none of her friends would have missed it.
As she wandered around with a glass of champagne to cool off, she spotted Ethan from behind.
“Ethan!”
Lucia approached Ethan warmly but soon noticed someone standing in front of him.
His large frame had previously blocked her view.
Lucia paused and sensed something odd, narrowing her eyes.
A petite, charming young woman was chatting happily with Ethan.
Ethan, true to his cheerful personality, was laughing heartily, but his laughter seemed stranger than usual. His face flushed, and he fidgeted with his neck and ears awkwardly.
“Could it be… someone he likes?”
It was the first time Ethan had ever liked anyone.
Though he was handsome and popular among women, he had never shown interest in romance or had a particular partner.
Seeing him so embarrassed was a sight Lucia had never witnessed.
She quickly closed her mouth and stepped back discreetly.
“Lucia! There you are!”
Just as she tried to move away, someone called her out in a loud voice. Startled, Lucia turned.
“Where’s your fiancé? Why are you alone?”
It was Brian and Christine. They seemed puzzled to see Lucia alone at the festival.
“I just stepped away to talk to someone briefly. He’ll be back soon.”
“Is that so? Oh, and there’s Ethan over there. Ethan!”
Before Lucia could stop her, Christine called out to Ethan with all her might. Ethan turned his gaze toward them.
“This isn’t good…”
Muttering to herself, Lucia caught Brian’s sharp glance. Being perceptive, he instantly understood everything.
“Ah, I see. We made a mistake.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean?”
Christine looked confused, not yet realizing what was happening. Meanwhile, Ethan’s companion separated from him and started coming over. Brian clicked his tongue at himself, calling himself foolish.
“So, everyone’s here?”
“You fool. Go enjoy yourself. Why did you come over?”
“You were the one who called me first! Why start arguing?”
“That’s right, Brian. What did Ethan do wrong to be scolded?”
Christine, unaware of the situation, defended Ethan, causing Brian to frown.
“Ethan, it’s not that. We just didn’t want to interrupt your fun. It seems you have feelings for that woman over there, right?”
Before his friends could quarrel, Lucia quickly intervened to clarify on Brian’s behalf. Ethan understood a moment later and blushed.
“My fun? You mean… was I on a date with her just now? Oh no! I had no idea…”
“That’s enough. You’ll burn a hole in your face if you keep blushing like that.”
Before Christine could fuss and apologize, Brian stopped her. Only then did Ethan lower his hands from covering his face.
“…Was it really that obvious?”
“Not exactly, but…”
“Uh, I could tell immediately.”
Unlike Lucia, who tried to speak diplomatically, Brian was blunt. Only when she shot him a sharp look did he turn his gaze elsewhere.
“Sigh, how embarrassing. I thought I’d only shown you all proper things, but…”
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. By the way, it’s interesting. I’ve never seen you like this before. Haven’t you liked anyone before?”
“…Yes. This is the first time I’ve liked someone.”
“Congratulations then. I thought you never cared about women, but you’re just a normal guy after all.”
Brian teased Ethan with a friendly arm around his shoulder, and Ethan laughed shyly. It was exciting and heartwarming news—Ethan’s first love.
“So… how far did it go? Did you have a date?”
“Yes, how far did it go? How did you even meet?”
Having congratulated him, Brian and Christine eagerly began questioning.
“…I met her by chance while working. A hat flew somewhere, and I caught it—it belonged to Miss Leira.”
Ethan explained slowly. In short, it was still a one-sided crush. Fortunately, the woman had no boyfriend or fiancé.
After returning the hat, they had coincidentally met three more times and gradually became familiar enough to greet each other.
Hearing such an innocent love story, everyone smiled, and Lucia felt a nostalgic warmth, as if back in school.
“What’s so funny?”
Just then, a familiar voice reached her ears.
“Arista, you’re here?”
“I just arrived. What are they talking about that you couldn’t hear? What are they doing with Ethan?”
“Oh, he’s telling his love story.”
“What?! Ethan? This is breaking news!”
Like Brian and Christine, Arista’s eyes sparkled as she squeezed in between them. Ethan, flustered, recounted his story to her as well.
“Sigh… I envy you. Spring is here for you, but when will it ever come for me?”
After Ethan finished, Brian, feeling ticklishly jealous, whined.
“Wait, didn’t you have someone you were dating before?”
“It’s been over four months since I broke up with that person.”
“Oh my, really? You’ve never gone so long without a relationship before, have you?”
Arista reacted in surprise, and Brian, slightly embarrassed, averted his gaze.
“Well… I guess it’s time I settle down with someone. I can’t live like this forever, can I?”
Perhaps a sign of maturity—or a new feeling—Brian subtly glanced at Christine beside him.
“By the way, Christine, any news on you? You’re not interested in dating either, right?”
In fact, except for engaged Lucia and Brian, none of their friends had real romantic experience. All were talented and attractive, often receiving attention but never choosing anyone in particular.
Yet, Brian singled out Christine. She narrowed her eyes, her glassy pupils gleaming.
“I might be getting engaged soon.”
Christine’s words froze Brian’s face. Everyone else—Ethan, Arista, and Lucia—reacted explosively.
“Really?!”
“Wait, you never mentioned a partner before! What happened?”
“Were you secretly dating someone else?”
“No, not at all. I have nothing to hide.”
Christine laughed to calm the tension. After holding his breath for a while, Brian, now serious, grabbed her shoulder.
“Then what about this engagement?”
“My parents recently asked if I was considering getting engaged. Honestly, earlier this year, I thought engagement or marriage was far off and didn’t really want it. But seeing Lucia… I felt envious.”
“Me?”
Lucia, suddenly pointed at, blinked in confusion.
“Yes, seeing you with Marquis Casper made me realize an arranged marriage isn’t a bad choice. And if I do it right, I might also find a good fiancé like you did.”
“Ha… haha. I appreciate the compliment, but are you sure? I rushed my engagement for personal reasons, but you have plenty of time. You could meet more people and build deeper relationships before getting engaged.”
“I’m fine. To be honest, I’ve never loved anyone before.”
“Really? Not even a first love?”
“No, never.”
Everyone looked surprised and stared at Christine.
“Ethan just started his first love. It’s not that shocking.”
“Well, maybe, but it’s still interesting. So you’ve never even felt attraction or a crush?”
“Hmm…”
Christine thought back to when she first entered the academy, becoming close with friends. At that time, she occasionally couldn’t take her eyes off Brian. He was remarkably handsome, charming, and sociable, with many followers.
She had been drawn to him, but seeing him be kind to all girls and flirtatious, she quickly let go. It wasn’t deliberate; she simply couldn’t imagine a future with him.
That was five years ago. Christine smiled at the memory. Brian, unusually serious, looked at her.
“No comment.”
“Come on, you can’t say that.”
“From that, it seems you had someone you liked.”
Ethan and Arista clung to Christine, playfully demanding she spill more.
Meanwhile, Lucia, sensing Brian’s feelings, watched him. He still couldn’t take his eyes off Christine.
He muttered something under his breath: So you’re getting engaged, huh?
A chill ran down Lucia’s neck; a sense of foreboding crept over her.
“Looks like the party’s about to start. Has Helwin arrived yet?”
“Maybe he won’t come? He always tries to skip these events.”
“No, he’ll be here soon. He’s just delayed by some work.”
“Work? What work?”
“Are you talking about monsters?”
“Yes, how did you know, Lucia?”
Ethan nodded. Working in the royal knight squad, he could observe Helwin’s work closely.
“Helwin told me last time. Judging by his words, the monster hasn’t been caught yet.”
“Hm, half right, half wrong. A few days ago, we captured a monster cub.”
“You caught a monster?”
“But why didn’t you kill it? Monsters should be killed immediately.”
“Actually, Helwin tried, but his superiors stopped him. He only caught the cub; not all monsters. They said it would lure other monsters…”
Ethan murmured, guessing Helwin just wanted to boast about capturing a monster for the first time.
If that was the case, Helwin was probably quite angry. Lucia, imagining him working hard, felt a twinge of concern.
