BGFV 142

Chapter 142
The Next Morning

The next morning, Luciard and Hestia had just arrived at the Imperial Palace. The New Year’s celebration had ended yesterday, so they weren’t attending the banquet; today was the day for the Grand Nobility Conference. Since opportunities for many of the nobles from various regions to gather weren’t common, sometimes a meeting would be scheduled right after a banquet.

Hestia, still acting as Leonhard’s guardian, and Luciard, as a member of the Winston family, were on their way to attend the conference. They stepped down from the carriage and were walking toward the grand hall when Luciard stole a glance at Hestia. Since the end of the banquet yesterday, she had been unusually quiet.

Reflecting on it, he realized that her behavior had been strange ever since she excused herself during the conversation about their marriage.

‘Could it be… because of me?’ Luciard thought.

Although he had brought up the marriage topic in frustration after Gabriel teased him, he wondered if Hestia had been bothered by it.

‘But she didn’t seem to mind back then, did she? Maybe it’s just my misunderstanding.’

Feeling a bit nervous, Luciard subtly reached out and grabbed her arm.

“Tia.”

“Hm? What?”

She responded a beat later, staring at him blankly.

“Is something bothering you?”

“….”

Hestia remained silent, staring at him, causing Luciard to break into a cold sweat.

“Luciard.”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Check behind my ear.”

“My ear? You want me to check your ear?”

“Yes.”

Luciard cautiously moved her hair behind her ear. Meanwhile, Hestia continued staring at him intently.

“Now check my neck.”

“What?”

“Quickly.”

Luciard, still confused, did as she asked. But since Derrick and Anna were walking ahead, he couldn’t touch her neck directly, so he only lightly brushed over it.

Though he sometimes expressed his feelings for Hestia in subtle ways, it felt more embarrassing to be given permission to do so directly. Once he finished, he couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eyes.

But when he finally did, he was met with her clear, green gaze. His throat tightened.

“…I’m not upset.”

“Really? Is something wrong? Or is it… because of how I acted yesterday?”

“Hm?”

Hestia blinked her eyes in confusion, but then her face twisted slightly in frustration.

“Come to think of it, this is all your fault! You’re responsible!”

“I’m not sure what it’s about, but I’ll take responsibility. So, please don’t be mad, okay?”

When Hestia playfully punched her fist into her palm, Luciard had no choice but to take it.

To outsiders, it would’ve looked like an affectionate display.

“They’re here in the middle of all this, having an affectionate display…”

“Ho ho, darling, just let them be. It’s cute, why get upset?”

Derrick made an annoyed face, but Anna smiled broadly with her mouth wide open.

Realizing how they might be perceived, the two quickly distanced themselves.

“Ah, my apologies, milady.”

“No, mom, it’s not like that, I don’t know what’s going on but it’s not that.”

“Luciard, don’t you seem to ignore how others are looking at you lately?”

“I’m not ignoring it, but… even in places full of people, you should be careful with showing affection.”

“It’s okay when we’re alone, but don’t do it around others.”

“They should never do it even when we’re alone! What are you saying?”

“Dear, if you keep saying that, I’ll personally put dirt in your eyes! It’ll be nice when they get married and can be together, won’t it?”

As usual, it was Derrick and Anna fighting over their personal matters.

While Luciard awkwardly tried to stop them, Hestia rubbed her neck where Luciard had touched.

‘As expected… it was different from yesterday.’

When Gabriel touched her neck yesterday, it felt like a snake had slithered over it. But Luciard’s touch felt entirely different.

Thinking about it, she felt disturbed.

‘If it were any other man except Luciard, I would’ve felt disgusted.’

But Luciard was special.

Hestia glanced at him with an unreadable expression.

“The situation suggests that the civil war in Noveli will end within this year or next.”

The Grand Nobility Conference had started, and many issues were being discussed, with one of the main topics being the handling of refugees and future directions.

“Who do you think will win the war?”

After hearing all the reports, Sylvester spoke proudly.

“It’s highly likely that the second prince will win. Once the war ends, we’ll send an envoy to Noveli.”

“At first, I didn’t understand why we were accepting refugees…”

“Now we can demand proper compensation for protecting them.”

“Though the conditions aren’t ideal because of the war, this could be an opportunity to secure reconstruction contracts or export goods.”

Hestia was listening to the surrounding nobles gossip and couldn’t help but smile.

“Where did all those people who were against the refugees go?”

Luciard whispered in her ear, his expression one of amusement.

The people who had been causing trouble over the refugee issue were now changing their tune, and Luciard found it quite amusing.

“See that person wearing a brooch? That’s made in Noveli Town.”

Recently, handcrafted items from Noveli Town had become popular among the nobles. The designs and styles were unique and rare in the Pasting Empire, so they were highly prized by those who loved exclusivity.

“They must like it. Let them be. Thanks to people like that, Noveli Town is managing to survive.”

“True, but we should propose to make production targeted for the nobility next time.”

Seeing himself reflected in Luciard, Hestia couldn’t help but laugh.

She then looked around and caught sight of the Florence Duke family sitting near Sylvester.

‘If things continue as they are, we’ll be fine.’

She reminded herself not to let her guard down.

If the plague from the previous life started again, everything they had worked for could be destroyed in an instant.

The plague had shown its signs in mid-January, and by mid-February, the imperial family had declared a state of emergency.

Since then, Hestia had been keeping an eye on the southern regions and the refugees.

‘Thankfully, there’s been no major issue yet.’

Just then, her eyes met Gabriel’s.

She hadn’t meant to look at him, but as their gazes locked, she felt a surge of discomfort.

Hestia couldn’t hide her displeasure and scowled.

But Gabriel, clearly noticing, gave her a smug smile.

He even mouthed something at her.

‘What’s he saying?’

“‘I’ll make you regret it?’ What’s he trying to say?”

Hestia shivered slightly at the sound of Luciard’s voice next to her.

He had been watching Gabriel as well.

“His smile is so annoying.”

“…Watch your words. Even if it’s just the two of us here, others might hear.”

“It doesn’t matter. They won’t know who I’m talking about.”

Luciard huffed and blew air through his nose in annoyance, and Hestia shook her head.

“Did the Duke just say ‘I’ll make you regret it’?”

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

“…What does that mean?”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s probably nothing.”

But Hestia couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.

‘He’s probably holding a grudge about my rejection yesterday.’

Was he trying to make her regret turning him down?

Her expression froze at the thought.

“Everyone, let’s not forget this is all possible thanks to His Majesty’s support.”

Hestia snapped out of her thoughts and refocused on the meeting.

But then, suddenly, the atmosphere in the conference room shifted.

It seemed to be transitioning into a session where everyone was praising Sylvester.

Sylvester, receiving his first recognition, was awkwardly looking around, unsure of what to do.

He briefly glanced at Hestia, as if silently asking if it was okay for him to take the credit.

Kenneth, being a loyal supporter of Sylvester, had no problem with it, and Hestia, too, had no objections.

She smiled and nodded, signaling that it was fine, and Sylvester finally seemed to relax, blushing with embarrassment.

“His Majesty will soon take his rightful place.”

“…Seems so.”

Hestia looked at Sylvester with a bittersweet expression, knowing full well what the future held.

“Luciard, what do you want to do from here on?”

“What do you mean?”

“Considering that you’ll be leading Winston after Leon inherits the title, what are your political ambitions?”

“…You’re not thinking of making me a guardian, are you? I told you before, we still need you.”

Hestia shook her head.

“I’m asking about Winston’s future political direction. Until Leon inherits the title, you’ll be the one leading Winston.”

“….”

“We’re close to His Majesty, but we can’t say we’re entirely aligned with the imperial faction. If we had to categorize ourselves, we’re more neutral.”

Just because they had a relationship with the emperor didn’t mean their family would necessarily align politically.

“I’m curious about your thoughts. How do you plan to interact with the emperor in the future?”

Luciard was quiet for a moment before he answered.

“I’m not sure what you’re getting at, but… I think it’s fine if we lean towards the emperor’s side.”

Hestia clenched her fist without anyone noticing.

“From what we’ve seen of His Majesty, he’ll surely become a great ruler.”

And if Sylvester ever found himself in trouble or needed help, Luciard genuinely wanted to be a dependable servant to him.

“If we maintain our neutrality, Leon will probably shift to the emperor’s side. You know how much he admires His Majesty.”

Hestia closed her eyes, knowing Luciard’s words were true.

“Why are you asking about this all of a sudden?”

Before Luciard could answer, a loud voice rang out in the conference hall.

“Urgent news, Your Majesty!”

Someone burst into the room, causing the lively atmosphere to instantly shift into tension.