Chapter 22
It was her first time doing this kind of work, and the thought of having to deal with demanding nobles made every muscle in Lucy’s body tense.
I can’t make a mistake. I can’t…
As time went on, more customers were ordering alcohol and snacks instead of meals, which meant she had to carry heavy bottles of liquor back and forth several times.
After serving an expensive wine to a newly arrived room, Lucy let out a small sigh as soon as the door closed.
Earning money by working yourself really isn’t easy…
Even so, she felt a certain pride in the fact that she could earn her own way. She lightly adjusted her clothes and was about to head to the kitchen when someone called to her from behind.
“You there, stop right there!”
It was the voice of an older man.
Lucy froze on the spot, stiff as a board, her heart suddenly gripped by fear.
There was no one else in the corridor, so it was clear he was talking to her. Her heart thumped wildly.
Could someone have found out that I ran away? No… there’s no way the news could have spread this far…
She stayed still, and the man’s footsteps grew louder as he strode toward her. Lucy shut her eyes tightly in fear.
“When someone calls you, you answer!”
“S-sorry…”
A hand gripped her shoulder and spun her around, making her flinch. Fearing he might look closely at her face, she bowed her head deeply and apologized.
“You work here?”
“Yes, I’m in charge of serving. D-do you… need anything?”
When the man didn’t answer right away, Lucy cautiously looked up at him. His face was flushed red—most likely from drink—as he stroked his chin and looked her over.
Thank goodness… it doesn’t seem like he knows me.
Just as she was about to relax—
“That’s a face too pretty for just serving drinks.”
The man’s eyes roamed up and down her body, his smile laced with something suggestive. His lingering gaze made her uncomfortable, but Lucy kept her composure and bowed her head again.
“If… if you don’t need anything else, I’ll be going now. I have a lot of work to—”
“How about working at my estate instead? I’ll pay you more and the work will be easier.”
Something about his tone made Lucy uneasy. She bowed politely.
“I’m sorry, sir. I only just started working here.”
Though she was trembling, she answered carefully. The man, however, seemed offended and raised his voice. The sound reminded her so much of Baron Diallo that she shrank without thinking.
“Do you know who I am, and yet you dare to refuse me?! Do you know how much money I’ve invested in this place?! Bring the madam out here!”
The madam? Lucy was flustered, unsure what to do, when someone—likely having heard the commotion—came hurrying from inside.
“Oh my, Count. What’s the matter? Did our employee offend you somehow?”
Despite her rushed arrival, the woman’s voice was calm and deliberate. She wore heavy makeup, just like the woman Lucy had seen during the dinner shift.
“Madam Rozel, how are you training your newcomers? I called for you, and she had the audacity to talk back!”
“Oh, hoho, she’s new, so please be generous.”
Lucy, standing beside the madam, couldn’t hide her confusion at the way they spoke so casually to each other.
So… this wasn’t just an ordinary restaurant? What is this place…?
The madam gave Lucy a quick once-over, then spoke loudly enough for the man to hear.
“You… no matter how new you are, you can’t talk back to a customer like that. You should have just said ‘yes’ politely.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Lucy bowed deeply, intending to use the moment to slip away, but the man’s next words stopped her.
“I hear she works here. I want to take her as a servant to my estate. Surely you won’t refuse, not after wasting my investment?”
“Oh, of course not. If that’s what will please you, Count, losing one worker is nothing at all. Hohoho.”
The madam grabbed Lucy’s wrist and spoke to her.
“You heard him, didn’t you? You don’t need to come to work anymore. How fortunate—you won’t have to worry about making a living now that the Count will employ you.”
“…W-what?”
Lucy yanked her arm back and stepped away.
“No! I’d rather find work somewhere else!”
“You! Do you know who the Count is, and yet you talk back? Instead of thanking him?”
The commotion was starting to draw glances from passing staff. Anna, walking by in the corridor, widened her eyes and hurried over to Lucy.
“What is going on? She’s a properly hired worker—how can you just send her away like you’re selling her off?!”
“I’m not going! Come on, Anna. We need to get out of here.”
Lucy practically dragged Anna as they hurried toward the kitchen.
Her eagerness to work had gone cold, replaced entirely by the need to escape this place. Anna, looking worried, kept asking if she was all right.
“I’m fine, Anna. What about you—are you okay?”
“Yes, my lady. But are you really all right?”
“I told you I’m fine. Anyway, we have to get out of here quickly. That so-called madam is insane.”
They quickly changed clothes and were about to leave the kitchen when several large men blocked the doorway.
“Move aside!”
“Kyaa!”
The men shoved Lucy and Anna roughly. Behind them, the madam appeared.
“It’s not like I’m selling you to some shady place—they’ll take you as a servant. What’s the problem?”
“…What did you just say?”
“If he pulls his investment, this restaurant is finished! Where do you think you’re going?!”
The madam grabbed Lucy’s shoulder with a strong hand and shoved her toward the bodyguard-like men.
“Take these girls and make sure they can’t escape.”
“Let me go!”
“Ahhh! Help!”
While Lucy and Anna were restrained, the other staff merely averted their eyes and continued working.
Lucy glared at the madam with deep betrayal. The woman muttered irritably about investment money and the Count.
How can anyone be so blinded by money that they treat people this way?
Before she could put up any real resistance, Lucy’s frail body gave out and she collapsed.
Lucas was staring at a wanted poster bearing Lucy’s portrait.
“So—did you find out anything about this poster?”
At his question, his chief knight, Xenon, nodded.
“Yes, sir. On the day of the imperial banquet, Lady Lucy Diallo went missing.”
Lucas’s eyes widened, his head snapping up.
“Missing?”
“Well… there are rumors she eloped with a man, but the most likely story is that she ran away to avoid becoming the Duke of Vallon’s mistress.”
Lucas stared at the poster for a long time, deep in thought.
At the engagement banquet for the Fourth Prince, he had seen Lucy again. That day, she had unusually caught his attention.
Nobles nearby had whispered and glanced at the girl awkwardly eating pie with an uncomfortable gesture.
But Lucy didn’t seem to care at all. She devoured the food as if she were at war with it.
There was something so desperate—so urgent—about her that Lucas couldn’t look away. Perhaps that was why, before he knew it, he had taken a glass of champagne and walked over to her.
Lucy Diallo. He later learned she was a famous figure in the social circles of the Fujis Empire, known by everyone. He now thought he understood why she had looked so sad whenever he asked her name.
The filthy rumors surrounding her… But Lucas didn’t care for gossip. He was the type to believe only what he had seen and felt himself.
The way she stubbornly ate, the restless and anxious eyes that had seemed hunted the entire time they were together—none of it matched the rumors.
And today, seeing a wanted poster with a huge bounty for her, Lucas felt that same sorrowful image overlap in his mind. He sensed there was an untold story behind it all.
Yes… that anxious look in her eyes…
She had already been chased by people’s eyes long before this poster appeared. And now, he felt sure, she was being pursued again by those looking for her.
The eagle-shaped brooch inlaid with a black opal—produced only in the Grand Duchy of Cretine, given solely to the Grand Duke’s direct bloodline. Giving it to Lucy had not been a spur-of-the-moment act.
After letting her go at the hunting competition, Lucas had regretted many times that he hadn’t given her the brooch then.
In any case, the whereabouts of a Cretine family heirloom would inevitably be reported to him in some form. That was why he had told her she could sell it if she ever needed money.
Anna and Lucy..you both needed wake up calls___
Good grief. I hope they get to give Dino what’s coming to him for me during them in, along with that “restaurant.”