Chapter 72
Dino chuckled and asked,
“I always believed you were alive, Dino. I told myself that once my situation improved, I’d search for you and Anna. So I went to the Information Guild and asked them to find you. But then, out of nowhere, they said they couldn’t take the request.”
“Yeah. Thanks to that, I was able to find you. I thought some bold bastard was digging into my past—turns out it was you. Funny, isn’t it? No matter how much I scoured the empire, I couldn’t find you, yet you came looking for me.”
Dino laughed as if he found it amusing.
Lucy suddenly realized what the guild member’s strange words had meant back then.
“In any case, I’m just glad you’re safe, Dino. And… thank you so much for taking care of Anna.”
Lucy expressed her gratitude sincerely. Dino didn’t answer right away—he simply looked at her for a long moment.
“…I’m glad you’re safe too.”
His calm voice carried weight.
“If anything had happened to you, I was ready to kill everyone involved.”
At his chilling words, Lucy flinched, her shoulders trembling.
“No need to look so scared. I’m joking—just joking.”
Dino chuckled quietly, but Lucy couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t joking at all.
“So, what now? You’ve found your real family, climbed in status… what’s next on your agenda?”
“Revenge! On everyone who made me suffer.”
Dino’s eyes widened, surprised by her response.
“Oh-ho? Now that’s something I like to hear. But I’m not included in that list of targets, am I?”
Lucy gave a small smile.
“I’ll make a special exception for you, Dino.”
“Well, how generous. If you ever need my help, just say the word. If there’s anyone you want dead, I can make sure they disappear without a trace.”
As he smiled at her, his eyes gleamed with something eerie.
“Young miss, are you really leaving tomorrow?” Anna asked with a disappointed face.
“Sorry. I won’t be able to come often, but I’ll visit you every vacation.”
Because of Dino, Lucy had stayed an extra day, but now it was truly time to return.
“You’re leaving already? After coming all this way? Hmph, fine, I guess there’s no helping it.”
Dino, who had been quietly listening, grumbled.
“Now that Dino knows where I live, the three of us can meet often from now on!”
“The three of us?”
Dino narrowed his eyes at Anna, clearly displeased. Anna flinched under his gaze.
“Since this is our last day together, why don’t we close the shop early and have a party?” Anna suggested hopefully.
But Lucy shook her head firmly.
“No! A shopkeeper’s trust is everything. You can’t just shut the shop whenever you feel like it. Come on, we’ll be late—let’s open the store.”
At Lucy’s words, Anna pouted sulkily.
So, as usual, they hurried to prepare for Anna’s shop.
“Wait, you’re both going to work? What about me?” Dino asked incredulously.
“Come with us! Don’t you want to see how Anna works?”
“Not at all.”
His reply was curt.
“Then will you stay home?”
“…Hah.”
With a heavy sigh, Dino had no choice but to tag along to the shop. He grumbled the whole walk, clearly displeased at having to trek such a distance.
Just as they reached the shop, they saw someone loitering outside.
“Who’s that this early in the morning? Young miss, I think we already have a customer!” Anna said brightly.
But Lucy froze—something about the silver-haired man’s back felt awfully familiar. At that moment, the man turned.
“Lord Lucas?”
The one standing in front of the shop was none other than Lucas. Lucy’s eyes widened as she called his name.
“So I did find the right place.”
“How did you come all the way here, Lord Lucas?”
At Lucy’s question, Lucas’s gaze flicked to the people behind her—Shan and Dino. His brow furrowed slightly.
“When I went looking to hear the progress of our investment, I was told you were traveling. I said I’d wait, but after hearing nothing for so long, I came myself. And it seems you’ve been… enjoying yourself here in the meantime?”
His chilly eyes swept over Shan and Dino in turn.
“Ah… the investment. Well…”
Lucy trailed off awkwardly, realizing how suspicious it must look. After receiving a large sum of money, she had immediately taken a long vacation. No wonder Lucas was displeased.
“Who’s this? Did a debt collector come after you?” Dino asked bluntly from behind.
“No, it’s not like that—”
Lucas’s brow twitched at Dino’s words, clear irritation showing.
The shop fell into an awkward silence.
Lucy glanced nervously between the three men: Shan at the counter, Dino leaning against the wall with arms crossed, glaring at Lucas, and Lucas staring them both down in return.
“Young miss, what’s going on?” Anna whispered, sensing the strange tension.
After a long pause, Lucas finally spoke.
“So tell me—what exactly have you been doing here all this time?”
“This shop belongs to Anna, who used to be my maid when I lived with the Diallo barony.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Anna!”
Anna gave a polite bow.
“And that man over there is Mr. Dino. He helped Anna and me a lot when we left the Diallo household. Dino, this is Grand Duke Lucas Gretain.”
Lucy formally introduced them at last.
“The… the Grand Duke of Gretain?”
Anna gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
Dino, on the other hand, only scowled slightly, as if unimpressed. Lucas ignored his rudeness and turned his attention back to Lucy.
“I see. And how long were you planning to stay here?”
“I was actually planning to return tomorrow! I apologize for not contacting you sooner.”
Having received a massive investment and even sent a considerable sum to Bruno already, Lucy now truly felt like she was being interrogated by a creditor.
“Could we speak privately for a moment?” Lucas asked, glancing briefly at Dino.
“Whatever it is, you can say it here. Lucy and I have no secrets,” Dino cut in.
Lucas held Dino’s gaze for a tense moment before finally shifting back to Lucy.
“You’ve been gone so long that letters have piled up for you. Some seemed important, so I brought them myself. One of them is from Viscount Heyris.”
Lucas pulled several letters from his coat and handed them to her.
“Ah… thank you.”
Lucy awkwardly checked the senders. Aside from one from Heyris, all were from Bruno Allan.
‘So that’s why he came all the way here—he was curious about Bruno’s research on the new fabric material.’
She guessed Lucas’s real reason.
‘He must have high hopes for the fabric.’
With that thought, Lucy began reading Bruno’s letters.
“Lord Lucas! Professor Allan’s research succeeded!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with joy.
“That’s good,” Lucas replied flatly.
“You’re not happy? He said he’ll send us a sample soon!”
“I’m pleased. I simply want to see the results quickly.”
His indifferent tone made Lucy tilt her head curiously.
“But more importantly…”
