Chapter 56
Something Feels Suspicious
“Would you go on a picnic with me?”
“A… picnic?”
Up until just now, they had been talking about pockets, and suddenly, out of nowhere… Elluciana instinctively questioned him but quickly fell silent.
“Do you perhaps dislike the idea?”
“No, no. It’s not that I dislike it… I’m just a little flustered because you brought it up all of a sudden. And isn’t a picnic usually something that children enjoy?”
Aster, who had paused at her words, answered calmly.
“That’s not necessarily the case. Adults also sometimes seek out scenic spots to relax, I hear.”
‘…Well, I’ve never seen the nobles of this world go on picnics. Is this a recent trend?’ Elluciana swallowed her thought and smiled awkwardly.
“I didn’t know that. Do you have a particular place in mind?”
“…Are you agreeing to go?”
Aster leaned slightly forward, curling the corners of his eyes in a look of quiet anticipation.
He looked like a child who had never been on a picnic before, excited beyond measure, and Elluciana couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, forgetting her earlier unease.
“Your Highness, have you never been on a picnic?”
Aster’s face faintly reddened as he cleared his throat.
“Humph, no, that’s not it. And have you… been on a picnic?”
A picnic. In this world, she had only had one.
When she was a child, she had persuaded Astein to play at a picnic, but it was ruined by a sudden rain.
Remembering that moment, an undeniable smile spread across Elluciana’s face.
“Once, I have. Though I’m not sure it can truly be called a picnic.”
As soon as she spoke, a bloom of spring-like brightness spread across Aster’s face.
Elluciana momentarily wondered, ‘Why is he so happy?’ but then thought it understandable that even a Grand Duke could have fond memories of a picnic.
Sure enough, Aster spoke, slightly flushed.
“I do have a place in mind.”
“I’m curious… and a little excited too.”
“It’s not very far.”
Elluciana, still smiling faintly, suddenly noticed something and her expression stiffened.
‘Why does the Grand Duke’s face look… completely fine…?’
She stared at him closely. The wounds near his eyes, which should have been swollen, had completely vanished.
She had seen something similar before. Astein had been just the same.
Monstrously fast healing.
Minor injuries healed within minutes, and even more serious wounds disappeared within half a day to a day.
That inhuman ability, which might frighten ordinary people, felt strangely familiar to her.
‘Is this ability common? Or am I just overreacting? Fascinating.’
As Elluciana reminisced about Astein, she was brought back to the present by a voice.
“…Siana. Elluciana? What are you thinking about so intently?”
“Ah? Sorry… I guess I just feel relieved.”
“Relieved about what?”
“That Your Highness’s face has no injuries.”
“Injuries…”
Aster, murmuring her words absentmindedly, suddenly flinched.
His eyes, momentarily meeting hers, betrayed an inner pang. Startled, he clutched his chest and gasped.
“Huhhhk.”
“Your Highness!”
Elluciana, alarmed, checked Aster’s condition.
It was the same as before.
A pale face, struggling to breathe properly.
Elluciana crouched close and held his shoulders as he panted heavily.
“Wait a moment. I’ll fetch the physician right away.”
As she rose, Aster grabbed her wrist firmly.
“More importantly, you haven’t answered my question yet…”
“Yes?”
“The picnic… will you go with me?”
Despite the sweat pouring down his face, his desperate gaze was fixed on her answer, leaving Elluciana momentarily speechless.
‘Even now, he seriously wants to go on a picnic?’
But she couldn’t ignore the resolute determination in his eyes.
‘Somehow, he looks pitiful too.’
Elluciana let out a quiet sigh, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and answered.
“Yes. I’ll go with you. But you must see the physician first.”
Aster’s face, which had looked like he could collapse at any moment, brightened as if nothing had been wrong.
“Of course. Please call the physician immediately.”
As promised, after receiving treatment from the physician, Aster took Elluciana to the picnic spot.
But this so-called “picnic”…
Elluciana squeezed her eyes shut. The wind whistling past her ears made her dizzy.
‘Am I going to fall to my death?’
Am I going to die?!
She clutched the Grand Duke in front of her as if holding a lifeline. But the tighter she held, the faster the horse ran.
“Hey! You crazy Grand Duke! Slow down! Are you trying to kill me?!”
If they were in a car, they would have been caught by a speed camera dozens of times over.
Maybe even a police car would have blared its siren, chasing them down.
With every step the horse landed, the jolt through her body made her scream internally.
‘You said we were going on a picnic! A relaxing picnic with a nice view, laying out a blanket and eating delicious food… what is this insane sprinting?!’
Elluciana clung desperately to the Grand Duke’s waist, her soul feeling completely drained.
Clearly, he had misunderstood the essence of a picnic.
Otherwise, why would he race on horseback for over thirty minutes?
“G-Grand Duke… Your Highness… how much further…ugh.”
“We’ll arrive soon.”
But despite his words, they continued at full speed for a long while before slowing down.
The horse raised its front legs in triumph as if roaring with joy.
“Please, stop! Just stop!”
Elluciana swallowed a string of curses and glared at the back of the Grand Duke she had once admired.
When she first sat behind him, his broad and sturdy back had made her heart flutter.
Now, just looking at it made her stomach churn.
‘I’m going to vomit. Ugh.’
Her vision swayed with the galloping, making it hard to focus. Trees outside seemed to fly past in a blur.
‘I’ll never ride a horse with this man again. I’ll only ride in a carriage.’
She struggled to steady herself, forcing strength into her trembling hands and body.
Even surviving the mad gallop, she would not fall now.
“Fortunately, we seem to have arrived without incident.”
Elluciana glared at him, incredulous.
‘Without incident, my foot! I’m about to pass out because I’ve never ridden a horse before!’
She braced her nearly collapsing body and swallowed the curses forming in her mouth.
At that moment, Aster leapt off the horse.
‘…W-what?! You crazy man! What are you doing now?!’
Elluciana, still holding onto him, realized she was in imminent danger.
Aster’s sudden leap had broken the delicate balance she had maintained on the horse.
Her body tilted sharply to one side like a kite with a broken string.
In that instant, Simon’s cheerful face flashed through her mind.
‘If I die, what will happen to my father?’
He had been her anchor for life. It would be no surprise if he panicked.
And the children at the Angel’s House… what would happen to them?
Tears welled in Elluciana’s eyes. These were the only people she trusted in this world, and now, without a farewell, she was facing a catastrophe.
‘Oh, God! Must you take this insignificant life? Please have mercy on this poor lamb…’
At that moment, something warm enveloped her, gently pulling her in.
“I’m sorry for startling you. Are you alright?”
A warm breath brushed her ear… and she felt a strong, broad chest beneath her fingertips.
“Lucia, focus.”
Drawn by his sweet, gentle voice, Elluciana snapped back to reality.
‘W-what…?!’
Wide-eyed, she realized she was cradled in Aster’s arms.
She had seen him leap alone, so how had he managed to scoop her up so gracefully?
‘Miss, Your Highness is in poor health. He could collapse at any moment, so please stay close to him.’
Haila had warned her before they mounted the horse.
But now, the strong arms around her waist and the steady legs beneath him clearly did not belong to someone weak or sick.
