CH 57

<CHAPTER 57

Rattle-Rattle-Rattle

Inside the swaying carriage, Herwin leaned his head against the window and watched the scenery outside with a free spirit.

Jerome looked at him with concern.

Ever since Herwin had consulted him a few days ago, when he had used his friend as an excuse, he had been as distracted as a missing screw.

Jerome nervously wondered if he’d been too firm with his answer then.

‘Besides, I don’t know what you’re thinking.’

For now, Herwin’s reason for riding into town in the carriage was to see Arista.

He knew it was a promise he’d made long ago and couldn’t just cancel, but he wondered if a man who liked Lucia could relax and meet another woman.

Thud!

The carriage slowly slowed down. When they reached their destination, Herwin slowly got out of the carriage.

“Come back at the time I told you.”

“Yes, my… master!”

As he turned to leave, Jerome grabbed him.

“……you’re all right, right?”

Herwin raised one eyebrow.

“Why are you looking at me like that, are you worried about me?”

“Of course I am. You’ve been acting strange for the past few days, and how could I not be worried?”

“I don’t know what you’re worried about, but I’m fine, so go wait somewhere else.”

“…… Okay, fine, have a good time.”

Jerome closed the carriage with a grimace and headed off with the coachman to another location.

With Jerome out of sight, Herwin made his way to the meeting with Arista.

As he wandered the streets, Herwin thought for a moment.

Earlier, Jerome had told him bluntly that he liked Lucia.

He thought long and hard about whether he really liked her. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with a clear answer.

He thought that if he liked Lucia, he should act like her.

She would act like she could give him everything and look at him like he could melt.

But he’d never acted like her, and he’d never given her that look.

‘Arista is different.’

If someone asks if he’s acting like that towards Arista by Lucia’s standards, no, he’s not.

But there was something special about Arista, something he felt for her.

Of course, it was much more diluted now than when he first realized it, but Arista was still special.

She was fun to be around, he learned a lot from her, and she was the only person he shared the same hobbies with.

However, if someone will ask him if he wanted to marry Arista, he couldn’t give a clear answer.

Marrying her would make for a fun future, but at the moment, it was far less likely.

It was very rare for the same ducal family to enter into a marriage contract, given the family’s interests, so Herwin doesn’t think he could ever marry her.

She is a special person, and he hopes she marries someone good.

He’d be upset if they told him she was marrying some weirdo.

Thinking about Arista, Herwin paused, remembering something.

‘Is that also the case with Lucia?’ 

He finally got a sense of why he was so displeased, dissatisfied, and disappointed that she was getting engaged.

‘Yeah, it was like that.’

Lucia is important and special to him, too. He’s known her since he can barely remember, so it’s no wonder he feels this way when he hears she’s getting engaged.

Now he’d opened up to the insides that he’d been stuck with. The freshness he felt after a long time seemed to blow away on its own.

‘I never liked Lucia.’

With that conclusion, he felt like he could no longer look down on the Marquis of Casper and genuinely congratulate Lucia on her engagement.

“Ha, such an easy thing.”

“Easy, like what?”

Herwin flinched and turned his head. Arista was right beside him.

She was dressed lightly for sword shopping today.

Loose, neat breeches for a knight, a shirt undone a button or two, hair in a tight bun, and a sword at her waist.

It was very Arista. There was nothing different about her or Herwin’s attire.

“You startled me. When did you get here?”

“Just a few minutes ago. What are you doing standing here? You didn’t come looking for me.”

“Oh…….”

Herwin looked around, puzzled. In the distance, he could see the fountain where they were supposed to meet. He was lost in thought and hadn’t gotten to his destination.

“Sorry, I had to think about something.”

Arista glared at Herwin for a moment, then smirked.

“If you’re sorry, buy me a dagger.”

“A dagger? What dagger all of a sudden?”

“My father’s been nagging me to stop buying weapons lately. My allowance has been drastically reduced, so I think I can only buy one sword this time.”

Arista grimaced, and Herwin asked.

“Does the Duke still do that?”

“He still does. He always has. I’m sure he’d be the same if there were two suns.”

Arista laughed wickedly, knowing she would never get her father’s way.

Arista is as obsessed with swordsmanship as Herwin.

When she was younger, she was said to have preferred swinging a sword to learning noble manners, so much so that the duke and duchess had to force her to sit at a desk.

She even cut her hair short and insisted on becoming a swordswoman, much to the displeasure of the duke.

But somehow, overnight, she turned away from the sword and began practicing in earnest.

When she wore a dress like any other young lady and looked like a perfect aristocrat, it brought the Duchess to tears, which is a testament to what a tomboy she used to be.

Anyway, although she was less of a tomboy now than when she was younger, Duke Lydia still wanted her to stay away from swords.

But Arista never listened to her father, for the sword was an inseparable part of her life.

Herwin, who was well aware of Arista’s situation, smirked and ruffled her hair.

“What’s a dagger, I’ll buy you a long sword.”

“Really? You’re not lying, I’m not good at saying no to things like this?”

Arista’s eyes lit up at the unexpected income. Herwin shrugged his shoulders as if to say that was fine.

Arista hummed to herself, wondering what she should ask Herwin to buy her.

Herwin watched Arista move ahead, then remembered Lucia.

‘Nope, nothing.’

He wasn’t sure if he liked Lucia, but now it’s not wavering. One look at Arista and he’s convinced.

Herwin heard Arista’s voice calling to him and hurried to her side.

The image of Lucia that had been occupying his mind had faded and he could no longer see her.

* * *

Click-!

The door to the boutique opened, and Bern and Lucia stepped out, looking friendly.

In Bern’s hand, there was an item believed to have been bought at the store.

“I can do this on my own, but you’ve given me a lot of unintentional help.”

Bern smiled awkwardly, and Lucia shook her head with a smile.

“No, I’m glad I was helpful. Do you think your mother will like it?”

“Sure. At least, she’ll be a lot happier than the one I picked out.”

The birthday of Bern’s mother, the Grand Marquise Tiana, was less than a week away.

As Bern struggled with what to buy for his mother, Lucia took the time to help him choose a gift.

Her discernment was much better than Bern’s.

“Let me know if you need my help again, I’m always happy to do that.”

“Well, I’ll take care of it, and thank you again.”

Bern playfully leaned over and placed a hand on his chest, and Lucia laughed softly, covering her mouth.

“Your mom’s birthday is just around the corner, shouldn’t I get her something too?”

Lucia pondered for a moment while choosing Tiana’s gift.

She wondered if it was too much to take care of Bern’s mother’s birthday when they weren’t even officially engaged yet, but then again, she felt like she had to.

“I actually wasn’t going to ask for help, because I thought you might.”

“What?”

Lucia was taken aback by the unexpected answer. Surely he couldn’t immediately answer Lucia’s offer of help at first.

“Isn’t that right, I thought it would be a bit early to ask you to pick out a gift for my mother when we’re not even officially engaged…….”

“Oh…….”

Lucia sighed. Bern was thinking the same thing as Lucia.

“And we’re not having a separate birthday party this time.”

“Oh, really?”

It was quite ritualistic to let a special day that came only once a year pass without a party.

Wondering if there was a reason, Lucia cautiously asked why.

“Nothing much, just that it’s only been a year since my father died, and my mother is still reeling.”

Lucia was unable to make any response and fell silent. It was only natural that with the death of the previous Marquis, Bern would inherit the Marquisate.

“So, I suppose, it will be a rather quiet year.”

“I apologize for asking.”

“No, it’s not like it’s anything to hide.”

There was a moment of silence between them, Lucia thinking about something, then she spoke up.

“In that case, would you mind if I sent her some flowers for her birthday?”

“You mean flowers?”

“Yes, but you can’t let your birthday, which only comes once a year, go by in silence, and who doesn’t like flowers, so I thought it’d make her feel a little better.”

Bern stared at Lucia, his golden eyes wavering slightly. Lucia didn’t see it, though, because it was hidden by his glasses.

After a moment of silence, he smiled.

“Then, please do me a favor, my mother will be pleased.”

As they became more intimate, Lucia asked Bern about Tiana’s tastes and what flowers she liked.

Bern answered as well as he could to the best of his knowledge.

As they walked down the street, Bern suddenly stopped.

“Lucia, do you mind if we stop here for a moment?”

Lucia followed Bern’s lead and found a jewelry store.

It was the same jewelry store Lucia had visited the day she made her final confession to Herwin.

Lucia flinched but tried to hide her agitation.

“Sure. Let’s go in.”

Once inside the store with Bern, Lucia looked around.

It had been a long time since that day, and many of the items inside had changed.

Her eye caught sight of the tie pin she had bought for Herwin the day before. As she picked it up, she stopped short of bumping her nose into Bern’s back as he stood in front of her.

“Aah!”

Lucia’s short shriek made Bern jump, and he quickly looked her over.

“I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine, but why did you suddenly stop…….”

Rubbing her nose, Lucia’s eyes slowly widened as she saw the people behind Bern.

“Herwin… Arista?”

The people behind Bern were none other than Herwin and Arista.