CH 70

Lucia fiddled with her hands, then glanced up at Julian.

“Mother, are you happy now?”

“Of course I’m happy. With such a cute son and daughter, and a supportive husband, what’s not to be happy about?”

There was not a single lie in Julian’s words. If you’re happy even though you’re married without loving each other…….

“I can be… happy too, can’t I?”

“……I was wondering why you were asking about us all of a sudden, but you were nervous, right?”

Lucia nodded cautiously.

“Do you still have feelings for Herwin?”

Lucia was still for a long moment before she finally spoke.

“Even if I do love someone someday, I don’t think I’ll love them as fervently as I loved Herwin.”

“……I don’t know what to say because I’ve never loved as passionately as you do.”

“……You’ve never been in love?”

“Well, this may sound strange, but I’ve never liked anyone until I met your dad, although I’ve been in a few relationships.”

“Is that even possible?”

Lucia couldn’t understand what Julian was saying, as she thought that only the person she loved could be the object of her affection. That made Julian laugh.

“I only dated someone because they liked me. I don’t think I ever liked someone first.”

“Well, does father like you then?”

Julian smirked at his fidgety, bunny-like daughter and whispered.

“Your father is my first love.”

Lucia blushed and covered her mouth with her hands.

“However, it doesn’t matter if you like someone else at first…….”

“That was then, and later, as we spent more time together, I found myself falling in love with him without realizing it, but, Lucia.”

Julian gently took Lucia’s hand.

“You don’t have to be in love to be happy. Perhaps you can share a different kind of love with Marquis Casper than you did with Herwin.”

“……I guess so, right?”

“Yes. Marquis Casper is not the kind of man who would make you unhappy.”

Lucia thought of Bern slowly.

‘I’m not sure if I’ll ever love you, Lucia, but I’ll make sure you’re happy.’

That was the promise Bern had made yesterday when he held her hand. She could see the determination in his golden eyes.

Herwin’s face, always so clear in her mind, was fading.

“Yes, that’s right. Now I have to trust him.”

Julian smiled lightly at her daughter, who seemed to have come to a decision.

She looked so much better than she had when she had been sobbing over the pain of her loss.

“I see you’re both here.”

“Honey, are you home?”

There was a shuffling sound behind them and John appeared. He kissed Julian briefly on the forehead.

It was the kind of affectionate gesture she’d seen from her parents since she was a little girl, and while it was nothing new, it felt a little strange after hearing about what had happened between them.

“What’s wrong?”

John shook his head as Lucia continued to stare at him.

“Father.”

“Huh?”

“How much do you love my mother?”

“What?”

John was dumbfounded by his daughter’s sudden question.

“I love her more than anyone.”

Lucia gave John a pointed glare, then set the tone firmly.

“I’ll never forgive you if ……I see a tear in my mother’s eye, do you understand?”

“What the hell did I do to deserve that? Say something instead of just laughing.”

“Ahahaha, I can’t help it, my daughter found out about your past.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

John was still dumbfounded, Julian couldn’t contain her laughter, and Lucia glared at her father with her mouth pursed.

Nevertheless, Lucia soon burst into laughter at the sight of her parents getting along like a picture.

As the two women burst into gales of laughter, John raised one eyebrow, unable to understand the words.

* * *

“We’ll have to set a date soon.”

Working in his office, Bern muttered to himself as he looked at his calendar.

He and Lucia had confirmed their feelings for each other at the last party.

Even if she had someone else in mind, even if they weren’t in love, he felt that they could somehow navigate the future together.

“Now I just need to get my act together…….”

He thought he had moved on after a year of being a chipper. But as soon as he saw Celine, he was shaken.

He couldn’t let his emotions get the best of him. For his own sake, and the sake of his family, he must take Lucia as his spouse.

“She said she’d be here today, so we should talk.”

Lucia is supposed to be in the office today, and he plans to discuss the engagement with her when she arrives.

He felt a little awkward and unnecessarily guilty whenever he saw Lucia because he had been keeping secrets, but now that he’d gotten it all out, it felt lighter.

“Maybe we should wait until after the summer.”

Knock. Knock.

As he was thinking about the engagement, a servant knocked on the door.

“Marquis, you have a visitor.”

“I’ll go.”

Thinking it was Lucia, Bern smiled lightly and walked right out the door.

“She’s here sooner than I thought. I assume she’s been taken to the drawing-room?”

“Yes, but…….”

As Bern strode briskly to the drawing room without hesitation, the servant behind him spoke up.

“The Viscountess Celine Romario is here to see you.”

At the sound of the unexpected name, the lightness in his heart instantly turned heavy.

Noticing that Bern’s face instantly darkened, the servant thought he had made a mistake and immediately bowed his head.

“Who……?”

“Sorry, I beg your pardon, my lord, but the viscountess said she must see you, and I have no choice but to… If you command me, I will send her away at once.”

“She said she wanted to see ……me?”

“Yes. She seemed a little impatient.”

Celine is coming here?

That alone was enough to shake Bern; this was the first time she’d come looking for him in person since they’d broken up.

They hadn’t spoken to each other since then, and aside from the last party, they hadn’t even run into each other by chance.

So why now?

‘At a time like this….…’

Could she be waiting for him to decide to get engaged to Lucia?

The door in front of him seemed so far away.

She couldn’t believe that Celine was on the other side of that door.

“Shall I tell her to go back?”

After a moment of stunned silence, Bern snapped out of it when the servant spoke.

“No. You can’t turn away a guest, so please leave.”

“Yes, sir, I understand, and if there’s anything else you need, just let me know.”

The servant left, and Bern swallowed hard, finally opening the door of the drawing room.

Sitting with her back to the door was a head of scarlet hair.

Even though he had only seen the back of her head, his entire body began to tremble.

It had been less than ten minutes since he’d vowed to keep his wits about her… and yet his senses were inexorably drawn to the woman in front of him.

Celine turned her head when she heard the door open.

The soft green eyes in her gentle face widened.

“……Bern!”

Celine jumped to her feet and ran straight for Bern.

Before he could dodge, she hugged him as hard as she could.

It was embarrassing for Bern, acting as if they were lovers.

“Hmph, Bern… Bern……!”

Bern was about to push Celine away but froze in place as she began to sob.

Each tear that formed in the corner of her eye turned into a spear and plunged into his chest.

As Bern tried to wipe away Celine’s tears, he thought of Lucia and clenched his fists.

He pulled away from Celine, denying his feelings as best he could.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Bern…….”

“You already have a husband. Even if we had a connection in the past, I would ask you to refrain from this behavior now, Viscountess.”

“I’m not a viscountess anymore!”

Bern’s hand on Celine’s shoulder flinched.

“The viscount… Viscount Romario was killed in an accident while on a business trip, so I have no husband now!”

“What the…….”

“I heard that if a spouse dies within two years of marriage, the marriage is automatically annulled. We’ve been married for less than two years, so I’m free. I’m no longer a viscountess!”

Before Bern could even comprehend, Celine blurted out a shocking statement.

Viscount Romario had died? Then there would be nothing for Celine anymore? Does that mean she no longer belongs to another man? If she’s lying, then….…

Amid his thoughts, Bern looked down at the hand tugging at his arm.

Celine was looking up, her face desperate.

“I didn’t want to break up with you… But if I’m next to you, I’m afraid I’ll only hold your ankle…That’s why I told you a terrible thing…….”

Bern’s eyes widened at her sincerity, hearing it for the first time.

He could still hear Celine’s words ringing in his ears, telling him that he’d only approached her because of her wealth, that he’d naively believed her when she said she loved him. And now it was all-

“……was it all a lie?”

When Bern finally broke the silence, Celine nodded, tears streaming down her face.

“I’ve never not loved you.”

Bern’s eyes widened even more.

“From the first time we met until now, I’ve only loved you…….”

After breaking up with Celine, his heart, which had not moved, began to move again and reveal its presence. Celine wept as she buried her face in Bern’s chest.

“I thought that with time I would be able to grow out of my feelings for you, but I was wrong, and I regret every day that I didn’t take your hand and run away.”

The sobs felt through the chest were like his own mind.

Slowly, without realizing it, Bern raised his arms and wrapped them around Celine’s back.

“I don’t want to lose you now, no, I don’t want to lie to my heart anymore!”

Celine’s desperate cries hit home. Just knowing that she felt the same way made all the hard work worth it.

“Me too…….”

“Bern, please, can we get back together? Break up with Agnes and be with me……!”

Bern, who had been hugging Celine tightly and opening his mouth to speak, felt his blood run cold as soon as he heard Lucia’s name.

He shudders, feeling as if he’s suddenly plunged into reality.

He quickly pulled away from Celine and saw Celine’s tear-stained face.

“……Bern?”

“Ha, ha…….”

The corners of Celine’s mouth dropped at the sight of Bern’s pale, guilty face.

“……Do you really like Lady Agnes?”

Bern took a sharp intake of breath and stepped back.

Everything about his demeanor told her that he had feelings for Lucia.

Tears formed in the corners of Celine’s eyes again. But then she clamped her mouth shut and wiped them away roughly.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Celine…….”

“I know because I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to not have you by my side. That despair and loneliness. It’s enough once, even if you’re now in love with, ah, Lady Agnes…….”

Bern opened his eyes wide at the soft and sweet sensation on his lips.

“I’m not going to miss you anymore.”