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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: The Fiancée
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The smell of cigarette smoke wafting over the food was rather nauseating.
‘But if Duke Heart decides he wants to smoke, can I really stop him?’
…I can't. Absolutely not.
Lumina knew all too well the powerful will of a smoker addicted to nicotine.
To at least prepare herself mentally, she nervously watched Lucius, her body tense.
He popped the cigarette into his mouth. Now it was time to light it.
But instead of pulling out a lighter, he rolled the unlit cigarette in his mouth.
Huh?
‘Wait, wait. I definitely saw him unwrap something round and put it in his mouth.’
“That’s not a cigarette, is it?”
Indeed. What Lucius had taken out was not a cigarette.
It was a lollipop.
“I’m quitting. My wife hated the smell of smoke.”
Lucius replied, pushing the candy to one side of his cheek to speak.
As far as Lumina knew, the Duchess had been dead for a long time.
Yet, seeing him still trying to quit just because his wife disliked it suggested he was surprisingly devoted to her.
‘Then again, he was also a surprisingly doting father.’
Judging people by their appearance was a fool's game.
Still, the sight of this man with his menacing aura holding a cute little lollipop in his mouth drew her gaze unconsciously.
“You have a dissatisfied look in your eyes.”
“What? What? Me?”
That couldn't be.
She might look at someone else that way, but she would never dare to cast an impure gaze upon Duke Heart of all people.
Lumina blinked rapidly, trying to erase any trace of impurity from her eyes.
“If you’re so unhappy, why don’t you just say it.”
“What?! I’m not unhappy in the slightest! Look!”
Hup!
Lumina widened her eyes, sending him a sparkling gaze.
It was an innocent look, without a speck of ulterior motive to be found.
But Lucius didn't seem to pay much attention to Lumina's efforts.
Without looking at her, he simply reached into his pocket.
His hand, which had disappeared into his pocket, re-emerged clenched in a fist.
‘Wh-what is it?’
The large fist, with white sticks poking out between the fingers, moved toward the wide-eyed Lumina.
And then…
*Clatter-.*
A cascade of colorful lollipops spilled out in front of Lumina.
“From now on, if you want one, just say so. And if you want more, tell me.”
“…Yes!”
She realized that the ‘impure gaze’ he had mentioned was one craving candy.
She had never harbored such a wicked thought, but it would be strange to refuse the mountain of candy, so she replied energetically.
“I wanted to serve you a proper dessert, but I was told it wouldn’t be good for a patient who just woke up from fainting. Make do with this for today.”
There was no need to ‘make do’.
She had enough candy in front of her to last a lifetime.
“But…”
Lumina, who had been fiddling with an unwrapped lollipop in her hand, asked in a subtle tone.
“Are there any other flavors?”
She said it, fully prepared to be chided for being picky about the flavor of a gift.
‘But I had so much strawberry milk flavor in my past life that I'm sick of it.’
Most of the lollipops he'd given her were strawberry milk flavor. She could tell just by looking at the wrappers.
Lumina assumed he had chosen that flavor specifically because she was young.
Preconceptions were a powerful thing. That's why she brought it up as carefully as if she were making a back-alley deal.
Hearing Lumina's request, Lucius silently put his hand back into his pocket.
And when he pulled his hand out, a new array of colorful lollipops spread across the table.
His pocket was a veritable bag of candy.
“Thank you!”
There was an even greater variety of candies than before. Without hesitation, she picked up the only one of its kind.
“You seem to like that one.”
“Yes!”
Lucius looked at Lumina with surprise.
And for good reason—the lollipop Lumina had chosen was cinnamon flavored.
Lumina signaled the end of the meal by putting the lollipop in her mouth, joining him.
‘I feel so corrupted.’
*Lick, lick.*
Lumina savored the wicked taste, sucking on her lollipop alongside Lucius.
Her stomach was full, her back was warm, and the bittersweet taste in her mouth was slowly giving way to a deep sweetness.
It was a tranquility she could never have enjoyed at the Lanshuss estate, where Teresa and Joseph stood guard like demons.
Outsiders often described Duke Heart as a crazed demon.
But in Lumina's eyes, the real demons were her own relatives.
“Has the matter I asked about before I collapsed been resolved?”
*Lick.*
Lumina had previously asked him to recommend servants to work at the Lanshuss estate.
“Yes. I immediately picked out some quick-handed, tight-lipped ones and sent them over.”
For some reason, Lucius’s tone was chilling.
“By now, they should have wiped it all clean, leaving nothing behind.”
“…Wiped what?”
Did he send assassins instead of servants?
Wondering if they had already slit Joseph and Teresa's throats, Lumina looked at him with trembling eyes.
“The dust.”
Lucius replied as if asking why she would ask something so obvious.
Lumina, who had just imagined a horrific, bloody scene, laughed awkwardly.
“Haha. Right. Dust. That’s important.”
“When you return home, it will be so spotless you won’t find a single speck of dust.”
He was the one with the nickname ‘demon’, yet it seemed Lumina was the only one having wicked thoughts.
“By the way, do you collapse every time you use your ability? Considering that, you seemed fine last time.”
“I’m not sure. I think I’ll know more after I treat the Young Master one more time.”
There was one suspicious point that made her hesitant to definitively say she had collapsed from overusing her ability.
She only felt this unusual sensation when using her ability on Karayan.
‘Is it because I'm not healing an external wound? It's certainly different from mending a broken leg or a cut from glass shards.’
Lumina was lost in her own deep thoughts when he spoke.
“If you require recuperation every time you provide treatment, it might be better for you to stay here. It would arouse less suspicion that way.”
“But I am merely your ward.”
She meant it was more than she deserved.
Taking in a noble lady with inheritance rights, not some commoner? It was excessive, even for a relationship bound by sponsorship.
But after Lumina's rebuttal, his reply was remarkably nonchalant.
“The story would change if it were a marital relationship rather than a wardship.”
“What?”
That was a close call.
She had almost spat her lollipop right in his face. If she had, his sunglasses might have shattered.
“Didn’t you confidently state that you wanted to use this family? This is just part of making that happen. Why are you so surprised?”
It was Lucius who was being strangely calm; any normal person would have been shocked.
What about your son's opinion?
The opinion of Karayan, the most important person involved, was completely absent.
“Perhaps you don’t find my son to your liking?”
He exuded a chilling aura, as if she would be thrown out of the house immediately if she said she didn't.
‘That's a question you should be asking your son first!’
When she'd heard something similar before, she had been able to brush it off as a joke.
But receiving the same proposal a second time was starting to become frightening.
Hiding her desire to protest, Lumina smiled brightly and said.
“Of course not. It’s just that I feel the title of the ducal family’s ward is already more than enough for me.”
Phew, that seemed to smooth things over.
Lumina nervously rolled the cinnamon lollipop, already half-gone, in her mouth.
Just as she was worrying the conversation might drag on, a servant approached Lucius and whispered something in his ear.
“I have a scheduled matter to attend to, so I must leave for a moment. Make yourself comfortable in the mansion in the meantime.”
Lucius said as he rose from his seat.
“You are an honored guest, so you must be treated properly. I’ll assign a personal maid to you.”
***
“Hello, young lady from Lanshuss. My name is Olivia, and I will be assisting you for the time being.”
Just as she was wondering how to get to the guest room, a woman in a maid's uniform introduced herself.
Looking to be in her early thirties, her glamorous impression made it seem like a party dress would suit her better than a maid's uniform.
It made one wonder if the ducal household hired people based on their looks.
“I heard you have difficulty moving. Shall I carry you on my back?”
“No, no. There’s no need for that. Just helping me walk is enough.”
“But I heard you came to the kitchen dangling from the Duke’s arms.”
The rumor had already spread far and wide, it seemed. It was a little embarrassing, but Lumina decided to be brazen about it.
What had already happened couldn't be changed. She had to think about what was to come.
What happened earlier was a mishap that occurred because she had just woken up.
Now that she had eaten properly and regained some strength, as long as she had support, she wouldn't be as wobbly as before.
“Don’t worry. I’m quite strong.”
But Olivia, perhaps misunderstanding, acted before listening to Lumina's words.
Unlike Lucius, she was a woman and looked rather slender at a glance, so Lumina thought it would be too much for her….
*Lift.*
‘…Is she a Legion?’
Olivia lifted Lumina with surprising ease.
“Wait, wait!”
After a dramatic compromise, Lumina was finally allowed back on her feet and moved with Olivia's support.
Despite this minor incident, Olivia was a kind maid.
“I’d like to go for a walk. Would that be all right?”
“Of course. It’s more than all right.”
Olivia readily agreed, helped her dress, and then led the way.
Lumina was taking a leisurely stroll in the garden.
“How insolent! Get out of my way at once!”
There was a commotion near the main gate.
“What’s going on?”
“Shall we go see?”
For some reason, Olivia seemed more excited than Lumina.
She asked in a tone that suggested she would be disappointed if Lumina refused. Nodding, Lumina approached the source of the commotion.
A sharp, girlish voice echoed loudly enough to shake the mansion.
“To treat me, the Imperial Princess and fiancée of the Young Duke Heart, with such disrespect! I will be sure to tell His Majesty, the Emperor, and see you all disappear like dew on the execution grounds!”
A familiar phrase caught Lumina’s ear.
The Young Duke Heart's fiancée.
‘…The thing the Duke just proposed to me?’
