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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: A Sudden Collapse
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“...!”
In that moment, Karayan froze as if he'd been struck by lightning.
The soft, supple, warm sensation on his cheek.
It was barely a brush, gone in an instant, yet the moment was as clear as if time had stopped.
And then there was Lumina’s lovely face, pulling back and smiling brightly at him.
Karayan had a rational suspicion that he might be dreaming.
He stood there, mouth slightly agape, staring blankly at Lumina.
*Whoosh—.*
“?”
Lumina spun around sharply and scurried away.
Her scattering, wheat-colored hair filled his vision.
Stunned by the surprise kiss, Karayan watched, dazed, as Lumina's retreating figure grew smaller.
What was that? What in the world just happened?
He stood rooted to the spot, as if a ball and chain were fastened to his ankles. The thought of following her didn't even cross his mind.
While he remained frozen, staring endlessly at the spot where Lumina had been, she calmly slipped out of the library.
And let out a sigh of relief.
Given the topic of conversation, the atmosphere had been on the verge of turning heavy.
Having intentionally fled the scene, Lumina quickened her pace.
She needed to hurry if she was to send a reply to Endymion and mail a gift while she was at it.
***
A few days later.
“One, two, three. One, two, three.”
Lumina danced to the rhythm called out by Mrs. Klein.
Her gaze, the lines of her dance moving in time with the beat, even the flutter of her dress hem with each light step.
It was all flawless.
“Good, that’s perfect!”
Nora Klein, who had been hired as her etiquette tutor, smiled with satisfaction and clapped.
“Your skills improve so much every time I see you, I’m starting to think there’s nothing left for me to teach.”
“It’s all thanks to your excellent instruction, Madame. I don't know what to do with myself when you speak so highly of me.”
“Duke Heart must be very happy to have such a brilliant daughter-in-law.”
Pleasantries were exchanged between Mrs. Klein and Lumina.
“Shall we take a short break, then?”
“Yes, Madame.”
During the break, Mrs. Klein drank the potion she always took.
The red liquid quickly disappeared.
All the while, Lumina watched her.
Mrs. Klein had been widowed early in her marriage.
Her marriage, it was said, had lasted less than a year.
*‘That’s why she’s in her mid-thirties and has no children. It’s been the cause of much gossip.’*
Rumors of a secret lover had followed her like a shadow right after her husband's death.
But Mrs. Klein had remained chaste, never remarrying or growing close to any man.
The rumors remained just that—rumors.
Despite her impeccable conduct, there were always hyenas watching, wondering if she was hiding some dirty secret.
However, after more than a decade without a single slip-up, she instead gained a reputation in high society for her excellent self-management.
*‘Which is likely why she was hired as my etiquette tutor.’*
Her lessons were never coercive or difficult to understand.
But Lumina found this woman, who was always so kind to her, subtly grating.
“You truly are Lady Chloe’s daughter. You seem to resemble her more and more each day.”
This was it.
Mrs. Klein often mentioned Lumina's birth mother.
And each time, Lumina pretended not to hear, letting the comments pass.
“Speaking of which, you mentioned you were invited to Princess Arabelle’s tea party, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Did you happen to meet Prince Eliot at the palace?”
“No. I don't even know what he looks like.”
Since Eliot himself had decided to keep their meeting a secret from Arabelle, Lumina played dumb as well.
Mrs. Klein’s expression turned serious.
“I heard that Princess Arabelle is so fond of you, Lady Lumina, that she wants to make you her exclusive lady-in-waiting. If that’s the case, you’ll have many opportunities to be near the princess.”
It seemed the rumor had already spread far and wide.
Lumina felt a faint headache at the thought of Arabelle’s relentless obsession.
“Should you happen to run into Prince Eliot, keep your distance.”
“Why?”
Lumina tilted her head, asking with feigned innocence.
Though there were no other ears to listen, Mrs. Klein lowered her voice.
“A long time ago, a monster appeared at the hunting grounds, and Prince Eliot was attacked. He was left with a limp. It was such a serious incident that everyone thought the prince would die.”
“...”
“Thankfully, he survived, but…”
He could no longer walk properly on two legs.
“Her Majesty the Empress was said to be heartbroken upon seeing her precious son limp. This is only a rumor, but some say the shock of it drove the Empress to take her own life.”
Mrs. Klein gripped Lumina’s hand with her own, which was as thin as a twig.
Then she spoke, her tone filled with worry and concern.
“So, while it’s one thing to be close to Princess Arabelle, nothing good can come from associating with Prince Eliot.”
Mrs. Klein was speaking vaguely, considerate of Lumina’s youth.
But Lumina knew the royal family's dirty laundry.
*‘That the Empress screamed daily that such a cripple couldn’t possibly be her son. That she went mad denying his existence. She couldn't tell a child things like that.’*
The Empress, who had taken her own life without anyone’s understanding, was a disgrace to the imperial family.
Yet the Empress's garden remained beautiful, and Eliot did not hate the mother who had rejected him, but missed her.
It seemed he had chosen to preserve at least the beautiful memories rather than hide his mother’s tragic life.
Lumina felt no personal resentment toward the imperial family's way of doing things.
She wanted to keep her distance from all of them, be it Arabelle or Eliot.
“Unlike His Highness Marcel, who will be the future emperor, or Princess Arabelle, who is a Legion, he is lucky not to be kicked out of the palace. So you needn't feel guilty for avoiding him.”
Perhaps misinterpreting Lumina’s silence, Mrs. Klein spoke in a placating tone, as if soothing a child.
“You are already conducting yourself perfectly well, so please just take my advice as a suggestion.”
“...”
“If Lady Chloe could see you now, Lady Lumina, she would have been so proud.”
She had brought up Lumina’s mother again.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Lumina asked.
“You seem to know my mother well, Madame. But I lost her at such a young age that I’m unaware of the relationship between you two.”
“Oh, it’s merely that I know of Lady Chloe one-sidedly.”
“One-sidedly?”
“Her romantic nature, marrying the one she loved in the end, left a deep impression on me. I hold a personal fondness for her.”
Romantic nature?
Lumina scoffed inwardly.
Her mother was no fairy-tale princess. Nor was she a knight who came to rescue a prince.
*‘To my father and stepmother, she must have seemed like a witch standing in the way of love.’*
So she couldn't understand why this woman, who knew nothing, kept praising her mother.
“You resemble Lady Chloe so much, Lady Lumina. In just a few more years, you’ll become a lovely lady just like her.”
“Madame.”
Lumina did not hide her displeasure as she pulled her hand away.
Her voice was cold.
“I am my own person, separate from my mother.”
“...”
“I know you mean it as a compliment, but it makes me uncomfortable. I would appreciate it if you would refrain.”
The warm atmosphere, filled with compliments just moments before, froze over in an instant.
“Uncomfortable?”
“Exactly as I said. I have never once thought of living like my mother, nor do I wish to resemble her.”
It was the unvarnished truth.
Lumina saw her birth mother as a cautionary tale.
The kind of excessive greed that led one to forcibly hold onto a man who wanted nothing to do with her, even marrying him, was something Lumina was determined to avoid.
“I can’t believe it. Lady Chloe was a woman who won her love. She should be admired, if anything…”
Truly flustered, Mrs. Klein trailed off, her expression turning cold as well.
It was a look Lumina had never seen on the woman who had always treated her so kindly.
It was as if a mask had been removed.
Facing her, Lumina thought the chilly expression somehow suited her better, as if it were her true face.
Mrs. Klein, belatedly realizing she had lost her composure, hastily feigned kindness again.
“Our private chat has gone on too long. Let’s resume the lesson.”
Just as Mrs. Klein, who had changed the subject with a kind yet subtly cold demeanor, was about to continue the interrupted lesson…
She suddenly pressed a hand to her forehead and swayed.
“Madame?”
Sensing something was wrong, Lumina called out to Mrs. Klein.
But there was no reply.
*Thud—.*
Because she had collapsed.
***
No matter how many times Lumina shook her or called her name, Mrs. Klein showed no signs of waking.
Lumina urgently called for a servant waiting outside the door and had her moved to a guest room.
Then she summoned a doctor to examine her. Mrs. Klein did not regain consciousness.
“Why did she suddenly collapse?”
The doctor, who had been thoroughly examining her condition, answered Lumina’s question cautiously.
“Malnutrition.”
“What?”
A noble lady suffering from malnutrition?
“It seems she has been losing weight excessively of late. That is likely why she fainted.”
Lumina looked down at the collapsed Mrs. Klein with a very serious expression.
It was then.
“Lumina.”
“Father!”
Lucius had come looking for Lumina.
