Translator: Nox

Chapter 25

25. Chaotic Entrance Ceremony (3)

A fanfare announcing the end of the entrance ceremony filled the small hall.

Lucia held Nia's hand, waiting for the crowd of people who had been toasting to disperse.

But when she looked at the child in her hand, she saw that Nia looked utterly dejected since they had been in the garden.

She was always a crybaby, but her plump cheeks were drooping so sadly that she looked as if she would burst into tears at any moment.

She had clearly left holding Ivanne's hand, smiling, but she had returned alone.

Did they have a fight or something?

"What happened in the garden?"

Nia glanced at her with tearful eyes, then pursed her lips and shook her head.

Lucia didn't know what had happened, but it didn't seem like she would be able to find out right now.

Deciding to ask her about it at the dormitory later, she headed towards the kindergarten's main gate plaza with the child.

But as soon as they came out into the plaza, the anxious voices of the people stopped her in her tracks.

"Honey, aren't those uniforms... the Black Knights?"

"I know, right? Did something happen? They showed up in the slums a while ago, and someone died, didn't they?"

"Oh my gosh! I heard they used to be in the underworld? How scary! We should go home quickly."

'...No way.'

Carefully hiding among the people, Lucia scanned the center of the plaza, and unfortunately, the dark group she had expected was gathered there.

"Vice-Captain!! Are you crazy? The Captain will really kill you if she finds out!!"

"Oh ho, Gillianna. How did you know? Looks like there was a traitor here. You dare steal my credit?"

"Ugh, I'm going crazy. Enough! Disband them now! Hurry!!"

Berl, grabbed by the collar by Gillianna amidst the menacing and burly members.

Vernon, chasing those members away like mosquitoes. Even Heath, watching from afar while eating snacks.

Their chaotic scene was becoming an unintentional spectacle in the middle of the kindergarten plaza.

'Those idiots...!'

Seeing them, Lucia felt the headache from nagging that had been lingering suddenly move to the back of her head.

She didn't know what the situation was, but those who were supposed to hide their identities were standing out more than anyone else.

She decided she had to get out of here first.

She was already getting ridiculous rumors about being a good wife and mother, and if it became known that she was the leader of those idiots, it would only become more troublesome.

She quickly turned around to take Nia to the back gate, but then she heard a child's shrill cry from the entrance she was trying to return to.

"No!!"

Looking closer, she saw Julie forcing Ivanne to lower her head.

"Hurry up and apologize!"

"I already did!! I said I did! So Ivanne won't do it!"

"That's enough! I'll let it go today because of the headmaster, but I won't stand for it next time! Oh dear, are you okay, sweetie? Does it hurt a lot?"

A couple in flamboyant attire stood arrogantly in front of Ivanne's family.

As the woman lowered her head to check the child's forehead, the rare amber stone decorating her hair reflected the light, dazzling Lucia's eyes.

Julie seemed very apologetic and tried to check on the child as well, but Gedarin avoided her touch and stuck out her tongue.

At that, little Ivanne looked ready to charge again.

"Oh my! Trying to raise your hand again! How will a girl like this ever get married with such a strong spirit? You need to be more careful!"

Scolding Ivanne, who had only postured and hadn't actually done anything, Julie's forehead finally showed a vein.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry that the child was hit. But you shouldn't say such unlucky things. How old is she to be talking about marriage?"

"What, what did you say? Unlucky? Look here, madam! Can't you see our child's forehead? How can you be so rude...!"

"Ha, rude? Yes, our child hit her. But the way you're talking, it sounds like your child deserved it~! Deserved it!"

It was truly the Gillianna family's straightforwardness.

If her seemingly gentle husband hadn't stopped Julie, it wouldn't have been strange for her to grab their hair and start rolling around on the ground.

The Gedarin family stepped back, intimidated by her energy.

"Hmph, what an insolent woman! We'll see how our trading company settles the medical bills! You'll regret this today! You hear me?"

Gedarin's parents, as if afraid that a demon would be unleashed before their eyes, quickly moved towards the red carriage they had gestured to.

Julie glared at their retreating figures with a fierce look, grabbing Ivanne's hand and saying they would see about it at home.

Then, worried about being scolded, the child frantically scanned her surroundings and spotted Lucia.

"Th-There! Nia's mommy!"

At that, Julie looked around and quickly approached.

"Oh my, how embarrassing! You had to see such a sight. Ho ho. I've been busy following the events, so I'm only greeting you now. Thank you for taking care of the child last time, Lady Lucia."

"Nice to meet you, Lady Lucia. I'm Dave Berna."

Julie, who had been radiating a fearsome aura towards the Gedarin family, transformed into a friendly and lovely woman as she stood before her.

Ivanne, glancing at the scene, let out a sigh of relief.

"Yes, nice to meet you. But I'm not in a good situation today, so let's formally greet each other next time."

Lucia greeted them since their eyes had met, but in reality, she wasn't in a position to be so relaxed.

She was about to leave to return inside the kindergarten and find the back gate when Nia suddenly let go of her hand and ran off.

"Because of me...! Sorry! Ivanne...!!"

The child, who had run off in an instant, hugged Ivanne tightly.

"No, it's not Nia's fault. It's okay. The bad thing is the commoner."

Ivanne had a somewhat resigned expression.

"Tsk, tsk! Again, again! I told you not to use such words in front of adults?! I'm sorry, Lady Lucia. Oh dear, what a tomboy."

"Hmph. Ivanne is not a tomboy. Mom doesn't know! That jerk said that Nia has a low title. That she can't even dream of it."

"What? I only heard that there was a quarrel earlier... Why are you only telling me now!?"

Lucia's face hardened at Ivanne's words, and Julie noticed the change in atmosphere and became awkward.

But Ivanne, as if it were nothing, shrugged her small shoulders and said,

"I thought, I have a lot of money, so I thought I had to apologize? That's what he said? He said if you have a lot of money, you don't have to apologize. I'm out of allowance. I have no money."

The adults' expressions hardened again at Ivanne's nonchalant words.

"Oh my goodness. He said such things to children?! He's covered in jewels, but his face looks like he rolled around in a mud pit. What on earth is he teaching children!? Hey! Don't you stop there!?"

"D-Darling. Stop. Stop, it's true that our child hit her..."

Julie didn't care that her husband was trying to stop her and tried to chase after them.

But the one who needed to be stopped right now wasn't Julie, but Lucia.

'So that's why she was so dejected earlier.'

It wasn't as if she had never heard things like having a low title or not having money.

Anyone with a title high enough to directly encounter Lucia in the Imperial Palace knew that she had deliberately not accepted a title, so there was no impact on either the speaker or the listener.

But when it happened to Nia, she felt an uncomfortable feeling for the first time.

That feeling was so strong that she felt an impulse to grab them right away and hang them upside down from the kindergarten rooftop.

If it had been before her regression, when she was known for her recklessness, she might have already done it.

But, it was then.

"Captain?!"

It was Berl's voice, recognizing Lucia's back.

"Gasp. It really is the Captain? Vernon! Heath! Shut his mouth! Hurry!"

"Let go! Let me go! Why can you guys do it and I can't? I want to congratulate the Captain on her big and small events too!"

"Are you really crazy?! The Captain is hiding her identity! How many times do we have to say it?!"

"What are you talking about! Why should the Captain hide that she is the leader of the proud royal guard?"

"Vice-Captain! Do you really not know?! What the Captain is called?"

"…That's, the Black Mon…"

Berl seemed to finally understand this fact, and his complexion withered again like rotten tree roots.

He was really good at everything, but sometimes his excessive loyalty was a problem.

"She definitely called her Commander. Could it be that she is… the Black Monster?"

Someone spoke up after seeing the commotion among the members.

Then, in the silenced square, one by one, gazes turned to the woman Berl pointed at.

Lucia, stiffened by those gazes, quietly rolled her eyes.

After all, Lucia would have worn her uniform if the members hadn't stopped her.

The whole world knew that the Black Monster was a fearsome being, and she wasn't someone who acted while being conscious of the world's opinions, so there was really nothing to worry about.

However,

"…Could it be, it's the entrance ceremony today. Does that mean the Black Monster's child goes here?"

"I think so. That child has black hair too. What if he's in the same class as my child?"

'Monster…'

Hearing their trembling whispers, Lucia felt the discomfort she had been feeling for a while grow even stronger.

Perhaps it was the feeling of being aware of others for the first time in her life because of her child, something she had never felt before, as she had always been confident.

Of course, it wasn't that she was proud of her infamous title of "monster."

However, it was just that no matter what she was called, the outside world didn't affect Lucia's life, so it wasn't a problem.

But at this moment, thinking about the gazes her child would receive because of who she was, it was a completely different world of feeling.

This might be the first time her small world, trapped in her father's curse-filled words calling her a monster, was shaken.

It was then.

Someone entered her confused eyes.

It was Leon Luwins, coming out holding Cezar's shy hand.

Leon, who suddenly met Lucia's eyes, gave a particularly weak smile as a greeting.

It seemed he remembered her words not to acknowledge him.

As Leon passed by with a lingering look, his sleeve suddenly caught on something, and he turned his head.

Then, he met Lucia's sparkling, clear blue eyes again.

Leon's breath caught in his throat at the sight of her eyes.

"Leon, Com.man.der. Is that offer from earlier still valid?"

"…The, the escort, you mean?"

She nodded with sparkling eyes.

He couldn't believe it.

It was the first time she had called out to him first in such a crowded place, and it was the first time she had grabbed his sleeve.

He desperately ignored his heart, which felt like it was about to burst in front of her beautiful eyes, and tentatively offered the arm opposite the hand holding Cezar's.

Then, unbelievably, her arm landed lightly on his like a bird.

'…Is this a dream?'

He couldn't take his eyes off her hand resting on his arm.

It felt like the tingling sensation of blood returning after being cut off.

However, his elation was short-lived.

"…?"

The steps that should have been heading towards his carriage were moving in the opposite direction.

Even though he was clearly the one doing the escorting, he was being dragged along by the powerful grip of her hand.

Ah, so the blood really wasn't flowing.

Leon looked at his hand, which was turning white as it was being held by her.

He glanced at her with his trembling pupils, but there was no change in Lucia's expression as she looked straight ahead.

With Leon forcibly leading the way, Lucia squeezed through the members.

As soon as the Commander appeared, the quick-witted members filled the area tightly, making it impossible for anyone to see inside the group.

Vernon, Gillianna, and Heath waved their hands, adamantly denying that it was them, while Berl stood with his mouth open, looking like his soul had left his body.

"Co, Commander…! I have committed a mortal sin! I didn't even know…!"

As Berl, who had regained his senses, knelt before Lucia,

"No, you've come at the right time. I won't say much. One o'clock direction. The red carriage that just opened its door. The target is a smuggling ring. Smuggled goods, item 187, the Lantern Egg Amber, and other jewels of 1 carat or more. Arrest the rest and investigate thoroughly."

That's right. The rare amber that was on the noblewoman's head was clearly smuggled.

Even the diamond decorating the Baron's sleeve wasn't something that could be easily obtained.

Berl's face, which had been like a rotten tree branch, bloomed brightly at the Commander's praise, which was different from what he had expected.

And the members, following the Commander's orders, began to rush towards the red carriage like a pack of dogs.

Amidst the chaos and panic of the people in the square due to their swift and orderly movements, Lucia managed to kill two birds with one stone: the downfall of the Gedarin family and hiding her identity.

Despite the satisfying situation, she couldn't easily forget the feeling of isolation she had felt earlier from the gazes of the people.

Perhaps it was through the perspective gained through her child that the small world of the monster, trapped in her father's curse-filled words, was shaken for the first time.