It was the end of the <Intermediate Pharmacology> class.
“What is this again, aide? I told you I don’t accept anything from Ximel?”
“It’s not for Miss Lucette, though? It’s mine.”
She shook her head when Yohan brought a box of gold coins, but Yohan answered calmly, picked up the gold coin, and chewed it.
What is it? You told me it was the first time you’d ever seen gold coins, so why are you chewing it?!
She was confused and walked up to him, and he smiled and waved a gold coin.
It was chocolate.
“Seeing you say that out of the blue, it seems that you were sad about jewels and gold.”
“I’m not.”
Yohan, with his chin up, gave her some chocolate gold coins.
“I understand that Miss Chelsea has taught you not to be in debt or depend on others. I understand… then, what do you think about being rewarded in something other than kind or cash?”
“Yes?”
Something else?
Like this chocolate?
She couldn’t figure out what he was talking about at all.
Luce, who was just about to pick up the chocolate in his hand, narrowed her eyes.
Yohan smiled broadly, took out a letter from his inner chest pocket, and shook it.
“It’s an invitation.”
“An invitation?”
“It was sent from Duke Ximel’s family. When I told them that Miss Lucette had refused the gift, they said they were very sorry and wanted to treat you to a meal. If it’s not good to come alone, then you can come with your parents or friends.”
Luce, reading the letter from Yohan, pondered for a while.
Are they doing this because they’re really grateful for saving that child? A simple favor?
If she thinks about it with common sense, it’s something to be thankful for. But something kept bothering her.
Is it hard to believe that nobles try to pay her back without first washing their mouth? (t/n : Washing one’s mouth means to have solely profited from something and to pretend not to have done so.)
Or because of those comments—.
‘My head hurts. I haven’t made any progress since that day.’
With one more clue about Ximel, she should have made progress in the investigation, but nothing had changed.
When she pretended to ask about Ximel, he said, ‘Oh, that family? They have a very good reputation. They also the maintenance of the western region. Most of all, she is the presiding officer of the Council, and because she is from a family with a long history, she could act as she pleases, but people like us are very grateful that she doesn’t.’
‘There was a comment saying that they are very righteous and good people in the eyes of others. As expected, what I thought was right. If they’re getting favorable reviews like this, the current Ximel is the person who appears in the original work.’
Dietrich didn’t particularly like nobles.
When she asks why he looks hesitant about her story that she learned in Lord’s castle, he always returns the same answer, ‘No matter how it is, aristocrat is an aristocrat. They’re different from the commoner like us.’
If such a Dietrich gives a good review, it must mean that the Duke of Ximel seems to be very easy-going and good person. It was as the comments indicated.
But that was all, and there was no further information to be obtained.
She also asked Baron and Yohan, but they couldn’t make objective judgments because they were impressed by the fact that they buried what almost caused a big accident.
It is understandable to see Yohan, who hates to do more work, so enthusiastically.
‘Should I go and see? Since it’s a ducal family that also appears in the original work, wouldn’t there be some information I can get from it?’
However, the problem remained.
“If someone comes from there, just say I won’t take anything.”
‘…My mother would hate it.’
Yohan smiled as he looked at Luce, who was folding and unfolding the invitation’s corners.
“Perhaps, is it because of what your mother said? Lucette, I didn’t know you were such a good child to listen to your mother.”
“It’s not really like that, but it’s true that it’s because of what my mother said. Because she doesn’t like it very much.”
“Ask Miss Chelsea again.”
“Why?”
“She run a general store downtown. I stopped by anyway.”
Did Yohan talk to mother?
While she was blinking her eyes, Yohan smiled like a boy.
“She’ll allow it this time.”
“What do you mean all of a sudden? Did you use a handsome face?”
“Am I handsome?”
“….”
“…Nevermind, don’t answer.”
“Yes.”
What’s really going on?
When Luce thought about what Chelsea had said about how disgusting aristocrats are, she just scratched the back of her neck.
***
“Mmhm. That would be better. I’m sure.”
“…Are you serious?”
“You know I’m the kind of person who doesn’t say things I don’t mean.”
“I mean, do you have to do that, Chelsea? You are sometimes too extreme. Even I, an old friend, see you like that….”
Dahlia, who had been talking with bloody lips from biting so hard, shut her mouth as soon as she saw the red hair snooping through the window.
“It’s Luce?”
“Yes! Are you with mom?”
“…Yes, Chelsea stays with me. Come in.”
Even if she came, her old friend Chelsea didn’t make eye contact with her daughter.
Dahlia, who answered with a gloomy look, sighed and looked at her friend’s daughter.
“Why are you both in the warehouse and not at the counter? Uncle Elliot is about to die serving the guests.”
“Elliot is always thinking about dying. Why?”
Chelsea, who didn’t care about what Luce said, cut off the words.
“Aunt Dahlia, would you excuse me for a moment?”
“…I don’t want to.”
“Why?”
“Elliot gets paid by my salary, and sometimes I need to take a rest too.”
It was a joke made with a grim look on his face for Dalia, who is always pleasant.
‘Is something wrong? What’s wrong with mothers in pairs?’
When Luce looked at Dahlia, Chelsea grabbed her arm.
“Why are you here?”
“No, um. It’s nothing special, did you hear about the invitation from Aide Yohan?”
Roughly avoiding her, Luce saw Chelsea nod.
“Yeah, I heard.”
“I heard you said I could go”.
“Yeah. You can go. While you’re gone, look around and play.”
“…Really?”
“I thought you would like it while running around, so what’s wrong with your reaction?”
Looking at Chelsea’s cynical reaction, there was nothing different from usual, but Dahlia’s reaction was strange.
Isn’t her face distorted whenever Chelsea speaks?
But Chelsea stopped every attempt to get a closer look at Dahlia.
This time, she was caught by the arm and turned around.
“Why?”
“My mom usually doesn’t allow me to do this.”
Chelsea responded too lightly.
“I can change my mind.”
“Oh, well, that could be the case.”
Why does she look so uncomfortable?
But Chelsea, holding on tightly to her arms, couldn’t think of anything else.
“Then will you go with me, mom?”
“I can’t go. I need to watch the store. Take that kid, Rev or something.”
“Mom?”
“Seeing Elliott whimper, I must have been giving the wrong change again. Just go now. Mom has to work.”
Chelsea almost dragged Luce out the door when she was being grabbed on the arm.
‘What on earth is this?’
The face of Chelsea, who was shaking Elliot, was very calm.
Something is strange. Luce bit her lip and moved on.
***
“What?”
“I need to talk to you.”
Luce grabbed Dominic as he came out of the blacksmith’s shop after his classes. She then went to Trevor’s tea house, which was right next door.
“Need to talk? What are you talking about?”
“Did something happen to Aunt Dahlia?”
“To my mom?”
Dominic, who shook his head, answered immediately.
“No, not at all. Nothing special.”
“Aren’t you too sure?”
“It’s my mother, but if I don’t know, who knows?”
That was true.
If her son Dominic doesn’t know, who knows?
‘But why does she looks so uncomfortable? I’ve never seen Aunt Dahlia make that face before.’
“Then, have you heard anything like that?”
“Is it something like a story about how bad Elliot was at his job?”
“How bad Uncle Elliot at his job… Not like that. Something that’s different from usual.”
“Something different from usual? Well.”
Dominic, who was deep in thought, drank well as if the tea wasn’t hot.
“She came in a few days ago with a very upset face.”
“Hey, that’s a big deal!”
“So I asked why, and you said I don’t need to know, so I just went.”
What an insensitive son.
She looked at Dominic with narrowed eyes, but all he did was point with his chin.
“I’m really curious, but is everything going well with Aunt Chelsea?”
“My mom? Why?”
“I’m taking a class in the blacksmith’s shop. I can see this tea house well from the blacksmith’s shop.”
“However?”
“I saw Aunt Chelsea walking into this coffee shop with a man.”
What kind of man?
“W, what kind of man was he?”
“A very young and handsome man. So I thought, wow, Aunt Chelsea’s taste is so consistent, but you don’t know?”
This is the first time she has ever heard of it.
Is her mother dating another man?
It seems that Dominic was not the only one who was insensitive.
Luce stuttered and couldn’t even close her gaping mouth.
“What do you mean my mother’s tastes are consistent?”
“Oh, that guy had red hair. Like the deceased Uncle Lawrence. So I thought she liked red-haired men.”
Dominic’s bombshell comments, as if they were nothing, made Luce’s head spin.
Luce, who barely came to her senses, muttered.
“No, it can’t be… Just how much my mom loves my dad. She probably doesn’t have a new crush. It must be just a customer, or a bank person, or something like that.”
“Then why do you stutter?”
“Just think about how surprised I must be that you said that.”
Dominic laughed and sat down.
“Don’t you want Aunt Chelsea to remarry?”
It’s something she’d never thought of.
What does it mean for her mom to remarry?
“Don’t say it to early.”
“You don’t like it.”
“No, I don’t even know who he is, so I don’t have to think about it already.”
“You don’t like it, do you?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it…!”
Luce’s mouth was tightly shut.
Dominic snorted at her as if he knew it.
“You can think about it. Think carefully.”
It was rare for Luce to follow Dominic’s words, but he decided to try it.
Is mom getting remarried?
Of course, she can. Chelsea is still young, capable, and a very nice woman with a strong personality.
It was easy to imagine someone liking her.
But she couldn’t easily imagine that Chelsea was in love with someone.
「To me, Lawrence is not someone I can forget.」
Didn’t she say that?
In a very distant and sad voice.
‘If a decent man can make my mom’s sorrow go away… I should welcome him with open arms. I should be. However.’
Why can’t she believe it?
‘Do I have a possessive desire? Because my mom is my first family?’
No matter how she thought about it, there was only one place to reach.
Possessive desire like that of a child.
The whining of a child who hates losing her mother.
Dominic, who was drinking Luce’s glass as if it wasn’t enough, shrugged his shoulders.
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep it a secret even if you don’t tell me. I can figure out that much, me too.”
“…Mmhm. Thank you.”
“Is this the first time I hear you say thank you to me?”
“What kind of sentimental tone… do you mean?”
“It’s not like that—?!”
Luce’s mood was complicated the whole time they were bickering and heading home.
It was the end of the <Intermediate Pharmacology> class.
“What is this again, aide? I told you I don’t accept anything from Ximel?”
“It’s not for Miss Lucette, though? It’s mine.”
She shook her head when Yohan brought a box of gold coins, but Yohan answered calmly, picked up the gold coin, and chewed it.
What is it? You told me it was the first time you’d ever seen gold coins, so why are you chewing it?!
She was confused and walked up to him, and he smiled and waved a gold coin.
It was chocolate.
“Seeing you say that out of the blue, it seems that you were sad about jewels and gold.”
“I’m not.”
Yohan, with his chin up, gave her some chocolate gold coins.
“I understand that Miss Chelsea has taught you not to be in debt or depend on others. I understand… then, what do you think about being rewarded in something other than kind or cash?”
“Yes?”
Something else?
Like this chocolate?
She couldn’t figure out what he was talking about at all.
Luce, who was just about to pick up the chocolate in his hand, narrowed her eyes.
Yohan smiled broadly, took out a letter from his inner chest pocket, and shook it.
“It’s an invitation.”
“An invitation?”
“It was sent from Duke Ximel’s family. When I told them that Miss Lucette had refused the gift, they said they were very sorry and wanted to treat you to a meal. If it’s not good to come alone, then you can come with your parents or friends.”
Luce, reading the letter from Yohan, pondered for a while.
Are they doing this because they’re really grateful for saving that child? A simple favor?
If she thinks about it with common sense, it’s something to be thankful for. But something kept bothering her.
Is it hard to believe that nobles try to pay her back without first washing their mouth? (t/n : Washing one’s mouth means to have solely profited from something and to pretend not to have done so.)
Or because of those comments—.
‘My head hurts. I haven’t made any progress since that day.’
With one more clue about Ximel, she should have made progress in the investigation, but nothing had changed.
When she pretended to ask about Ximel, he said, ‘Oh, that family? They have a very good reputation. They also the maintenance of the western region. Most of all, she is the presiding officer of the Council, and because she is from a family with a long history, she could act as she pleases, but people like us are very grateful that she doesn’t.’
‘There was a comment saying that they are very righteous and good people in the eyes of others. As expected, what I thought was right. If they’re getting favorable reviews like this, the current Ximel is the person who appears in the original work.’
Dietrich didn’t particularly like nobles.
When she asks why he looks hesitant about her story that she learned in Lord’s castle, he always returns the same answer, ‘No matter how it is, aristocrat is an aristocrat. They’re different from the commoner like us.’
If such a Dietrich gives a good review, it must mean that the Duke of Ximel seems to be very easy-going and good person. It was as the comments indicated.
But that was all, and there was no further information to be obtained.
She also asked Baron and Yohan, but they couldn’t make objective judgments because they were impressed by the fact that they buried what almost caused a big accident.
It is understandable to see Yohan, who hates to do more work, so enthusiastically.
‘Should I go and see? Since it’s a ducal family that also appears in the original work, wouldn’t there be some information I can get from it?’
However, the problem remained.
“If someone comes from there, just say I won’t take anything.”
‘…My mother would hate it.’
Yohan smiled as he looked at Luce, who was folding and unfolding the invitation’s corners.
“Perhaps, is it because of what your mother said? Lucette, I didn’t know you were such a good child to listen to your mother.”
“It’s not really like that, but it’s true that it’s because of what my mother said. Because she doesn’t like it very much.”
“Ask Miss Chelsea again.”
“Why?”
“She run a general store downtown. I stopped by anyway.”
Did Yohan talk to mother?
While she was blinking her eyes, Yohan smiled like a boy.
“She’ll allow it this time.”
“What do you mean all of a sudden? Did you use a handsome face?”
“Am I handsome?”
“….”
“…Nevermind, don’t answer.”
“Yes.”
What’s really going on?
When Luce thought about what Chelsea had said about how disgusting aristocrats are, she just scratched the back of her neck.
***
“Mmhm. That would be better. I’m sure.”
“…Are you serious?”
“You know I’m the kind of person who doesn’t say things I don’t mean.”
“I mean, do you have to do that, Chelsea? You are sometimes too extreme. Even I, an old friend, see you like that….”
Dahlia, who had been talking with bloody lips from biting so hard, shut her mouth as soon as she saw the red hair snooping through the window.
“It’s Luce?”
“Yes! Are you with mom?”
“…Yes, Chelsea stays with me. Come in.”
Even if she came, her old friend Chelsea didn’t make eye contact with her daughter.
Dahlia, who answered with a gloomy look, sighed and looked at her friend’s daughter.
“Why are you both in the warehouse and not at the counter? Uncle Elliot is about to die serving the guests.”
“Elliot is always thinking about dying. Why?”
Chelsea, who didn’t care about what Luce said, cut off the words.
“Aunt Dahlia, would you excuse me for a moment?”
“…I don’t want to.”
“Why?”
“Elliot gets paid by my salary, and sometimes I need to take a rest too.”
It was a joke made with a grim look on his face for Dalia, who is always pleasant.
‘Is something wrong? What’s wrong with mothers in pairs?’
When Luce looked at Dahlia, Chelsea grabbed her arm.
“Why are you here?”
“No, um. It’s nothing special, did you hear about the invitation from Aide Yohan?”
Roughly avoiding her, Luce saw Chelsea nod.
“Yeah, I heard.”
“I heard you said I could go”.
“Yeah. You can go. While you’re gone, look around and play.”
“…Really?”
“I thought you would like it while running around, so what’s wrong with your reaction?”
Looking at Chelsea’s cynical reaction, there was nothing different from usual, but Dahlia’s reaction was strange.
Isn’t her face distorted whenever Chelsea speaks?
But Chelsea stopped every attempt to get a closer look at Dahlia.
This time, she was caught by the arm and turned around.
“Why?”
“My mom usually doesn’t allow me to do this.”
Chelsea responded too lightly.
“I can change my mind.”
“Oh, well, that could be the case.”
Why does she look so uncomfortable?
But Chelsea, holding on tightly to her arms, couldn’t think of anything else.
“Then will you go with me, mom?”
“I can’t go. I need to watch the store. Take that kid, Rev or something.”
“Mom?”
“Seeing Elliott whimper, I must have been giving the wrong change again. Just go now. Mom has to work.”
Chelsea almost dragged Luce out the door when she was being grabbed on the arm.
‘What on earth is this?’
The face of Chelsea, who was shaking Elliot, was very calm.
Something is strange. Luce bit her lip and moved on.
***
“What?”
“I need to talk to you.”
Luce grabbed Dominic as he came out of the blacksmith’s shop after his classes. She then went to Trevor’s tea house, which was right next door.
“Need to talk? What are you talking about?”
“Did something happen to Aunt Dahlia?”
“To my mom?”
Dominic, who shook his head, answered immediately.
“No, not at all. Nothing special.”
“Aren’t you too sure?”
“It’s my mother, but if I don’t know, who knows?”
That was true.
If her son Dominic doesn’t know, who knows?
‘But why does she looks so uncomfortable? I’ve never seen Aunt Dahlia make that face before.’
“Then, have you heard anything like that?”
“Is it something like a story about how bad Elliot was at his job?”
“How bad Uncle Elliot at his job… Not like that. Something that’s different from usual.”
“Something different from usual? Well.”
Dominic, who was deep in thought, drank well as if the tea wasn’t hot.
“She came in a few days ago with a very upset face.”
“Hey, that’s a big deal!”
“So I asked why, and you said I don’t need to know, so I just went.”
What an insensitive son.
She looked at Dominic with narrowed eyes, but all he did was point with his chin.
“I’m really curious, but is everything going well with Aunt Chelsea?”
“My mom? Why?”
“I’m taking a class in the blacksmith’s shop. I can see this tea house well from the blacksmith’s shop.”
“However?”
“I saw Aunt Chelsea walking into this coffee shop with a man.”
What kind of man?
“W, what kind of man was he?”
“A very young and handsome man. So I thought, wow, Aunt Chelsea’s taste is so consistent, but you don’t know?”
This is the first time she has ever heard of it.
Is her mother dating another man?
It seems that Dominic was not the only one who was insensitive.
Luce stuttered and couldn’t even close her gaping mouth.
“What do you mean my mother’s tastes are consistent?”
“Oh, that guy had red hair. Like the deceased Uncle Lawrence. So I thought she liked red-haired men.”
Dominic’s bombshell comments, as if they were nothing, made Luce’s head spin.
Luce, who barely came to her senses, muttered.
“No, it can’t be… Just how much my mom loves my dad. She probably doesn’t have a new crush. It must be just a customer, or a bank person, or something like that.”
“Then why do you stutter?”
“Just think about how surprised I must be that you said that.”
Dominic laughed and sat down.
“Don’t you want Aunt Chelsea to remarry?”
It’s something she’d never thought of.
What does it mean for her mom to remarry?
“Don’t say it to early.”
“You don’t like it.”
“No, I don’t even know who he is, so I don’t have to think about it already.”
“You don’t like it, do you?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it…!”
Luce’s mouth was tightly shut.
Dominic snorted at her as if he knew it.
“You can think about it. Think carefully.”
It was rare for Luce to follow Dominic’s words, but he decided to try it.
Is mom getting remarried?
Of course, she can. Chelsea is still young, capable, and a very nice woman with a strong personality.
It was easy to imagine someone liking her.
But she couldn’t easily imagine that Chelsea was in love with someone.
「To me, Lawrence is not someone I can forget.」
Didn’t she say that?
In a very distant and sad voice.
‘If a decent man can make my mom’s sorrow go away… I should welcome him with open arms. I should be. However.’
Why can’t she believe it?
‘Do I have a possessive desire? Because my mom is my first family?’
No matter how she thought about it, there was only one place to reach.
Possessive desire like that of a child.
The whining of a child who hates losing her mother.
Dominic, who was drinking Luce’s glass as if it wasn’t enough, shrugged his shoulders.
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep it a secret even if you don’t tell me. I can figure out that much, me too.”
“…Mmhm. Thank you.”
“Is this the first time I hear you say thank you to me?”
“What kind of sentimental tone… do you mean?”
“It’s not like that—?!”
Luce’s mood was complicated the whole time they were bickering and heading home.
