Chapter 1.10

After Lucas’s visit, Wendy was bedridden for about two weeks.

When she got up, it was already approaching mid-December.

She sent a message to Lucas, expressing gratitude for his visit and mentioning she had something to give him, asking if she could visit the Ducal residence. This time, she didn’t write a letter; she simply noted the purpose on a memo card.

“What a surprise.”

She only expected to be told a date to visit the Duke’s residence, but unexpectedly, Lucas informed her he had reserved a table at a high-end restaurant in town.

Though she wanted to avoid dining alone with him, it felt like a date invitation, causing her to hope helplessly again. She kept telling herself it wasn’t a date, but as she got closer to the meeting place, her heart began to flutter.

“This way, please.”

The waiter led her to the VIP room in the deepest part.

Wendy handed her coat to the waiter to be checked in the cloakroom and sat down. Though her cold had improved, the chilly wind made her shiver, so she ordered a warm tea first.

“…….”

The appointed time had passed, and she had almost finished her tea, but Wendy was still alone.

Am I being stood up again? 

But Lucas had set both the date and place. He had postponed the meeting twice because he was busy, but he’d emphasized several times that today was possible.

Wendy fiddled with the red scarf she’d draped over the table before drinking her tea.

Should I leave? 

Even if she waited, he might not come, like before. It’s foolish to keep waiting after experiencing that.

As she chewed her lower lip in contemplation and clutched her scarf tightly, the door opened, and Lucas entered.

“Sorry, Wendy. Did you wait long? The meeting ended later than expected.”

Come to think of it, it was a weekday, yet Lucas was dressed in a black suit and tie instead of a uniform. It seemed he had business related to the Ducal household.

Seeing him, her sorrow vanished, and a smile crept onto Wendy’s lips.

“No, I just…”

She was about to say she had just arrived when she stopped, noticing something strange.

Lucas wasn’t alone. Behind him, a woman with auburn bobbed hair, who had been adjusting her hat, smiled warmly at Wendy.

“Hello, Miss Wendy. We’ve met before, do you remember?”

“Oh, um, Miss Melinda Person?”

Wendy vaguely recalled her face and name. She was the woman she’d seen with Lucas in front of the Christmas market.

“Oh my, you remember. I’m glad. It’s been a while.”

“Yes, it has.”

Melinda cheerfully extended her hand for a handshake. Not used to shaking hands, Wendy awkwardly took her hand.

In truth, Wendy wasn’t pleased to see Melinda. It wasn’t a situation or position where she could be glad. But Melinda’s friendly demeanor left Wendy with mixed feelings.

“I came with Melinda because I still had some work to finish. Is that okay?”

“I’m sorry for intruding. I hope I’m not a bother.”

“No, it’s fine. We only exchanged brief greetings last time, so I was a bit disappointed too.”

She remembered Melinda’s warm hands massaging her frozen ones, which left a good impression despite the miserable situation, so Wendy greeted her kindly.

Lucas and Melinda handed their coats to the waiter and sat down.

“What’s good here?”

“Have the steak. You like meat.”

“Oh my, really. What do you like, Miss Wendy?”

“I eat well in general. But it’s my first time here too.”

“Then I’ll order for us.”

Lucas called the waiter and ordered several dishes. He also ordered a drink for Wendy, separate from the wine.

Melinda, who had been resting her chin and watching, chuckled.

“Still can’t allow Wendy to have alcohol?”

“No.”

“Oh, you’re so strict.”

“Wendy was very sick. She still needs to be careful.”

“Oh, right. Are you okay now? I heard you had a bad cold and couldn’t attend the Christmas banquet.”

Melinda looked at Wendy with concern.

Before Wendy could respond, Melinda started fussing with worry.

“You seem thinner than before. Lucas, you should buy her some nutritious food today.”

“That’s why I called her.”

“It’s cold today too. Shouldn’t you have met indoors?”

Then Lucas turned to Wendy. Meeting his bright blue gaze, Wendy, who had been listening to their conversation absentmindedly, snapped back to attention.

“No, it’s okay. I was feeling cooped up staying home all the time.”

“But your complexion is still pale, Miss Wendy.”

“Wendy always struggled with colds around this time.”

“Oh, you have a weak constitution.”

As the two, excluding Wendy, conversed, the food began arriving one by one.

Lucas took the steak plate ordered for Wendy and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Then he pushed the plate towards Wendy.

“Eat a lot, Wendy.”

“Oh my, how sweet.”

Lucas glanced at Melinda, who was teasing him with a smile, then watched Wendy as she picked up her fork and put a piece in her mouth.

“Are you really feeling okay?”

“It’s been over two weeks already.”

“Has it? I’ve been so busy lately that I’ve lost track of time.”

“Take it easy, Duke. You’re trying to check everything yourself, and that’s why.”

Melinda shook her head with a tired expression and began to complain about Lucas to Wendy, saying that meeting a man like him would make life exhausting and that he could be quite tiresome.

However, Lucas just chuckled without reacting, which seemed to annoy Melinda even more, making her click her tongue openly.

“You still seem busy.”

“Don’t even mention it. Are you getting any sleep, Duke?”

Lucas shrugged at Melinda’s scolding.

Feeling sorry, Wendy stopped moving her fork.

“I should have postponed our meeting.”

“I already postponed it twice.”

“What? You have no conscience at all. How can you postpone a date with such a lovely young lady?”

Melinda slapped Lucas’s arm rather sharply, as if in disbelief.

“Oh, it’s fine. Lucas is very busy…”

“Don’t defend him, Miss Wendy. That’s why he thinks it’s really okay and acts like this.”

Melinda pretended to glare at Lucas while continuing to speak ill of him to Wendy. Most of her criticisms were things only someone who knew Lucas well could say.

‘They’re very close.’

Wendy found it both fascinating and enviable that Melinda could interact with Lucas so freely.

She always tried to appear sweet and pretty to Lucas. The thought of speaking harshly or glaring openly like Melinda was unimaginable to her.

“You two seem very close. I’ve never seen Lucas talk so comfortably with anyone other than my brother Jayden.”

“Well, we’ve known each other since we started walking.”

“The Person family is one of our vassal families. We’re related by blood. We’re the same age.”

“In fact, it’s a bad relationship. He works me so hard.”

Melinda playfully glared at Lucas.

But Lucas didn’t just take it. He laughed and retorted.

“Thanks to that, you’ve had a successful career, haven’t you? I remember you were happy to move to the capital after living only in the East.”

“I don’t even get a chance to enjoy the capital.”

Their easy banter made it clear they were close friends.

Despite being so close, Wendy had never heard Lucas mention Melinda. She thought Lucas might be different from what she knew, perhaps very different.

This was because Lucas rarely talked about his personal life with Wendy. She learned about his scary grandmother, his mother’s travels, his busy work with the ducal household, or his trips to estates from Jayden or her parents.

‘What did I ever talk about with Lucas?’

Wendy suddenly recalled the past.

It seemed like they had spent a lot of time together, but all she remembered was herself talking alone. In those memories, Lucas would just smile kindly, saying things like ‘I see,’ ‘Really?’ or ‘Oh dear.’

Realizing this now was quite shocking for Wendy. She lost her appetite and put down her fork and knife.

“Um, if it’s not too much trouble, can I leave now? I’m not feeling well…”

“You haven’t eaten much, Miss Wendy.”

“I haven’t been digesting well lately, so I can’t eat much.”

Wendy directed her gaze at Lucas, who was watching her with concern. She smiled faintly, apologetically, and spoke carefully.

“Lucas. I’m sorry, but…”

“Sure, Wendy. Do whatever makes you comfortable.”

“I’m sorry. You went out of your way to invite me.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I’ll walk you to the carriage.”

“I can go alone. Since it’s come to this, you can talk about work comfortably. You said you weren’t finished yet.”

After politely declining, Wendy took out something beautifully wrapped and handed it to Lucas. It was the reason she had asked to meet him today.

“Here, this.”

“What is it?”

“Gloves. The ones you lent me got ruined in the rain, so I bought new ones.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“Still. Thank you for inviting me today. I insisted on giving it to you in person instead of sending it to the Ducal residence, so I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“……”

Wendy was different from usual. Even with the gift of gloves, Lucas said nothing.

Melinda, who had been watching the two, brightened the mood with a cheerful laugh.

“See you again, Miss Wendy. Preferably without Lucas. I don’t know anyone in the capital besides Lucas, so I’m bored.”

“Yes, anytime.”

Wendy called the waiter, received her coat, buttoned it up, and left the VIP room. As she waited for the coachman to bring the carriage, she suddenly felt her neck was bare.

“Oh, my scarf.”

She had forgotten the red scarf with roses she had worn when she came. It was her first birthday gift from Lucas, and though it was worn out, she cherished it and couldn’t throw it away.

Since the carriage hadn’t arrived yet, Wendy hurried back into the restaurant.

Standing in front of the VIP room at the very end, Wendy hesitated before knocking. She heard Lucas and Melinda’s voices inside mentioning her name.

“Will she be okay? Sending Miss Wendy off alone. She really looked sick.”

“……”

Melinda spoke with concern, but Lucas’s voice was silent.

“Miss Wendy is so considerate. She didn’t get angry even though you were late and brought an uninvited guest.”

“She’s kind.”

“Did I really interrupt? Was it a date?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Hmm.”

Today, Wendy’s outfit seemed more thoughtful than just for an ordinary meeting.

Melinda squinted at Lucas.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Are you really not involved? Honestly, Miss Wendy is lovely.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Wendy is young. She’s like a little sister.”

“Oh, really?”

Wendy quietly lowered her hand from the door. She didn’t have the courage to enter during such a conversation.

“Oh, Miss Wendy seems to have left her scarf.”

Melinda’s voice was heard again.

“If you go after her now, you can probably return it to her.”

“Leave it.”

“Why? Are you going to give it to her later?”

“It’s worn out. I’ll just buy her a new one.”

“Wow, amazing. Who knew our Duke was so kind?”

Hearing Melinda’s teasing laugh, Wendy turned away.

No matter how precious the scarf was, it was better to give it up than to pretend nothing was wrong and go inside after hearing such things. Especially since Lucas didn’t even seem to remember it.

As she walked out slowly, a restaurant employee approached Wendy.

“Miss. The carriage has arrived.”

“Oh, thank you.”

The restaurant employee opened the carriage door, and Wendy got in.

As the carriage started moving, Wendy leaned back deeply and turned her head to look blankly out the window.

“A child. A little sister…”

It wasn’t surprising.

Everyone said so, and Wendy herself realized that Lucas’s words and actions always carried that premise. She just avoided it, clinging to a thin thread of hope.

However, hearing him say it to someone else, especially a woman, without hesitation, forced her to face reality.

“I’m an adult now. I’m a woman too.”

What was so obvious to Wendy wasn’t the same for him, and no matter how much she thought about it, she didn’t know what to do.

“Then throw yourself at him if you must.”

Suddenly, Helen’s words came to mind, and Wendy let out a dry laugh.

Wendy firmly believed that such acts were a tender emotional exchange between a loving man and woman. However, feeling cornered to the very end, she found herself intrigued by Helen’s advice, much to her own disbelief.

“Sigh.”

Wendy pressed her forehead against the carriage window.

The glass, chilled with winter’s cold, was cool, yet her face, heated by her tangled thoughts, refused to cool down.