Chapter 4.8

“Ryan. You’re buying this time.”

“Sure. You guys have had a tough day.”

Ryan willingly went to the counter to pay, and the remaining three were about to head outside.

As the waiter, who had cleaned the table, was about to return to the kitchen, he stumbled. The tray stacked with plates of leftover food tilted towards Wendy.

“Wendy.”

Before Wendy’s head could turn at the waiter’s short scream, Lucas grabbed her arm and pulled her into his embrace. Food splattered against Lucas’s back, and the plates crashed to the floor, shattering.

“Are you okay?”

Jayden hurriedly checked Lucas’s jacket back. The clothes were already stained beyond repair.

“This is hopeless.”

“It’s fine.”

Lucas replied nonchalantly and looked down at Wendy. She stood stiffly, having been pulled into his arms, in a daze.

“Wendy?”

“Oh.”

Wendy snapped back to reality and lifted her head.

Startled by the sudden contact, her mind had frozen, causing her body to stiffen.

Her heart was pounding from surprise—it would have been the same if it were Ryan.

She tried to calm herself when the restaurant owner rushed over.

“Are you alright? I’m really sorry.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

The restaurant owner offered to pay for dry cleaning, bowing his head, while the waiter who broke the plates apologized profusely. Lucas lightly raised his hand to dismiss them and checked on Wendy again.

Thanks to Lucas’s intervention, nothing had splashed onto Wendy. Her dress was clean, and her shoes were unaffected.

“What happened?”

Ryan, having finished paying, hurried over. Startled by the noise and seeing Wendy dazed, he was more concerned.

Ryan examined Wendy with a worried expression, and she reassured him with a smile. Having spent considerable time together, rumors of their impending marriage circulated, showing their evident closeness.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes. Lucas is more…”

“It’s nothing. How’s the payment?”

Lucas replied nonchalantly as he took off his jacket.

“It’s done.”

“Let’s go, then.”

Lucas draped his jacket over one arm and took the lead.

The street bustling with the bazaar had become eerily quiet after sunset as people left. The temperature dropped, making it feel chilly, and he wanted to return to the ducal residence quickly to soak in warm water.

***

On a day when autumn was in full swing, the Dowager Duchess of Devon returned to the capital.

“Welcome, Grandmother.”

“Indeed.”

Despite what must have been a tiring carriage journey, the Dowager Duchess remained poised.

She glanced at Lucas, who had come to greet her, then at the ducal residence, before stepping inside.

“Nothing has changed.”

“Yes.”

“And that’s the problem.”

“Is it?”

Lucas gave a simple and neutral response, knowing full well what she meant. The Dowager Duchess clicked her tongue disapprovingly, while Madame Madeline, who was directing the luggage to the bedroom, smiled helplessly.

Madame Madeline had been the head maid and closest aide to the Dowager Duchess when she was the lady of the Devon Ducal Household. Naturally, she had followed the Dowager Duchess when she moved to the southeastern estate and still acted as her right hand.

“Let’s have some tea.”

“Aren’t you tired?”

“It’s an important matter.”

“Understood.”

The Dowager Duchess headed straight to the drawing room, with Lucas following behind.

The interior was warm. The temperature in the ducal residence had been raised slightly in anticipation of the Dowager Duchess’s arrival from the southeast.

With tea, even warmer than the room, in front of her, the Dowager Duchess got straight to the point.

“What do you think about getting married next year?”

“…”

“I’ve trusted you to handle it yourself and waited until now… Of course, I’ve hinted at it, though.”

She knows, huh.

Lucas almost chuckled unintentionally. He thought he hadn’t shown it, but the Dowager Duchess seemed to see right through him. Though she gave him a disapproving look, she didn’t scold him further.

“It’s Lady Seira from the Marquis of Bryan in the north. She’s a distant relative of my family.”

The Dowager Duchess slid a small portrait in a round frame across the table to Lucas.

However, Lucas didn’t even glance at the portrait. His reaction was predictable, so the Dowager Duchess continued speaking unfazed.

“You’ve always wanted to expand your business to the north, so it will benefit both the Devon Ducal Household and you.”

That was true. The north, with its harsh terrain and weather, was more closed off than other regions, making it difficult for outsiders to enter. They had tried expanding their business there a few times but hadn’t achieved satisfactory results. Though postponed, they hadn’t given up.

“What do you think?”

As the head of the Devon Ducal Household, finding a better match would be difficult, as the Dowager Duchess suggested. He had to acknowledge that.

“I’ll consider it positively.”

Lucas finally lowered his gaze to the portrait in front of him.

The woman, with distinctive silver hair typical of northerners, exuded a calm and intellectual aura. She was beautiful, but in relationships formed for family benefits, looks weren’t particularly important, so he wasn’t moved.

“You should rest before dinner, Grandmother.”

“Yes, I will.”

The Dowager Duchess stood, leaning on her cane.

“Oh, by the way. Officially invite the Earl Rosewood’s Household for dinner next week. It has bothered me that we haven’t invited them, despite knowing how close you are.”

“…Understood.”

He wasn’t sure what had prompted this. Despite knowing Lucas frequently visited the Earl Rosewood’s residence since his academy days, she had never done this before.

More puzzling was the Dowager Duchess’s good mood. However, Lucas wasn’t the type to ask about such things.

He quietly let the Dowager Duchess go to rest.

***

“Fix your face, Wendy. Are you going to keep sulking in front of the Dowager Duchess you’re meeting for the first time?”

The Countess couldn’t help but comment to Wendy as she got off the carriage.

Wendy grumbled, not bothering to hide her dissatisfaction.

“Why today of all days?”

“It can’t be helped. It’s not like we deliberately chose overlapping dates.”

The Countess gently consoled Wendy.

Today, Wendy had an important appointment with Helen and Bestie. It had been arranged two months ago, but due to the sudden invitation from the Dowager Duchess, she couldn’t attend, causing Wendy to pout since they set off.

“Will anything happen if you don’t see friends you meet every day?”

“I don’t want to hear that from a brother who sticks with Lucas every single day.”

“Do you think I’m playing? I’m working. We share an office.”

“You two never change.”

Lucas, who had come to greet them, chuckled at Wendy and Jayden’s bickering.

Wendy, who had recently matured and didn’t react much to Jayden’s provocations, found this familiar scene oddly comforting.

“Welcome, Father, Mother.”

“Yes, Lucas.”

“Come to think of it, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? How have you been?”

“You’ve been very busy lately.”

After greeting the Earl and Countess, Lucas turned to Wendy.

“Hello, Wendy.”

“Hello, Lucas.”

Lucas exchanged a glance with Jayden as a greeting and then led them inside the ducal residence.

The Dowager Duchess was waiting in the dining room. As the Earl Rosewood’s party entered, the Dowager Duchess nodded from her seat at the head of the table.

“It’s been a while, Dowager Duchess.”

“Indeed. Please come in.”

“Hello, Grandmother.”

After the Earl and Countess’s respectful greetings and Jayden’s cheerful one, Wendy remained silent. The Countess nudged her daughter, who was standing blankly, and Wendy finally bent her knee.

“Hello.”

“Yes, Wendy Rosewood.”

Unlike the flustered Wendy, the Dowager Duchess smiled subtly, almost imperceptibly to others.

Was it a year? Back then, not revealing her identity meant Wendy was meeting the Dowager Duchess as the Dowager Duchess for the first time today.

She was curious about how Wendy would react if she revealed her identity while coming to the capital. Seeing her surprised face—though it wasn’t intentional—brought a satisfied smile to the Dowager Duchess’ lips, as if a mischievous prank had succeeded.

‘What should I do?’

Wendy hadn’t known she was Lucas’s grandmother and had talked about Lucas the whole time.

Though it was a year ago, her face suddenly flushed with embarrassment.

Fortunately, the Dowager Duchess didn’t speak to Wendy further. So Wendy remained quiet, unlike when she arrived at the ducal residence.

“Please, have a seat.”

At the Dowager Duchess’s gesture, the Earl Rosewood’s party took their designated seats, and the staff began bustling around to serve the food.

“Are you well?”

“As you can see, I’m well enough to travel to the capital. I’m still fine.”

“The weather will get colder, and I’m worried. Isn’t the southeast’s weather better now?”

“The sea breeze is quite harsh. Besides, I’m used to the cold, being from the north.”

Casual conversation flowed gently. The Dowager Duchess didn’t appreciate jokes, and she wasn’t fond of excessive chatter, so it was much quieter than meals at the Earl Rosewood’s Household.

Wendy, the youngest at the table, sat farthest from the Dowager Duchess, focusing solely on her meal. Although the Devon Ducal Household’s meals were famously excellent, she couldn’t really taste them. So Wendy mechanically moved her knife and fork, pushing food into her mouth.

“Oh, I see. So when will you visit the capital?”

The Countess’s voice reached Wendy faintly from beside her. However, she couldn’t hear it clearly and didn’t want to listen.

Right now, Wendy’s mind was filled with thoughts of the Dowager Duchess.

“Isn’t there a man more suited for you than the Duke of Devon?”

“Besides, the Dowager Duchess is very strict. Marriage means not only marrying the Duke of Devon but also accepting his family as family. Wouldn’t it be difficult to face the Dowager Duchess?”

At that time, she considered it a kind consolation, holding onto a faint hope. But now, it painfully pierced her heart.

“So, Lucas will get married next year?”

The conversation, which had barely reached Wendy’s ears since the meal began, now clearly struck her.

Wendy’s hand, which had been absentmindedly playing with the garnish on her plate, froze. Her heart plummeted, and her mind went blank.

Were the remaining fragments of emotion just a few specks of dust, mere cookie crumbs? 

She had prepared for the possibility of this day coming, but she hadn’t expected such an intense reaction.

‘I must not show it.’

Wendy gripped her knife and fork so tightly that her hands turned white.

She had to pretend nothing was wrong, act composed. If Lucas met someone good and found happiness, she should sincerely congratulate him. Even if it wasn’t someone good, she should support his decision.

Because she was no different from a sister, no different from family.

“Wendy.”

The Countess gently touched her arm, startling Wendy into looking up. Embarrassingly, everyone was staring at her.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just daydreaming for a moment…”

Wendy quickly smiled, but the gazes fixed on her did not easily turn away.

What should I do? 

As she panicked, the Countess intervened.