3.9

Lucius kept his promise to take things slow in their relationship. Even when busy, he sent Clara flowers and letters and made time to visit her.  

Though the two didn’t do much, the fact that Lucius was making such an effort for someone became a major topic of gossip.  

The socialites whispered that the rumors about Clara’s success were true, and now the biggest question on everyone’s mind was whether the two would actually proceed to marriage.

“So, has the Baron proposed yet?”  

Since that day, the Earl had wandered around the mansion like a ghost. Whatever gift Lucius had sent him, it seemed to have left him deeply shocked. He didn’t speak to anyone in the family.  

Even Lucius’s frequent visits to the house were ignored by the Earl, much to Clara’s surprise.  

Then, for the first time, he brought up the subject during a meal.  

“He wouldn’t just keep seeing you after ruining your marriage prospects, would he?”  

At his words, Clara set down her knife and looked at her father.  

Between the rumors, her broken engagement, and her entanglement with Lucius, Clara’s reputation was already in shambles.  

If her father was asking out of concern for her future, that would be one thing. But she knew better than to expect that from him.  

“He hasn’t proposed.”  

“She’ll handle it herself, whether she marries or not. Why do you care?”

Following Clara’s words, the Countess added in a cold voice.

The relationship between the Earl and the Countess had deteriorated rapidly. They had reached the point where they ignored each other’s presence altogether.

“Handle it herself? What if she gets dumped by the Baron too?”

The Countess’s words caused the Earl to lash out in frustration, but he immediately backed down under her cold gaze.  

“Has anything ever gone well when you got involved? You’re the one who ruined not only the former Baron and his wife but also Clara in the end.”  

The Earl’s lips trembled at the bluntness of her criticism. Of course, he bore much of the blame, but he wasn’t opposing them as he had in the past.  

In fact, he was now in a position where he should be supporting them.  

‘Who would’ve thought someone from a mere Barony would hold such an important position?’  

The realization that they were not just simple merchants came as a shock. How could he have known the Imperial Family was backing them? It was still hard to believe, but it was the reality.  

It made sense now why they had attended the funeral of the former Baron and his wife. The foolish Earl at the time had dismissed it without a second thought. Perhaps now, he could make amends.  

“I only want what’s best for Clara.”

“Don’t use me as an excuse.”  

Clara wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood up. Her voice was colder than ever as she replied.  

“E-excuse?”  

“Whatever it is you received, it must have been quite good, judging by how your attitude has changed. You probably thought it would benefit the Earldom as well.”  

The Earl fell silent.  

There was nothing incorrect in her words. Yes, he thought Lucius would now be an asset to the Earldom. What was wrong with that?  

But as he raised his head, emboldened by his thoughts, he had to lower it again. Clara was looking down at him with an expression colder than he had ever seen before.  

“I have an appointment, so I’ll leave first. Didn’t you also have an engagement, Mother?”

“Yes. I have an invitation to attend somewhere.”  

The Countess also wiped her lips briefly and stood up. The Earl was left flustered by their cold behavior.  

Though he had acted poorly in the past, they had never reacted this way before.  

“But the meal isn’t over yet!”  

“Feel free to enjoy it on your own. We have appointments to keep.”  

“My wife! This is improper, even if I’ve done wrong…”  

“That’s precisely why. There’s a limit to what can be forgiven.”  

The Countess answered indifferently as she brushed off her clothes.  

“Don’t expect anything from us. You just need to accept the results as they come.”  

As the two women turned and left, the Earl could only gape in disbelief.

Yet, he still didn’t see this as a consequence of his actions. Instead, he blamed Lucius for creating this situation.

* * *  

“Aren’t we drawing too much attention?”  

Clara linked arms with Lucius as she darted her eyes around to survey their surroundings. She had been excited about the idea of a date, but she hadn’t expected it to be a stroll through the streets where everyone could see them.  

“At this rate, it’ll make the news again.”  

“That’s the point. I want people to talk about the Earl’s daughter who captured the Empire’s most notorious playboy.”  

Lucius grinned from ear to ear as he spoke. Dressed more extravagantly than usual, he greeted every noblewoman they passed with a smile and a nod.  

Internally, however, he was grinding his teeth, replaying a particular headline in his mind:  

[Clara, the Earl’s Daughter, Completely Out of the Marriage Market?]  

Though it was just a short gossip piece, the headline alone was enough to enrage him. 

How dare they call her “out of the Marriage Market”?

Unlike the malicious traps set by the old Earl, this was merely a bit of gossip among noblewomen, so he couldn’t act recklessly. If he had intervened, it would have only fanned the flames of Clara’s scandal.  

People who loved to gossip would have embellished the rumors further.  

“We’re not even at the stage of discussing marriage. We’re just quietly seeing each other.”

“That ‘quietly’ is exactly the problem.”

The Earl’s household staff were far too tight-lipped. Even when Lucius had stormed into the Earl’s residence, hoping to stir up some rumors, the servants remained loyal and silent. Not a single word leaked.  

The only information about the broken engagement had come from the Sky Earldom. Still, being a respectable family, they hadn’t outright blamed Clara.  

“If we keep going like this, my chances of marriage will be completely ruined.”  

“Why would they be? You have me.”  

Lucius pulled Clara’s hand closer to his arm, as if to emphasize his point, and exchanged another polite nod with a noblewoman.  

“You said you didn’t want to marry.”  

“I don’t.”  

Lucius’s voice was firm as ever. Of course.  

“But as the head of my household, I’ll eventually have to marry. And when that happens, it’ll obviously be with you.”  

His tone made it sound like the most natural thing in the world, causing Clara’s lips to twitch upward in a smile. 

Seriously, what was this?  

He didn’t want to marry, but he was fine marrying me? Why hadn’t he just said so from the beginning?  

“Do you have someone else in mind for marriage? If so, tell me. I’ll make sure our next rendezvous is at their house.”  

“No, no one. Is that all you ever think about?”

“How can I not think about it when we’re this close? I’m already half-hard.”

Clara glanced down at him instinctively. As he said, he was already half-aroused, and the sight was… impressive. 

How could he be so shameless in public?  

Quickly glancing around, Clara used her cloak to cover the front of his trousers. 

What on earth was he eating at night to be like this?  

“I’ve told you before, this is…”  

“Yes, yes, it only happens with me.”  

“That’s why you have to take responsibility, my lady.”  

“What?”  

Lucius’s sly smile sent a chill down her spine. 

Surely he didn’t mean to drag me somewhere quiet for that…  

No, absolutely not!  

He had said they were going on a date, but it seemed like it was going to end up like this again. Clara deliberately dragged her heels, signaling her reluctance to go.

“Why are you acting like this? I went out of my way to make a reservation.”  

“A reservation? For that kind of place?”  

“You can’t get in without one.”  

Oh no.  

It had to be one of those places where not even a single sound could escape. Clara wanted to shout, “I don’t want to keep doing this every time we meet!” but she couldn’t bring herself to say it in public. She simply opened and closed her mouth silently.  

“You’ll enjoy it once we get there.”  

Lucius quickened his pace, dragging her along. Fine, she did enjoy it, but still.  

With a reluctant expression, Clara followed him to what turned out to be the most popular seafood restaurant in the capital.  

As they were escorted to their seats, Clara was left speechless. 

So this was where we were going? Not some shady place?  

The restaurant was renowned for serving the freshest seafood in the capital, and reservations were nearly impossible to secure. 

Well done, Lucius.  

“Why? Don’t you like it? You’ve been singing praises about seafood since you were a child.”  

“N-no, I just didn’t expect us to come here.”  

“Then where did you think we were going?”  

Lucius pulled out her chair for her as he asked. 

Where did I think we were going?  

Of course, Clara couldn’t answer that. How could she admit to such a misunderstanding? She merely sat down with a flushed face and kept her lips sealed.  

Lucius seemed to have guessed what she had been thinking. He let out a soft, exasperated laugh and shook his head.  

“If I’d known you’d expect that, I would’ve just taken you to my room.”  

“No, that’s not it!”  

It was, actually.  

Clara had genuinely thought he was planning to take her somewhere private to relieve himself. But there was no way she could admit that now. She adamantly denied it.  

“Sure, if you say so.”  

Lucius barely paid attention to her protests as he flipped through the menu. Without consulting her, he ordered their food. Clara, who had also been looking at the menu, could only utter a feeble “Huh?” as the waiter left with their order.  

“I hadn’t chosen yet.”  

“I know your tastes well enough.”  

“Still…”  

She had wanted to choose for herself.  

Clara pouted, and Lucius chuckled at her adorable expression.  

“If I’d left it to you, you’d have spent all day deciding, and we wouldn’t have eaten by tonight.”

That was true. Clara was the type to struggle with choices when it came to food, and she would have spent ages agonizing over what to pick.  

‘He really knows everything about me.’  

The dishes that soon arrived were all things Clara liked. Eating silently, she found herself smiling secretly.  

It finally felt like a proper date.  

But that was only for a day or two. After a few weeks, an inexplicable feeling began to stir within Clara.