Lucius’s First Love (Part 2)

The day he lost both the Baron and Baroness in a single accident, Lucius couldn’t cry.  

How had things come to this? They had gone to visit the Earl’s estate, so why had they returned as cold corpses?  

It was said their carriage had skidded in the rain. The Earl couldn’t meet his eyes, and the Countess cried profusely, apologizing over and over.  

Lucius understood that there were circumstances beyond their control and that they weren’t to blame. But that didn’t mean he could treat them the same as before.  

He was grateful Clara hadn’t been there. If she had been, he might have directed his uncontrollable anger and despair toward her.  

Though he hadn’t even undergone his coming-of-age ceremony, Lucius now had to lead the Barony as its head. Amid whispers and rumors, he had to arrange the funeral, console his devastated siblings, and endure relentless debt collectors demanding immediate repayment.  

One night, overwhelmed and broken in body and spirit, a noblewoman suddenly intruded into his room.  

“Oh, what a tragic sight this is.”  

It was the Marchioness, one of his mother’s close acquaintances whom he had seen a few times before. However, the disheveled woman reeking of alcohol who entered his room felt unfamiliar.  

“This is inappropriate. How did you—”  

“What’s so difficult about bribing a few servants in a crumbling Barony?”  

Lucius sighed. He had known the household was falling apart, but to think the path to the head of the house could be breached so easily.  

He didn’t need her to say it to know what she wanted. Dressed in a nightgown that was practically lingerie, revealing her ample chest, her intentions were clear.  

‘To act like this toward someone barely an adult, someone young enough to be her son.’  

Even when the Baroness had been alive, he had felt her gaze lingering uncomfortably on him. But this was the first time she had so openly revealed her desires.  

As the Marchioness approached him, Lucius clenched his teeth so tightly his jaw stiffened.  

“Oh, poor Lucius.”  

She pressed her chest against him and hugged him tightly, as if to comfort and console him.  

“How hard it must have been for you. Let me comfort you.”  

“Please stop this.”  

Lucius stepped back, avoiding her hands as they wandered over his chest. 

Should I scream for help?  

But he knew no one would come to his aid. Even if someone did hear his cries, would they intervene? And what if Liz or one of his other siblings walked in and saw him entangled with this half-n*ked Marchioness? How would he explain it?  

Lucius realized he was utterly powerless in this moment. The Marchioness knew this, too, and she smiled as if she found him endearing, stroking his cheek.  

“Lucius, I hear the debt collectors have been relentless since the Baron and Baroness passed away.”  

How disgusting.  

Wasn’t she one of those very debt collectors? 

His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.  

“I can take care of it for you, Baron Lucius.”  

The title “Baron” felt unbearably heavy and suffocating. As her lips brushed his cheek and she pushed him onto the bed, her body pressed against his abdomen. She licked his neck and whispered seductively.  

“If you want, I can pay off all the debts. All you have to do is listen to me.”  

“Give me time, and I’ll repay the debts myself.”  

“Hmm, I don’t think you have that time.”  

The Marchioness smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.  

“I’ll rally the nobles and convince them. How could someone so young, not even of age, possibly repay such debts? We’ll force you to sell the estate, take all the valuables inside, or perhaps even sell your siblings…”  

Her words were cut off as Lucius slammed her onto the floor and pressed his hand against her throat.  

“Ha… ha… even this… I like it.”  

Despite being choked, the Marchioness wore an ecstatic expression.  

“You’re insane. To dare threaten me like that.”  

“I’ve been insane for a long time. Ever since I saw my friend’s son and felt an uncontrollable desire to hold him, I’ve been mad. I want you, even like this.”  

Friend? How could she claim to be my mother’s friend while doing this? She should have been protecting me, comforting me, like the Countess had.  

At the height of his turmoil, the Countess and her daughter, Clara, came to mind.  

“Damn it.”  

Lucius released his grip. The Marchioness coughed and gasped for air, but he didn’t spare her a glance. This moment was utterly revolting.  

“Even the Countess won’t be able to help you.” 

She sneered.  

Lucius closed his eyes tightly.  

“Shut your mouth. I don’t care about your circumstances.”  

“Are you speaking informally to me now?”  

“Do I need to show respect to a woman who’s about to grovel before me?”  

Enraged, the Marchioness grabbed at his trousers, her hands trembling. As she degraded herself further, Lucius wished for the moment to end quickly.  

Yes, this was happening because he was young and powerless. He prayed that this humiliation would end with him and never reach his siblings.  

‘I’ll gain power and take her life first.’  

In his mind, Lucius imagined striking her neck repeatedly. It was the only way he could endure this nauseating ordeal.

“Ha, ugh, doesn’t it feel good?”

Feel good?  

Even after all her efforts, his body didn’t respond, leaving only a dull ache. Lucius turned his head away in disbelief. The Baroness shrugged at his reaction and focused on her task again.  

As he lay there, feeling defeated, his gaze fell upon a wilted flower.  

It was the flower Clara had shyly given him, the one he couldn’t bring himself to throw away despite thinking he should. 

Why did it have to catch my eye now?  

Lucius stared at the flower for a long time. Though dried and withered, seeing it made him feel slightly better, if only for a moment.  

Clara had been absent from the funeral.  

She probably wouldn’t visit the Barony anymore. Now that she knew how much he hated the Earl’s family, she might never show herself again.  

Despite his lack of arousal, the Baroness began moving atop him. 

Was she truly that starved? 

He had heard she had been alone for a long time after her husband’s early death.  

“Ah, ahh, ahhh, Lucius, yes!”  

As the Marchioness’s moans grew louder, Lucius bit his lower lip. He told himself to endure. Just endure this moment. And so, Lucius endured that beastly time.  

Afterward, other women began taking turns trying to approach him. The problem began when the Marchioness drunkenly boasted about taking his first night.  

Women who wouldn’t have dared speak to him while the Baron and Baroness were alive now sent messages expressing their desire to sleep with him. Even some noblewomen with husbands joined in.  

‘Truly disgusting, all of them.’  

Lucius burned every letter he received.  

Though the Marchioness was greedy and full of lust, she at least kept her word. She paid him enough money to extinguish the immediate crisis. She even sent another letter asking to meet again, but Lucius had no intention of seeing her anymore.  

Instead, he carefully selected people who could genuinely help him and only involved himself with those who wouldn’t cause trouble.  

At first, the acts that had made him nauseous became tolerable after a few repetitions. He even began to feel some pleasure. But that was all.  

Outside of the bedroom, he never allowed anyone close. If anyone clung to him emotionally, he cut them off without hesitation.  

Despite the many women who came and went, Clara never appeared at the Barony again.  

“Why doesn’t Clara come around anymore?”  

Liz’s sulky voice was something Lucius deliberately ignored.  

“Aren’t you curious, brother? Belle didn’t even come to the funeral and hasn’t contacted us since.”  

“What’s there to be curious about? It’s better that she doesn’t come.”  

“Brother, how can you say that?”  

Liz frowned at his words. Over the past few days, Lucius had changed too much. He cared about nothing except rebuilding the family. He no longer smiled.  

The women who visited the Barony at night also made Liz uneasy. It felt like her brother was no longer the person she knew.  

“There must be a reason. She’s not someone who would act like this without cause.”  

“Who knows.”  

Lucius replied indifferently. Liz pouted and left the room.  

‘Clara.’  

How many months had it been since he last saw her? Her face was starting to fade from his memory. But so what? Remembering her wouldn’t bring him money or lessen his burdens.  

Liz might grumble about her absence now, but she would forget her soon enough. She had to, for everyone’s sake.  

Thanks to his sacrifices, Liz and the younger siblings could continue living as they had before their parents’ deaths.  

After overcoming the initial crises, managing the Barony wasn’t so difficult for Lucius. His parents had left behind well-organized ledgers and finances, which allowed the Barony to thrive once the debts were cleared.  

But even then, Clara never reappeared.  

The chubby-cheeked girl who had been so open with her feelings in front of him was slowly fading from Lucius’s memory.