Lucius’s First Love (Part 3)

The day Clara unexpectedly returned was something Lucius never could have foreseen.  

It was a stormy night with thunder and heavy rain. She came alone, without any companions.  

That night, Lucius couldn’t sleep. He wasn’t sure if it was the thunderclaps or the sound of the pouring rain that bothered him.  

‘Perhaps it’s my parents’ ghosts clinging to me, here to scold me for how I’m living.’  

It had been a long time since he last had a nightmare, but when he did, his parents always appeared with somber expressions, shaking their heads.  

Their disapproving gestures seemed to chastise him for his debauched lifestyle. In those dreams, Lucius would bow his head in guilt before them.  

The recurring dreams had worn him down. He couldn’t sleep deeply without taking sleeping pills, and on nights he didn’t take them, he would call for a woman, holding her until exhaustion finally claimed him.  

Perhaps their scolding was justified.  

Lucius stared out the window before slowly stepping outside. He didn’t bother taking anything to shield himself from the rain.  

He thought that letting the rain soak him might help calm his turbulent emotions.  

Wearing only his robe, he walked to the garden he had once loved.  

The large old tree still stood, its branches swaying in the wind, making loud cracking sounds as they collided.  

He used to enjoy watching Clara and Liz play in this garden. He hadn’t realized it then, but now he knew how much he had loved those peaceful, beautiful days.  

‘Those days are gone forever.’  

As he closed his eyes and lost himself in thought, he heard someone calling his name.  

“Brother Lucius!”  

Clara…?  

He immediately recognized the voice. How could he not? It was a voice he had always heard here.  

‘Am I hearing things?’  

“Brother Lucius!”  

But the voice called again, and Lucius turned his head sharply. When he saw Clara standing there, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.  

‘Have I gone mad?’  

Dressed in black, with swollen eyes, Clara began crying the moment she saw him.  

“Huh, huhhh, waaaah!”  

“Clara?”  

Even as he looked at her, he couldn’t believe it. She hadn’t come with any adults. She stood there alone, drenched by the pounding rain.  

She sobbed as she approached him.  

“How did you get here?”  

It had been so long since he’d last seen Clara. She looked very different from before. She was taller, her chubby cheeks had thinned, and her delicate features made her look quite beautiful, almost unfamiliar.  

“I’m sorry for coming so late.” 

Clara said through her tears.  

Her first words were an apology. Lucius let out a hollow laugh.  

“I wanted to pay my respects, but… they wouldn’t let me leave.”  

“If they wouldn’t let you leave, you shouldn’t have come.”  

“How could I not? They were the people I loved the most.”  

As she cried, Lucius barely managed to suppress a laugh. Clara was still the same—innocent and endearing.  

“Alright. Let’s go inside.”  

If they stayed out here, she would surely catch a cold.  

Lucius took off his robe and draped it over her shoulders before leading her to his room.  

Some servants, startled by the sight, quickly bowed their heads. Lucius only ordered them to bring towels and blankets, saying nothing more.  

After the incident with the Marchioness, he had dismissed most of the staff, replacing them with trustworthy individuals.  

Even if rumors about the Barony spread, he could deal with them later.  

“Ah-choo!”  

Clara sneezed repeatedly as they walked down the hallway. Lucius frowned, sighed, and then scooped her up in his arms.  

Startled, Clara froze, placing her hands on his chest.  

He felt something wet touch his chest but assumed it was just water.  

It wasn’t until they reached his room that he realized it was blood.  

“You’re hurt?”  

Alarmed, Lucius inspected her palms. Her hands were torn and bleeding, as if she had been cut by glass.  

He immediately ordered a servant to bring medicine and bandages.  

“What on earth happened?”  

“I’ve been waiting… for a rainy day like this.”

“What?”  

“If thunder strikes, even if the glass shatters, no one will notice.”  

The meaning behind her words became clear in an instant. Lucius’s lips quivered. 

Why was she so reckless? What if she had been seriously injured?  

“Is this the only place you’re hurt? Your legs or anywhere else—are they okay? Let me see.”  

Lucius hurriedly tried to lift her dress, but Clara stopped his hand. Wondering why, he looked up and saw her earlobes flushed red. Only then did Lucius stop moving.  

The young girl she used to be had grown into a proper lady before he realized it.  

“Sorry. I’ll call for a maid.”  

“No, it’s fine. I just got embarrassed for no reason.”  

Her eyes were quite red as she spoke. 

Had she been crying all the way here? 

Lucius lightly brushed his fingers over Clara’s reddened eyes.  

“Your eyes are all swollen.”  

“It’s fine.”  

“Fine, my foot.”  

Clara shook her head vigorously, her face turning bright red. Seeing her like that, Lucius couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.  

His worries about feeling awkward upon seeing her again had been for nothing. Seeing her face made him feel nothing but relief and joy.  

He grabbed a towel and gently dried her hair. Clara, who had initially insisted she could do it herself, eventually gave in to Lucius’s firm actions and quietly let him take care of her.  

For some reason, this moment of drying her hair brought Lucius great comfort.  

How long had it been since he last enjoyed such a peaceful moment?  

Clara, who had been lowering her eyelashes, slowly lifted her gaze. Her vivid emerald eyes made Lucius’s heart sink for a moment.  

‘Why?’  

As he stared into her wet, glistening eyes, his throat tightened.  

“Clara Belle!”  

The door to Lucius’s room burst open, and Liz appeared.  

The commotion of the servants moving around in the middle of the night must have woken her, even though she usually had a deep sleep.  

Her face red with anger, Liz stormed toward Clara. The way she charged forward made it seem like she might grab Clara by the collar at any moment.  

Although they were supposed to be best friends, Clara hadn’t attended Liz’s parents’ funeral.  

Lucius understood Liz’s feelings, but he couldn’t let Clara get hurt any further. He stepped between them, intending to mediate.  

But Liz pushed him aside and tightly embraced Clara.  

Then she immediately burst into tears.  

Seeing Liz cry so sorrowfully, Clara couldn’t hold back her own tears and began sobbing as well.  

“Why did you come so late, you fool? Do you know how long I waited?”  

“I’m sorry, sniff, I’m sorry, Liz.”  

The two girls clung to each other and cried for a long time.  

Watching them, Lucius felt his own eyes sting, but he suppressed his emotions.  

His role here was to watch over these girls, not to get swept up in their feelings.  

‘Liz, I didn’t expect her to cry like that.’  

Liz had always been composed. Even during the funeral, she comforted her younger siblings and only sniffled a little before greeting the guests.  

Seeing her adeptly handle the guests, much like their mother used to, Lucius had felt reassured.  

Not only had she maintained her poise while walking around the estate, but she had even smiled occasionally.  

When Lucius replaced most of the household staff, Liz hadn’t complained but quietly fulfilled her duties as the lady of the house.  

Seeing her cry now made her seem her age for the first time.  

Although he had suspected she might be forcing herself to act mature, he hadn’t expected her to release her emotions like this.  

‘I’ve been neglectful. Liz has been carrying a heavy burden too.’  

“I wanted to cry, sniff, but you weren’t here, so I couldn’t.”  

At Liz’s tearful words, Clara patted her back gently.  

“Yes. I’m sorry. It must have been hard holding it all in. Our Liz, you’ve been so strong. Amazing. Now that I’m here, you can cry, okay?”  

At those words, Liz cried like a child.  

Although Liz had always seemed like the older sister when they were together, at this moment, Clara looked like the mature one, comforting her.  

As Clara soothed Liz until she stopped crying, Lucius finally understood why he had been unable to forget Clara.  

Clara had already become family to them.  

Not just a friend or a younger sibling’s friend—she was family.  

That’s why she kept lingering in his thoughts.  

‘So that’s what it was. That’s why Clara, even as memory faded, couldn’t be forgotten.’  

With that realization, a part of his heart felt at ease.  

Even though he despised the Sky Earldom, Clara was no different from his own siblings.  

From that day on, Lucius fully accepted Clara as part of his family.