Chapter 3 – Ladies Alighting from the Carriage (11)

In truth, to Luca, who grew up in the rough atmosphere of an orphanage, the proper and refined young Demetrian must have seemed somewhat old-fashioned…

‘Are you hanging out with a girl just because you have something dangling between your legs, you *bleep*?’

‘What did you say? You little brat!’

It was none other than five-year-old Chloe who gave Luca a good scolding.

Chloe had come to the Ducal residence to play, as she often did with her mother, and was holding Demetrian’s hand while exploring the greenhouse. That day, the tea party attended by the Countess was meant to introduce Luca as ‘a possessor of divine power that might appear once in a generation,’ so Luca was also out in the garden, which is how the incident occurred.

Young Luca, who knew how to choose the time and place a little, pretended to be polite in front of the noble ladies and was released when he got restless, only to immediately encounter Demetrian and Chloe, who were coming out of the greenhouse hand in hand. As usual, Demetrian tried to ignore Luca’s provocations with a vague smile, but Chloe couldn’t…

Children learn curses the fastest, and Chloe, who had picked up bad words from Mirabelle, who was friendly with the guards and soldiers, was filled with anger at those words being directed at her future husband.

‘Say that again, you idiot!’

‘What, you little *bleep*. You little brat, acting up and talking nonsense. Say that again, you idiot~’

‘Ugh…!’

When Luca, who was much smaller than even Chloe, who was already petite for her age, started acting annoying, Demetrian, sensing Chloe’s rising anger, squeezed her hand as if to suggest they ignore him and go elsewhere. But Chloe, her face flushed red, shook off Demetrian’s hand and marched forward,

‘You’re dead!’

She threw a punch forward. Although it was a punch from a five-year-old, it hit Luca squarely in the solar plexus, having a significant effect, and since Luca was still a frail child who had just left the orphanage, the result was…

‘Ugh, *bleep*…’

Chloe, who had thrown the punch, was surprised, Demetrian, who was contemplating how to handle the situation befitting the heir of the Ducal family, was surprised, and Luca, who was knocked over by the punch of a tiny noble girl, was surprised.

As Luca hiccupped and fell, Chloe, feeling triumphant, began to beat him with her small hands and shoes with soft leather soles.

‘If you say anything bad to Demi again, you’re dead, got it?’

‘*Bleep*, who are you…?’

‘I’m going to marry Demi one day!’

This was a memory from before Grand Duke Campo’s daughter Lucien was born.

Luca probably didn’t realize it, but if Chloe’s punch hadn’t landed that day, Demetrian would have resolved to send him back to the temple orphanage the moment Luca called Chloe a *bleep*. Even if it meant Crevelle would be stigmatized for neglecting the next high priest of Gotiue.

From that day on, Demetrian and Luca began to speak more freely with each other, and despite bickering with Chloe, they became fond of each other, leading to their current relationship.

Luca, who stubbornly didn’t change his way of speaking, began to act more polite as he entered adolescence, and grew into an adult who could carry on conversations without using vulgar language, but he couldn’t hide his natural manner of speaking in front of his childhood friends.

‘Looking at what he’s doing in the social circles now, it’s kind of creepy…’

Chloe, quickly reminiscing about old memories upon hearing Luca’s swearing after a long time, shuddered slightly, recalling how he behaved outside the sanctuary. Now, he’s Lucamiono, the next high priest.

“Have you ever heard about jewels being contaminated by magic?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

Chloe received her handbag from Mirabelle and took out the lapis lazuli bracelet.

“I got this recently, and the cloudy part here is said to be contaminated by magic. A mage I know tried to purify it, but said this is the limit with magic and suggested I visit the temple.”

Saying this, Chloe felt a sense of pride. ‘A mage I know,’ she said. It was something only businessmen who frequently commissioned the Mage Guild or heads of families who needed mercenaries could say.

“Oh, you sounded a bit smug when you said ‘a mage I know’ just now.”

But the problem was that everyone in this reception room was close enough to notice it.

“Oh, anyway, just take a look.”

Luca took the bracelet, pretending to examine it closely with a thoughtful look, and then,

“Oh, *bleep*. This is interesting. Here.”

He handed the bracelet back, replacing an exclamation with a curse.

“What do you think? Can you tell? They said it could be purified with divine power. Can you do it?”

“I already did.”

With a nonchalant air, he sank into the sofa, leaving Chloe and Mirabelle to just look at each other. 

Did he do something? No? 

Then they looked at the bracelet, and indeed, the cloudiness had completely disappeared.

‘Can divine power really work just by touching it? Is that what happens when you’re skilled enough to become the next High Priest…?’

Regardless of whether his friends across from him were bewildered or not, Luca, with his fingers interlocked behind his head, murmured while looking at the bracelet in Chloe’s hand.

“That happens from exposure to magic? I guess it makes sense if a mage said so, but it’s still fascinating. I’ve never heard anyone in the Holy Kingdom mention that, and they wear all sorts of things covered in gems.”

“Why in the Holy Kingdom?”

“Well, there’s a season when people with some money flock to the Holy Kingdom for pilgrimages or New Year’s blessings. They all come through portals then.”

Since the main god, Erd, governed abundance as the god of the earth, businessmen and landowners would often visit the Holy Kingdom at least once a year to receive blessings. It was someone else’s affair for Lacroix, as they were far from devout, and the Count Palatine, the head of the family, found it difficult to leave Gotiue.

“Oh, they say such phenomena don’t occur with portals approved by the temple. If there’s a blessing of divine power, it prevents interference from magic.”

Chloe felt slightly proud as she flaunted the knowledge she heard from her ‘mage friend.’ Magic, magical interference, divine power—these were stories that had nothing to do with Chloe before she returned to being twenty.

“That’s an interesting thing to know. Not useful, though.”

Luca maintained an annoyingly honest tone throughout the nearly 20 years they had known each other.

“Did you come to ask about this? What’s so urgent about it that you sent a messenger to arrange a meeting?”

“No, I just thought of you during the festival, but Demi said he didn’t know if you had returned, so I came to check.”

“Really?”

Luca raised an eyebrow slightly. He seemed to accept the casually made-up story.

Priest Lucamiono, tired of pretending under the solemnity of the Grand Temple, would be glad his old friends visited often, as it allowed him to swear freely as he pleased.

‘Sorry, Luca. I’ll really come to see you next time.’

But childhood friends who didn’t see each other as romantic interests were unlikely to want to meet without a reason in the future. There were also aspects of her business that Chloe was still cautious about revealing…

‘After all, it’s not something to boast about for an unmarried noble lady to play with money.’

Suppressing the feeling of guilt towards Luca, Chloe cheerfully brought up another matter.

“Oh, right. I have another question.”

Luca tilted his head slightly, indicating she should go on.

“Who was the priest who brought out the chalice during the festival ceremony? Can I meet him?”

“Oh, Antonmiono? Why?”

“Calling someone ‘that’… Well, he looks so much like the mage I know. That mage apparently has some mysterious birth story or something.”

Apart from having lighter eyebrows, that priest and Lagu had nothing in common, but Chloe decided to insist on it. Mirabelle looked at her as if to ask if that was true, but Chloe pretended not to notice.

“Is there no way to meet him up close?”

“Hmm, I don’t personally have any interactions with him, so I can’t be sure…”

Luca’s gaze wandered into the air as he stretched the corners of his mouth.

“Since he’s in charge of the treasury, maybe you could apply for a tour?”

* * *

Etienne Lacroix thought he was experiencing all the rare events of the year today. As the heir to the Count Palatine family overseeing Gotiue, he regularly went to the social club located behind Franz Square every last day of the week, to observe the trends in the social circles. But today, which should have been peaceful since it wasn’t the last week of the month, he encountered several surprising events.

The most unusual was, well… the visit of the Young Duke of Crevelle.

Demetrian Crevelle, who had spent his life in a friendship-like relationship with his sister, was a unique figure who was famous in social circles but had no interest in them. As a child, Etienne had thought it was a kind of posturing as the heir to the Duke’s family, but upon hearing him speak, it became clear that he inherently placed no significance on social activities.

‘How long have you known him? Don’t you know that Demi wouldn’t go to such places?’

…His sister naturally thought so too.

Having been sickly as a child, Etienne stayed at home when Chloe visited the Ducal residence, so Demetrian, whom he started interacting with after turning ten, always felt somewhat distant.

‘All the nobles of Arthuzen meet at the Senate anyway, so why should I?’

Probably an inner thought he showed nonchalantly in front of another heir of a prestigious family. There was no sense of arrogance in those words he said one day. It was as if he was saying he didn’t like sweets, so he would decline chocolate cake.

For such a Demetrian, who acted as if the efforts nobles made to build connections couldn’t overcome his innate lineage, to be found in a social club on a day he didn’t usually come, how could one not be surprised?

Still feeling the aftermath of the festival week, Etienne, who staggered into the social club past 8 p.m., saw the expensive-faced Young Duke at the center of a group gathered near the billiard table.

“Why are you here when it’s not the last week?”

“Yeah, I had some business. Long time no see.”

As the heat of the group he was mingling with subsided, Demetrian approached Etienne at the bar as if he had intended to from the start. Just then, the government officials from the administrative office who had been acknowledging Etienne left.

Ordering a cocktail from the bartender, Demetrian sat down heavily next to Etienne, looking tired.

Etienne thought he looked somewhat boyish, with a few buttons undone on his shirt. Just like when he laughed and chatted warmly with his sister…

“Ah, drinking and chatting is exhausting. What’s so fun about this…”

When Etienne pushed the ice bucket towards him, Demetrian leaned his temple against it, mumbling. Etienne chuckled at his unreserved manner.

After gulping down the water that came with the cocktail handed over by the bartender, Demetrian, who seemed to hesitate for a moment, opened his mouth.