| Chapter 15

“…What?”

I saw what little vitality remained drain from the butler’s aghast face. As I stood stiffly, not knowing what expression to make, Kirhin gestured to the head maid who rushed over urgently.

“She’ll be staying in this house for the time being. Nina, prepare a room for her.”

Nina certainly had something different from ordinary maids. Her experienced gaze and upright posture seemed to signify her pride. The headband that neatly arranged her brown hair, combed back without a gap, was a solid color with no pattern or embroidery, but rather gave off a more solemn impression because of it.

“Shall we bathe her now?”

She seemed to have a calmer personality compared to Brook. I could feel displeasure in her gaze as she quickly scanned my appearance.

It’s not incomprehensible. I was covered in dirt, tears, and snot, my skirt hem was hideously torn, and I was emanating both the fishy smell of the prison and the foul odor of the Almon house at the same time.

“No, the guest goes first. Where is he?”

“He’s in the library.”

Kirhin nodded at Brook’s answer.

“Good. No one needs to come until I call. Lucy.”

Kirhin, who nodded as if telling me to follow and took the lead, had wide strides as if he was in a hurry. I barely managed to follow him at a distance, holding onto my legs that felt like they were about to collapse. Although I didn’t have time to look around, I could tell that the carpet my worn-out shoes were stepping on had a beautiful and soft color.

I tried to understand what was happening, but my head wasn’t working well.

Why did Kirhin pull me out of prison? As he said, if I’m not the culprit but the case is closed with me framed as one… is it because he won’t be able to find his father’s real enemy?

Is that all an excuse and is he actually trying to kill me? Won’t he torture me like Peterson to make me tell everything I know?

He didn’t seem like that kind of person, but there was something unpredictable about Kirhin’s behavior. Moreover, I wasn’t in my right mind now. Too many things were shaking up my world.

My legs, tired from fatigue and tension, felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. My head was spinning, and I didn’t know if it was okay to keep following Kirhin like this. As I hesitated in my steps, I heard Kirhin vigorously throwing open the door as he arrived at the library.

“We’ve arrived.”

I slowly raised my head. The library was as big as the entire Almon house put together, and the walls were filled with bookshelves packed tightly with books.

My nose was sensitive to smells. More precisely, it was sensitive to smells that weren’t from the Almon house.

This place was different not just in atmosphere but in smell from the start. It had a mix of smells similar to a library, from old books, and a dry smell of burning wood, but among them, a very fragrant and refreshing scent flowed distinctly.

The fire burning in the fireplace created wavering shadows around the bookshelves. In the center of this dreamlike dance, there was one shadow that remained firmly motionless.

I saw a man sitting cross-legged in front of the fireplace. He was turning the pages of a book. A languid-sounding voice flowed quietly.

“It’s late at night, no need to make a fuss.”

It’s as if I’m standing in front of a masterpiece painting, I can’t blink. As if blinking would make this painting disappear.

However, that appreciation couldn’t last long. Soon, Kirhin’s voice, filled with indignation, echoed through the quiet library.

“A fuss? Did you just say a fuss? The one who came in the middle of the night, woke people up, and sent them to that horrible prison is talking about a fuss? I guarantee, every year on this night, I’ll wake up from nightmares. That smell, that air, oh, my goodness!”

“Of course. Today is the day your father’s death was revealed. Did you think you’d sleep comfortably on a day like this?”

At the blunt and nonchalant reply, Kirhin clutched his head. The man closed the book and stood up from the chair. His enormous shadow flickered largely, blocking the firelight from the fireplace.

“I didn’t know there would be a first edition of the epic of hero Cayonbe in a place like this. It’s not a book that should be covered in dust, so I’ll take it.”

“Where is there such a law? You’re going to ransack the house and then plunder our possessions?”

“Considering that thanks to me, the baron’s death has become less shameful, it seems like a very cheap price. Would it have been better to leave him as someone who was poisoned while trying to lay hands on a child?”

Noble green eyes sparkled sternly. Although there was a playful feeling in his tone, his eyes were not so. Kirhin, avoiding his gaze, moved his lips but no words of rebuttal came out.

The man’s gaze finally reached me. I had been staring at him without blinking once. He raised his thick eyebrows and seemed to smile briefly.

“If you’re going to doze off standing like that, you might as well go in and sleep.”

It sounded ordinary, but Kirhin, sensing a subtle familiarity, perked up his ears.

“Do you perhaps know this child, Lucy…”

My feet moved on their own. To tell the truth, I didn’t even know I was moving. If I had known, I wouldn’t have dared to do it. I wouldn’t have hugged him tightly with this dirty appearance and terrible smell.

The body touching my cheek was as hard as a stone wall, but it wasn’t cold. I didn’t know anything, but one thing, I understood from the recent conversation what Kirhin meant by ‘It wasn’t me who saved you.’

It was this person who had the baron’s son pull me out of prison. That meant too much.

A quiet silence fills the library, about to burst at any moment. Before Kirhin, who was standing with his mouth wide open in shock, could say anything, a thin crying sound came out first.

“Hic…”

I didn’t cry on purpose. As soon as I sensed a hand touching my shoulder, as if trying to push me away after a slight hesitation, intense tears burst out without my knowing.

I hugged his waist tightly. My whole body was trembling, but I couldn’t let go of him. If someone tried to separate me from him now, I would have bitten their throat.

Forgetting my embarrassment, the tears that flowed out wet my entire cheek and his front. The crying sound, which was small like a groan at first, soon changed into an unsightly shout. I clung to him, crying loudly.

He could have thought it was annoying or unpleasant and pushed me away, but he didn’t. He just stood there like a solid pillar I could lean on, so I could pour out my sorrow to my heart’s content with peace of mind.

As I cried like that, seemingly venting, until I was about to lose consciousness, I didn’t notice Kirhin’s blue eyes, which had been quite bewildered, changing to become intrigued. As the crying sound gradually subsided, his smooth voice flew in as if it had been waiting.

“After writing such a cool and composed suicide note, you were about to hang yourself, you must have been very scared.”

“Suicide note?”

“We’ll protect Lucy here. She’s quite a good child. Well, the last words she wrote as a suicide note… Oh!”

That was the limit of my mental strength. In an instant, strength left my exhausted body and I staggered and slipped. Everything went dark before my eyes.

* * *

Kirhin, who had unconsciously reached out his hand, soon grinned. Lars’ arm had already wrapped around the waist of the girl who was collapsing like a blade of grass hit by a rough wind.

Lucienne was still a girl with a childish air about her, but Kirhin, who had experienced many women, could be sure.

When she grows a little more, she will become a renowned flower of this country. Not just any flower, but the flower of flowers.

Generally, a woman’s beauty is considered fortune, but without a solid supporter like family or a spouse, it can easily become misfortune. There were more vulgar people who only aimed to pluck flowers than one might think.

From the brief encounter, Lucienne seemed quite clever and calm. Despite her young age, seeing how she thought of Mrs. Vino showed she had loyalty, which was a virtue not found in ordinary maids, making her even more likable. If the baron’s family sponsored her, her beauty would be a fortune for both Lucienne herself and the baron’s family.

…Though I didn’t think she would be acquainted with that disagreeable gentleman.

Kirhin winked one eye and shrugged, saying,

“It’s a shame Lucy fainted and doesn’t know what a great honor she’s received. Isn’t she perhaps the first woman to be held in those arms?”

Realizing he might have crossed the line a bit, as a sharp gaze immediately flew his way, he quickly moved towards the entrance. When dealing with someone who could dispose of him without a trace if they wanted, he always had to be good at moderating his behavior.

“The room is that way. The baron’s mansion isn’t large, so it’s just a short walk. Nina!”

As he rang the bell towards the air, Nina appeared with neat but quick steps, indicating that preparations were complete. At Kirhin’s expression that seemed to say ‘let’s go quickly’, Lars snorted in disbelief.

“Bring the butler to move her.”

“For that, it seems you’d have to take off that clothing, would that be alright?”

At Kirhin’s sly glance, Lars looked down. The unconscious Lucienne had her fingers wrapped around the hem of his clothes.