Praising You For Surviving - Chapter 41

Although his expression didn’t reveal what he was thinking, it was clear that Lars was concerned about Lucienne. After all, he had seen him frown when the perfume bottle was mentioned.

Soon, Lars sighed deeply and turned to face him, lowering his legs. With his elbows on his knees and his eyes slightly raised, he looked so fierce that Kirhin unconsciously licked his lips.

He could intuitively sense it. Lucienne had done something wrong, and Lars was angry about it.

“Fine. How is she doing?”

“She’s been extremely busy these days. It seems that after the succession ceremony, many people have been showing interest in her. I hear she’s receiving two or three visitors a day.”

“Visitors?”

“Mostly young men. Last week, the second son of the Owell family and his friend came by, and oh, yesterday, I heard that Lord Almerson’s son and daughter visited. The daughter said she wanted to be friends, but anyone could see that it was the son who was interested in Lucy…”

“Her foot probably hasn’t fully healed yet.”

Lars tilted his head slightly, letting out a small laugh. Kirhin blinked.

“Foot? Whose?”

Lars stared at him for a moment before clicking his tongue briefly.

“So. It seems she’s doing well on her own, what’s the concern?”

“Well, you see…”

Hesitating for a moment, Kirhin touched the back of his neck and muttered.

“I can’t quite figure out what she’s thinking.”

It’s a foolish thing to say, but it’s true. Lucienne was currently spending her busy days without a single complaint, barely having time to breathe.

Even though she must be tired from classes, horseback riding, and meeting people during the day, as soon as she finished dinner, she would immediately shut herself in the library and read books. She was in the process of absorbing everything like a sponge.

While it might be admirable that she was diligently handling everything on her own, honestly, it was a bit frightening. The child he had expected to bloom like a delicate flower under his care seemed to have run to a place beyond his reach. She was already extending her branches with her own strength.

‘Robin isn’t bad either. Being the eldest son, he might inherit Lord Almerson’s title, and also…’

‘I’ve heard that Lord Almerson is quite capable? They say he went through a lot of hardships when he was young.’

‘He’s the type who can’t stand to sit still. You could say he has a personality where he needs to do everything himself. I can’t tell you how much nagging I received for going out to play with Robin every day without doing anything. It seems he’s given up now, though.’

‘Robin mentioned that his younger brother, Liam, couldn’t come because he was helping their father.’

‘Liam is an old-fashioned fellow who has no interest in things like parties. He’s a guy who doesn’t know how to have fun, so don’t worry about him.’

Lucienne quietly watched him as he waved his hand dismissively, then smiled slightly. That smile, somehow, had a feeling similar to Lars’s.

‘If you need someone, it might be better to work with Liam rather than Robin.’

‘Why? I’m telling you, that guy is no fun. He’s timid and always overthinking things, so he’s not someone you can get along with. But Robin has quite a big heart.’

The conversation didn’t continue further, but strangely, those words lingered in his mind. Above all, he could somewhat sense Lucienne’s perspective on people.

She didn’t get excited or flutter like other girls, simply looking at family backgrounds and appearances. She observed people with eyes that seemed to be painting a picture. When visitors came, she would engage in smooth conversation, but if something caught her interest, she would persistently dig into it, resulting in not many young people making return visits.

“Anyway, she’s different from other girls. Not just because of her status, but how should I put it, she’s too…”

“Cunning.”

Lars interjected with a faint snort. As Kirhin nodded quickly in agreement, Lars narrowed his eyes and asked with a lowered gaze.

“How about sending her to a convent for a few years?”

“We can’t do that. She needs to meet many people now so that we can decide on her engagement partner by next year.”

For a moment, Lars raised his eyebrows at Kirhin’s words. A slight laugh hung on his beautiful lips.

“Next year, she’ll be barely eighteen.”

“Barely? It’s not uncommon for people to get engaged at her current age. Now that I, her guardian, have received the title, there’s no issue with guardianship. Isn’t the convent a place that unmarried ladies who couldn’t find a match use as an excuse? It’s not a place for our Lucy.”

Lars’s eyes hardened as he watched the pride appearing on Kirhin’s face. Shaking his head lightly, he folded his arms again and muttered.

“Right. Perhaps it’s better to match her with a suitable family quickly.”

“How about the Roshan viscount family? The second son’s estate is quite large, and his age is appropriate.”

“Not good. I hear he’s too fond of alcohol.”

“Hmm, then Faven. When he visited this time, he seemed to have fallen for Lucy at first sight. He looked very innocent.”

“Ah, you mean the one who couldn’t even distinguish between Yuzerk and Unipiece?”

Yuzerk is the hero who founded the ancient country of Udan, but Unipiece is the name of a minstrel from a different era. While not knowing Yuzerk might be understandable, those who accurately remember Unipiece could be counted on one hand. Kirhin himself certainly wasn’t one of them.

Thinking that his standards might be too strict, he presented his trump card.

“Then how about the Storms count family? The Count’s nephew, Chester Storms, is quite a popular gentleman. He’s the Count’s only male nephew and receives his favor, plus he has a considerable estate inherited from his mother. I exchanged a few words with him at the succession ceremony, and he was every bit the impeccable gentleman as rumored. As it happens, he has an appointment with Lucy this afternoon.”

Kirhin was confident that there would be no fault to find with Chester. When he heard that one of the gloves Lucy received was from him, Kirhin had ranked him as the number one candidate.

With mixed foreign blood, he was tall with tanned skin, and while his golden eyes weren’t quite as captivating as his own, they were quite charming. In fact, he was probably the young man who received the most attention at the event after himself.

“…We don’t have time to talk about someone we haven’t even met yet. Discuss it with the little one.”

Lars waved his hand, seemingly annoyed, and picked up the spice list again. Watching him with suspicious eyes, a mischievous smile played on Kirhin’s lips.

“By the way, didn’t our pebble say anything?”

“About what?”

“I don’t see the perfume bottle.”

He was just probing since he didn’t know its exact whereabouts, but Kirhin immediately regretted it. Lars’s eyes, slowly turning to him, seemed cold.

In this world, there are jokes that work and jokes that don’t. Seeing Lars reach out and pick up the dagger he had been looking at earlier, Kirhin decided never to make such a joke again.

“No, just, well, I was just curious, wondering why the perfume bottle I bought for my sister was hanging at Lord Lars’s waist, and curious about why it disappeared, whether it was returned, lost, or used for something else… No, I’m not curious at all!”

Kirhin frantically waved both hands and shouted as he saw Lars unsheathe the knife with a swish. However, Lars’s gaze was fixed on the sharply honed blade.

A lazy curve formed on his lips as he ran his finger along the blade.

“It’s a good knife. Light and easy to grip. It looks decorative, but the edge is sharp too.”

After skillfully twirling the knife in his hand a couple of times, Lars sheathed it back, and Kirhin finally let out a long sigh. Lars, picking up the list, nodded at him.

“Finish the list by tomorrow.”

“Where are you… Yes.”

Kirhin answered politely as a glance flew his way, and Lars left the room. As the air suddenly seemed to become more comfortable, Kirhin slumped into the chair but immediately jumped up.

“Wait. If you take that, how am I supposed to put it on the list?”

…Does he mean for me to fill it in with my own money? That must be it. Of course, Lars could probably buy dozens or hundreds of these, but the problem was that I couldn’t ask for money with my own mouth.

With a bewildered expression, he sat back down in the chair. His shoulders slumped unattractively.

There was no doubt that this venture would bring in enough profit to influence the Bickman baron family for the next hundred years, but the process was too arduous. Right now, he really needed a broad chest that would embrace him without judgment.

Should I go out for a bit? There’s still time until tomorrow. Marina, no, today Oliju would be better, my love!

Just thinking about his lover’s soft breasts and wet body immediately aroused him. Lars would probably overlook this much, given that he had been abstinent for over a week.

After checking the time, Kirhin set aside his complicated thoughts and started running. Time was of the essence.

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