Chapter 28

As the Young Master left the toy mansion’s iron gate with Lucy, a taciturn male knight appeared from somewhere, following at a distance.

Normally, the Young Master wasn’t supposed to go out just anywhere, but accompanying Lucy to the edge of the village seemed to be allowed as a kind of walk, under the protection of the taciturn knight.

Lucy deliberately walked slowly and lazily. The dirt road was quiet, and the weather was nice. The gentle breeze softly stroked Lucy’s and the boy’s hair.

She forgot the pain in her hand. She liked this peaceful time.

“Go home now.”

“I’ll go a little further. Home is… just not very comfortable.”

So, was he saying he felt comfortable beside her?

Children’s moods could twist suddenly, going from good to sulky. Lucy walked on in silence, but kept glancing at the boy’s face.

The distance to the lower village’s edge wasn’t far to begin with. When the Young Master’s face filled with regret, Lucy would deliberately slow her steps.

Lucy pointed at a chamomile by the roadside.

“Look, Young Master. A ladybug.”

The Young Master, who had plenty of interesting toys, probably wouldn’t be interested in a mere ladybug, but he still stopped to follow Lucy’s lead. The two children squatted down and watched the pretty ladybug climbing up the chamomile stem.

At the age to show off what she knew, Lucy boasted,

“Ladybugs have a habit of climbing upward. So they just keep going up.”

“What happens when it gets to the top? Then what?”

The curious Young Master asked, his sparkling amber eyes expecting a grand, scientific answer. Lucy hesitated, a bit flustered, then replied,

“It’ll do whatever it wants.”

“So… what does this ladybug want to do?”

His amber eyes sparkled again, as if expecting a philosophical answer this time. The Young Master, with his high-class education, was a bit overwhelming.

“I don’t know. Only the ladybug knows.”

Lucy answered with sage-like seriousness and composure.

“Just like only I know my own destiny.”

She’d picked up ‘destiny’ from the traveling theater troupe currently staying in the lower village. More precisely, it was from the line, ‘I carve my own destiny,’ but anyway.

“……”

The Young Master became lost in thought. Even when Lucy straightened her knees and signaled to move on, he didn’t respond. She glanced at the taciturn knight standing far away. He still showed no reaction.

How much did she have to look after this Young Master?

She grumbled inwardly, but didn’t really mind.

“Young Master.”

Just then, the black-haired Young Master jumped up and shouted energetically,

“I figured out my destiny!”

“Congratulations.”

Lucy replied indifferently, turning her shoulder, but the Young Master fluttered over and grabbed her arm. His voice rang with strong conviction.

“I’m going to get married someday.”

“Good luck with that.”

“With you, Lucy.”

“What?”

The sudden proposal caught her off guard. Then she realized this kind of playful proposal was a promise children often made. Still, she didn’t want to play along.

“No.”

“Why… why not…?!”

The Young Master’s amber eyes sparkled with tears, clearly not expecting rejection.

“You won’t even remember when you grow up.”

Lucy turned her head away, but her ears were still open to the Young Master. He promised with a voice full of certainty,

“I’ll remember. If we meet again, when we’re grown up, we’ll…”

The Young Master moved, standing properly before Lucy, who refused to look at him.

“We’ll fall in love.”

The black-haired boy smiled shyly. He was so cute, it felt like her heart was filled with festival balloons.

She hugged the boy tightly.

“So please remember. My name is…”

She could feel his young heart pounding.

Her head throbbed as if it would split. The scenery around her faded like mist.

When she opened her eyes again, there was only darkness. The rocking sensation felt like she was floating on water.

A muffled sob. The Young Master was close by, and Lucy hugged the boy. With her sharp mind, she understood everything. An attack and a kidnapping.

Her memories after that were unclear. She’d been almost in a panic.

Darkness, warmth, shouts and screams, explosive sounds…

And escape.

After that, a mage stood there. Introducing himself as a Mage Tower member, he looked closely at Lucy’s dazed face. He asked if she’d walk the path of magical engineering, saying she had talent. The mage persuaded her parents and took Lucy to the Mage Tower. Unfortunately, unlike Sybil, her magical talent soon faded and she ended up on the path of alchemy.

Lucy often thought some of her childhood memories were like an unfinished puzzle. She’d guessed it was because it was so long ago and she didn’t want to remember those miserable days.

But it wasn’t that.

Lucy had a forgotten promise…

‘My name is Aicel.’

There was a name.

***

Warm sunlight tickled her eyes. Lucy opened her eyes. The sharp smell of disinfectant, the solemn atmosphere, the pristine hygiene—all suggested this was a medical room run by a temple.

She’d visited when the Mage Tower Lord was hospitalized, so she knew how expensive this place was. The highest-class hospital room, complete with a bedroom, reception room, and a small dining area.

“Lucy.”

Turning her head while lying down, Lucy met gentle amber eyes. He stared at her as if he’d forgotten how to breathe.

Lucy returned his gaze, then parted her lips.

“I’m thirsty.”

Aicel hurriedly brought her a cup and carefully helped her sit up to drink. She didn’t really need help, but Lucy decided to enjoy Aicel’s care. After quenching her thirst, Lucy fiddled with the bedsheet, unsure how to start a conversation.

“We survived. Both of us.”

“Yeah.”

“…….”

Then silence again.

Lucy, seeing Aicel also unable to speak, found courage.

“You’ve changed a lot since you were young. Which salon did you go to?”

Aicel’s eyes widened, but he caught the playful tone in Lucy’s voice and smiled slightly.

“Don’t like it?”

“Whether it’s black or white, any color suits you. You’re very handsome, Young Master.”

Aicel’s amber eyes changed from gloom to hope. The warmth spreading across his face was lovely. He asked cautiously,

“You don’t hate me?”

“I don’t. In fact, I’m in trouble because I’m falling for you.”

Lucy decided not to lie. Her honest words made Aicel’s amber eyes tremble. His haggard eyes lit up with life and color, and he hugged Lucy tightly. The scent of apple blossoms filled the air.

“…Sorry for forgetting our promise.”

“It was because of magic, wasn’t it? I forgot, too. That’s why you got insomnia and your hair color changed, right?”

Aicel buried his face into Lucy’s shoulder and nodded slightly, acting childishly. Lucy stroked his soft silver hair.

“Don’t you have any questions for me?”

Aicel had been a very kind, cute, and beautiful boy.

She wanted to ask why his personality had changed so much, but decided against it. Someone once said people change greatly after surviving a life-or-death crisis.

By that theory, it was only natural that a righteous, kind, pure person would turn into a hellish, foul-mouthed blockhead after one crisis.

Now, having survived another close call, Aicel would change again.

Lucy was about to shake her head, saying she had no questions, but then remembered one issue: Aicel’s engagement.

Lucy spoke firmly,

“If you want to be with me, you have to resolve your engagement to the young lady from the Atrey Family.”

“Oh, that? It’s as good as resolved. I’ll settle things with her soon. While you were unconscious, I sent letters to the Crown Prince and my eldest brother.”

It was one thing to refer to the Crown Prince and the family heir as if they were neighborhood dogs, but Lucy felt a surge of anxiety.

“What did you say?”

“I told them I don’t care about the Atrey Family’s situation, I’m going to marry you, and if they oppose, I’ll die.”

“…….”

The Young Master… sent a s*icide note.

‘They’ll probably oppose just out of spite.’

But Aicel was so confident that Lucy herself caught his reckless optimism. She laughed lightly. Now that they were united, any problem could be solved together.

“Anything else you want to know?”

“No.”

“Then that’s it. Want me to peel an apple for you?”

From a delinquent with a ruined personality to a real man peeling apples, Aicel skillfully handled a military knife. Soon, the apple was carved into a cute rabbit shape. Just as Lucy opened her mouth to take a bite—

Without knocking, the bedroom door burst open and someone entered.

“Luuucy—.”

The man with reddish-brown hair, grinning foolishly, was Lucy’s real older brother. His unruly hair stuck out everywhere, and his silly round glasses were the same as ever. But behind Sybil Noctus’s silly face always lurked a cunning plan.

Before Lucy could say anything to her brother after years apart—

“Ack!”

Sybil was instantly pinned against the wall, and after confirming who had overpowered him, he laughed awkwardly. Aicel, glaring at Sybil, muttered darkly,

“Finally found you, you scammer.”