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“Lady Lucille Gustelanola and Lord Felix Leeuwenhoek, would you please come with me?”
A stir in the crowd followed the crown prince’s words.
“Lady Lucille Gustelanola? The evil woman who was engaged to Prince Bernard until he cast her away?”
“No, the rumors about her were false accusations by Prince Bernard. That aside, did she always look like that...?”
“She’s so...small and cute.”
“Right?! She always struck me as more overbearing and haughty, like she was on edge at all times...but now, she’s smiling.”
“I had no idea Lady Lucille Gustelanola could be so sweet!”
“What happened to her after she was sent to the borderlands?”
The majority of the people I overheard while escorting Lucille behind the crown prince were men reacting to her with surprise, their faces flushed.
It was true that she gave off quite a different impression compared to when I’d first laid eyes on her in Leeuwenhoek. Back then, her appearance had given credence to the rumors I’d foolishly taken at face value. These people had likely made the same assumptions based on the crumbs of knowledge they possessed.
If I could meet my past self, I’d want to punch him.
At long last, I understood what Kain had been trying to tell me.
“Maybe you’re fine with how today went, but I’ve got a bad feeling about this. I just know you’re gonna regret it someday.”
He’d said that after I’d apologized to Lucille for allowing the false rumors to influence how I treated her. At the time, I hadn’t known anything—not my own feelings, nor how high a wall I would later face by choosing not to bridge the distance between us at that very moment.
“I mean, apologies usually don’t come across half as well as you think. You probably should’ve been more specific and said, ‘It was wrong of me to say that I hate you.’”
Kain was right. I’d failed to convey even half of my thoughts. It wasn’t just the apology—I was especially poor at expressing my emotions. No matter how hard I tried to articulate to Lucille the joy and excitement she brought me, it didn’t seem to get across to her at all, and it must’ve been because I’d set myself such a difficult hurdle.
Why had I said those things on the day we’d first met? And after being granted the opportunity to apologize for my mistake, why had I neglected to explain my feelings clearly and thoroughly? Instead of being relieved that she’d forgiven me, I should’ve striven to make her understand how I truly felt. That had been my only chance—it was too late now.
She hadn’t been angry at me to begin with. If I tried to go back to amend that conversation, she’d only be confused as to why I was digging up the past.
I glanced at Lucille, who was walking gracefully at my side after having taken my hand without hesitation.
She’s like a cat, though perhaps it also feels that way because she’s always surrounded by cats in Leeuwenhoek. Elegant, free, whimsical...and eager to accept people’s goodwill and praise. Now, I’m not going to claim that she isn’t selfish. At times, she casually guides people into giving her what she wants. She always does as she pleases, and I’ve never seen her force herself to do anything she doesn’t want to do, at least not in Leeuwenhoek.
I still laughed at the thought that the first person she’d tamed had been the grumpy Randolph. Thanks to that Randolph now seemed to be much more open with the knights and servants. It made sense, though. Who would continue to be afraid of him after seeing him grinning and fawning over “Lucy”?
Meanwhile, Sarah had originally believed my gossip and behaved inappropriately for a servant, and after the misunderstanding was cleared up, she’d acted somewhat reserved toward Lucille on account of her guilty conscience. But now, she was so attentive to Lucille that one would wonder if they’d been foster sisters since childhood. Occasionally, it even got to the point where Lucille would get annoyed with her, which I found heartwarming.
It had been a surprise when I first heard Alice calling Lucille “big sister.” That girl had always kept her guard up and deliberately acted self-centered. I could say with confidence that what had really saved her wasn’t that Lucille had discerned anything special about her, but the fact that Lucille consistently treated her as a unique individual, showering her with love. It had given her a true sense of self-worth.
Lucille seemed accustomed to loving and being loved. And beyond that, being in her presence made people want to love themselves too, because she was always demonstrating how to do so. Being around the dazzling Lucille made one think that they, too, could be like her. How many people in the world could elicit such a feeling?
Surely, she’s one of a kind.
My gaze shifted to Prince Bernard, who was watching us leave, dumbfounded. It was easy to think him a foolish man, but for all I knew, I could’ve been one more mistake away from winding up in the same position as him. The thought made me shudder.
Then again, he had to be stupid to not recognize Lucille after talking to her for as long as he had. They’d been engaged for years, hadn’t they? Though I’d heard the rumors, this drove home just how much he’d neglected her.
It was irritating, but I was a selfish man, so my anger was outweighed by a different emotion.
Thank you so much for sending Lucille to Leeuwenhoek. I’m truly grateful.
If our meeting was her punishment, then I’m glad our engagement was considered a penalty. If my shameful title of “the cursed marquess” was what brought Lucille to my land, then I’m proud of that malicious mockery of a moniker.
We walked up to where Prince Edgar was and took our place beside him.
Today, Lucille would be lauded for her achievements. I wanted to be present for her future successes too, preferably by her side. I knew she wouldn’t live a quiet life. What miracles and surprises would she show me next?
And if she suffers a disaster that she can’t resolve herself, I want to be the one to help her. It’s frustrating that I can’t be of any use right now...
While thinking these things, I continued to observe the looks of admiration, fondness, and envy directed toward her.