🌻 🌻 🌻
THE next morning—our late-night discussion from the evening prior still fresh in our minds—we parted ways with the count and countess and boarded the carriage. The morning sun was rising energetically, casting a lovely glow over the budding spring plants and pastures. Our destination was already set: the convent where Lucas’s late mother was laid to rest.
Lucas and I boarded one carriage, with the servants tagging along on a separate one. The neighs of the horses and the jaunty clattering of the wheels echoed within the carriage as Lucas looked at me with worry.
“You must still be tired from yesterday, Iris,” he said.
“I’m fine. You’re probably far more exhausted than I am,” I replied.
He rested his elbow on the window frame and rubbed his temples. “It’s just a hangover. I’ll be fine by noon. Can’t help it. When I hang around those who love to make others drink, I always turn out like this.”
I’d never experienced a hangover before, but I pitied my husband, who looked to be in discomfort. I stroked his forehead in hopes of soothing his pain, and he squinted at me.
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me,” he said.
“Still, it’s quite unusual for you to be forced to drink so much,” I replied.
“Yeah, they wanted to get me drunk so that I’d spill the beans about our relationship. Good grief.”
“Our relationship?”
Lucas cracked an awkward grin. “They like to pry. You know how it is.” He kissed my forehead and asked to be left alone for a short while; he looked exhausted as he gazed out the window. He must’ve been suffering quite a bit.
As he’d promised, he was good as new by the afternoon. We took a short break at a post town known as Tesouvius, a nostalgic place. I fondly remembered this place, for I’d stayed a night here before I went off to marry Lucas. The town scenery hadn’t changed, and when I gazed out from the carriage, my memories came rushing back.
Once our belongings had been carried into a hotel where we’d stay for the night, Leik approached me while carrying my personal possessions.
“My lord went to sleep after making everyone there black-out drunk,” he said.
I was shocked to hear about it. “Oh my…”
“They’re all idiots. Did they think they’d stand a chance against a guy who has the blood of a sailor in his veins? No shot.”
“Is that how it is?”
“The only route a sailor can take is to become a hard drinker. Water can spoil after some time, so everyone consumes alcohol instead for hydration.”
“I had no idea…”
All of this was news to me, and I listened with great interest as Leik jokingly stuck out his tongue.
“I suppose my lord can look a touch deceptive,” he added. “His face gets red very easily, so people assume that he’s not good at holding his liquor. He uses that to his advantage to trick people.”
“I could see him doing that,” I replied.
“He feigns innocence far more than I ever can. Ah, speak of the devil.”
I followed Leik’s gaze and spotted Lucas walking toward us.
“I just got in contact with the convent,” my husband said, looking at me. “I was told we don’t need to host a service or anything. Let’s head there as soon as we finish lunch.”
“I understand,” I replied.
We had lunch at a hotel with a lovely view—the scenery was breathtaking. We could see the town of Tesouvius below us, and in the distance, the ocean of Solalitika. It was simply stunning. I was worried whether Lucas could stomach his food since he seemed unwell this morning, but he polished off his plate without a care, much to my relief. I always liked to watch my beloved eat, and as I did so, I locked eyes with him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing…” I replied. “You eat so neatly that I was enchanted by it.”
“It’s humbling to receive such praise from the etiquette coach.” His joking tone made me feel embarrassed.
After we finished our lunch and took a little break, Lucas gazed into the distant skies. “The convent we’re about to head to is where my mother lived when she was pregnant,” he said.
He stated that once his mother had parted ways with his father, she entered a convent for whatever reason. There, she found out about her pregnancy and was indebted to the place until she gave birth to Lucas. I could only imagine the trouble she went through, coupled with the feeling of isolation she undoubtedly must’ve experienced. I clenched my fists under the table—it was clear that his mother had a thorny past.
“Actually,” Lucas started, “it’s been a while since I’ve been to the convent. I’ve continued to send them money to manage my mother’s grave, but I can’t enter the place without another woman. I’ve never seen the inside of the building, where my mother had once lived.”
“I see…” I replied.
He glanced at me and smiled. “I just couldn’t bring anyone else but you. While there might be some people out there who know of my origins, I wanted to visit my mother’s grave with my wife. I’d decided so since way back.”
“Thank you for inviting me here.”
“This is sort of like our honeymoon, and yet… I’m sorry to take you on such a gloomy trip.”
After his self-deprecating remark, he took a sip of his coffee. I gazed down from the restaurant at the place where I’d stayed with Lucas when he was in disguise all those years ago.
“This really takes us back, doesn’t it, Dazzle?” I remarked.
Lucas coughed on his drink before he looked at me awkwardly. Dazzle was the fake name he’d used when we’d just met. “Aw, come on, don’t bring that up…” he muttered.
“Please let me,” I replied. “Because when I talked to you back then, I had so much fun.”
I looked upon those days fondly. When I was sent off to marry Lucas and headed out from the royal capital, I felt so horribly lonely. When Dazzle had kindly offered that I could go back home—to Karelia manor—I felt so happy and comforted by his considerate words.
“It was the first time I had properly spoken to another man who wasn’t a relative,” I confessed. “I had to leave the capital, my familiar home, and go off to marry an unknown man in an unknown city. Speaking with Dazzle before I’d done so felt like a valuable experience. Hee hee… In the end, he turned out to be you.”
“I was also curious about the woman I’d be marrying,” Lucas replied.
“So, you don’t have to be so bothered by things. I’m quite enjoying myself on this trip,” I insisted.
“Iris…”
“I’d like to learn more about you. I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”
Lucas widened his eyes in surprise and gazed at me briefly before his eyes softened. He smiled. “Thank you,” he said.
After we finished our meal, we left the restaurant. Kiki greeted us with a smile in the hotel lobby. “The carriage has already been prepared!” she beamed. “We can leave whenever you like!”
Seeing an energetic Kiki also made me reminisce. When we’d first met, she looked anxious and troubled, unable to meet anyone’s eye. Seeing her proudly hold her head up high with a dignified smile as she was hard at work made my chest feel so full. This trip wasn’t just for Lucas; it felt like it also gave me a chance to look upon my past as well.
“Oh?” I murmured.
As my eyes landed on Kiki’s feet, standing atop a vermilion carpet, they looked brighter and happier than usual. A moment later, I realized that it was because she was wearing short, white socks.
“You look lovely,” I observed. “You’re wearing socks today.”
Kiki’s face bloomed like a flower, her smile spilling over her face as I noticed the change. “That’s right! Please take a look! The marks on my calves have faded enough that I can now wear socks!”
As she happily lifted the hems of her skirt just a hair, her legs, usually covered with a painful-looking bruise, were practically free of any blemishes. Her skin looked clean with a healthy glow. Kiki was busy expressing her elation, but Lucas gave a strained smile.
“I’m happy that you’re happy, but don’t lift your skirt all willy-nilly, all right?” he warned.
“Ah! Pardon me! Tee hee…” Kiki replied.
“But I’m glad you seem to be doing better,” I said. “The medicine’s working.”
“It is! Thank you so much, Lady Iris, Lord Lucas.”
Lucas smiled back in response. While I wasn’t privy to the details, it seemed clinical trials were progressing smoothly, and medicine had been developed to treat the skin blemishes caused by blue drop flower disease. In Kiki’s case, her bruises had been etched into her body over several years, so it was difficult to get rid of them all immediately. Still, as I watched her condition improve by the day, she looked cheerier, too.
“Iris, if you don’t mind, I’d like to leave soon,” Lucas said, turning to me. “What would you like to do?”
“Let us depart immediately,” I replied. “The sooner the better.”
Lucas and Kiki nodded firmly. Finally, we’d be headed for the convent where Lucas’s mother had lived. I pursed my lips, trying my best to hold back my impatience.