🌻 🌻 🌻
THE next morning, Lucas took his father around to busily take care of certain documents and processes. As for me, because I’d been awake until morning and battered by the heat of Lapisasther, I couldn’t wake up early.
“You’ve gotta rest for today,” Lucas told me. “Just stay in bed.”
My husband had astutely noticed my condition and tried to leave the bedroom, leaving me behind.
“W-Wait, please,” I called. “I’m fine, really. I just woke up late.”
I hastily dressed in my negligee and tried to chase Lucas out of the bedroom, but he looked at me and sighed, looking a touch proud of himself.
“Iris, the fact that you woke up late implies that you really shouldn’t push yourself today,” he said. “Just lay back and go to sleep.”
“B-But if there’s anything I can do…” I started.
He turned around without lending an ear to my insistence. After laying me back on the bed, he brought his face close to mine.
“Just take it easy today, all right?” he said. “Don’t wear anything tight like a corset. Stay in those clothes, or wear something loose and laze around. I don’t want you to push yourself now only to fall ill on the ship ride home. I wouldn’t be able to stand it. Just rest up, okay?”
“O-Okay,” I nodded obediently. I felt like a child being pacified by an adult. “I understand. Please take care of yourself, Lucas.”
“Good girl. I will. Oh, and here’s your punishment for being so polite again.” Lucas grinned and gently pecked me before he left.
“I forgot that we were still doing that…”
I suppose I’m also partly to blame for maintaining my polite speech, I thought. Kiki entered the room right as Lucas left, and she spoiled me quite a bit. No doubt she’d received orders from my husband. I had breakfast in bed and dozed off until just before lunch. After taking a few bites of lunch, I sat on a cozy rattan chair in a breezy place to cool off.
“I feel rather restless doing absolutely nothing at all…” I murmured as I gazed up at the ceiling. I wore a breezy dress and had my feet in a basin.
“Now, now,” Kiki told me with a smile. “You taking it slow today will benefit Lord Lucas as well, Lady Iris.”
She was neatly combing my hair, using a fragrant oil that gave off a sweet, floral scent and gently massaged my head to the tips of my hair. Comfortable, I closed my eyes and cleared my mind—only then did I realize I was truly tired.
I grabbed a cup from the table beside me and wrapped both hands around it, delighted by the pleasant temperature. I entrusted my body to the quiet, lukewarm ocean breeze and indulged in this moment of peace.
“I wonder what Lucas is doing right now…” I said.
“I saw him off this morning, but he seemed to be rather friendly with his father,” Kiki replied. “His father has quite a beautiful face. I wonder if Lord Lucas will look like that when he’s older.”
I couldn’t suppress my giggle.
My maid continued, as though she was talking to herself, “I’m glad that Lord Lucas’s father seems like a good person. My lord has been working hard his entire life searching for his father.”
Her heartfelt words made me realize she had witnessed Lucas’s agonizing struggle for far longer than I had.
“Lady Iris, I hope you can keep this a secret from Lord Lucas,” she began.
“Of course. What’s wrong?” I asked.
“To tell you the truth…I hoped that my lord would never find his father. I thought if he was never found, Lord Lucas would never get hurt. In my heart, I’d already decided that his father was an awful person.” She gave a forced smile, making it obvious that she was worried about her master in her own way.
“Kiki…”
“So, I’m just really, truly happy. I hope the two can slowly rebuild their relationship over time.”
“I agree.”
I gazed down at my cup of tea. Lucas’s father may have been released from prison, but he’d been arrested due to international affairs. Even if he could work in the Lapisasthan branch of the Stock Trading Company, it was likely impossible to bring him back to Eizeria. He would never be able to step inside Eizeria again, where he lived with his wife, and he would never be able to see with his eyes the Solalitika that his son had developed. It felt heart-wrenching to leave the poor man in Lapisasther alone with no one around him.
“If only there were a way to connect those two men…” I murmured.
A strong breeze blew through the room, causing the nearby paper napkins to fly away. Kiki jumped up and expertly caught them. She locked eyes with me and smiled.
“That’s it,” I said. A light bulb went off in my head, and I stood up. “Cano, you’re there, aren’t you?”
The silver-haired butler-in-training had taken off his blond wig. He emerged from the corner of the terrace like a shadow that had suddenly appeared.
“Eek!” Kiki cried. “Y-Y-Y-Y-You were here this entire time?!”
“Sorry for being around, I guess,” Cano said. He puffed out his cheeks before he gave me an obedient bow.
“There’s something I’d like to ask you,” I said. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all, madam. What shall I do for you?”
“I want you to sketch something using your special talent.”
“I see… Your wish is my command.”
He placed a hand over his chest and bowed, flashing a confident smile.