“Why did you follow me when oppa comes all the time?” I saw Miss Lucia’s elbow poking Sir Lifros’s side. Sir Lifros just smiled.
“It’s okay. You can stay in the annex.”
Since Mikhail was really sensitive, I planned to show them the main building when hyung went out for business. Before that, I planned to spend time in the annex.
“The garden here has wonderful corners too!”
Even looking at the jagged garden visible outside the annex reception room, the siblings were delighted. I was embarrassed because it looked so neglected, but fortunately, she liked it without a hint of awkwardness, and Sir Lifros also looked around here and there with curious steps, saying it was his first time in the annex.
“Hello? You’re Sir Leon Lifros and Young Lady Lucia Lifros, right?”
Jake brought tea. I was a little surprised.
“Ah, it’s Lucia! It seems they pronounce it as Lucia in the Empire.”
Jake, who had only met Young Lady Lifros through letters, made an affectionate mistake and spoke gently.
Jake personally brewed the tea water—suppressing my clumsy attempt to help with an intense gaze—and also arranged the teacups beautifully. Jake, who had finished introductions by revealing their name and position, said “Have a pleasant time,” and left with a smile.
“That was the person from earlier, right? Wow, they’re really elegant.”
Miss Lucia admired politely. Jake would really be pleased to hear that.
“They’re capable too. I actually forgot to ask because I was nervous, but they brought the tea just right.”
It was my first time receiving guests, so I was secretly restless and not in my right mind. I was a bit moved by Jake.
Lucia and Sir Lifros encouraged me, saying I didn’t show any signs of nervousness at all.
“Prince Rilke Meyer—”
And the topic of conversation had already flowed there.
“No, how should I even call that person now?”
Miss Lucia, who had been eating the chewy brioche with a glossy surface, asked as if confused. I was a bit confused too.
“For now, Rilke Meyer is still correct.”
The Lifros siblings already knew the rumors rampant in high society.
Besides them, it was a point that all the nobles who occasionally visited the Meyer household were subtly curious about.
“The Meyer household hasn’t sent that child away yet.”
It had already been a month since Rilke left home.
Rilke didn’t particularly try to hide his base. Duke Yorick also didn’t seem to try to hide Rilke from visitors to the Regent Duke’s residence.
Next week was the hunting festival. There would be consecutive grand banquets, and though there was brief confusion due to Rilke’s actions, Mikhail decided after deliberation to announce as scheduled.
Until then, that child was still Rilke Meyer.
“You said ‘still.’ Then does that mean it will change later? Ah, if it’s difficult, you don’t have to answer! Don’t give me any clues at all!”
Lucia said she was sincere, and that sincerity was proof of her true friendship, as she waved her hands insistently. But her continued curiosity seemed unavoidable.
“Then did he really become the Regent Duke’s mistress?”
“Lucia.”
Sir Lifros opened his mouth as if to dissuade his younger sister.
“Everyone says that. The Meyer household isn’t saying anything, and Prince Rilke and the Regent Duke are turning a blind eye even though they know all the rumors! When you think about the rumors about the Regent Duke, it’s obvious!”
Mikhail was thinking almost the same way. Lucia turned to look at me again.
“Isn’t His Grace the Regent Duke really a playboy? With Her Majesty the Empress, and he also has that famous omega mistress! That mistress who made an ugly baron with only a title into a real noble!”
I couldn’t answer and just smiled awkwardly. A solemn silence flowed between Sir Lifros and me. I felt I should change the subject.
“Lucia, who will you participate with at this hunting festival? Leon?”
I asked that on purpose, even though I knew it wasn’t him.
“Of course I’m with Sir Saber!”
She raised her chin proudly and mentioned one person’s name. It seemed she was still meeting well with the Imperial knight.
“As for Joachim, you’ll be with our oppa this time, right? Are you going to reject oppa again?”
I exchanged glances with Sir Lifros.
Things were already settled with him, so I just smiled without speaking. Lucia’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then she looked at us both questioningly.
“Guests, we really don’t have time for this.”
I urged the siblings. I had spent the past two nights pondering ‘how can I entertain the guests?’
“Really, just touring the annex would be enough.”
I started with a tour of the flower garden that Miss Lucia had been interested in, which wasn’t in the plan. And as soon as Mikhail left, I hurriedly guided the siblings to the main building.
We went to the dining room to show them the ostentatious family tree diagram, and also walked the entire corridor hung with portraits of successive dukes and counts—”The blood really runs thick! The same hair color and eye color as Joachim!”
After touring the main banquet hall, we also played the large concert piano in the center together. Both siblings could play piano, and they took turns performing, exchanging recommended pieces. We also stopped by the instrument storage, which Lucia really enjoyed.
“It’s surprisingly well maintained!”
She was genuinely curious about the condition of the string instruments, so I happily told her the location of the instrument workshop I knew and the tuner’s name. I was proud to be able to tell her trivial things directly without calling the butler.
Finally, we sat around in the main reception room drinking rosolio with ice floating in it, and the sun was already setting.
“We need to leave before the terrifying Count returns, right?”
Young Lady Lifros asked playfully.
“He’s sensitive these days. When hyung’s mood improves, next time you can stay for dinner too.”
I’d seen him occasionally do that for Rilke’s guests, so he’d probably do that.
“The master is a good person. This one never believes what I say.”
“Che, oppa thinks everyone’s good as long as they pay high salaries?”
“Anyway, we should go. It was a good time, Joachim.”
Sir Lifros smiled good-naturedly.
After waving to see the siblings off, my heart suddenly pounded.
When having pleasant conversations, when discovering good poetry. When playing piano, when seeing friends off. I thought it was clear that the same part inside my chest moved for all of them.
And when thinking of someone I liked too.
I recalled the beautiful eyes that had seriously faced me.
Drawing those eyes that seemed to contain light intact in my heart, I realized that my thoughts were both right and wrong.
The same part of my chest did resonate. However, that pounding was so great that it also resonated in my solar plexus, and seemed to resonate even in my head. It couldn’t be compared to when playing my favorite piece. I suddenly missed Benedict so much that I sat down in the garden. It had been too long since I’d seen him.
And a week later, the hunting festival began.
Sunlight pierced through between large leaves.
The lush trees densely covering like a roof had already begun to wear autumn clothes. They were aged trees that had been growing since before the Empire was established on this land.
The wind coming around the forest, the high chirping of titmice meeting the blue sky, and the murmuring created by people beside the barracks mixed together.
A pleasant wind brushed past my ears.
Benedict, whom I had so wanted to see, was far away, mounted on a large horse wearing the bright blue ceremonial dress traditionally worn at the hunting festival. His hair fluttered like flames under the golden sparkling sunlight.
The wind blew through the blue sky, the dense forest, and even the crowd that had gathered. I became one of the crowd, watching Benedict being anticipated as master of the forest.
The proclamation ceremony began. A celebratory poem was recited, and Benedict raised his hand. Twenty-five long ceremonial arrows were loaded. The shot arrows pierced the blue sky and disappeared into the forest. When people raised their heads again, Benedict’s hand was pointing to the sky once more.
I inhaled, preparing myself.
When I looked at the sky following his incantation,
A giant bird of flames was flying across the blue sky.
The blazing red hawk scattered flames as it soared into the cloudless sky. It heated up to a twilight color and circled in a high place, then descended as if gliding. Its giant curtain-like wings blazed past overhead. It heated the cool autumn air and broadly swept across the vast forest, then soared again.
The bird that reached the edge of the sky became flames and disappeared.
The opening of the hunting festival was proclaimed.
The first day was free hunting.
The Imperial household had opened only Zone 1 of the forest, which was managed so that only small herbivores and foxes inhabited it.
“You’re saying you’ll participate in the hunting competition yourself?”
Mikhail, who had decided to remain in the room assigned by the Imperial household, asked.
“Didn’t you say Sir Lifros was your knight?”
“Yes, but we’re going to hunt together.”
“So you’re going to split Sir Lifros’s points between the two of you?”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“I don’t understand why you’re making such an unreasonable choice.”
Leaving behind the suspicious Mikhail, I came outside. Sir Lifros had already prepared a horse in advance.
“How’s Lucia?”
“She doesn’t like it much.”
He answered.
“Actually, today Lace really wanted to wear a fancy yellow coat. Clothes are very important to that child.”
Today Lucia wore a blue coat with small Hyeon Church emblems embroidered on it.
“I’ve been throwing bait for several days now, so there’ll be a response soon. Even now,”
Sir Lifros discreetly gestured and slightly lifted one toe. It was a signal we had promised, and I glanced at where his toe had pointed while pretending to survey the forest.
Baron Moss was there. He looked like he was looking around as if searching for someone.
“Let’s catch him within this hunting festival.”
Sir Lifros said while firmly tying the horse’s reins.
We would settle things with Baron Moss as soon as possible.
It was something Sir Lifros and I had secretly promised without Lucia knowing.
Lace (레이스, nickname for Lucia, female) – refers to Lucia
