Chapter 12: 12

“Huh? A four-leaf clover? Did you find it?”

“No, Herwin gave it to me.”

“Really?”

There was a moment of silence before Lucas spoke again.

“……But why did you suddenly say you like Herwin? You never said anything like that before.”

Lucas was uncomfortable with the idea of his sister liking someone, but he didn’t feel bad because it was someone he knew well.

Most of all, he was curious about his sister’s sudden change of heart.

“……Herwin saved me.”

“You mean he saved you from that dog?”

Lucia nodded. Her face was now bright red. Lucas was shocked to see that she seemed to genuinely like Herwin.

“Huh… This is so…….”

Lucia stared at the music box Henry was playing with, not caring if her brother had a strange reaction or not.

Looking at the four-leaf clover, she could vividly picture Herwin’s heroic appearance before her eyes.

‘Get away from Lucia!’

The strong back that protected her, the tension in his face, the red eyes that burned with determination.

Now the mere mention of his name made her heart race and her face flush with heat.

Lucia squirmed uncomfortably and looked up. His door was still firmly closed.

“You shouldn’t be in so much pain…….”

She was worried about Herwin, whose face had turned white after hearing her confession yesterday.

At first, she was heartbroken and almost moved to tears by the rejection of her confession, but more than that, she saw that he looked terrified.

Lucia didn’t move from her seat, hoping that Herwin wasn’t in pain.

Later, when Lucas and Henry left the room, Lucia remained steadfast.

* * *

“……So that’s what happened.”

Herwin’s room was locked.

In the room were the doctor, the duke and duchess, and Herwin.

After a long period of cajoling and persuasion, they were able to hear firsthand the trauma he had suffered.

Herwin was worried that he would be judged for telling them.

He had hidden his pain all these years because the people who tormented him were the children of vassals.

For better or for worse, he’ll always have to deal with them.

He can’t make things worse because one day he will inherit the dukedom, and those who tormented him will follow in their parent’s footsteps and become vassals of House Phoenaeus.

Now they no longer acted the same way, and he knew that they found him difficult as ever before.

Nevertheless, the memories of the past still haunted him.

But Herwin has been pretending to be unaffected by their presence.

Sure, he would reflexively snap at them, but it was just an instinctive defense mechanism.

Something they could all get over if they just held themselves.

Herwin didn’t think he’d ever be understood.

He felt that if others, including his parents, knew that he was struggling with this, they would criticize him and say that he was unworthy to lead the future Phoenaeus.

As the heir to the dukedom, he must never be vulnerable. Hail and Scarlett had said it before.

Herwin squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the words to come. His slender shoulders shook.

“You’ve been through a lot on your own.”

Suddenly, he felt warmth. He opened his eyes and saw a head of shiny black hair right in front of him.

Herwin was taken aback as Hail, his usually blunt father, hugged him. Then, this time, he felt a heavier weight.

“I’m sorry Mommy and Daddy didn’t find out until it was too late. It’s been hard, hasn’t it?”

It was Scarlett. Drowsily, Herwin was sandwiched between her parents.

A reassuring hand stroked his hair, a warm hand patting his back. It wasn’t much comfort, but it was enough for him.

His face contorted and tears streamed down his cheeks.

“Mommy… Daddy…….”

Tears like chicken shit trickled down the back of his head. Hail and Scarlett were heartbroken that their son had been through so much.

They held him tightly until he stopped crying.

After a while, when he had calmed down, he accepted the doctor’s suggestion.

“This is a trauma you’ve been dealing with for quite some time. It’s not something that’s going to go away overnight. We’ll work through it in counseling.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“How are you feeling right now? Is your heart racing like it was yesterday, or is your stomach churning?”

“I’m fine for now.”

“Okay, so do you think it’s okay to meet with the Agnes girl?”

“Uh…….”

Herwin looked puzzled. He recalled the faces of Lucas and Lucia.

As far as Lucas was concerned, he was fine. But when he thought of Lucia, his heart started pounding again.

But it was hard to pinpoint it and say it was unpleasant.

It felt like a good feeling, but it was also strangely uncomfortable, and he didn’t know how to explain it.

“I don’t know…….”

“Do you feel as uncomfortable as you did yesterday?”

Herwin shook his head.

“Then, would you mind if she met with you?”

He thought for a moment and finally nodded.

“Alright, just take it easy today, and if you suddenly feel uneasy, call me.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.”

“Then I’ll leave you to it.”

The doctor rose from his seat. Hail followed the doctor out into the hallway.

“Is he in good condition?”

“Yes, sir, he is a strong man. I’m sure with continued counseling, he’ll pull through.”

“Good, then I’m glad to hear that.”

“However, for the time being, I’d advise him to avoid interacting with the children he had friction with.”

“I’ll take care of that.”

“And there’s one other problem.”

“What is that?”

“As expected, it seems that it was Agnes’ confession that triggered his collapse.”

Hail’s eyebrows waggled at the mention of Lucia.

“I’m glad that he doesn’t mind Agnes too much, but I’m afraid that something like this might happen again, so you’d better be careful.”

“Hmm, I see…….”

“Why me?”

A cheeky voice interrupted their conversation.

They glanced down to see Lucia standing there, her eyes narrowed.

“Is Herwin in a lot of pain?”

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“How long have you been here?”

Hail asked Lucia, who had quickly regained her composure after the doctor’s outburst.

“Just a little while ago, I went to the restroom.”

Lucia innocently pointed to where she had come out.

“Is Herwin sick that’s why he can’t meet me?”

Lucia asked, hugging the music box tightly. There was a worry in her voice that was unbecoming of someone her age. 

Hail looked down at Lucia for a moment, then bent down to meet her eye level.

“Are you worried about Herwin a lot?”

“Yes. He didn’t look so well yesterday. Was it… was it because of me?”

The corners of Lucia’s eyes drooped. She instinctively recognized that it was because of her.

“No, it’s not, and you shouldn’t worry too much. He’ll be well again tomorrow.”

“Really? That’s great…….”

Color flashed across her dark face. The child’s emotions were evident on her face, and Hail stroked her small head.

“Lucia, do you think you could make a promise to me?”

“A promise?”

“Yes. Yesterday, when you confessed to Herwin in full view of everyone?”

“Yes.”

“I want you not to do that next time.”

“Why? Does Herwin not like me?”

Lucia’s face contorted, and she looked like she might burst into tears at any moment. Flustered, Hail hastened to add.

“No, no, it’s not like that. Um, I don’t know how to explain this…….”

“The Master doesn’t like to be the center of attention.”

The doctor explained on Hail’s behalf.

“Many people saw you make your confession yesterday, but he hates being the center of attention, so I’d rather you not reveal that to him, even if it’s his wish.”

“So… Herwin doesn’t hate me, then?”

“Of course not, why would Herwin hate you, he’s a dear friend.”

“Hmm… so it’s okay to confess when no one else is around?”

“……?”

“Okay, next time I’ll do it where no one can see, I promise.”

Lucia promised, lacing her pinky with Hail’s, which was hovering in midair.

“Well, I’ll be back tomorrow, and be sure to tell Herwin my regards.”

Lucia bowed politely and stalked away.

“This isn’t …….”

The words fell from Hail’s lips, but no one was there to hear them.

* * *

“We missed you!”

The children, who had been playing in the playroom for a while, were happy to see Herwin finally return.

Henry was the first to hug him. Herwin was surprised at first, but then he skillfully hugged his brother.

“Did you have fun without me yesterday?”

“No! I was very bored without you!”

“What do you mean, you had fun doing puzzles with me yesterday.”

Lucas playfully retorted mid-sentence, and Henry cut him off.

“How are you feeling, are you feeling much better?”

“Yeah, I’m fine now.”

As he continued on his way, Herwin paused when he saw Lucia appear behind Lucas.

He was agitated enough for Henry to notice.

Lucia also paused for a moment at his uncharacteristic behavior, then took a step forward.

“Are you okay? Doesn’t anything hurt now?”

“Huh? Uh, ugh…….”

Herwin fidgeted awkwardly, noticeably avoiding Lucia’s eyes.

As Lucas and Henry looked on puzzled, Lucia grabbed Herwin’s hand.

“Come here, we’re going to have fun!”

“Huh? Wait……!”

Herwin was pulled away by Lucia’s hand. Lucas and Henry, who had been left behind, looked at the two of them and went wide-eyed.

“What’s wrong with them?”

“They’re just being weird today.”

In the distance, Lucia could be seen handing her toy to Herwin.

Lucas and Henry looked at each other, then joined them.

It was a normal day, subtly different than usual, but just as normal.

* * *

“So this is…….”

Lucia sat next to Herwin and told him a funny story.

As he listened, Herwin suddenly looked to the side.

When he saw her again, he remembered the day he had fallen. He was confused and wondered if she would confess again.

But somehow, she acted as if she hadn’t, as if she had never confessed.

However, it was still strange somehow.

“Also, if you do this to her…….”

Lucia, who had been talking nonstop, suddenly clamped her mouth shut.

She turned her head and saw someone walking by.

Only when the person was out of earshot did Lucia finish her sentence.

If you were to ask her to name the most noticeable change, it would be this.

Whenever someone was nearby, Lucia would either keep her mouth shut or take a moment to distance herself from Herwin.

At first, Herwin was nervous that someone would see him with Lucia, but as Lucia’s behavior became more withdrawn, his fears were quickly put to rest.

It’s been five days since the incident. Herwin had calmed down.

“……Herwin, can you hear me?”

“Huh?”

“You weren’t listening, were you?”

Lucia stuck her lips out in a pouty expression.

“……Why are you looking at me like that?”

When Herwin just stared at her wordlessly, Lucia shrugged and turned away.

“Because I don’t think you like me anymore.”

Herwin smiled, relieved.

“I’m glad to hear that. After all, what I said back then was a lie…….”

Herwin trailed off. Lucia’s face had turned bright red.

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