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PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFER BEST STORIES AND LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME
LUCIA
C58 [part 1] - < — The Capital’s High Society(1)– > (1)
Chapter 58 [part 1]
< — The Capital’s High Society(1)– > (1)
TN: ┐(︶▽︶)┌ | So I guess this could also be called ‘The Capital’s Social Circle’ but I feel like ‘high society’ is a glaring indication that the title refers to nobles.
It was a late evening gathering done to avoid people’s gazes. Every single member in this secret gathering was a great figure in society. It would likely be very hard for this group of people to be able to gather in secret again.
Crown Prince Kwiz, Duke Taran, Duke Ramis, Marquis Philip and Marquis DeKhan. Excluding the Crown Prince, all four were Gong and if one were to add up all the territories they governed individually, they were high-ranking influential nobles that governed half of the country.
“So, what is Taran Gong’s view on this?”
Hugo thought about Kwiz’s question for a moment and spoke.
“War will happen. It is just a matter of time. Therefore, the anti-forces certainly needs to be cleaned up.”
“Mmm…”
They all hummed thoughtfully. There was no one here that didn’t know that even though it was said the war had ended, it was closer to being a ceasefire.
The Southwest Allied Forces were defeated in the war and were paying dearly for it because they had to pay many reparations for the war.
Unable to bear the heavy tax, rebellions rose all over, civil wars broke out, some countries were overthrown and dynasties were changed. Except from war, there was no other way to escape their current predicament.
“I agree with Ramis Gong’s idea of leaving them to grow in strength for the time being.” (Hugo)
“What is the problem with just dealing with them from the start?”
“Instead of snapping the branches, pull it out from the roots. If dealt with a half-measure, hidden enemies could emerge later, during the war.”
This was a place to discuss how to handle the so-called, anti-Imperial forces, which was basically the Crown Prince’s half-brothers.
Duke Taran and Duke Ramis were of the opinion to leave them for now and deal with them later but the two Marquis’ were of the opinion that it was cleaner to just clear them out now.
Both sides had reason to it so Kwiz was pondering it over.
“If Taran Gong is making the decision, would you leave it alone for now?”
“No. If I am making the decision, I will deal with it now.”
Hn? They all turned their gazes to Hugo, signaling they didn’t understand his meaning.
“Why have your words changed? I thought you wanted to pull it up from the roots and not handle it sloppily.”
“That is playing by the books but I am not Crown Prince. I can’t stand annoying things buzzing around me. It suits me more to start killing everything.”
“…Ah. Is that so.”
Kwiz suddenly remembered how the Duke of Taran handled the northern lords that betrayed him over a year ago. Close to 1,000 people died.
Even the King who tolerated and stayed out of northern affairs showed significant discomfort at the time. Even without knowing the details, there was no doubt that the previous King had received an enormous gift to block his mouth back then. After all, the incident had fizzled out as though nothing happened.
“If they crawl up later, one can just kill them again. Even if they are dealt with right now, I will not object. But I am confident to kill them all, disregarding the aftermath. Isn’t that what troubles Your Highness Crown Prince?”
Kwiz looked disinclined. It seemed like complete understanding of the Taran Duke who thought of people’s lives like insects would forever be impossible. But whenever this extremity surfaced, Kwiz felt strangely relieved.
This was because the Duke of Taran was not likely to act like a fox and scheme behind his back. But one cannot know everything.
Kwiz would not do something stupid like understanding someone with feelings alone. But when it came to understanding someone, it was inevitable to trust the image drawn in one’s head instinctively.
“…Mm. For now, I will watch the situation unfold. What do the rest of you think?” (Kwiz)
Duke Ramis as well as the two Marquis’ agreed. Duke Ramis turned to look at Duke Taran with a profound gaze. Perhaps he was growing senile but he sensed that the Duke of Taran had deliberately phrased it that way.
I am ignorant so I want to kill everything but what does Crown Prince think.
In that way, he naturally drove the Crown Prince’s thoughts to the other side.
‘Hmmm…’
Unintentionally, Duke Ramis kept comparing his son and the Taran Duke. Probably because they were the same age. And every time his son lost. From the outset, the capability itself was different. It was really fortunate that the Duke of Taran did not hold much interest in political power.
Duke Ramis decided that he would give his son a firm warning again when he got home. He would tell him not try to compete with the Taran Duke out of pointless childishness.
His son, David, had a passably exceptional head on his shoulders but he was arrogant and haughty. He only received worship from young and did not know how scary the world could be.
If one pushed forward boldly, it could become an advantage but if one didn’t know their place, it could become a huge problem.
Duke Ramis was now old enough to begin worrying about matters after his death. The Crown Prince, who would rise to the throne, was at his prime and so was the Duke of Taran.
Under the reign of the new King, the ones that would guarded the family were the children. So Duke Ramis’ attention was focused on the issue of sucession.
Kwiz did not resemble his predecessor. On the surface he seemed virtuous but his nature was a powerful. If one wanted to protect their family under a King that was sure to pursue strong royal authority, one had to know how to lower their head.
But in that regard, David made him uneasy. It would be fortunate if David didn’t run himself against the wall thinking he was extraordinary.
‘Perhaps Robin might be better a option than David.’
Duke Ramis was beginning to consider his gentle second son, Robin as his successor, instead of the overly confident and prideful David.
And David was unable to even fathom that the Duke of Ramis could be having such a thought.
_____________
LUCIA
C58 [part 2] - < — The Capital’s High Society[1]– > (1)
Chapter 58 [part 2]
< — The Capital’s High Society[1]– > (1)
TN: (ᗒᗨᗕ)
Hugo felt exhausted from attending a meeting that he didn’t lead. He could somewhat understand the troubles of his vassals and locals lords that attended his meetings.
His distant mansion which was submerged in darkness, looked exceptionally lonely today. Ever since coming to the capital, his steps grew heavy whenever he entered the mansion. To him, a house used to have no special meaning to him except for being a sleeping place.
But in the north, whenever he left and came back to Roam, there was always someone waiting for him and for the first time ever, he felt the feeling of going home.
Hugo heard that she had left for the Capital but because he told her to take it easy and not overdo it, it would take some time for them to arrive in the Capital. To be honest, he wanted her to arrive in the capital as soon as possible.
As he stepped out of the carriage, he was surprised at the sight of Jerome who greeted him.
“Have you been well, Your Grace?”
“When did you arrive?”
“I arrived this morning escorting Madam.”
“Did anything happen?”
“No. No incident occurred with the Madam the entire journey. After arriving, she slept shortly during the day and retired to her bedroom a while ago.”
While listening absentmindedly, Hugo walked past Jerome, entering the mansion and quickly climbing up the stairs. He habitually opened the door to his bedroom and his heart jumped for a moment in view of the empty and chilly room. Nothing was there.
He opened the door to the dark bedroom on the opposite side of the hallway and the silhouette lying on the bed moved.
“Mm…are you just coming in?”
Hugo’s heart throbbed as he listened to her voice full of sleep. Could a song be sweeter than this on his ears? He quickly moved to the bed, abruptly pulled her body into his arms then he buried his nose in her neck. He’d really missed her scent and soft body that sank into his arms. The sensation filled his lonely heart with joy.
Lucia felt as though the fatigue from the trip was flying away in his strong embrace. She leaned on his chest and enjoyed the embrace she longed for. They stayed in that position for a while, intoxicated with each other’s warmth.
He grabbed her shoulders with both hands, moving her away from his chest and in a swift motion, he captured her lips. His hot tongue parted her lips and wove itself into her mouth. Their breath and saliva were instantly mixed and his lips vigorously devoured hers.
They separated for an instant then her lips were swallowed again. Lucia’s senses were overwhelmed by the intense, sweet and imploring kiss. His hand slid into her thin nightwear, grabbing her bare breast. Her body, accustomed to his caresses, was thrilled by the stimulation and automatically flinched.
His large hand kneaded her breast and his fingers rubbed her nipple. Her body longed for his touch and was instantly aroused from his caresses. Because of the hot weather, her nightwear was somewhat transparent and light. So, his hand exploring on her nightwear could feel her figure in its entirety.
He placed his lip on her taut breast and pulled her nipple with his teeth.
“Huu…”
Her stimulated nipple grew stiff. He licked her nightwear covered nipple and ended his licks with a bite. The breast area of her nightwear was wet with saliva and stuck to her chest, looking erotic.
He fondled her breasts to his heart’s contents and suddenly, the nightwear started to look irritating. He wanted to taste her sweet, soft skin. He grabbed the front of her nightwear and pulled it aside. The few top buttons of the nightwear were sent flying and the garment was ripped apart, unable to win against his strength.
He immediately sucked on her pale breast, now fully exposed to him.
“Hng!”
Her hands dug into his hair. When his tongue began to lap around her chest, a shiver ran down her spine. Her body surged with heat, readying to accept him. The inside of her legs grew hot and an anxious sensation traveled through her body. Her waist moved restlessly and her legs rubbed against each other.
His hand traced down to her thighs, pulling down her underwear. He stripped her underwear off her ankle and carelessly threw them aside. He didn’t have the focus or patience to take off all his clothes.
He pulled down his pants, bringing out his hardened member then he grabbed her legs and spread them around his waist. His firm member reached her clandestine spring and he moved his waist a little, rubbing against her drenched entrance.
He lowered his head and whispered to her in a heavily subdued tone.
“Can I?”
She gave a small nod and the tip of his penis touching her entrance pushed in slightly and his length slowly entered her. It was a careful motion compared to his usual urgent movements. He clenched his teeth, suppressing his desire to thrust into her with intensity. He was worried that if he went in impatiently, his small, feeble wife would get hurt.
When he was completely inside her, their breaths which had stopped for a while, simultaneously burst out. His huge thing fully occupied her small body, as though it originally existed there.
Lucia sighed with relish. The feeling of her insides being filled gave her a sense of satisfaction and pleasure. His member entered and throbbed inside her, widening the narrow walls of her vagina. The sensation of a foreign body pushing against her inner walls was vivid and Lucia knit her brows.
“Does it hurt?”
“Haa…N..No.”
“I’m going to…go a little stronger. Tell me if it hurts.”
Hugo put strength in his arms, holding back his desire to ravage her insides recklessly, and the veins of his arms bulged. He pulled out slowly then thrust in heavily. Her body flinched as an achy tingling sensation traveled through her body. The dull ache was gone in a moment, and a weak sense of climax ran up her spine. Her body shuddered with pleasure.
Again, he slowly pulled out and with a heavier thrust, he penetrated deeper. Lucia moaned and grabbed his arm, squeezing the sleeve of his shirt. When he kissed and caressed her, her body grew sensitive and excited, as if to accept him, and at the same time, it contracted and tightened, as if to resist him.
“Hng…”
“Gh…Vivian…too…tight.”
Really. It’s sucking me in. He muttered with rough breath. His penis pushed against her tender walls and entered deeper. Her insides were so tight and wet that every inch filled him with relish.
He held down the reins of his desire that wished to run wild. Not yet. Her body needed a little more preparation. He knew from experience. He had to make her wetter for the path to flow smoother.
He opened her body tenderly and slowly, with movements like a starving beast. She felt like a treasure being bathed with love. This feeling filled her with more excitement than any intense stimulation. She closed her legs around his waist and lifted her hips to accept him deeper. She felt breathless as she swallowed him all the way to the hilt.
He took rough breaths beside her ear and the two fully entwined bodies began to move together in rhythm. He increased his thrusting speed a little and his thing rubbed against her inner walls intensely.
“Ng…good…”
“…What?”
Hugo mumbled roughly and while moving waist, he nibbled on her ear. He moved to her neck and licked it. Then he opened his mouth and bit down on her neck. He sucked on the throbbing pulse of her neck as though it were her body’s source of fragrance.
“Say it again.”
A shudder ran down his spine. Because of her skill-less words, blood rushed to his lower abdomen. The thought that those words had unconsciously spilled out of her mouth made him really excited. He lifted his waist and drove his thickness deep into her.
“Ah! Ng!”
Because of his strong penetrations, her body swayed back and forth and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She hung her head on his shoulders and her upper body tilted slightly. His large hand reached out and reliably supported her back. He continued to thrust faster and deeper and her inner walls moved with his penis as though attached.
“Ang! Uuu…ah…good…deeper…”
“Haa, you’re really…something…”
Hugo grunted fiercely and buried his head in her neck.
“A! Aah!”
Her body shook frantically. He lay her back on the bed and she linked her hands around him as she held on. He roughly kissed her lips then nibbled and sucked on her breasts. His manhood fiercely pounded into her womb, stirring up her insides and touching her sensitive parts. Her vaginal walls reacted and began to gush with fluids.
“Ahhh!”
She cried out seductively as she reached her climax and her toes curled up in pleasure. Her insides spasmed intensely and wrapped around his member tightly. He paused his movements and endured the churning of her insides.
When her inner spasms subsided a little, he began to explore her hot, narrow path again.
“Ah! A-ng! Hugh!”
She uttered a coquettish cry as though imploring him and he kissed her teary eyes. He held her thighs firmly in his hands, spreading them apart and seeing her body in full bloom beneath him, he gasped for breath. Her taste was sweet like honey in his mouth.
His pleasure gradually intensified and when he reached his climax, he groaned in pleasure and closed his eyes. He stiffened as pleasure rushed from his waist to his head. His penis throbbed as he released semen into her. When his long release was over, they both collapsed onto the bed.
His breathing calmed down soon enough but her breathing took a while to calm down. He lifted his torso and slowly slid out of her causing her body tremble. She shrunk her legs and her entire body continued to shudder. Maybe he felt it because he placed his hand on the small of her back and pulled her strongly to his chest.
Tightly pressed against his bosom, Lucia choose to breathe. Her body hung listlessly. It was summer but she didn’t dislike the heat from his body. He poured small kisses on her eyes, lips, and all over her face.
“Vivian.”
“Hm…”
She felt like sleep was slowly approaching and blinked her eyes.
“Let’s do it one more time.”
He blocked her lips before she could reply. Their tongues entwined, sharing their innermost temperatures with each other and a passionate kiss ensued. She felt out of breath as she responded to his kiss. The intoxicating and dizzying heat of the kiss filled her with pleasure.
Whether hot or passionate, she always got entranced by his kisses. His hand grabbed her inner thighs and pried them apart. Soon, there was a handprint on her tender skin.
“Hk!”
He penetrated her vagina with his already energetic rod, and her inner walls, soaked with love juices and semen, swallowed him with no resistance.
At this rate, there’ll be no end. Lucia pushed away from his chest and twisted her waist but even so, he didn’t budge. Even though she knew she couldn’t overcome him with strength, she angrily knocked on his chest.
“You do this every time.”
“Cut me some slack. It’s been a while.”
“When do you ever care about that!”
No matter if it was once a day or after a few days, his endless pursuit remained the same. Every day, he bothered her like usual, and when it was after a long time, he would use time as a reason to be more persistent.
Hugo easily over powered her, whose anger was like a mermaid dragged out of water. He grabbed her wrist with one hand and held it over her head. He grabbed her thigh with his other hand, pulling her towards his waist. His penis immediately sank deeper, reaching her deepest parts at once.
“Huu…”
“If you cooperate, I’ll really just do it one more time.”
She glared as him for a while, then traced his waist with her legs as though giving permission. She didn’t think he was going to obediently step down anyways.
She had already restrained to this extent so she wasn’t going to stop herself from sleeping anymore. In its own way, it was a trick she learnt when she couldn’t cope with his endless stamina.
Hugo tried not to push her as intensely as possible. All the positions he wanted to try kept floating in his head but no. He had to endure today. Although, if he really wanted to be considerate, he could just let her sleep for today but he ignored that contradiction.
For now, he was giving it his best in his fight against his desire. Lucia watched through blurry eyes as her body shook from his movements, and once in a while, she let out a moan of pleasure.
Suddenly, she realized that he was still wearing his clothes. Only his bottoms were off as he thrust into her meanwhile under him, she was completely naked. At this contrast, Lucia felt strange.
“Shirt…”
“Shirt?”
“Your shirt…it’ll wrinkle.”
Hugo chuckled deeply and abruptly thrust into her.
“Aah!”
“Does it bother you? That you’re naked and I’m not?”
“…”
“Do I take it off? But if I do, you won’t sleep today.”
He chuckled mischievously at her curt reply of ‘don’t’. Then he captured her lips.
___________
LUCIA
C59 [part 1] - < — The Capital’s High Society[1]– > (2)
Chapter 59 [part 1]
< — The Capital’s High Society[1]– > (2)
TN: (≧▽≦) BONUS RELEASE 1
When Lucia opened her eyes in the morning, she found herself lying with her head on his shoulder while one of his hands were wrapped around her shoulders and the other around her waist. They were both naked and only the lower part of their body was covered by a thin blanket.
Last night, he eventually took off all his clothes and flung them aside. Lucia lifted her hand and slowly stroked his chest from top to bottom. She enjoyed the feeling of unevenness and abdominal muscles beneath her palm.
Suddenly his hand holding her waist grew firm, and he moved to place a kiss on her cheek.
“What’s the occasion?” (Lucia)
“Huh?”
“You’re here, being idle.”
He nuzzled under her neck and kissed her chin repeatedly. It felt ticklish so she twitched and giggled.
“I should have days like this sometimes.”
It was both nice and unfamiliar for him to be next to her when she woke up in the morning. She wondered if he would be troubled if she told him that she wanted to wake up next to him in the morning sometimes, even if it wasn’t every day.
She wanted to keep this excessively diligent man on the bed a little more. The breeze blew over them and her hand kept roaming. She ran her soft palm over the firm and buoyant muscles of his chest. The feeling of his solid muscles was really nice. Her hand exploring his chest went down to his clearly defined abdominal muscles.
His hand caught her wrist at that point but she wanted to feel a little more. His obstruction was so heartless, she thought but when she looked up and met his eyes, that bitter feeling subsided. Hot passion lingered in his red eyes gazing at her.
Suddenly, using the arm wrapped around her waist, he pulled her into his bosom. Their naked abdomens were closely in contact with each other and the only obstruction was the thin silk quilt.
His manhood was already huge and was lodged between her thighs. Lucia’s face flushed red with embarrassment and her body grew rigid. He put his lips to her ear and whispered to her, his voice low.
“Are you seducing me?”
Hearing his voice laced with patient desire, her body automatically shook. When she buried her head in his chest without denying it, it was rather Hugo who was taken aback.
‘Why are you so cute?’
His wife was usually very shy and felt pressured at the smallest contact with him when the day was bright. Normally, he wouldn’t turn down such an opportunity. Right now, he wanted to kiss her till she was breathless, leave his traces all over her pale skin, press her down and enter her hot body…
Damn it! He roared voicelessly. His schedule couldn’t be cancelled at all this morning. To have to leave this prepared lavish meal…! Ugh. He sighed inwardly and laboriously pushed down his lingering desires.
“I have to go.”
“…Oh.”
“Sleep some more. I don’t think your fatigue from travel is fully relieved yet.”
As he spoke, he felt a little poked at. It was actually himself that bothered her all night before her fatigued was relieved. He should have allowed her some rest.
He felt his poor self-control was pathetic and became worried that she would fall ill again. He decided he would ask Jerome to call for a doctor and make sure she got treated when he left.
‘I’ll have to ask for tonics too.’
Her stamina was too weak.
“Okay…”
Hearing her mumbled response, he lifted her chin and kissed her lips then he lifted himself off the bed. He picked up the gown lying on the end table and draped it on his body.
Lucia watched his back until he was out of the bedroom then she burrowed back into the blankets like a cat.
***
When she got up again, it was almost noon. Lucia looked around the strange bedroom. It was not familiar like the one in Roam. Rather, the ceiling was lower than the one in the castle and the bedroom was a little smaller, but still, it felt spacious.
Now, she had to get accustomed to living here. Without any promise of return, it was very likely that they would be living in the capital for quite some time.
After having lunch, Lucia bid Jerome to prepare to head out.
“I would like to meet an acquaintance I haven’t seen in a long time. However, this acquaintance doesn’t know my identity. I will gradually talk about it but today, I would like to go inconspicuously to avoid surprise.”
It had always been on Lucia’s mind that when she came up to the capital, she would go see Norman next. She hadn’t contacted the woman for over a year so she must have been worried. She wondered how Norman had been all this while.
“Before that, Milady, the doctor is waiting.”
“The doctor?”
“Master asked for a doctor to be called to examine Milady because Milady might fall ill from overexertion after the long journey.”
“…”
Lucia’s face reddened a little. She doubted whether the ‘overexertion’ he referred to was actually from the fatigue of the trip. Quite frankly, the languidness she currently felt in her body was not due to the tiredness of travel.
“Alright. I just have to be examined?”
“He also asked for Milady to be given tonics.”
Really, this husband of hers. His plan of feeding well and eating later was very obvious. Lucia never thought her body was weak. Her outer frame was small and she had a tiny build but her body was healthy and not constantly sick.
However, after marrying him, she realized what it meant to be exhausted from a lack of stamina. Sex with him consumed so much energy. She didn’t know till a few months after her first time. However, the number of months accumulated and after a year, she realized how fortunate she was to have Anna’s assertion of once every five days.
“…Is that so. If you must, then I ask for a very concentrated diet.”
“For outing, I will accompany Milady. Opportunely, Sir Heba is around so escorting can be left up to him.”
As though reading her mind, Jerome quickly got everything ready. He donned rustic clothing unlike that of a Duke’s butler and Dean also wore leather armor so he would look like a common escort and not like a knight.
The carriage prepared also looked ordinary without the crest of the family. The carriage rode off in the direction given by Lucia. It was a simple company of people. But unknown to Lucia, secret escorts were following the carriage.
The carriage finally stopped a little distance away from Norman’s two-story house.
__________
LUCIA
C59 [part 2] - < — The Capital’s High Society(1)– > (2)
Chapter 59 [part 2]
< — The Capital’s High Society(1)– > (2)
TN: ＼(≧▽≦)／
Jerome and Dean followed a few steps behind Lucia as she came down from the carriage and headed towards Norman’s house. Lucia knocked on the door. She expected to see Ms. Phil’s plump face greeting her at the door but there was no reply.
She knocked a few more times but there was still no response.
‘Did she go out? But Norman doesn’t like going out. Why isn’t Ms. Phil here?’
She felt sad that she had to leave without even seeing Norman’s face so she stood in front of the door for a long time.
“Lucia!”
Lucia heard a voice calling her name from afar. A pair of two, male and female, were some distance away and out of the pair, the woman excitedly ran towards Lucia, waving her hand. She was no longer the lean girl from Lucia’s memory. The surprisingly plump Norman rushed towards Lucia quickly.
“Lucia, right?!”
“Norman.”
Norman hugged her tightly.
“My goodness. It’s been so long. Let me look at you. Aiyo, you’ve become prettier. Look how fair your face is.”
Norman was crying while holding Lucia’s face and turning it left and right. Jerome and Dean were uncomfortable seeing the precious body of the Duchess mishandled and turned away slightly.
Norman fussed over Lucia, checking her face, hands and repeatedly saying things like ‘you look healthy, thank goodness’ or ‘fortunately, you’re not hurt’.
“Let’s go inside. Just where and what have you been doing all this time…”
“Ah, Norman. This is…”
Lucia was curious about the identity of the man standing beside Norman. He was walking alongside with Norman and after Norman ran off, he followed after her.
The man grinned as though grateful for Lucia’s lack of knowledge and promptly clung to Norman. Norman fixed him a lovable glare and jogged him with her elbow. Lucia’s eyes widened at the very intimate display.
“I almost forgot to introduce him. This is Thomas. My fiancé.”
“Fiancé?”
Lucia’s voice increased in surprise. Norman gave an embarrassed laugh then briefly introduced Lucia to Thomas and vice versa then she quickly chased him away.
It was obvious from Thomas’ gaze that he wanted to go into the house together and stick his head in their conversation but Norman pretended not to notice.
The man who turned around without concealing his regret gave off a nice and gentle impression. Norman linked arms with Lucia and tugged at her, showing her interest in the two attractive men behind Lucia.
“Who are those men? By any chance, you too?”
Norman sent Lucia a strange gaze. Which one is it? It was such a gaze. Lucia quickly resolved the misunderstanding. If Hugo were to hear this, it would be a disaster.
“No. They are my escorts.”
“Escort? Wow. Lucia. What happened to you? I think we have a lot to talk about. But the people that came with you…”
“We are fine, you do not have to worried.”
Hearing Jerome’s reply, Norman’s eyes widened in surprise. From his attire, she thought he was just a regular person but his tone and attitude showed etiquette and grace. It seemed he was not an ordinary person working under another.
Even though she knew it was rude, Norman kept glancing at the two men until she and Lucia entered the house and closed the door. As soon as the door was closed, the thoroughly maintained indoors of the small two-story house came into view.
As Lucia was seeing Norman’s house again after a long time, she looked around in appreciation. The plainly formal atmosphere of the living room was unchanged.
Norman brought out some tea and sat on the couch facing Lucia.
“Where did Ms. Phil go?” (Lucia)
“She quit because of back pains. Plus I will be leaving soon anyways.”
“Leaving?”
“You know, my fiancé you saw earlier. I decided to go to his hometown and get married.”
“Norman, congratulations! When are you going?”
“The day after tomorrow.”
“The day after tomorrow? You leave in two days?”
“Yes. We nearly missed each other. I didn’t know you were coming so I was going to put this house up for rent. I was planning to have them contact me if you were to ever come.”
Lucia felt deep regret. Norman was her first friend and her family. She was able to arrange a dress and meet Hugo with the money that Norman gave her, and she went to visit the ducal residence with the courage gained from Norman’s advice.
If not for Norman, Lucia would not have been able to marry him. On the other hand, perhaps it was for the best. Lucia had experienced the life of a commoner and a noble.
So she knew how nobles looked at commoners. For the common people, the world of the nobility was an insurmountable wall, akin to heaven and earth and it could not be mixed with the world they lived in.
Most commoners would never see a high-ranking noble like a Duke in their entire lifetime. Lucia believed that Norman was not a person to change according to the status of another. But if she knew Lucia’s real identity, she wouldn’t be able to help feeling some distance in her heart.
The gap between the maid Lucia and the formerly princess but now Duchess Vivian was too big. It was hard to keep hiding this fact from Norman and Lucia was always worried that if she were to tell Norman, their relationship would become estranged.
She wanted to send Norman off as the Lucia that Norman knew. She wanted Norman to live a calm life, and perhaps if Norman didn’t know, she could live carefreely.
“Actually, I am married too.”
“What? Really?”
“I couldn’t contact you because I got married and had to go far away with my husband in a hurry. I’m sorry.”
“I see now. And no. I am getting married too so I know there are a lot of things to prepare and a lot to worry about. So I understand. Then, is it also your husband that placed those escorts?”
When Lucia nodded, Norman remarked, ‘they did seem hired…’ and exclaimed in admiration. Lucia was intimated by the questions of, how old, what kind of man, where does he live, where did you meet, that poured out non-stop from Norman.
Noticing that Lucia had difficulty answering, Norman did not push for an answer.
‘In any case, I don’t think the man Lucia is married to is an ordinary man.’
Norman recalled the men that followed Lucia as her escorts.
‘Maybe she married a rich merchant or a noble. She did come with a valuable carriage from who knows where. Ah. A marriage with a noble. That is really what is called romance.”
“Is your husband good to you?”
“Yes, he’s affectionate.”
“Does he earn well?”
Lucia burst into laughter.
“Yes, he earns very well.”
“At night…”
“Oh, Norman!”
“What? Don’t act so innocent on what a married woman does. You’ve already done it all.”
Norman giggled as she looked at Lucia who was bright red. She teased Lucia about if she had any advice to share on a couple’s night to her junior since Lucia was a senior in marriage. Lucia blushed fiercely, not saying anything and seeing that, Norman began to giggle again.
“You know, I thought of sending you a letter to ask if you were okay but honestly, I was a little worried about the medium. Something strange happened, you see.” (Norman)
“Something strange?”
“Some woman came to me saying she was a fan of my novel. I couldn’t find out who she was but to my senses, she felt like a noble. Even if one doesn’t want to be exposed, whether it is from their tone or their actions. Something is different.”
“A noble can be a fan though.”
“That is true. But she was looking for you.”
“…looking for me?”
“She came to find me a few times, mentioned your features and asked what you guaranteed when you made a bank account. When I asked why she was looking for you, she said she was looking for news as you were someone she knew. I just said you were a dongsaeng I knew. She wasn’t interrogative but I pretended not to notice that she was quietly guiding me to talk about you. It isn’t someone you know, right?”
“I don’t know. I can’t…get a sense of who it is at all.”
Who could it be? Lucia was appalled by the fact that someone had come after Norman to ask about her. Someone was investigating her without her knowledge.
‘Maybe they were aiming for him, not me.’
While there was no reason for anyone to go after her, his political opponents could still try to take advantage of her to get to him.
“Does the lady still come?”
“No. She suddenly stopped coming. It’s already been several months. I haven’t seen her ever since.”
Lucia listened to Norman’s detailed description of the woman’s features and saved it in her mind. Since the woman tried to investigate, she would surely try to approach Lucia someday.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Norman had been staring at Lucia for a while now, so Lucia had to ask.
“It feels like you’ve changed a little.”
“It has been a while after all.”
“No. It’s different from that.”
Being the Duchess for more than a year, Lucia handled people under her and the leisure and skillfulness with which she dealt with the ladies of the northern high society flowed out of her unawares. Norman caught this with her sharp eyes. But Norman did not know exactly why or what was different so she just thought that something was different.
“Because you weren’t here, I got to learn precisely how great of a storyteller you are. I paid someone to get news of the noble circles a few times but it wasn’t as funny and informative as when you tell it.”
“Was there any interesting story?”
“The most memorable one…was news about the Duke of Taran.”
Lucia almost choked on the tea she was drinking.
“Apparently, the Duke of Taran got married. Do you happen to know anything?”
“I-I’m not sure.”
“Well indeed. People like us don’t quibble over which noble marries whom. But the rumors about the Duke of Taran’s marriage are interesting. They say, there was no wedding, and as soon as the secret marriage was over, he kidnapped the bride and dragged her to his estate.”
“Pk!”
Lucia ended up spitting out the tea in her mouth.
“What’s wrong? Is the tea too hot?”
“N-No.”
Norman handed her a handkerchief and Lucia wiped off the spilled tea on her skirt.
“Oh no. I don’t think the stain will come off completely.”
“It’s okay.”
“What was I talking ab…Ah, right. The Duke of Taran. Anyway, but it is said that the Duke lost it and did that because the woman that became the Duchess is a woman of incomparable beauty, beautiful enough to ruin a country.”
“…”
Lucia now had cold sweat forming on her back. That ‘incomparable beauty’ was none other than herself that was in front of Norman.
“At home, the Duke confines the Duchess…”
“Nor..Norman. Will you keep writing novels after you leave?”
Lucia couldn’t listen any longer so she quickly changed the topic.
“It is uncertain. If not in the capital, my novels might not sell well so I don’t know if it will be profitable. But I have the money I’ve made so far so I’m not worried. My fiancé runs a shop that has been in the family for generations so I think income will be okay.”
“How did this ever happen? Norman used to not believe in love.”
“That is why life is fun. Hahaha.”
The afternoon went by as Lucia spent several hours listening to Normans’ love story. As Lucia listened, it was a very typical and romantic encounter, compared to the romance novels written by Norman but Norman told the story with her eyes shining as though she were talking about the masterpiece of the century.
She really seemed like the one of the heroines in her novels that fell in love.
“What of you? Are you happy?”
Norman asked at an interval and Lucia replied with, ‘yes, I’m happy.’ The happiness in her smiling face was not a lie. Lucia was truly happy with her days with him. Her sincerity was fully conveyed to Norman. Norman made an expression of happiness and relief.
“Well, this can work as your wedding gift. This house. I transferred it to you.”
“This house?”
“Your account was still open in the bank so I left it to the bank manager to process it. I’ve processed all the paperwork and taxes so all that’s left is for you to receive it.”
“Norman, this is the first house you bought, isn’t it? A house with such precious memories…”
“And that is why I would like for you to accept it. The memories in this house are memories built with you. I don’t want to sell it, but I do not know when I will be back to the capital.”
Nolan stood up from the other couch and came to sit beside Lucia then gave her a firm hug.
“Lucia, I always worry about you because you are much younger than me. You have to be happy. You will know where I live, so come to me if your husband makes you unhappy.”
“Norman, thank you. If it wasn’t for Norman, I…”
Lucia was all choked up and couldn’t speak. They hugged each other and cried, sharing the joy of reunion and the sorrow of parting.
Lucia dissuaded Norman from seeing her off. She declined saying that Norman would be busy all day tomorrow preparing and the day after tomorrow, Norman would have to depart in the morning so there was no need to see her off.
Norman didn’t want to inconvenience Lucia who wasn’t free to go around without an escort. Even though the two of them said their goodbyes for a while inside, they stood in front of the door unable to let go of their regret.
“Please take good care of her. She is someone I think of as a younger sister.”
Norman requested this of Jerome
“Do not worry. We will serve with our utmost sincerity.”
Norman watched as Jerome carefully escorted Lucia to the carriage and she thought:
‘He seems like a really good man. I will be relieved if Lucia’s husband is such a man. Ai. Lucia is already married. My small dream is gone.’
Norman had planned to introduce Lucia to the younger brother of her fiancé for marriage, when they got back in touch with each other. That way, she and Lucia would move from east to west and live close to each other forever. She was worried that the young Lucia wouldn’t know a good man.
‘I hope you aren’t being held up by some strange guy and suffering.’
But still, she was relieved that the lonely Lucia was no longer alone. Even though the carriage was no longer in sight, Norman stood standing outside for a long while.
Translator’s Corner:
1) Dongsaeng means: someone younger that you. Usually a close term. Can be used to refer to male or female. Direct translation is younger sister/child…
*We are getting to the point where we might need a term glossary.
*If someone can teach me footnotes, I’ll do em lol.
*This chapter is the longest we’ve had I think. Phew.
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