Chapter 17
In the end, Lucia hadn’t actually solved Ian’s problem at all.
But ever since that day, Ian had started following her everywhere like a duckling that had just hatched.
At school, she could feel his eyes on her no matter where she went. On the ride home, he’d fidget in his seat while sneaking glances at her.
Even back at the estate, whenever Mrs. Lancaster wasn’t around, he always seemed to find his way to wherever Lucia was.
Hans snorted and tossed another bundle of hay to the horses.
“Quit looking at him. Nothing good will come of it.”
“…But…”
“He keeps staring at me. It’s hard not to notice.”
No matter how hard Lucia tried to ignore him, she could always feel his gaze lingering on her.
She avoided looking at him directly, yet every time she sensed someone watching, her eyes drifted toward him almost on their own.
For the first time in a long while, a faint blush touched her otherwise expressionless face.
That doll-like boy kept looking only at her. Somehow, his quiet excitement seemed contagious.
“Ahem.”
She’d once believed that better days would never come.
Yet after spending peaceful days at the Lancaster estate without incident, the painful memories of her old life had slowly begun to fade.
Perhaps that was why.
Although Ian’s attention embarrassed her, somewhere deep down it also made her happy.
Her ears turned pink. She tried to imitate Hans’s indifferent attitude, pretending not to care. But it was impossible.
The child adored by everyone paid special attention to her alone. No matter how she tried to suppress it, the corners of her lips kept lifting.
“Ian…”
Lucia’s voice was usually calm and reserved. Now, however, it carried the hopeful tremor of an ordinary girl her age.
“Do you think he wants to be friends with me?”
Whenever Ian looked her way, Lucia couldn’t help feeling that she, too, had somehow become someone special. As though being noticed by someone like him made her a little extraordinary herself.
But the flutter in her chest lasted only a moment.
“Lucia.”
A cold voice fell from above, cleanly severing the small hope she’d begun to nurture.
She looked up. An elderly man with a deeply lined face stood over her, watching with stern eyes. The look alone made her shoulders tense.
“Don’t get carried away just because you’ve gotten a little attention.”
“I-I wasn’t…”
“Don’t fool yourself just because the young master looks your way. To Lady Lancaster, you’re nothing more than another object in this house.”
His voice, always blunt, turned even harsher. Despite his age, the stable master remained broad-shouldered and imposing. Even when speaking to a child, he never lowered himself or softened his tone.
“Do you think people like us are treated as human here? We’re replaceable parts. Nothing more. Don’t ever forget that. A person may desire an object. But an object should never desire a person.”
“…”
“That boy’s a poisonous mushroom. Be fooled by how beautiful he is, and you’ll only end up hurting yourself.”
“…I know.”
The harsh but painfully realistic warning washed the color from Lucia’s cheeks. The youthful sparkle in her eyes quietly dimmed.
A child with nowhere to belong had no choice but to grow up early. She couldn’t afford expectations. She had to learn to live with reality instead.
Lucia looked toward Ian one last time.
This time, when their eyes met, he didn’t hide behind a tree. Instead, he smiled shyly and gave her a small wave.
A poisonous mushroom. If only Lucia had taken Hans’s advice to heart.
* * *
Two years passed after Lucia entered the Lancaster household.
In that time, she’d grown into quite the little lady. The hair that had once been cropped short had grown to her jawline.
The frail body that had been little more than skin and bone had finally filled out, making her look like any other healthy child.
“Lucia…!”
Hearing someone call her name, Lucia closed the book she’d been reading and looked up. Ian was running across the garden toward her.
“Be careful. What if you trip?”
“Mmh—but I wanted to give this to you quickly.”
Ian pulled a glass jar from inside his coat and carefully placed it on the tea table. The moment he removed the lid, the rich aroma of butter drifted into the air.
“Let’s have them with tea…!”
He looked unable to hide his excitement, explaining that a guest had given him the cookies.
Lucia glanced over the elegant desserts spread across the table and smiled softly.
“They look delicious. Come sit down.”
“Okay!”
Upon the white wrought-iron table sat fragrant tea and an assortment of delicate sweets—treats Lucia never would have imagined tasting in her previous life.
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