Chapter 30
III. The Hidden Truth
Perhaps it was only natural that Lucius had suffered from long-term insomnia and nightmares after Linert’s death. He was, by nature, a tender-hearted person.
It had been that way from their very first meeting.
The day she first visited the Valentin estate as a child with her parents. Unable to bear the adults’ boring conversation, Charlotte slipped away and, ditching her attendant, explored the mansion alone. By the time she wandered through the vast estate and out into the rear garden, a drizzling rain had begun to fall.
Charlotte frowned, wrinkling her nose. No wonder it’s been cloudy since morning. Since she hadn’t brought an umbrella, she was about to turn back when she spotted a small figure crouched with its back to her in front of a flower bed.
Though he had no attendant and was soaked through by the rain, his striking silver hair and neat attire, even in the dreary rain, made her realize instantly that he was Linert Valentin’s younger brother. The Valentin family’s problem child—said to be timid, frail, and always cooped up in the mansion, causing his parents much headache.
Curious, Charlotte approached.
“What are you doing out here in the rain….”
When he slowly turned his head to look at her, Charlotte was momentarily speechless. His eyes were a shade of blue more striking than any gem she had ever seen. Transparent droplets clung to his wet eyelashes and traced paths down his pale cheeks. He looked exactly as if he were crying.
Beside him lay a dead puppy.
Staring silently at his hands, filthy from digging into the flower bed’s soil with his bare hands, Charlotte wordlessly crouched down beside him. Then, with a determined expression, she rolled up her sleeves and began to dig. Smelling the wet earth and grass, she dug earnestly until a respectable hole was formed, and they carefully buried the dead puppy together.
She only learned later that the puppy had been a beloved pet, one that had been with Lucius since the year he was born.
By the time they stepped back inside the estate, both of them were completely drenched by the rain. Pushing back the damp strands of hair clinging to her cheeks, Charlotte surveyed her appearance. The hair and dress that her maids had spent hours meticulously preparing for her first meeting with her fiancé were now in a sorry state. I’m going to get scolded by the adults. A wave of belated worry made her exhale a heavy sigh.
But when she looked beside her and saw Lucius, equally disheveled, standing perfectly still and gazing quietly at her, her worries suddenly receded, and a stifled laugh escaped her. She pulled a handkerchief embroidered with ribbons from her bosom and handed it to him. To anyone else, it would undoubtedly look like a disastrous first meeting, yet, strangely, she didn’t feel bad about it at all.
Of course, just as she had feared, she did receive a stern scolding from her parents when she returned home.
***
After the engagement ceremony, her visits to the Valentin estate became frequent. However, despite their frequent interactions, Charlotte’s relationship with Linert remained lukewarm, even as time passed.
An excellent background as the next Duke, outstanding eloquence and wit, and a handsome appearance—there was no disagreement that, aside from his promiscuous private life, he was a perfect match as a spouse. But honestly, she wasn’t attracted to him. And she suspected Linert felt the same.
Like paints too vivid to be contained on a single canvas, the two of them, each with their own intense colors, couldn’t easily blend even when they shared the same space. Their interactions were obligatory, and their conversations often seemed to float aimlessly in the air.
‘The fiancé chosen by the family.’
That was the extent of their feelings for each other.
On the other hand, her relationship with his younger brother, Lucius, grew closer. As Linert began associating with his circle, thoroughly enjoying hunting and parties, the time Charlotte spent alone with Lucius increased.
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