Chapter 66
Lionel had changed.
No, he had become strange.
Agnes, who had returned to the carriage after gathering the necessary documents, still felt her lips, which were burning hot.
Since leaving the bathroom, Lionel had kissed her whenever he had the chance, brushed his fingertips against hers when she stood beside him, and at times, buried his face in her neck without a word.
As if…
As if he were a person who loved Agnes dearly.
Ever since she realized she liked
Lionel, she had dreamed of this. Of him loving her.
To think that it had become a reality.
At first, she was bewildered, and then she was happy.
But the joy did not last long.
Whenever a flicker of confusion appeared in Lionel’s eyes, her heart, which had been floating buoyantly, plummeted in an instant.
The affection Lionel gave was sweet, but it was like an illusion that could vanish at any moment. Like a
midsummer night’s dream.
So, Agnes felt as if she were trapped in a fog.
Every word and every action was more cautious than before. To protect this dream from breaking.
Every day, it felt as if she were
standing on thin ice that would shatter if she took a wrong step.
“I heard it was difficult to meet Lucian, but it seems to have worked out well.”
At Lionel’s low voice, Agnes took her hand away from her lips.
And she set aside her confused heart along with it.
Right now, she just wanted to focus on this situation.
On this situation where Lionel was making eye contact and acting curious about her.
“Yes. It seems she liked the fig tart I made and sent to her.”
Fortunately, it seemed the taste was indeed what Lucian had been longing for, as a message had arrived from her early this morning. Saying she wanted to meet in person.
That was also why they were heading to the Belle-Air townhouse like this.
“A fig tart?”
Lionel shifted his gaze to the side. It was a reaction as if it were unexpected.
“Did you know how to make
something like that?”
“I just barely mimic the recipe.”
When Agnes smiled bashfully, Lionel made a sound in his throat.
“Hmm.”
As Lionel tilted his head slightly, his fine black hair brushed softly against the wall of the carriage.
“For someone just mimicking it, the taste must have been quite extraordinary. If a single tart could change the mind of someone as fastidious as Lucian.”
“It’s not quite that much…”
Agnes trailed off and looked up into Lionel’s eyes.
It seemed nonsensical, but for a moment, she had the thought that Lionel was curious about the taste of the fig tart.
She wondered if she was overstepping, but after hesitating, Agnes cautiously spoke.
“Um… if you are curious, shall I make some for you next time?”
“…Do as you wish.”
She thought he would surely say he didn’t need it.
As if he had been waiting for these words, Lionel’s answer came back quickly.
It was still a blunt tone, but somehow it felt as though he was pleased.
She was glad she spoke up.
A small sense of pride, like a grain of rice, tapped at her heart.
Just then, bright sunlight poured into the interior through the carriage window.
Dazzled by the glare, Agnes reflexively covered her eyes with the back of her hand.
Then, she peeked at the opposite side through the gaps in her fingers.
Through her slightly parted fingers, she could clearly see the corners of Lionel’s red lips curling up slightly.
‘…He’s smiling.’
Lionel smiled at her words.
Just like before. Still forming those lovely dimples.
Agnes, unconsciously raising the corners of her own mouth, followed Lionel’s lips with her eyes.
But at that moment, the sunlight reflected off the epaulette on Lionel’s military uniform, flashing and piercing her eyes.
“…!”
Startled, Agnes hurried to turn her gaze away.
Unlike a moment ago, her heart began to pound rapidly with tension.
It had been fine for a while, but it had been happening intermittently since Andrew’s new treatment began.
Lionel’s military uniform, which used to make her feel at ease when she looked at it, reminded her of scenes from the carriage accident at every moment.
Before, she only reacted to sounds or smells, but it hadn’t reached the point of being stimulated by visual things…
‘It’s okay, it must be temporary.’
Noticing her hand was already trembling slightly, Agnes pressed it down between the folds of her voluminous skirt to hide it.
“Why are you looking like that?”
Agnes’s shoulders flinched, startled by Lionel’s question.
Fortunately, Lionel seemed not to have noticed anything.
He simply wore an arrogant expression as usual, looking
somewhat bothered.
Hiding her still-trembling hand deeper, Agnes painted a smile over her lips as if nothing were wrong.
“Just because. You look good when you smile.”
At those words, Lionel’s expression stiffened.
As if flustered, or as if trying to hide something he didn’t want discovered, he gripped his lower face. Letting out a voice that cracked roughly.
“…Nonsense.”
When they arrived at the Belle-Air townhouse, Kain, who had been waiting to greet them, ran to the front of the carriage at once.
His expression, which had been full of welcome, turned awkward as soon as he discovered Lionel.
However, Kain quickly bowed his waist to welcome the two of them.
“My grandmother really liked the tart. Thanks to that, she has regained quite a bit of energy compared to before. Thank you.”
Kain’s gentle voice carried sincerity.
Agnes showed a smile of relief in response to that warm kindness.
But once they arrived in front of the drawing room where Lucian was waiting, Kain lowered his voice with a serious face.
“Oh, and regarding the Grand Theater terror incident, my grandmother says she has something to tell His Grace the Duke.”
“Regarding the terror incident?”
Since it was an affair that had already been concluded, Lionel’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“Yes. She says she remembered something more.”
Kain, who opened the drawing room door, stepped back as if he expected Lionel to enter first.
However, Lionel did not pass through the door and looked at Agnes.
The meaning contained in that short glance was clear.
That he had no intention of letting Agnes hear the story that would come out of Lucian’s mouth from now on.
Agnes understood that sufficiently.
Since it was likely a sensitive matter, she, a civilian, would have no right to hear it.
Even so, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
Still, that gaze, which seemed to draw a line, felt as if it were telling her she had not yet gained Lionel’s full trust.
But Agnes gave Lionel the answer he wanted.
“Please go in first. Since we arrived earlier than the appointment time, I will wait here for a moment.”
Lionel stayed for a moment longer as
if concerned about Agnes being left alone with Kain.
However, after scanning Agnes from top to bottom, he eventually moved his steps slowly and disappeared into the drawing room.
Once the door closed, Kain spoke up kindly.
“To keep you from being bored while you wait, may I show you around the
townhouse, Duchess?”
Kain’s title for her, which had been uncertain, had been settled as
“Duchess” after he encountered Lionel in front of the townhouse the other day.
Thanks to that, Agnes also felt much more comfortable dealing with Kain.
“Then, please.”
Kain began to explain the interior of the townhouse while walking at the speed of the wheelchair.
He was so focused on the guidance that he didn’t even notice a piece of drawing paper sticking out of his pocket.
Agnes also tried not to ask on purpose. But every time he moved, the paper slipped a little further out of the pocket.
Thinking it would fall if left that way, she finally made a subtle comment, and Kain hurriedly and clumsily pushed the paper back in.
“Th-this, when did it pop out?”
The pencil marks drawn here and there on the paper looked like a drawing made by a young child.
“Did you draw that, Kain?”
“Ah! No! My drawing skills are a bit more impressive than this. This was drawn for me by a child at the shelter I visit occasionally.”
“A shelter?”
“Yes. A place where children without adults to care for them or people without homes stay.”
Kain turned his head slightly as if embarrassed.
“I don’t really do much. Just things like playing with the children or sharing some bread. Haha.”
“That’s amazing, Kain.”
“It’s not amazing at all. Oh, and since we’re on the subject…”
Kain’s eyes darted around. He seemed to be judging whether the story he was about to tell was right.
“One of the people I look after said he was a knight of the Bardo Trading Company.”
Agnes’s shoulders stiffened slightly.
“Our company?”
“Yes. But that person said some strange things about you, Duchess. His words go back and forth because he’s addicted to opium, but I couldn’t just let it go because it weighed on my mind.”
“What… did he say about me?”
Kain continued his words while scratching the back of his head.
“This might be an intrusive question… but the accident where you were injured, it was a train accident, right? That person kept saying it was an accident that happened on the way to the North.”
His tone suggested it was nonsense, but the moment he saw Agnes’s expression freeze chillingly, Kain’s words cut off.
“Are that person’s words… really true?”
“….”
“That person said you were delivering weapons to the North when the carriage exploded and the accident happened.”
Kain’s face gradually turned pale.
“Wait. But surely the bridge explosion that occurred near the Northern Lieck Base was an order from the unit led by the Duke…”
Kain’s eyes shook violently as he recalled an article he had read in the breaking news section about the war situation in the newspaper once.
“Duchess. Could it be… is the reason your legs were injured because of the Duke?”
