101CF 06

Chapter : 06

“How about it? My friend—”

“I’m not interested.”

Antonio, who had assumed his offer would be accepted without question, was deeply shaken by Herwin’s blunt rejection.

“Y-you’re rejecting me? Don’t you know who I am? I’m Antonio of the Count Trevin family!”

“Apologize.”

Just as Antonio was fuming and growling, Herwin cut him off.

“What?”

“Apologize. Because of you, the ants died.”

Lucia, who had been staring blankly at the lifeless ants, turned her head toward Herwin.

“You want me to apologize over those worthless ants?”

“Yes. Because they died and Lucia is sad.”

Antonio let out a scoffing laugh and turned toward Lucia. The thought of apologizing for the sake of some insignificant girl was absurd to him.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and apologize…”

As Herwin pressed him to apologize, Lucia tugged gently at his sleeve.

“Let’s just go.”

Her gloomy expression had vanished, and she was back to her usual self.

“Will you be okay?”

“Yeah. It’s a little sad, but since you got angry for me, I feel fine now.”

“…Then, alright.”

Herwin helped her up, and the two of them started to leave together.

“Hey!”

Antonio screamed at the top of his lungs as he saw them ignoring him and walking away. When they turned back, he pointed furiously at Herwin.

“I’m not done talking yet! Where do you think you’re going?”

“What, are you trying to apologize now?”

“Who said anything about apologizing!”

“Then why call me? I already told you I’m not going to be your friend.”

Antonio’s anger exploded as the situation spiraled out of his control. His face flushed red, then suddenly he smirked mockingly.

“To think that a son of one of the four great ducal families would trail after some girl like a servant.”

Herwin, who had been ignoring him and walking away, suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

“Am I wrong? You’re following her around like a lackey. Ah, or maybe you’re actually a girl?”

Herwin’s crimson eyes flared sharply, filled with killing intent. Seeing them, Antonio stumbled backward, and one of his friends whispered nervously.

“Antonio, the Peneus family only has sons.”

“R-right, of course. I was just confused because he looks so girly.”

Flustered by his mistake, Antonio coughed awkwardly, trying to regain composure.

But Herwin’s gaze remained frighteningly cold.

“Ahem. If that’s not it… then maybe you actually like that girl?”

Thump.

Herwin’s heart plummeted. Antonio had only been guessing, but Herwin’s flustered reaction and flushed cheeks gave him away. Antonio grinned wickedly, having stumbled upon his weakness.

“So it’s true. No wonder you were acting so weird.”

Antonio laughed mockingly.

“The Peneus heir is in love with that girl!”

“They’re lovers! Everyone, look at them!”

Egged on by Antonio, his friends joined in, taunting the two.

Thump, thump, thump.

Herwin’s heart pounded uncomfortably, just like when he was mocked as a child for looking like a girl.

He loathed being teased more than anything. The bullying he had endured in the north still haunted him.

Clenching his fists, Herwin shouted.

“Shut up! Who says I like her! Lucia and I are not like that!”

His booming voice silenced the mockery for a moment.

But then the boys snickered again.

“Why so mad? It must be true then.”

“It’s not!”

“Oh, so it is true?”

The more he denied it, the louder the teasing grew, stoking his old trauma. His breathing grew shallow, his chest tight, nausea rising.

Just as he tried to summon the courage to speak again, Lucia, who had stayed quiet until now, opened her mouth.

“Then… are you three in love with each other?”

She pointed at Antonio and his two friends.

“You’re always together, just like us. So are you all lovers too?”

The boys froze, stammering incoherently. Lucia smirked.

“Knew it.”

The tables turned instantly. Herwin stayed silent, astonished by the sudden shift. His heart, which had been racing, slowly calmed.

As a curious crowd began gathering at the worst possible moment, Antonio and his friends panicked.

Then one of them suddenly yelled,

“N-no! It’s not like that!”

“Me neither!”

With that, they bolted, leaving Antonio behind.

Now alone and flustered, Antonio heard the whispers around him and turned pale.

Lucia crossed her arms smugly.

Embarrassed, Antonio burst into tears and ran away.

“Hahaha! Herwin, did you see that?”

Lucia laughed merrily, while Herwin gazed quietly at her.

His heart, which had been full of fear moments ago, now thumped with a strange warmth and fluttering excitement.

His earlobes were red, though no one—not even Herwin himself—realized it.

Herwin and Lucia returned to Count Agnes’s estate and headed to the playroom as usual.

Lucia hummed cheerfully, but Herwin followed behind with a troubled expression.

What had happened at the park lingered in his mind. More precisely, he was worried about Lucia’s reaction.

He had blurted out that he didn’t like her—but that wasn’t true.

He didn’t “like” her romantically as the other boys teased, but he did like her as a friend.

What if his words had hurt her?

“Herwin! Let’s play with this today!”

Lucia handed him a toy. But Herwin didn’t take it, instead speaking hesitantly.

“Lucia.”

“Yeah?”

“Were you… upset with me earlier?”

“Earlier? Why would I be upset with you?”

“Because I said… that I don’t like you.”

Lucia blinked blankly, then furrowed her brows in thought.

“Oh! You mean when that Antonio kid was teasing us?”

“Yeah… were you hurt by that?”

“Nope.”

She shook her head firmly. Herwin felt relieved—but also strangely dissatisfied.

“Why not?”

“Well… because you do like me.”

“W-what?”

“I like you, and you like me. Isn’t that right?”

Herwin froze, then realized what she meant.

She was talking about liking each other as friends. Not the kind of “like” he was thinking of.

“And besides, you really hate it when people tease you.”

“How do you know that…?”

“Because you always get so mad when anyone talks about you. Even if you didn’t like me, that’s fine. I like you anyway!”

Lucia beamed, flashing her teeth, before turning back to her toys.

Herwin stood silently, watching her brown hair sway as she moved.

That ticklish, fluttering feeling from the park returned. Alongside it came an unexplainable discomfort.

“How strange…”

“Herwin! Come on, play with me!”

“Okay, coming!”

Pushing away his pounding heart, Herwin ran to her side.

Lucia hummed as she peered into a music box filled with her treasures. It was a gift she had received at a New Year’s celebration when she was five.

Herwin, sitting on the sofa, asked,

“Lucia, what do you even keep in there?”

“It’s a secret—even from you!”

“Tch. Would it kill you to tell me?”

She hugged the music box tightly, refusing to show him.

“It’s probably full of bugs. She’s been obsessed with them lately. Back when she was into leaves, that thing was stuffed with nothing but leaves.”

That was Lukas, speaking dryly without looking up from his book.

“Ugh…”

The thought of insects inside the music box made Herwin shiver.

“They’re not bugs! They’re my treasures!”

“See? Judging by her reaction, it’s definitely bugs.”

Lucia puffed out her cheeks indignantly.

Knock knock—

“Come in.”

At Lukas’s words, a maid entered and bowed.

“The Count requests the presence of the young masters and the young lady.”

“Father? All of us?”

The maid nodded. Surprised, the children exchanged glances.

As they followed her to a room, they heard Henry crying inside before the door had even opened.

“Henry!”

Thinking something had happened, Herwin rushed inside.

“Huh?”

“Oh! Isn’t that…”

Inside, they saw Henry sobbing in the arms of a man who looked flustered.

“Oh dear… Henry, do you really not remember me?”

The man holding Henry was none other than Heil. After a year and a half, Herwin stood frozen, staring at the familiar face before slowly approaching.

“…Dad?”

Heil, who had been soothing Henry, finally noticed Herwin and broke into a bright smile.

“My son! You’ve grown so much!”

“Are you… really my dad?”

“Of course I am. Who else could I be? Let me see how much you’ve grown.”

With the same gentle charm as before, Heil lifted Herwin into his arms.

“Goodness, you’re heavy now! And you’ve gotten taller, too.”

“It’s really Dad… it’s really him!”

Herwin’s eyes widened in wonder before he let out a joyous cry and hugged his father’s neck tightly.

“Hahaha. Thank goodness you remembered me. Henry didn’t recognize me, so I worried you wouldn’t either.”

“You left when he had just turned two. It’s natural he wouldn’t remember. But he’ll learn soon enough.”

Scarlett, smiling genuinely for the first time in ages, looked at her reunited family.

Lukas, recalling the faint memories he had, clapped his hands.

“Ah, so you really are Duke Peneus.”

“Duke Peneus…? Then you’re Herwin’s father?”

“Yep. Don’t you remember?”

“Hmm… he looks familiar. Oh! He looks just like Herwin.”

“Well, of course. He’s his father.”

Lucia didn’t remember Heil at all, having spent too little time with him.

“Dad! Are you going to stay with us now? Did you defeat all the monsters?”

“Yes. I’ve defeated them all and returned.”

“Yay! That’s amazing!”

“From now on, we’ll all go back north and live together again.”

“What?”

Herwin’s bright smile froze. Scarlett tilted her head.

“Why do you look upset? You’ve been begging to see your father again.”

“I’m happy to see Dad… but…”

Herwin trailed off, staring at the floor.

At the doorway, the Agnes siblings exchanged glances.

“So… we’ll be leaving here?”

“Of course. We’re returning home.”

“…”

Herwin’s heart was conflicted. Meeting his father again and reuniting the whole family made him indescribably happy—yet he couldn’t smile wholeheartedly.

“Huh? Is there something on my face?”

Lucia, catching Herwin’s gaze, touched her cheek.

If they went north, he wouldn’t see her anymore.

The thought filled Herwin with a crushing sense of loss.