101CF 09

Chapter : 09

Screee—

The door opened, and someone came in.

At the doorway stood a girl and a boy, about Lucas’s age or perhaps a little older.

They were chatting happily, but the moment they saw the four children inside the room, they flinched in shock.

“S-sorry, young master! We thought the room was empty…!”

“Please forgive us!”

It was the kind of mistake anyone could make, but the two turned visibly pale, trembling uncontrollably.

“Were you planning to use this place as you pleased if I hadn’t been here?”

A chilling voice, unlike anything heard before, echoed in the room.

As if his earlier smile had been a lie, Herwin’s face hardened into ice.

“Hey, why are you getting mad? It could’ve just been an accident.”

Sensing something off, Lucas nudged Herwin.

“Yeah, they just won’t do it again. You two should just go now.”

Henry also agreed, urging the frightened pair to leave.

The two quickly retreated, worried Lucas and Henry might change their minds.

Lucas looked toward the closed door, then cast a sidelong glance at Herwin, who still seemed displeased.

“Why’d you suddenly act like that? You didn’t have to be so sensitive.”

“…”

“Brother doesn’t like those guys. Whenever he sees them, his brows go like this.”

Instead of Herwin, Henry answered, scrunching up his little face to mimic him.

“Did something happen between you and them?”

“…No, nothing.”

Herwin mumbled evasively, avoiding the question. Then, as if nothing had happened, he went back to joking around with Lucas and Henry.

The once quiet room was quickly filled with laughter.

Hahaha—

Among the smiling children, only Lucia didn’t laugh. She silently watched the others tangled up in play, her eyes lingering on Herwin for a long while.

“Look, sis! Look at this!”

“Clover, huh.”

“They say if you do this and this, you can make it into a ring! I’ll make one for you!”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

When Lucia gave him a bright smile, Henry perked up and began working hard with his tiny hands to fashion a ring.

They were on a small hill behind the ducal residence.

The four of them had heard the story about four-leaf clovers bringing good luck and were desperately searching for one.

“Wow, it’s really hard to find.”

“Right? There’s so many clovers, but not a single one with four leaves.”

“That’s why it’s luck, isn’t it? Luck doesn’t just come to anyone.”

“Really? Well, I’ll definitely find one.”

With burning determination, Lucas widened his eyes and searched even harder.

Tug—

Just then, someone pulled at his clothes. Lucas looked over to see Henry fidgeting nervously.

“What’s wrong?”

“Henry… Henry needs to go pee…”

“Huh?”

“Sis, can you go to the bathroom with me?”

Lucia’s eyes trembled like a quaking aspen.

“O-Oppa…”

“What?”

Lucia sent an SOS.

“Henry says he wants to go to the bathroom.”

“…Why are you telling me that?”

“Because he asked me to go with him…”

“Really? Then I guess there’s no choice.”

Lucas stood and walked over to Henry.

Henry didn’t like Lucas, who always teased him.

Clinging tightly to Lucia, Henry glared at Lucas, who only snorted. He then scooped up the little boy.

“Waaah! Put me down!”

“If you need the bathroom, ask me or your brother, not Lucia.”

“I don’t want you! Go away!”

“Too bad. Let’s go over there—”

“Uwaaah! I said over there!”

Apparently hating the idea, Henry burst into tears. His wails grew so loud that Herwin turned his head.

“Want me to go instead?”

“No, it’s fine. Henry, stop crying—ahh!”

Lucas, who had been trying to soothe him, suddenly screamed.

“Ahh! Why are you peeing here?!”

Along with a faint smell, Lucas’s clothes began to soak through.

Henry, relieved of his tension mid-cry, had an accident.

This time he bawled even harder, either from shame or sheer misery.

“Sorry, oppa, I should’ve just gone with him…”

“No, it’s fine. I didn’t think he’d take revenge like this though…”

Lucas gave a hollow laugh, patting Henry’s back.

“I’ll take Henry back to the manor to change. You two stay here.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay alone? I can—”

“I said it’s fine. This is nothing.”

When Herwin moved to follow, Lucas waved him off and left with Henry in his arms.

Though Henry called out for Lucia and Herwin, his voice faded into the distance.

That left only Lucia and Herwin. Being alone together felt awkward, so they avoided each other’s gaze.

“Shall we hurry and look for the four-leaf clover?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, let’s do that.”

At Lucia’s suggestion, they bent down and resumed searching.

“…Hey, Herwin.”

Amid the awkward silence, Lucia finally called out.

“Yeah?”

“I want to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Yesterday, when those older kids came into the room by mistake… why did you get so mad?”

Herwin froze.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Well… because you don’t seem like someone who’d get angry for no reason.”

Herwin slowly raised his head.

“…You’ve only known me for a week.”

“But we lived together for about a year and a half before, remember?”

“That was two years ago. Honestly, I don’t remember much from back then. Do you really remember everything we did together?”

“I don’t remember everything either… but I know you’re not that kind of person.”

Herwin’s face twisted. He couldn’t understand what Lucia was saying.

On what basis was she so sure?

It was nice to be seen kindly, but that didn’t mean he was willing to spill the secrets he wanted to bury forever.

Unforgettable memories flashed in his mind.

Days when he was younger than Henry, mocked and ridiculed endlessly by the retainers’ children.

No matter how much time passed, those wounds would never fade.

Recalling them, his face hardened.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“…I’m not the type to go blabbing to others.”

“I said I don’t want to! And why should I tell you something like that anyway?”

Herwin’s tone grew sharp, edged with rising irritation.

“Because… I’m your friend.”

“Friend? Maybe we were close as kids, but not now. I don’t think we’re at the point where we can bare our hearts to each other.”

Herwin’s icy eyes bore into her, radiating rejection and caution.

Lucia suddenly felt stung.

‘He used to always listen to everything I said…’

She couldn’t be sure since it had been so long, but instinct told her it was true.

The Herwin before her felt so different from the Herwin she remembered.

That hurt and angered her, and her lips jutted out in a pout.

“Where are you going?”

Without answering, Lucia stood up and stomped off into the woods.

“Hey! Don’t go in too deep!”

“What do you care! I’ll do what I want!”

Herwin froze—this was the first time he’d ever heard her yell like that.

But his shock quickly turned into irritation.

“Fine, do whatever you want!”

From within the trees came her shrill voice:

“Herwin, you’re an idiot!”

“What? Idiot? If I’m an idiot, you’re a fool!”

“Ugh! Fine, I’m a fool, so don’t follow me!”

“Hmph! Who’d want to follow you anyway!”

After a few huffy breaths, Herwin looked back toward the spot where she’d been—only to see she had completely vanished into the forest.

“Why’s she mad now.”

She was the one who provoked him, yet she stormed off. It was ridiculous.

Grumbling, Herwin muttered complaints about how he had misjudged her.

But after a few minutes of sulking, his eyes drifted to the forest where she’d gone.

‘Never go into the forest alone. There aren’t monsters, but there are wild animals—it’s dangerous. That’s why you mustn’t enter without an adult.’

Hyle’s warning resurfaced in his mind.

“She wouldn’t go deep if she isn’t a fool.”

He convinced himself she wouldn’t have gone far, and irritably yanked at more clovers.

“….”

After venting his frustration on the clovers, Herwin suddenly stopped, glancing once more toward the forest.

“…Damn it, she’s really making me worry.”

He couldn’t get Lucia out of his head.

If only he’d handled things more gently, she wouldn’t have gotten upset or run into the forest.

Normally, he wouldn’t care what others did. But when it came to her, he couldn’t just let it go.

“Maybe it’s because we used to live together…”

Was some forgotten memory holding him back?

He pictured her bright, sun-like smile turning into a tear-streaked face, and his chest ached.

“Ah, damn it!”

Overwhelmed, he tore out another handful of grass.

But just as he was about to toss it aside, he froze—there, nestled between his fingers, was a large clover.

“…Huh? A four-leaf clover.”

By pure chance, he’d pulled out a perfect one. Its broad leaves were flawless, unmarred.

“Wow! It really is a four-leaf clover!”

Herwin leapt to his feet in excitement.

But his joy quickly faded as he noticed the silence around him.

If Lucia were here, she would’ve rejoiced as though it were her own discovery.

His lips curved downward, and his thrill ebbed away.

Looking at the clover in his hand, he gently closed his fist so as not to damage it.

“…Guess I’ll have to go find her.”

If he gave this to her, it would surely cheer her up.

It was rare and precious, but if it could make her smile again, it was worth it.

‘Wow, is this really for me?’

He pictured her delighted face, and despite grumbling aloud, a faint smile returned to his lips.

Caught up in the thought of reconciling, he even found himself humming as he stepped into the woods after her.

“Idiot, stupid dog, jellyfish, squid…!”

Inside the forest, Lucia muttered every mean word she knew.

She stomped her feet furiously.

Thud, thud—

“Herwin is a dumb idiot!”

He could’ve just said he didn’t want to talk, but did he really have to lash out like that?

Sniff.

She tried to hold it in, but tears and snot betrayed her, welling up and spilling out.

She didn’t want to cry. Crying over this would feel like losing to him.

Quickly, she wiped her sleeve across her damp eyes. But no matter how she resisted, the tears kept falling.

“Hic… Herwin is such an idiot…”

What hurt more than his anger was the fact that he didn’t consider her his friend.

Had he hung out with Lucas more because he didn’t see her that way?

The thought made her chest ache.

“Fine! I don’t need a friend like Herwin either!”

Even declaring she hated him didn’t ease the knot in her heart.

The more she thought about him, the more sadness overwhelmed her.

“Hic, snff, uuhh…”

At last, unable to hold back, she cried out loudly.

Waaah—

Her small sobs echoed through the forest like a lonely refrain.