After another hour-long session of pondering, Celine, my caretaker, calls for dinner These days it's common that I eat dinner with Luca be the Duke is slothfully slow when it came to paperwork. 'I should probably learn a bit on how to help the Duke out... Maybe if he finds me useful, I'll be able to stick around instead of being married off.' I walk at a child's pace into the dining hall when I see the grumbling boy deep in his own thoughts. As I sit down, I watch how he's completely unaware of his surroundings. 'Hm.. strange, usually the boy would nag me for behavior such as this.'
After being served, I begin to eat and still he just sits there, thinking.
Behind him, the maids try to get Luca's attention with 'Young Lord, dinner is served.' or 'You should eat before it becomes cold.' But it was no use, he just sits there with his knitted brows, staring blankly at the full table in front of him.
After a while, my curiosity starts pestering me, so I ask him, "Luca, are you okay?" The boy's head pops up in surprise. 'Oh. He heard me..'
Luca blinks a few times before realizing how dazed he was. "Oh. sorry, Lucy. I was a bit lost in thought there."
I nod my head and say, "It is fine. It happens. What was it you were thinking about?"
Luca scrunches his brows downward and purses his lips. "I-" He stops for a moment. I can see the anxiety in his eyes as he looks to me. "You know, since our family is a Ducal family, we have to really work hard in the future."
I nod my head. 'Such a good child.'
"Also, since your health has been astonishingly better these days.., I wonder... what would you think about if I.." I wait for him. "What would you think about if I wasn't here?"
I tilt my small head in confusion. "Where would you go?"
He looks at me with eyes of agonizing pain. "Lucy.. Big brother... has to go to school."
*Clang*
I couldn't help myself from bursting out laughing. 'Oh my! I don't think I've ever laughed this hard before! Oh no! A tear is coming out! I never knew that laughing until you cry could really be a thing.' A maid comes near me to pick up the fork I dropped then hands me a new one. I take it from her, but continue laughing until my stomach is in pain.
"Lucy... won't you be lonely if I go?" His voice seems a bit depressed.
I guess I should explain myself. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself, then reassure the boy. "O-of course I'd be lonely. I just thought that since you were lamenting over something so much, it'd be something like a life or death situation."
His pretty face turns a bit sour. "I'm sorry that the news of my leaving is not that big of a deal..."
I shake my head. "Luca.. It's a big deal. You get to go to school, make friends, experience things that you can't experience here. You get to go make a name for yourself. Even if I'm alone, I'm happy that you are about to start a new chapter in your life like this."
His sourness simmers down and a relieved smile shows on his face. "You're right.. thank you."
I return his smile. 'He is a genuinely good kid.' The boy begins his meal and I return to my mine. "So, when will you be leaving?"
His body freezes over, then he stiffly says, "In uh.. a bit more than a year."
*Clang*
"Pfft.... Hahahahaha!"
'Ah. It's happening again... Since Lucy's abdominal muscles aren't very developed, I wonder if they will hurt tomorrow. Geez, this boy is the funniest.'
~
I return to my room, feeling refreshed. Plopping myself on my chair near the fireplace, I giggle again at how Luca was worried about a future so distant from now. 'I guess I don't have the right to think that as I am the same way. Right now, I am.. Lucy is almost 7 years old... Luca is almost 9.. The story of Lady Michelle and Prince Arren begins when the two are 17 and 19... I heard that the Prince is the same age as Luca which mean's Lady Michelle is the same age as me..'
At this moment, I'm still young.. but if I want to have a happy future, so starting now isn't really a bad thing. Knowing the Duke, my marriage won't be to someone horrible like in my last life. But, even so, I can't just rely on his judgment. 'How sad is it that even in this life, I won't be able to experience a marriage budding from love like the ones I read about. Well, if he's not anything like my previous fiance, I guess things will be just fine.'
As I stare into the crackling fire, I begin to wonder, 'I hope the Duke isn't involved with dirty politics like my father was.' Even though he is a bit eccentric at times, he's really nice to get along with. Leaning back in my seat, I wiggle my toes near the fire and I sigh, "This feels nice."