* * *
During dinner, Hugo began to talk about her outing.
"I heard you went out."
"Yes. I went to see the acquaintance I asked you to deliver a letter to before. Do you remember?"
"I remember."
Not only did he remember, but ever since Fabian turned in the last report, he had been closely monitoring, as well as protecting the female novelist.
He had already known that the female novelist would be getting married soon and he had even investigated to see if the man had deliberately approached the novelist.
Unbeknownst to Norman, she was about to marry a man that was guaranteed as non suspicious by the Duke of Taran's Intelligence Unit.
"She is a precious friend of mine. As she is leaving the capital, I want to leave a connection to be able to help her, just in case she encounters any difficulties in her new home."
"Do as you see fit."
At his ready consent, her cheeks reddened a little. She didn't think he was going to refuse but she felt elated when he simply accepted her request.
"Also…do you happen to know the rumor going around about me?"
"There are always many rumors in the capital."
"It is such a ridiculous rumor…"
She didn't continue and just kept poking her dish with her fork causing Hugo to frown slightly. Through Fabian, he knew of all the rumors about her. The rumors were mostly ridiculous so as long as it wasn't malicious, a sensitive response would be rather counterproductive.
Fortunately, there were no malicious details in the rumors about her. The thought that she might have heard a bad rumor from somewhere he didn't know made Hugo's mood turn foul. If that was the case, he would call Fabian who didn't do his work properly, and pound him to the ground.
"Rumors are usually ridiculous. What does the rumor say?"
Lucia was a bit hesitant at his question, then with a slightly reddened face, she tried to explain the unspeakable rumor while holding back her embarrassment.
"The Duchess of Taran is a great…beauty…so you…me…territory…"
"I've heard that. What about it?"
The rumor wasn't a big deal. He asked because he couldn't understand why it was making her very uncomfortable. Lucia also couldn't understand how he was completely unaffected by the rumor.
"It portrays you like some kind of kidnapper."
"For a rumor about me, it's more on the favorable side."
Lucia had heard all sorts of rumors about him in her dream. In addition, she had unintentionally delivered the rumor that he drank blood directly to his face. Considering his rather mirthful reaction to her words at the time, he seemed to be composed when faced with rumors about himself.
"But I mean, what incomparable beauty. It's so dumbfounding…In reality, when I go out to the circles, people will start talking."
"Why will they talk?"
She didn't know why he couldn't understand her after she had said so much.
"You know, because I'm not an incomparable beauty."
"What do you mean? You're pretty."
Lucia was stunned for a moment. And in an instant, her face went completely red. The servants quickly averted their gazes and acted like they didn't hear anything. The servants, whose expressions did not change at all in this situation, were genuinely admirable.
"…Don't tease me."
"I never did. I say you're pretty because you are pretty."
Even though he teased her mischievously once in a while, he wasn't one to joke insincerely. He had said the same thing once before but then, it was just the two of them. Lucia's face reddened so much that it couldn't get any redder and she was unable to sit still.
She got up like that and quickly left the dining room. A strong hand grabbed her arm, stopping her from going out to yard. At some point, he had caught up and was right behind her.
"Vivian, did I do something wrong?"
He thought she liked it when he called her pretty. It was clearly recorded like that in his list so he was taken aback by her reaction. Lucia furiously shook her head.
"No. I was…embarrassed because you said that in front of the servants."
"Wow. It was 'don't touch' in front of the servants, now it's 'don't say' in front of the servants?"
Lucia wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest.
"Mm. I don't like stuff like that."
While grumbling about why he should care if the servants are there, he returned her hug, wrapping his arms around her back. Listening to his grumbles, Lucia rubbed her head on his chest and chuckled faintly.
Are you happy? Norman's questions sprang up in her mind. Lucia could give the answer 'I'm happy' over and over again. Ever since she decided to believe in him, she was a little less anxious and a little more happy.
'These damn rumors. I can't even grab every mouth that says stupid things and stuff it.'
Other rumors didn't matter but these days, Hugo was very worried that unfounded rumors involving women or scandals of the past would reach her ears.
Because of that, these days, Fabian was running around, day and night, gathering rumors.
***
It had been a few days since Lucia's entourage arrived at the Capital but no rumor of their arrival had spread. Hugo asked Lucia to rest and stay out of society's gaze for a little while longer. So, Lucia spent these couple of days in very relaxed manner.
She knew this break wouldn't last long so she was enjoying it as much as she could. She had her lunch, looked around the mansion and went for a walk in the yard.
There was a fairly large plain of land between the gates and the entrance to the mansion. Instead of a garden, numerous trees were planted to obstruct one's vision from seeing the inside of the mansion. And since there was a small pathway in between, it was nice for taking a walk.
"Ooh!"
The sudden loud voice made Lucia jump in surprise. When an eye-catching man unexpectedly appeared in front of her, Lucia plopped down on the spot.
"Ah, Did I surprise you? It's me. Me. We haven't seen in a long time, yes?"
The eye-catching man was Roy Krotin. Lucia grabbed his outstretched hand and stood up. To Lucia, Roy was special connection. She hadn't known at the time but if it wasn't for Roy, she wouldn't have been able to meet Hugo.
It was Jerome's role to manage the guests and with Jerome's shrewd personality, there was no way he would have let her meet Hugo until she was judged to be a proper guest. Back then, Jerome was absent just in time and Roy acted as he pleased, allowing Lucia to meet with Hugo.
At that time, if Lucia had been unable to meet Hugo and was turned away, she wouldn't have had courage to visit again. It was the help of the heavens and at the same time, it was Roy's help.
"Since you're the Duchess now, should I be little different? But I don't really know that stuff."
There was no malice in Roy's grinning expression. Lucia grinned back.
"It's fine. Do what you are comfortable with. It's a pleasure to meet you like this after a long time. I have been wanting to give you my thanks."
"Thanks? For what?"
"If not for Sir Krotin, how could I have met his Grace the Duke? It is thanks to Sir that I became the Duchess."
"What…I didn't…really do much…"
Roy sheepishly scratched his chin. Actually, the fact that he burst into laughter when Lucia proposed to Hugo always weighed on Roy's mind. He never intended to ridicule her. It was just that the situation itself was very funny but people usually tended to perceive the opposite of his words and actions.
But when he heard her thankfulness instead, he felt a little awkward and happy.
'Why does this man have such a bad reputation?'
In her dream, Roy Krotin was famous as the 'Mad Dog' and Lucia had no exact line of contact with Roy so she could only know him from the rumors. But after meeting Roy personally, she realized he was very far from the notorious individual described.
He was cheerful, blunt and if one treated him with good will, he was sure to return the favor.
'There is little to be trusted in these rumors, huh.'
According to the rumors surrounding the Taran Duke, he was a ruthless monster without blood or tears. And now, the rumors surrounding her were completely groundless.
In her dream, she got a lot of information about the circles from the rumors, but now she thought about it, most of them were probably lies.
Lucia made a small commitment to herself to not listen to rumors in the future unless she had directly met the individual concerned.
"I hear you have been the escort of His Highness the Crown Prince. Is it okay to be here at this time?" (Lucia)
"Okay or not, I won't do it anymore. Even if it is Lord's orders, I won't! Do you know how hard it is to not go anywhere and just escort for more than a year? Even if it was fun to kill assassins from time to time, I want to quit right now." (Roy)
"…Ah, I see. It must have been hard."
"But, what of my Lord?"
"He's not in. He went out."
"Darn. I ran over to have a round with my lord cuz it's been a while."
"…A round? Do you mean fighting His Grace the Duke?"
"Mm? Hahaha! It's right to call it a fight. A duel is a fight too."
"Ah…a duel. Isn't that dangerous?"
"There is no danger. We aren't amateurs either. It's only dangerous to those that swing the sword carelessly. Haven't you ever watched a duel?"
"I have not. But His Grace might get hurt…"
'Puahahaha!' Roy burst into loud laughter.
"Hurt? Ah, even saying that is absurd. There is no one in the world that can hurt even the fingers of my lord." (Roy)
'Is he really such a great knight?' (Lucia)
Hugo's physique overwhelmed that of a knight's. But maybe because Lucia had never actually seen him wield a sword, it didn't feel real to her. She ran a workshop in her dream so she knew a little bit about those that were called Knights.
While they were uncompromising and simple, sometimes their temper exploded and then they were like angry bisons, ignoring what was in front of them.
'He isn't like a knight at all.'
She couldn't feel the peculiar rough ambiance of a knight from Hugo.
'Could it be because he is a Duke before he is a knight?'
Even though she had met a considerable amount of knights in her dream, she had rarely come across noble knights. Which also included a knighted Duke.
So she was slightly suspicious. Maybe the rumors about his military acts were more exaggerated because he was a Duke. In the first place, rumors were groundless so it was possible. If someone that knew the Duke of Taran heard her thoughts, they would be jaw-drop speechless.
"Sir. Krotin!"
A voice as sharp as day interrupted them. Jerome approached the two of them with a stiff expression. Roy gave a silly smile and his expression was awkward as he spoke.
"Hello. Long time."
Jerome fixed Roy a sharp glare then he spoke politely to Lucia.
"Milady. If you go out without a maid, you may encounter some trouble."
"Ah, you did say that before. I will make sure to be careful."
Lucia inwardly rebuked herself for her thoughtlessness then she gave Roy a slight nod and began to head to the mansion, leaving the two men alone. Jerome watched until Lucia was inside the mansion then he turned to look at Roy.
"What is this insolence! That is the Lady of the House of Taran. She is not someone you can meet in a place where no one is around!"
This was the capital where one couldn't know where eyes were hidden. All sorts of scandals in the Capital originated from incidents that didn't amount to much initially.
"Sorry."
"I am saying you should be a little more careful."
"Oh, I said I'm sorry. Even though I haven't seen her in a long time, she truly hasn't changed so I was just glad to see the Duchess."
"Personal feelings, whatever it may be, should not be expressed carelessly, to a woman who had a husband. Do not assume that Master will forever be generous. If a terrible rumor of Milady arises because of Sir Krotin, he will be very angry."
"Hmm. But the lord hasn't ever been angry because of a women."
"That is not just any woman but the Madam. Watch your words."
The sight of Jerome acting like a mother protecting her cub was so unfamiliar that Roy blinked in surprise. Jerome was not inferior to Roy in behaving impolitely to the Duke's women.
If Roy was the outspoken one, Jerome was the one that quietly considered scrapping them. In that sense, the two of them were strangely in great sync.
But apart from that, there was a big difference between them. Roy displayed amusement and bad temper, while Jerome faced the women with utter coldness like a Duchess who had forgotten her duty.
Except for that, the two men were incompatible. They were like cat and mouse. The amusing thing was that Roy was much stronger yet Jerome was the cat. Whenever Roy caused trouble, Jerome came out with enormous nagging and criticism.
The Roy that was fine with Hugo's tendency to beat him up when he was mad, would only shrink in front of Jerome. Roy acted as he pleased, with nothing to fear, and he felt an inferiority similar to admiration about Jerome who was always precise and unyielding in his actions.
"Does the lord to that woman…"
At Jerome fierce glare, Roy quickly changed his words.
"Does the lord…like the Duchess?"
"Yes."
"A lot?"
"A lot."
"Mm. Then, if I am as before, will the lord be angry?"
"Extremely angry."
One could only be glad if it ended with merely anger. Jerome was sincerely worried about Roy and was giving him a strong warning. If it was some other thing, Master would generously forgive to Roy. But if it concerned the madam, there would be no forgiveness at all.
"Okay. Well, it's alright, I also don't dislike that wom…the Duchess."
"…Why?"
"How do I put this. She doesn't give off a bad smell."
"Smell? Do you mean perfume?"
The Madam wasn't one to spray excessive perfume. In fact, Jerome also like this point of hers. The perfume of noble ladies was usually so potent that even if it was just two people, the smells got mixed up giving someone a headache.
"It's not that…"
Roy was used to instinctively grasping the general temperament of a person when dealing with them. It was because of this that the Crown Prince took a fancy to him even though Roy was just staying at the Crown Prince's side because of his lord's orders.
Roy had bounded himself to Hugo for a similar reason too. The biggest reason was that he really liked his lord and the reason after that was because he didn't particularly hate anyone that was around his lord.
"Anyways, it's something like that. I get it now so I'll be careful. I want to sleep till the lord is back. Where can I sleep?"
"…Follow me."