Chapter 3
"Callum, I asked you to take Lucien to Mr. James's pharmacy, not to bring him here!" The woman exclaimed as she burst through the door, striding in confidently. She was dressed in a striking red dress that hugged her figure, showcasing her mature beauty.
Lucien and Callum recognized her immediately. It was Miss Diana, looking as fiery as a red hot pepper—something everyone is curious about but might be a little wary of getting too close to.
Angela, who wasn't quite on the same wavelength, placed the two porcelain vials she was carrying on the table and looked at Diana with a puzzled expression. "Excuse me, but what do you mean by that? Are you saying my little setup here isn't working, or that it's a complete joke?"
"Oh dear, I didn't mean to upset you," Diana replied, glancing at Angela before turning her attention to Lucien. She pointed at the scars on his body and said, "I just don't want to see these scars sticking around on such a beautiful, strong body. Is it wrong for me to want that? You're a woman too, so what do you think?"
Angela, feeling a bit annoyed by Diana's comments about her establishment, was confused. 'Isn't it normal for wounds to leave scars?'
But Diana skillfully brushed aside Angela's confusion and focused on Lucien. "This isn't the first time I've told you to let go of your stubborn dream of becoming a knight. Achieving that dream requires connections and, most importantly, talent. Plus, you won't go hungry if you don't chase after it—there's always a spot for you at my perfume shop."
"Did she just say I have no talent?" Lucien muttered, trying to wrap his head around Diana's long-winded speech. Callum, standing nearby, couldn't help but chuckle, quickly stifling his laughter with a cough.
Lucien shot Callum a sharp look, which made him quiet down immediately. While he wasn't hurt by Callum's attempt at humor, he wished his friend would stand up for him against Miss Diana's comments.
Since Callum didn't say anything, Lucien decided to speak up for himself, even though it pained his wounded body. "Miss Diana, I—" but before he could finish, she interrupted him, saying, "How many times do I have to tell you? Just call me Diana or Aunt Diana. Is that so hard?"
'So this is what my predecessor had to deal with,' Lucien thought. He remembered from his predecessor's memories that Miss Diana had a strong personality, but he didn't expect her to be this overbearing.
Still, he didn't want to be rude to Diana, as she was one of the few people who genuinely cared about him. So he simply said, "Aunt Diana, I'm sorry for not being talented. How long will I be a burden to you? I know you worry about me, but I want to do something to show you that having me by your side and taking care of me all these years wasn't a mistake."
Even though Lucien recalled his predecessor's memories, he had never been in a situation like this, so he ended up saying something a bit cliché. Now that he had said it, he could only wait for Aunt Diana's reaction.
But after several minutes of silence, the atmosphere in the apothecary grew a bit awkward. Callum, Angela, and Aunt Diana all looked at him as if he were some kind of pitiful creature.
Diana, whose expression had been stern moments ago, softened a bit. "My dear Lucian, I never knew you felt this way. I'm ashamed to call myself someone who wishes you well. But don't worry, I'll take better care of you from now on."
Lucien noticed the strange looks from the three of them and felt a shiver run down his spine, as if something bad was about to happen.
Before that unsettling feeling could grow, Lucien turned to Angela and said, "Miss Angela, now that we've cleared up the misunderstanding, could you please treat me? It's quite chilly in here."
As soon as he spoke, the three of them snapped out of their daze. Miss Diana's expression turned serious again as she looked at Angela. "Miss Angela, is this how your apothecary treats its patients? By letting them shiver in the cold? If you don't want to treat him, I can take him to Mr. James's pharmacy myself."
Lucien, who thought he was in the clear, almost facepalmed when he saw Angela and Diana glaring at each other.
However, Angela, determined to defend her honor as a pharmacist, didn't say a word to Diana. Instead, she picked up the two porcelain vials from the table and walked over to Lucien. She then turned to Diana and said, "You two, could you please step outside? Having so many people in my shop will only distract me."
Diana shot Angela an angry look, realizing immediately that Angela was trying to get her to leave.
It seemed like Diana wasn't going to let this go easily, but when she glanced at Lucien, who was sitting in his chair, trembling, she turned around and walked out of the apothecary without another word, followed by Callum, who left with a smile and a wave at Lucien.
Once the door closed, Lucien let out a sigh of relief, knowing that either Aunt Diana or Callum would have said or done something awkward. He looked at Angela and said, "I'm really sorry about both of them. They're not bad people; they just speak a bit more freely than others."
Angela smiled as she poured the potion from one of the porcelain vials onto a clean cloth. "No need to apologize. I've had people like that in my life too, who seemed to care a bit too much. I understand how tough it can be to take care of them." Her last words felt heavy, and it was clear she struggled to say them.
Lucien wanted to keep the conversation going and make a good impression on Angela, but sensing the weight in her voice and the tense atmosphere, he decided it was best to stay quiet until his treatment was finished. He hoped Angela would ask him to come back for a checkup soon.
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