Luke, Randy's friend and a man recognized by both Alan and Harrison, plays an intriguing role.
In the official storyline of the otome game, Luke serves as a supporting character.
Alongside the main love interests, the game offers optional support characters who can join the party.
Some are limited-time allies, while others remain available from mid-game onward.
Luke, however, appears only near the endgame.
Because his late availability, almost no players recruit him into their parties. The reason is simple: Luke has hardly any dedicated events to develop his character or connections with the protagonist.
While other support characters have plenty of events to deepen bonds of friendship, Luke's abrupt introduction late in the story led to mild backlash, with fans asking, "Why would they add a character like this so late?"
This backlash wasn't entirely about gameplay mechanics—it also stemmed from Luke's prince-like appearance and his unusual origin.
Luke's full name is Lucas Highland, the illegitimate son of the Grand Duke of the Highland Duchy.
Fearing political turmoil, the Grand Duke's retainers exiled him and his mother to a remote area. The place they found refuge was the Victor territory, his mother's hometown.
While Luke's mother worked as a servant in the Victor house, Luke grew up alongside Randy, who was of a similar age.
Luke felt a deep gratitude towards the Victor's family for accepting him and his mother even after knowing their origins.
He treated Randy like a younger brother, often playing with him and watching over him.
Thus, in the official story, Randy had Luke as a big-brother figure two years older.
Confident and always leading the way, Luke was a guiding force for Randy and his friends.
Following in Luke's footsteps, Randy grew into a upstanding young man in the official game.
However, their personality differed in significant ways.
While Randy was bright and well-mannered, he was indecisive, always seeking validation or advice from others. In this version of events, he lacked the maturity to accept people like Elizabeth or Eleonora into his life.
By the time Elizabeth visited the Victor territory, Luke had already left.
His mother's death had prompted him to test his strength in the vast world—or, more truthfully, to ensure his presence wouldn't interfere with the Victor family.
He became an adventurer and left the country.
The rest of the story followed the game's narrative.
Luke learned of the Victor family's destruction which was caused by Eleonora, while living in a distant land.
Determined to avenge the family he considered his own, he joined Catherine and her group during the endgame. He appeared as the exiled prince leading a defending force in his ruined homeland.
It was during this time that Luke learned there had been three children in the Victor household, shedding light on his deep connection to the family.
With his tragic backstory and good looking appearance, Luke's introduction sparked rumors that he might become a capturable character in future downloadable content (DLC)
In the original storyline, Luke was meant to be a support character on the protagonist's side. However, his connection to Cecilia in this altered timeline stems from an entirely different story—one that ties to her sudden return home
Time goes back a little..
———-
Before Randy and the others began work on expanding the bathhouse, Cecilia returned alone to her family estate in the Hartfield territory.
Cecilia arrived in Leonhart, the regional capital, and gazed out at the port bathed im the sunset with deep emotion.
(When I left for the academy, I never imagined this place would one day symbolize hope for everyone.)
Though still a small port, it had already begun regular shipments of magical beasts across the river to Victor territory.
The beasts were being domesticated there, though still in its early stages.
For now, adventurers and knights were capturing slimes and evil plants in abundance and sending them to Victor territory.
While it was clear that domestication would be more efficient in the long run, the Hartfield family was focused on gathering the necessary resources to keep the operation moving forward.
They had even succeeded in transporting magical beasts by ship—a groundbreaking accomplishment. Cecilia firmly believed in the efforts of the people in her territory.
Of course, this progress didn't come at the expense of the local people in livestock industry.
Thanks to Randy's plans, research into beauty products using pig placentas was progressing smoothly. Moreover, Cecilia heard that they were even bundling it with pork in advertising
Beautiful Skin with Extracts from Pork
At the same time, pork is also advertised as having beauty benefits
Randy is aiming on the placebo effect, but pork does indeed contain nutrients beneficial for skin health.
If the real nutritional value combines with the placebo effect, it will undoubtedly be even better
(With all the focus on pork products, it seems my schedule is going to stay busy.)
Although there's still much to be done, the bustling activity at the port even at this hour is proof of a bright future for the territory.
The revitalization of the land is within reach.
However, the reason Cecilia was summoned back likely revolves around the recent assassination attempt on Cedric and his companions.
Currently, they are under the protection of guards arranged by Miranda, but she has her own duties to attend to. Normally, each family should handle their own security by themselves.
(But I wonder if we can send someone out with how busy our family is?)
Cecilia isn't the only one who needs protection. If the threat stems from the beauty products business, her parents, as well as the facilities involved, would also need to heighten the security.
(Does this mean they intend to make me take a leave of absence from the academy?)
If Cecilia were to stay home instead of returning to the academy, it would at least alleviate the strain on their manpower.
As these thoughts swirled through her mind, the carriage ride continued.
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, Cecilia had arrived back at her family's estate.
To her surprise, not only the servants but her parents as well were waiting at the entrance.
"Father, Mother—"
Cecilia hurriedly stepped down from the carriage, and her parents embraced her tenderly.
"First, we must apologize about the matter of your engagement," her father said sincerely.
Cecilia choked as she shook her head in response, unable to say anything.
The three of them stood there for a while, quietly savoring their reunion. Eventually, her father said that standing in the doorway wasn't a good options since the servants couldn't rest, so they moved to his study.
"Now then, Cecilia, forgive me for calling you back hurriedly" her father said with a gentle smile.
Cecilia managed to compose herself and replied, "It's all right, Father."
"I received news of the assassination attempt from Marquis Lucian," he began.
Cecilia perked up, as she had expected this topic to come up.
"We still don't know who was behind it. It seems the captured assassins refuse to talk," her father said, letting out a deep sigh.
"That's…" Cecilia murmured, struggling to find words.
The lack of information meant they had to consider the possibility of various factions being involved.
"Do you understand how much danger you might be in?" her father asked.
"Yes, I do," Cecilia replied with a firm nod.
Her father seemed satisfied with her response. "Good. Marquis Lucian has assured us not to worry about the matter of protection. However, the guards he sent were limited."
Hearing this, Cecilia came to realize once again that the guards must have had their own original duties before being reassigned to protect her.
"And so," her father continued, "I would like to bring my dear daughter back to the territory—"
As Cecilia had anticipated, hearing her father's intention stated directly hit her harder than she expected.
"Even if it means temporarily withdrawing you from the academy, I wanted to discuss this decision with you face-to-face."
Under her father's earnest gaze, Cecilia dropped her eyes to the floor.
"I… I'm aware of the danger…" she said, her lips trembling as she spoke. She realized she couldn't stop herself, she was enjoying her academy life more than she thought.
"However—!"
Cecilia's father raised his hand, gently interrupting her as she raised her voice.
"So, you wish to stay at the academy, don't you?"
At her father's warm smile, Cecilia couldn't help but nod enthusiastically.
"Then we must arrange for a bodyguard for you," he said.
"A bodyguard? But our family…" Cecilia tilted her head in confusion.
Her father smiled again and called toward the door, "Come in."
"Excuse me," came a dignified voice, as a young man with golden hair and striking blue eyes stepped into the room.
His refined features were eye catching, and the armor he wore bore the crest of the Hartfield family. However, Cecilia didn't recognize him.
"It's an honor to meet you. My name is Luke," the young man said with a respectful bow.
Cecilia rose from her seat and curtsied in return. "I am Cecilia."
"I wanted to assign a bodyguard to you," her father began explaining abruptly, "but as you know, our territory is still recovering. We cannot afford to weaken the territory's defenses further. The same applies to Marquis Lucian's forces."
Cecilia listened in silence, nodding.
"At this time, I received a message from Lord Victor. He offered to send a young man of reliable background as a knight and suggested he could also act as a companion for you."
"Is that really all right?" Cecilia asked with concern.
Her father chuckled. "There's no issue on paper. Officially, he's already registered as part of our domain."
Although the Earl dismissed the matter with a laugh, Cecilia remained uneasy. "I wasn't referring to the paperwork… What about the Victor territory? It's small…"
Though she trailed off, the implication was clear to everyone in the room.
Cecilia didn't know much about Randy's capabilities, but she had heard he served as a bodyguard for Liz. Surely, he must be highly skilled.
Furthermore, Harrison was also stationed in the royal capital as a bodyguard.
Cecilia's concern was that by allocating so much manpower, the Victor territory itself might be left vulnerable.
Her father seemed to understand her worry and turned to Luke, as if to ask, "What do you think?"
Luke smiled kindly at Cecilia.
"Thank you for your concern. However, the absence of someone like myself or Harrison will not create any issues. The Victor territory's strongest forces remain intact," Luke said, his smile unwavering.
Seeing his confidence, Cecilia could only nod. "I see."
"These are the application papers for the academy," her father said, handing her the documents.
"But compatibility between the two of you is also important. Spend the day together tomorrow, and if there are no issues, you may take him with you back to the academy."
Cecilia glanced at Luke again, who gave her a respectful bow.
"I look forward to serving you, Lady Cecilia," he said with a flawless smile.
Caught off guard by his impeccable demeanor, Cecilia could only manage a quiet nod, "Yes."
Luke, once an adventurer in the official game, had chosen a different path in this alternate reality.
Despite his own formidable strength, Luke chose to remain in service to the Victor family out of gratitude for the home they provided.
Now, as a knight in this timeline, Luke encountered Cecilia—a meeting that would have never occurred otherwise if not for singularity known as Randy.
———
Present..
"It's already past noon," Cecilia remarked.
"Shall I escort you to the mansion, my lady?" Luke inquired.
"No, let's stop by the dormitory first to gather my belongings," she decided.
Cecilia and Luke, having arrived in the royal capital, made their way toward the academy. Unlike Randy and Liz, Cecilia, as the daughter of the Hartfield family, had access to the Hartfield's royal capital residence.
Considering the presence of Luke as a male bodyguard, it was more appropriate for her to go to the academy from the mansion rather than staying together in the dormitory.
As their carriage approached the academy, Cecilia noticed a tall figure with bright red hair standing out even from a distance.
"Oh, how convenient," she said with a smile.
"Indeed," Luke replied, his expression mirroring hers.
Meanwhile, Liz, who stood beside Randy, caught sight of the crest engraved on Cecilia's carriage and paused.
As the carriage stopped in front of them, Luke stepped out gracefully and turned back to offer his hand to Cecilia.
Cecilia descended elegantly, taking Luke's hand, and greeted Randy and Liz with a curtsy. "Good day."
"Cecilia, you've returned," Liz said warmly.
"Yes, I just arrived," Cecilia replied with a smile.
While the two women exchanged pleasantries, the two men remained silent, locking eyes in a tense stare.
Noticing the strange atmosphere, Liz and Cecilia fell quiet, their gazes shifting nervously between Randy and Luke.
The two men took a step closer to each other.
"Hmph," they both scoffed at the same time, grinning.
Then, as if on cue, they extended their hands and clasped them tightly, pulling each other into a firm hug.
"Looks like you're up to something interesting, Randy," Luke said with a smirk.
"Not as wild as guarding a young lady from another country, Luke," Randy shot back with a grin.
In the original game, Luke burned with vengeance against Eleonora.
In this reality, however, he ended up become her ally.
—-
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