CH 7.5

Anna went to her office with a displeased look on her face. She was stunned to see Michael walk out with Lila without looking at her.

“You’ve got the wrong person. I’m just trying to be a little concerned…”

Anna gnashed her teeth at the thought of Lila, who had been responding bluntly to what she had heard and to her different looks.

“I’m going to have to call your mother. How could you put such a poor woman as the duchess?”

She knocked roughly on the door of the office she’d arrived at, and opened it before they could say yes.

“This is really not it!”

Anna squealed as she entered. She was very familiar with the office. When her husband was alive, she’d come in here many times and verbally abused him.

So being in a familiar place relaxed her, and her usual behavior kicked in.

But what greeted her were piercing mint-colored eyes. Not her husband’s stony dark green eyes.

“I really don’t know what to make of you.”

Lucas sat down on the couch in the living room and tilted his head. He swept his hair back and let out a long sigh.

“I tried to be polite. Since you brought her here as your wife, I was being polite! She’s wasn’t. If you know better, you shouldn’t bring in a woman like that.”

Anna’s temper flared, and she blurted out the words like she used to with Lucas.

“I’m sure your mother will be against it too. Even if she has a pretty face to look at, what about her freckles! The freckles didn’t go away even when I gave birth to Michael, but look, both of her parents have freckles! What is the sin of the child to be born?”

“So you neglected Michael?”

Lucas cut her off, letting out a long sigh before speaking.

“I have no say in the matter, of course. I’m just as guilty of neglect. He’s smarter than his peers, so I just assumed the servants would take care of him. He’s not my child, he’s my nephew. There’s a limit to how much I can care.”

Lucas was uncharacteristically long-winded. He was shocked by Lila’s words.

“My wife knew that within days, and you didn’t.”

“…How would I know that, he has to tell me. Do I have to know everything just because I’m the mother?”

Lucas said firmly, his breath coming out in short bursts, as if he were energized by her words.

“Please, if you have any conscience left… don’t come here anymore. Go live happily ever after with your true love. This is the limit of what I can do for you, as my my sister-in-law. Don’t mess with my temper anymore.”

Lucas finished, drawing his hand to his side in the air. Anna felt a surge of irritation at his changed demeanor.

“Honestly, you weren’t interested in the family either, so why are you being so hard on me now?”

“You’re the one who wasn’t interested in the clan.”

“Don’t lie to me, you’ve been so busy wandering around that you haven’t even bothered with the dukedom.”

Lucas tiredly rubbed a hand over his eyes.

“Because I took care of the business in place of my older brother.”

Anna’s eyes widened at the thought of Lucas revealing something she didn’t know.

“My poor brother had no business talent, unfortunately. If you were even remotely interested in him, you would have known that. I’m not comfortable discussing this with you anymore, and before you start throwing away what little memories you have, go away.”

Lucas thought of his brother, Anna, and Michael, who had gotten together every so often to share a meal. But it was only for a few moments.

Lila returned to the room with Michael. They drank the cocoa Vincent had made for them, washed up, and got into bed.

“Ugly, why did you change your face like that? Are you sure you’re not a mage?”

“You’re calling me ugly again. Well, it’s kind of nice to be called that by the young master.”

“After washing, your face is prettier.”

“So you like my face?”

“Yes.”

When Michael, who she expected to squeal with delight, meekly affirmed, it was Lila who should have been embarrassed.

“…Um, thank you.”

“What.”

Michael was so grown up that sometimes she wondered if he’s really only nine.

“Do you want me to tell you a funny story?”

“What?”

Lila just wistfully dredged up an old memory.

“Once upon a time, a long time ago.”

“What is it.”

Despite the grumbling in his voice, Michael listened to her.

“There was a moon man who lived with my brother, and one day.”

As she began to tell her story in a casual tone, Michael watched and listened, and before she knew it, he was dozing off.

The next day, at Lucas’s summons, Lila headed to his office, wearing the same makeup and clothes as yesterday.

She knocked on the door and heard a voice inside.

Creak.

“You wanted to see me?”

Hearing her voice, Lucas looked up from his papers. Owen, who was sitting at the desk next to him, also looked up.

Lucas turned to Owen.

“You leave.”

“Yes.”

Owen replied, pushing up his silver-rimmed glasses. He bowed to Lila and walked out the door.

Meanwhile, Lucas stood up and approached the couch. Lila couldn’t take her eyes off him as he strode over, his long legs strutting.

He was dressed in all black today, accented with blue sapphire cuffs and embroidered with blue hydrangeas.

“Please have a seat.”

“Ah, yes.”

Lila, who had been watching, sat down on the couch. Lucas, who had sat down first and was observing her, asked.

“Hmm, have you decided to be honest? That’s a shame, I was trying to figure it out.”

“Well, I’m not entirely honest yet, and if you’re a Duke, aren’t you being too honest?”

Lucas laughed, making a windy sound as he crossed his arms in front of her.

He felt his foggy head clear.

Lucas leaned his upper body loosely against the couch, inhaling her sweet, seductive scent.

“I’m sorry about yesterday.”

Lila blushed as she watched him speak with a languid expression. When she remained silent, Lucas spoke slowly.

“As you can see, my lady, we’re a bean flour family1. There’s nothing special about being a duke, and nothing special about being a duchess… The Montefeltra blood is strong, and every child born is a boy, and every child born has a face full of freckles and looks alike.”

Lila listened, her eyes narrowing.

“And we were always plagued by family feuds. I’m sure other families are no different, but we were different from the ground up. The wives, even my mother, were so displeased with my father, my brother, and me, it was disgusting.”

Lila, who had been listening to him, spoke up.

“I don’t think so, the Duke’s face is my favorite!”

Lucas burst out laughing at her outburst.

“What, why are you laughing?”

Lila was serious, and a little angry. Then again, she really didn’t know the standards of beauty in the Vassium Empire.

“I really don’t understand, because you, the Duke, and the young master, from what I’ve seen, are very handsome. Don’t you think so?”

Lucas let out a long breath as Lila looked him in the eye, her eyes narrowing as if she meant it.

Covering the corner of his mouth with a long finger, Lucas tilted his head slightly.

In truth, he didn’t feel inferior about his appearance. He was indifferent to the rudeness and gossip of the servants because he wasn’t interested in them in the first place.

He apologized for yesterday’s incident, thinking that she should know something about the Montefeltras by now, but the reaction he got back was so amusing that he didn’t feel like clearing up any misunderstandings.

“Um…”

Lucas paused, considering, then straightened.

“I’ve never heard that before.”

“Never heard of it, the Empire has strange standards of beauty.”

Her words brought a smirk to Lucas’ face.

“Is that why you wear such peculiar makeup? Because you think it makes you look pretty?”1

a dysfunctional family