Chapter 148

Chapter 148

The priest was a little taken aback by Lucius’ tone. She thought maybe he really didn’t know, so her voice as she answered became a little weak.

“A little over two months. I went to Northum’s temple to talk.”

“Two months…”

Lucius sighed and shook his head. If it’s two months, it was still during the times when Wilton had been visiting and he himself was making his own bold advances of courtship. Not much time has passed yet since then.

How could she?

In the midst of this feeling of betrayal, Lucius tried hard to control himself.

He tried hard to understand that there was no need to be emotional and that at that time, Deatrice must’ve made these decisions when she was still very lonely in the difficult times of their relationship.

Perhaps impulsively? But he doubted that because such a plan required meticulous planning.

Crookedly standing in silence and seemingly thinking of something, Lucius looked down at the floor as Sophie waited for him to come to his senses. It was because, unlike the first time he had heard the slim chance of her becoming a priestess, this time held a certain possibility that she would indeed become one in the near foreseeable future.

After a moment, Lucius looked up and spoke to Sophie with more seriousness than ever.

“Thank you for your concern, but there’s no reason for her to be a priestess. She may have had intentions in the past, but that is where it will stay. I hope to give you a letter soon explaining her situation.”

After the insufficient answer and a brief glance, Lucius left the terrace.

He couldn’t understand how she could have thought of such a thing, how she had prepared things like that without saying anything to him. He could understand if it was because their relationship was still a little rocky, but lately everything was going well between them, so it hurt him that she couldn’t confide such details of her future plans.

He thought she loved him and knew him as much as he knew her all these years, but he couldn’t be sure of anything now.

In the end, until late that night, Lucius wandered aimlessly. He finished two glasses of wine and sat outside for a long time, staring at the evening garden blanketed by the darkness of night.

Actually, he didn’t know exactly what he was thinking as he sat there. However, the one thought that was as clear as day was the fact that he did not want to fight. That he did not want to ruin their good days like this.

Let’s not be hasty and destroy everything we’ve done so far.

He told himself. As he struggled to control his reasoning, Lucius bottled up the doubts and negative emotions he felt and pushed them under the rug.

Fortunately, the cold wind, two drinks, and a long promise calmed him down a bit. Even when he went up to the room, opened the door, and saw Deatrice’s back; rather than questioning her, he felt longing instead.

Lucius approached the back of the sofa in a natural manner and leaned over to kiss her head as she read.

Deatrice smiled faintly, raised her head, and pulled him a little closer to sniff him. “Oh, you smell like—”

“Smell like what?”

“Cigarettes and alcohol. I thought that’s what you’d been doing since you’ve been held up for so long.”

It was only natural that she didn’t smell it because he wandered somewhere other than the banquet hall. Lucius lifted his body, untied the cravat, and unbuttoned his shirt up to his chest.

“I couldn’t go back to the banquet hall because I was meeting with someone else.”

“Someone?”

“Yes. A certain priestess came to me, Sophie. I was told you know her.”

“…”

There was no answer. Lucius glanced in her direction, but all he could see was the same undisturbed back. He told himself not to be impatient and sat down across her.

“I guess there was some misunderstanding. She came to me very worried that you might become a priestess. I said you may have been like that in the past, but not anymore now that our relationship is… I mean, since everything got better.”

Then Lucius reached out and grabbed the hand on her lap. She looked at him with an unknown gaze. He tried to put on a calm smile, but at the last moment, he almost collapsed without even realizing it.

Without missing a beat, Deatrice called out to Lucius with concern.

“Lucius.”

He ran his hand through his hair and then hid his face.

“You must’ve suffered. She even said that you donated, but suddenly you won’t be able to go.” His hand that was wrapping around hers tightened, “Tell me if you need help?”

“…”

When she didn’t answer, Lucius stood up as if he wanted to end the conversation at this point. Then he turned and went over the partition screen.

His resolve to not raise his voice at her regarding this issue was visible from the tautness of his back. But Deatrice could see how much Lucius was hurt by this. His emotions were buried beneath the calmness of his expression along with the tone of his voice, hiding his real feelings.

It was her fault.

Deatrice lingered near the screen, looking for words to appease him. She had to explain at least something.

But it was difficult at this time. Still, she hasn’t answered the letter from the Alhen temple. She didn’t have time either if she decided to travel there abruptly. Moreover, she’s at the duke’s residence.

Perhaps that was why she agreed to go with him, to avoid replying to that palm-scorching letter.

“Lucius.”

Deatrice called his name again, and yet she still received no answer from him. There was no sound of him bathing either.

Maybe Lucius was just standing over the screen, she thought. Deatrice, who had been carefully choosing her words for a while, thought it would be better for her to be honest.

“I haven’t sent it yet, the letter.”

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