Chapter 235

Chapter 235

“Are you okay?”

Sitting on a bench heavily weathered by rust in the garden, Sophie asked, while Deatrice remained silent, gazing into the thickets full of wildflowers.

She had always been taught to respond with “I’m fine” when asked if she was okay, but this time, she didn’t want to. While she hesitated to answer, Sophie spoke up.

“He came to the temple looking for you. He asked to treat the injured child with the Young lady Vivian Boviki. At first, I thought he didn’t know you were here. But when I heard he would be volunteering over the weekend, I realized he knew everything from the beginning. It’s none of my business, but if you can avoid him, it might be for the best. The person I encountered then…”

Sophie paused, as if choosing words carefully. Many words passed through her mind—urgency, faint nervousness, sensitivity—but none of them were particularly positive.

“Did he seem to resent me?”

Deatrice, sensing Sophie’s hesitation, asked.

Rushing over to Galaba, Deatrice confessed everything that had happened to Sophie.

Sophie also learned about the tricks the duke, Deatrice’s father, had played six years ago and the unjust suffering Lucius had endured in the past. Nevertheless, Sophie remained on Deatrice’s side, despite everything.

“Deatrice.”

As if telling her not to blame herself unnecessarily, Sophie called out her name.

“His resentment isn’t your burden. It’s something your father should bear.”

As if pitying Deatrice’s life engulfed in guilt, Sophie spoke. Of course, Deatrice didn’t claim that everything was her responsibility. She simply knew that in reality, one couldn’t clearly separate everything like that.

Especially since the duke was her father. Deatrice was talking about the time she had spent more luxuriously than anyone else as the duke’s daughter.

Even when Lucius went to the battlefield and spent precarious days, she dressed herself in jewels and silk, socializing with nobles, dancing, and playing cards. Of course, her heart wasn’t at ease even then, but such stories held no value.

She didn’t want to be born as the duke’s daughter either. Like all complaints that it wasn’t her fault, it was the same.

Eventually, Deatrice sent Sophie away with a smile.

And the next day, she arrived at the soup kitchen with others gathered to see Lucius.

The presence of a nobles meant that there were three or four times as many guards as usual, and people were more strictly controlled than usual. The slightest disturbance would result in being sent to the back of the line.

Deatrice stood slightly hidden from view, like everyone else, waiting for their arrival.

In the distance, Lucius was seen holding Vivian Boviki’s hand, helping her out of the carriage. Their hands intertwined over the gloves, and their gazes momentarily met.

Deatrice felt a pang in her heart at Lucius’s smiling face towards the unfamiliar woman.

“Why are you just standing there blankly? Aren’t you going to pack up and leave?”

Lucius said that to her when she ran to save a child in the market. There was no resentment or reproach in his tone, but those words hurt Deatrice the most.

As if there was nothing left between them.

As if she had returned to being even less than others.

Of course, she couldn’t blame him. That’s what she wanted too.

So, whatever the reason for his presence here today, she had to endure it. Her fist clenched so tightly that nail marks were left on her palm. Deatrice slightly bent her knees in response to Anita’s greeting.

“Let me introduce everyone in order. Starting from this side, Miss Hannon, Miss Susan Hix, Nakia Cella, Rochelle Mullings, and…”

It was Deatrice’s turn. She could feel Lucius right in front of her. His hand clad in black leather gloves, his well-polished boots peeking out from his uniform, and Vivian Boviki’s lace-gloved hand on his forearm were all very visible.

Deatrice tightly shut her eyes.

Anyway, she couldn’t sit next to him again.

So, she tried to reassure herself that feeling such emotions was entirely unnecessary and bowed her knees.

“And this one is Dina Fram.”

Principal Anita introduced Deatrice. Upon hearing this, Lucius let out a short laugh. He must have used the middle name Fram inherited from his mother as his last name. But Dina?

Such a clumsy name. As he chuckled, people looked at Lucius as if asking why he was laughing.

Lucius responded with a smile. “Dina, what a cute name. Miss Fram. Is it a name given by your father?”

Deatrice couldn’t bring herself to respond. The strange silence prompted murmurs from the crowd. Lucius glanced down at Deatrice with a haughty gaze, then shrugged, wearing an expression of pity.

“It seems I’ve asked an inappropriate question. I might have unknowingly touched on painful memories about family. Please forgive me. Let’s move on to the next person.”

After a light nod from Lucius, Anita introduced the next person, exhaling a sigh of relief, perhaps thinking that the subtly tense situation had finally ended. Others thereafter greeted each other with a bit of tension, expecting Lucius to ask another unexpected question at any moment.

However, Lucius merely nodded briefly, showing no sign of the same behavior as before.