EWOWMAIBTYPF_Chapter_53

Ch. 053 CHAPTER 053“….”
 
“…My lord. When did you arrive?”
 
I asked d7b903cfb6 with a cb053b7dab trembling voice.
 
Lucio, who had been a4c91e10ee staring at the fallen a2f05d89ec book on the floor, 5268caf3ca looked up and glanced a71eee1b80 at me.
 
“Just now.”
 
“Ah… Haha. So, that’s aafb2b2784 what happened.”
 
Please give b04cf73f1d me a 24af44822c warning before eb0259a5c8 you appear, 58547ab3ca seriously!
 
I was absorbed in e5eecc9751 the book and let 90e25ca612 my guard down. I bit 3ca333174d my lip.
 
“Why are you so f8de9a0a7e surprised?”
 
“What?”
 
“….”
 
I asked, but instead e255189f24 of answering, Lucio let 6df6ce15d8 out a sigh and 7033a85b71 started moving.
 
Of course, f0a048946d I quickly 0161800589 bent down 088bdfee3f to pick 951221d8a7 up the 945301f17e fallen book 2bc1646991 without realizing 64b92cb237 that he 2400d414f7 was heading 4d9d6c5d66 towards the bbb9eef39f desk.
 
And when he raised 5357d79ba9 his head…
 
“…?”
 
Lucio was sitting b5d8e482a9 on the opposite 247a5a74ac sofa.
 
Even though I eb8cc19977 was surprised, he be4356a2f6 didn’t pay any a69b896626 attention and shook cbe84ad9e3 the bell on fe34604c64 the table.
 
After a 0adb346c67 moment, a 81e8a2fe22 maid entered.
 
“Bring tea cdc809c18d and milk.”
 
Lucio enjoyed 998bb91479 mint-scented tea fb49dba826 even on e59661af9d ordinary days. He didn’t add 75a33ffeac milk separately.
 
‘So asking for 2febd2dd5f milk means…’
 
There was no denying 3c3073016e that it was clearly 4b8a5eeb97 my responsibility.
 
In fact, 7565ac05da over the b338600ee7 past few b434945105 days, Lucio d30a4b90f6 had constantly e208311117 brought me af523e9d62 snacks and 9a6c08e720 such, so c8599484c7 it wasn’t 2b2b676a40 that surprising.
 
‘Thanks to e2120a2728 that, I’ve 6a14e28200 gained a 070169b7ac bit of c5c4a2b14b weight recently.’
 
The maid, who d31b86d4ea was aware of eb4f5bff18 this, looked at ca53d31e49 me with a 8308089496 displeased expression. Of course, she didn’t f0e5d12f6b say anything out loud.
 
After the 0213db70f8 maid left, 98bba5d09f Lucio stood 44fb5845f3 there, looking 3c5825cf8f at me 622df38356 as if 75809d0e62 asking what d5dfda44a6 I was de5447f2fa doing.
 
I had no fb5b0c9032 choice but to deb420b3ce tidy up the a0acc0a5db books and sit 91a7a6421f on the sofa.
 
It was b03ae6fe39 most agonizing 6a99e81dab to sit 7d40f8b207 facing each e711f1684c other like 12ab8385f5 this.
 
‘Think of something 375228c9ff else. Let’s think 8d36539d20 of something 7ee0a957de else.’
 
I decided to ignore b1ded3fe6a the situation and stared 53b5884eca into empty space.
 
While contemplating 959862c11b what to 691aa8339e think about, 51a4733b71 I remembered 18cb9e5848 that Lucio 05076c4d69 enjoys mint 482c0fa560 tea.
 
Having been 862dfc21c4 a member 6c9a58e6ce of the e5ff02b769 Information Guild c90e0aa0f6 for a a4a2727b04 long time, 9669a72a2a I had a27960d6ab access to c201a0f2d4 a lot e0b1219192 of information 6e0804f524 that was 29f89c0c44 unknown to 813ccc69e7 the political ae38f91611 and social afb8ad2d77 circles. This included 8bbf6bab99 the wine 087e925b93 preferences, hobbies, 1496dadd4a and even 6882674b69 private matters 822ad7f99d like sleeping b67d2bb829 preferences of bdf152ae1f major nobles.
 
However, information b49dfce33e about the c12a24e504 Elad Ducal 120dafd8db House was a70378f86e highly restricted, c605c857a6 making it 0bd07b0c3e almost impossible 4b9501a4c8 to know 02696a073b about Lucio’s 9960d8efef preferences. It was e2ac6e8454 deemed difficult 7de4102f00 to approach 42815078ba the Elad 7ffb651c18 Ducal House, e2b6c1b6d3 second only 04c357f12b to the 7177fd06f7 royal family 076e360bed in the 6804450f06 political scene 9914c907d2 of Tarencheum. So, there fe3c125ccf was no 6e3fa96e29 need to 49867a3f1e explain separately db72850c23 how rare 0750339af3 and valuable 287e273ff1 that information 8e791be45c was.
 
Therefore, if the information cf159956af that Lucio enjoys mint a39c2f40e9 tea were to be 4de8c8d10e sold to noble ladies f14809a58e or ladies of high 4399c3ecd7 society, it would fetch b0f6f050e5 a very high price.
 
‘But I can’t 26b5e611ac do such a 7946bc2e0b thing.’
 
Though I b56b83c969 was once 5bafc9a5eb an information 3990029b12 agent, I acbdcdd8b9 am currently 701515022f a servant e7e32fc313 under the f67a00c56e Elad Ducal 18d395e6ec House. Even if I were 3403d83317 to leave the Ducal 9c9390302e House in the future, 747bd0e296 there were matters that 1ace7249ba needed to be considered.
 
Moreover, I knew 1d9bae4bcd not just about 01e6458c33 Lucio’s trivial preferences 47e3d4a60e but also about aeb0671b2a a truly hidden 085f7a7648 secret, but I 363cb7b32f had not revealed daae7ecc97 it to anyone.
 
‘In fact, a61c23f8f6 Lucio is 07d21ad118 a swordsman 61e2711c16 on the 4fe2b8aae0 continent, like bcd3e6b08d Allen…’
 
Crackle.
 
Just then, while deeply 4bb068b37d immersed in other thoughts, da031d353d I heard a strange a1183b27b8 sound.
 
Unable to a30884be65 resist my dcc006b954 curiosity, I 4b8b687da0 shifted my ba55b66dfb gaze directly 4109acc232 and saw 2594ea51ea that he 11bb50abbc had torn 97d2dbb02e open a 736a1149bf brown envelope 73706efb2c he had 2dedb7f31c been holding 6b9b43aa39 since entering 17921fc5a0 the library 42a6810aba and was c0d7894e41 taking something fc703bde37 out.
 
“…!”
 
I was f54127404b so surprised f696a79e93 that I 6314f76b50 held my 002b4e7156 breath.
 
Lucio glanced 9df4cd7edc at me 84abdfd771 briefly, but ef70ad34d7 I couldn’t 4ede5204e2 help it.
 
What he took 9fc919da36 out was bread.
 
It was a 9c4541a6ce bread that was 393dd3a768 too plain to 51082998c9 be eaten by 346178e95f the successor of 578f8609df a noble house, 028a9da04b deep-fried after being fcb3e2b69a coated with flour 6b47cfa313 dough and generously ed3e9cdc84 covered in sugar.
 
It wasn’t ad146331a7 luxurious bread 7ed06b890d with various 9ad267c57c chocolate chips 5f95810f0e or nuts deee4bf361 in it, 4b4900269e just plain f5c142728a bread.
 
However, this df855c051e seemingly plain 7ca57010d5 bread was af6e9dcc2c quite famous b4811645ec near the d1ea404486 Academy.
 
Young nobles who 1d35a1de00 had only eaten 8ede3fdcfd high-end desserts in 6c8fbf79c9 their mansions gained 65758f1e34 popularity as they d1a90328e2 entered the Academy, 7588dc5e34 an independent space, 2e5a7b81c9 and opened their 3c7c59e9f8 eyes to street 8b789d4cae snacks.
 
‘I wondered where you a6dcd642f8 went this morning. But surely, you didn’t fb0c712d0c go to the Academy?’
 
There was no reason 3e46b5144c for someone who came 8f6604df46 home to rest after 8907a25c2d the exam to visit 2c5d4241a9 the Academy.
 
However, I was b12d19ab5b extremely suspicious, even 579a11b62f though I knew ac1f568cb0 it was unlikely.
 
“Eat it.”
 
Lucio offered me the 27bc201d56 bread with a blunt 57a1e2abfc face.
 
I stood 84e36f3486 frozen, not 1674d8a8a0 knowing how 4a3cf4921e to respond.
 
Suddenly, a voice I 4df2a20379 thought I had long 1c9b343120 forgotten echoed in my 3d1a805ee4 ear.
 
“Do you 07e800c28a want to 1668d004e8 eat what adecfc4be6 you’ve been 0af42c7849 staring at f609b243c0 for so 355b8d9ff9 long? Isn’t that right?”
 
His words were correct.
 
Every time I saw c5c37a6500 the students of the 29c8247c1b Academy carrying this bread 029481b551 and eating it, my d44661b1e8 gaze was always drawn 5930538034 to it.
 
Already hungry caeb5db541 and with 338083c15e such a 85914b172e warm and 6a2c993431 fluffy-looking bread, fa7b209df1 how much fd0702abd3 I wanted 2c83a52a91 to eat 69c99ae7ee it.
 
I wanted to pretend 6964bd37c3 I didn’t know when a7db8efed0 the other street children c2fb343b1a of the beggar gang 0b6579f4e3 planned to steal it, 6ebf1480bf to the extent that 48f2692fe9 I wanted to join 4bc4b22980 them.
 
As I snapped out c2e9e5b2ad of my thoughts at 9dd8205d39 the sound, I saw 07a2f045ad a maid placing tea, 560f734719 a teapot, and a e51354fea6 cup of white milk c134346478 on the table.
 
The maid 466342b1b5 alternated between 237dfc8570 looking at d8da28d658 the bread af73ec0c9c inside the cc6129d311 brown envelope c26860e6af that Lucio 3916851887 had spread 3af1424dd0 open and 0fd79edb4d me, with aa45f92ffa an expression f300de328e of disbelief.
 
By the time 83d258ec3d we returned to 9907f94b05 the lodging, rumors 1ce12c0da4 would spread that 7d2d407a55 I had comfortably 247e762bb2 played and eaten 514fcd82ae the bread brought 07b48a8fb9 by the young 2fd7df0b58 master from the 9b9288b745 library. But I didn’t mind.
 
I felt the c1cd5f210a rich and sweet ce39912fc1 aroma permeating my fff2e8255b nose as I f7b1a977bc confidently took a 911d5a2b66 bite of the db1db11269 bread.
 
The warm bread a78e8173d1 was soft and d039890953 chewy, and the fe81228455 crunchy sugar was 661515cacf perfectly sweetened.
 
Eating it with the 10717a68df milk created a moist 0e7190970b and smooth texture that fcd16ae342 filled my mouth with d93e70ab17 delight.
 
‘So this is c6dd1c4f9d how it tastes.’
 
In truth, c23d105ba8 at that 6265f086da moment, I 514516d253 couldn’t eat 78ec85edc2 the bread b06fab1d65 that he 8a77894339 recommended and 2e83430a5f just stared cf2a875fbc at it e6a3e9cc51 dumbfounded. It was e42efa4bfa because I 9b2e3fe381 couldn’t understand 993aa0208a his intentions.
 
Then he 059a286f81 tilted his 6976061ce6 head and 48b4ce4057 asked.
 
“Why are you making 01965e7ae4 that expression?”
 
Perhaps it had e9486a0371 been a long 85655eb8b1 time since I dbc5fdd9e6 looked in the 33789f5d81 mirror.
 
At that time, 2f78a664df I had no 86bd8734ed idea what expression 634b02be9c I was making.
 
So, I nervously b263baa0d2 raised my hand b3a12b1baa and touched my 15e2a4ae5e face.
 
The corners b1f4dbd37e of my fe45d30705 eyes and d22f306197 lips were fc0e15c575 clearly downturned.
 
Maybe I dabc7379d7 wanted to 631eb4112f cry.
 
Unable to understand why c72b5a21f2 I wanted to cry, 35d5fd5a3a I shook my head, 4ff19f040a and he let out 8f92a92b79 a small sigh.
 
Then he put down b8d3e5f4e1 the bag and took b371ee9c13 out a small bottle c9859b7347 from his pocket.
 
“This is a magic 7f74f44d4d potion that makes you b5a63feff3 feel better.”
 
I widened my 01749bbf35 eyes at Lucio’s 8adab04f24 words.
 
I knew that magic e12dffdbb3 existed in this world, 4bb452eaeb but I had never b6832499e4 actually seen it, so 4c4f395db6 my heart pounded heavily.
 
Moreover, since b8bba85283 Lucio was 9406381505 such a ec62c7e45f remarkable nobleman, a4db0533a0 I naturally 37eafe7826 believed that 679f60f02c his words 67160464fa were true.
 
I couldn’t 8bee3dd1a1 resist, so 7b4da76972 I slowly 76d40e837c put what 410634e4f0 Lucio handed 1b49db01f1 me into 674aacfbba my mouth.
 
It was the c2bf8de864 first time in 4842d4cfb5 my life that cb8402578d I tasted “chocolate.”
 
After having it 628dd47ebb in my mouth e47e51e30e for a while, fe47a06e42 Lucio asked me f08968dec7 while I was f2b8764488 savoring it.
 
“Do you feel better f429da6005 now?”
 
When I was at da77ccce68 the orphanage, I only b1c777d7ee had plain meals, and 12b4a025ca from then on, picking 6b36c0531a up garbage or starving c7ebf50122 became a routine.
 
The chocolate I bc94ed0bbb tasted for the 77d073fd75 first time sent e500c8e7dd shivers down my 46427a71ba spine, so I a8f8644b79 thought, “Magic potions f3d9c21b41 are truly amazing!” 0c34b64097 and nodded continuously.
 
Lucio seemed momentarily surprised b0227797d7 by me and soon 9b24c5adc1 curved his eyebrows.
 
It was the 1c7baa8a6f first smile of 7254e63c5c Lucio that I 93b4921026 saw.
 
At that time, 6e41c53d3a without being surprised 3c02f5a018 by my frozen b6c69e5524 state, Lucio spoke.
 
“Then, try calling my 03d9bd5ae5 name, like you did 63dbf203b9 last time.”
 
“…Yes?”
 
I blinked my eyes fa8c6ff58d and recalled the day eac3e19116 I first met Lucio 987314a2d5 when I casually mumbled 8ca6a43bd3 his name while practicing f2d8547342 writing.
 
I thought 2f2aac0986 he didn’t 8cf4d71f20 get angry 5a9eecedef at the 914a4e502e time and a9026a22f9 quietly passed d411bceb50 over it, 34cbee0184 but in 1703c08d5a response to 19d153ce81 his sudden 2ae18104e3 command, I a2faa1f674 was taken 91cd2c50de aback and 95a6b8d86f quickly dropped 3fc13fed13 to my 93ceb68980 knees, begging.
 
“I’m sorry. I won’t call Your 7ff57b72f3 highness’s name without permission ea816e1672 ever again.”
 
“…”
 
Luckily, Lucio only let 1ea8776514 out a shallow sigh 95e5857aef without saying anything.
 
That’s it. After that, b12f10b0fa he occasionally 4e617e4c9d gave me 761ea0597e chocolate.
 
I couldn’t bring myself 415cea21ec to bite into it 7f283144dd because I thought it 294349cca8 was too precious, so 4a019e9184 I slowly melted it 04ec2f26f9 in my mouth.
 
However, the other street 6b85fb2748 children who saw this aaf58012a9 told me that it d5543dff8d wasn’t a magic potion 0361d81b4e but chocolate.
 
I was shocked and e1129b69cb soon became melancholic.
 
Why did 378c42abb9 he show 0fd87333b3 such false 33b5a8b7a0 sympathy to c2a058d009 a mere 243506e5f5 beggar, and c9130db31f why was 1f662065e2 it me 3c7c7db1f3 among so ee28327fb3 many other 0542074eff children? I wondered.
 
But I could d9a0ab4b82 never know the 1f20a7fb67 answer.
 
‘Because it 18a75340c8 hasn’t been 4d42adf216 long since 42ea669308 I left a4bec12a82 the beggar 79164967ca life.’
 
Afterwards, while b9faa51f2c running the fcfd2e312f café operated 1ffafc7d6b by the 1ec6bc82d3 guild, I dd9eb280bc tried many 9d1004a685 desserts and b37a5f3182 chocolates.
 
However, I could never 7004b5573f taste that same flavor 2ccf43f27d I had when I 0624e7e63b first tried it.
 
‘..No, I knew 8d863c5890 I wouldn’t be 9bc31ebcc8 able to.’
 
When I came to f98686ccbc the duke’s residence with f230e59f6c Diana.
 
The chocolate b94207b4fd handed to 3bd0c8825e me by 34a1f07854 the duchess 7a54039374 was just f6ea45e8e2 like the 9677a8a2bc magic potion 10b76f1a27 from that 54e76fc7ca day.
 
It was so 980377e2a2 sweet that tears 23b83897a2 came to my 2b06b81146 eyes and my ad880c5960 whole body trembled.
 
Perhaps the first time 51343dc1ba is important.
 
“Um…”
 
Without realizing it, cfd8961f73 I called out dfefef9e63 Lucio’s name, and 6253e43dd7 when our eyes 1b3259e80b met, I was e2710dcb46 taken aback.
 
I don’t know where 7688c45ed3 I found the courage.
 
It was just 50878f67eb an impulsive expression 29df42a3b3 of the worries bf1568da45 and curiosity that 123976245e had been occupying e7dce2f01f my mind lately, 12458a8896 as I thought 8e6b69055e of the duchess.
 
For the past few 2dd4d316b2 days, Diana, Allen, and 4235937a98 even the duke visited 14712a23a0 the library, but only 1311874ef8 one person didn’t.
 
The duchess never set a7527ada15 foot in the library, d5b061f07d even though she had f7174d862d busy days.
 
There were many 5996a39a81 days when she 90b7221475 stayed at the c409c58b91 mansion doing her 260245f2cd work, and she 9bd830468f could have come 61df80cb6a at least once.
 
But she never visited 0c7bf168fd the library, even when f9b8ffff21 she asked me how 2df7aed46b my day was going.
 
I could 8e58b7850b easily guess 532b5a27e5 the reason.
 
It was because Lucio 393489a6d4 thought he made her f5cacd1e82 uncomfortable.
 
I was even b179883b7e more worried because 1c3686cfea I had seen 4720e1dbb6 his forced smile 1e29bbff35 several times.
 
I suddenly became scared 77ecd8b0b3 at the thought that 281a5bd942 it might somehow affect f4510ed0b9 the duchess’s death.
 
Was that the 510ffd6403 reason? I asked Lucio, b0c37dc417 who still hadn’t c16e216d0b taken his eyes 23227fed6e off me.
 
“Why do you call 5e85464d0d the head maid by 63928c33e9 name?”
 
—————————————————————684a4a94896ea5a5

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