Chapter 35
The visitors who came to see Lucy did not stop with Patrick.
That evening, Bartholomew also came to see her.
“Prince Bartholomew!”
Lucy greeted him warmly, unable to hide her joy.
“I can’t tell you how quiet it’s been without you visiting all this time.”
As she approached Bartholomew, she tilted her head in concern.
“Prince Bartholomew?”
“Why do you ask?”
“You look very unwell.”
There was genuine worry in Lucy’s voice.
It was no wonder—Bartholomew’s complexion was pale.
Not only that, he looked extremely exhausted.
Though she was glad to see him after so long, Lucy wondered if he shouldn’t be resting.
“You look tired. Why don’t you go back early and get some rest today?”
Bartholomew looked at her silently at first.
As he simply stared at her for a long moment, Lucy felt a strange sensation.
Then Bartholomew moved his lips, as if he was about to say something.
At that moment—
Woof woof!
Cerberus appeared, barking at Bartholomew.
A faint smile appeared on Bartholomew’s face as he saw Cerberus.
He crouched down to meet Cerberus’s gaze.
Argh!
As always, Cerberus bared its teeth at Bartholomew.
Bartholomew instinctively tried to pet it but nearly got bitten.
Cerberus seemed even more fiercely wary of him than usual.
Lucy tried to intervene, but a thought suddenly crossed her mind.
It was something she had read in the special book.
“A guardian beast that protects its owner from evil forces.”
That was exactly what Cerberus was showing now.
Standing in front, it was displaying hostility toward Bartholomew as if to protect Lucy.
“Could the evil force be related to Bartholomew?”
What was this “evil force,” and what connection did it have with Bartholomew?
While Lucy pondered, Bartholomew let out a small laugh.
“You really seem to hate me.”
He gave up trying to pet Cerberus and spoke instead.
Lucy’s eyes widened at his words.
He had never seemed fazed when Cerberus bared its teeth before.
Until now, Lucy had assumed Bartholomew treated Cerberus’s hostility as nothing more than play.
But now, he wasn’t forcing himself to touch Cerberus.
He was simply watching it bare its teeth and smiling wryly.
Lucy felt a strange mix of emotions.
“Bartholomew is acting differently today.”
She didn’t know why, but her intuition told her so.
Lucy studied him carefully.
Pale complexion.
Wry smile.
Hands unsure where to rest.
“Why?”
She felt as if Bartholomew could disappear at any moment.
Like dandelion seeds blown by the wind, he might vanish completely in an instant.
Beyond the reach of her hands.
The thought filled Lucy with an unexplainable anxiety.
She crouched down alongside Bartholomew.
Then she picked up Cerberus.
As if nothing had happened, Cerberus blinked innocently at her.
“Cerberus.”
Lucy spoke firmly, and Cerberus licked her nose.
“If you growl again, I’ll be angry.”
She looked at Bartholomew with determination.
“Go ahead and pet him.”
Knowing that Bartholomew liked petting Cerberus, Lucy offered the dog to him.
Bartholomew shook his head.
“He dislikes me, so I shouldn’t force myself to touch him.”
“No. Cerberus doesn’t dislike you, Prince Bartholomew.”
Bartholomew’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
Lucy looked down at Cerberus’s tail.
“Look! See how he’s wagging his tail like he’s happy to see you again?”
“….”
“I don’t know why, but I guess this is how Cerberus shows he likes you.”
Lucy thought of fishermen and continued.
“If he really hated you, he wouldn’t even let you touch him.”
She held Cerberus out to Bartholomew, as if to let him see for himself.
Bartholomew hesitated briefly, then slowly extended his hand and stroked Cerberus’s head.
Cerberus growled, but wagged its tail vigorously—so much that its rear jiggled.
Bartholomew let out a faint smile at the sight.
“See? Cerberus doesn’t hate you, Prince Bartholomew.”
“Then why is he growling?”
“I don’t know. He’s like a fickle little dog.”
Lucy shrugged lightly.
Though she didn’t show it, she was trying to comfort Bartholomew.
He looked so bitter when saying that Cerberus hated him.
It was as if he was saying, “You dislike me too, don’t you?”
Bartholomew exhaled a small, weary sigh while petting Cerberus.
It was a sigh filled with relief.
Lucy felt that his tired expression had lightened somewhat.
Yet, why did her unease not vanish?
Somehow, she felt she might not see Bartholomew again after today.
His late visit was unusual, and something about his forlorn appearance was strange.
Even though Lucy hadn’t fully figured him out from their previous interactions, she could tell he was acting differently than usual.
“Prince Bartholomew, is something wrong?”
Lucy asked without hiding her curiosity.
“Nothing at all.”
Bartholomew replied calmly.
From his answer, Lucy felt an unbreakable wall between them.
Just when she thought they had become friends, it felt like she had gone back to the first time they met after a few days apart.
Lucy studied his profile, then impulsively asked,
“Prince Bartholomew, would you like to attend a social party with me?”
Bartholomew furrowed his brows.
“A social party?”
Despite his surprised reaction, Lucy didn’t care.
“Patrick Yeong-sik came today and invited me to a social party he’s hosting.”
Bartholomew, still stroking Cerberus, paused.
Patrick.
Lucy recalled the last social party when she returned tipsy.
She had mentioned Patrick as someone she wanted to get closer to.
“Who’s that?”
Bartholomew showed interest, and Lucy’s voice brightened.
“He’s the heir of the Marquis Helio family.”
“Are you close?”
Lucy was surprised by the question and quickly shook her head.
“No. He’s not someone I really want to get close to.”
Bartholomew looked at her.
“Really?”
He asked, assuming her words from when she was tipsy reflected her true feelings.
“Yes. I’ll only tell you this, Prince Bartholomew: Patrick Yeong-sik doesn’t have a very good personality.”
Lucy whispered it like a secret.
Bartholomew tilted his head.
“Then why attend his social party?”
“Well, because of the disaster at the last social party,” Lucy answered matter-of-factly.
“I have to attend this new party to redeem myself.”
“….”
“Honestly, I thought I’d never be invited to a social party again. So I have to make the most of this opportunity.”
Bartholomew listened quietly, then asked,
“Do you need my help?”
To get along with those people?
He kept the rest of the question to himself.
Lucy shook her head.
“I just thought it would be nice if you attended the social party too, Prince Bartholomew.”
“Why?”
Lucy paused, unsure how to express the feeling she had sensed.
It was as if she no longer had lingering attachment to him.
Because she had no lingering attachment, it seemed she could feel at ease even if he left at any moment.
“I hope Prince Bartholomew has a lot of fun experiences.”
“….”
“Even just new experiences can change the way you see the world.”
Bartholomew said nothing.
Lucy waited anxiously for his response.
After a moment, he nodded.
“Very well.”
“Really?”
Lucy was the one who looked surprised this time.
Bartholomew stroked Cerberus’s head again.
His eyes were deep-set, but a faint smile lingered on his lips.
