DED 38

Chapter 38

Lucy, having successfully completed the quest, left the banquet hall with Bartholomew.

She stopped him just as he was about to return straight to the temple.

“Why don’t we take our time and have a meal together?” she suggested.

“A meal?”

Lucy nodded.

She had been worried about him anyway, seeing how he had been like a wallflower at today’s social party.

‘I went through all the trouble of bringing Bartholomew to the social party…’

Bartholomew had been alone.

Lucy had tried introducing him to others, but he repeatedly declined.

In the end, he had only received the gazes of others without actually interacting with anyone, and returned empty-handed.

‘Maybe bringing him to the social party was just my selfishness.’

Lucy had hoped Bartholomew would make new friends in the social circle.

Still, she needed to see if he even wanted that himself.

‘But he did agree to attend.’

She thought he might be curious about new places and people.

‘I thought his mind might have changed just because he said he’d attend.’

Looking at his attitude today, that wasn’t the case.

Then why did he agree to go?

To Lucy, the atmosphere around Bartholomew felt a little different after seeing him in a while.

He seemed strangely calm.

Not a calm that was pleasant, but more like a lack of energy.

Had something changed in his feelings?

Lucy wanted to spend time alone with Bartholomew to find out.

“Very well,”

Bartholomew accepted her offer once again.

Secretly, she felt pleased, but she also thought he was being unusually obedient.

But only in front of Lucy.

She wasn’t sure whether to feel happy about it.

The two headed straight to Lucy’s private quarters.

The servants prepared a meal at her command, and soon it was ready.

Sitting across from Bartholomew at the dining table, Lucy felt a strange sense of emotion.

Even though they often spent time together, it was rare for them to share a proper meal.

This was the first time since being invited to the emperor’s banquet that they had eaten at the same table.

‘Ah, there was the night market, though.’

They had eaten together then as well, but it had only been street food.

They began eating in silence.

Lucy’s eyes kept drifting toward Bartholomew.

She had never noticed before, but his manners while eating were flawless.

If he had been clumsy, she would have noticed at the emperor’s dining table.

Of course, Lucy didn’t know that Bartholomew had been rigorously trained in table manners.

The Duke of Faraday had been annoyed by Bartholomew’s awkward handling of utensils during meals, so he had been made to learn proper etiquette.

The duke also disliked Bartholomew’s habit of hunching his shoulders, so he had been strictly taught proper posture and walking methods.

In short, he had only been rigorously trained in aspects that would be noticeable in front of the Duke of Faraday.

Unable to bear the silence, Lucy spoke first.

“How was the social party today?”

Bartholomew’s hand paused.

“It was interesting.”

He looked at Lucy.

Lucy’s eyes widened.

Interesting—so that was a positive response?

She asked why with a noticeably brighter expression.

Bartholomew hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Because I saw Cecil, Patrick, and Logan.”

His answer was unexpected.

She wondered how he had remembered only the men she had intended to get close to.

“Were you usually interested in them?”

“If I were, then yes.”

Bartholomew took a sip of wine.

“Because Princess Lucy wanted to become friends with them.”

Lucy was surprised.

“How did you know that?”

“Princess Lucy told me herself.”

When did I…?

Lucy thought back carefully.

Suddenly, a memory surfaced: the first social party, which she had completely messed up, and how she had scolded Bartholomew afterward.

“You remembered that?”

“I was curious.”

Bartholomew thought of Lucy as a friend.

It was true that he had felt quietly pleased seeing her make an effort to become close to him.

It was the first time someone had taken an interest in him and treated him kindly.

Then he realized that the effort she had made to befriend him wasn’t limited to him alone.

Strangely, it was very unpleasant.

The thought that the care she had shown him would be extended to others brought him down.

Her sparkling eyes and innocent smile were not reserved just for him.

She could smile brightly and be kind to anyone she wanted to befriend.

It wasn’t wrong of Lucy.

There was no rule that she should only be kind to Bartholomew.

It was just his own private frustration.

The fact that he could not monopolize her attention.

Bartholomew didn’t know what to call this feeling.

Had he shared it with someone, they would have told him it was jealousy, but he had no one to confide in.

Even as he endured humiliation in the punishment room of the mansion, he kept thinking about it.

Why he couldn’t escape from Lucy.

Why he couldn’t sever ties with her despite all this suffering.

Was friendship always this terrifying?

Did he have to endure so much pain just to keep his place as a friend?

At times, Bartholomew wanted to give up.

But he did not.

He endured to assert his opinion against the Duke of Faraday.

The Duke grew tired of Bartholomew’s stubbornness.

Bartholomew begged to be allowed to go out freely for the little time he had left.

What he really meant was to be allowed to meet Lucy freely.

In the end, the Duke relented.

He allowed him to enjoy the outside air as much as he wished.

He knew that Bartholomew didn’t have much time left.

During that remaining time, there was nothing Bartholomew could do.

Bartholomew immediately made the most of the freedom he had earned.

He sought out Lucy and petted Cerberus.

When Lucy suggested going to the social party, he did not refuse this time.

Yet when they arrived at the social party, he did not feel happy.

Many people were looking for Lucy there.

All of them were men she had taken an interest in.

Cecil, Patrick, and Logan.

Lucy smiled brightly at them, her eyes shining with interest.

Bartholomew could do nothing but watch.

Though he had accompanied Lucy as her partner, he had to keep a distance to avoid revealing himself as the heir of his family.

Even so, people couldn’t help but notice him, yet he could not intervene.

If he did, the Duke of Faraday would not let it slide.

Thus, Bartholomew had no choice but to watch over Lucy.

He observed the three men obsessively, feeling powerless.

He still wanted to find proof that he was the most special person to Lucy.

Thinking this throughout the social party, it was no wonder he did not feel good.

Lucy, in turn, kept an eye on him.

She knew he was upset but didn’t know why.

Seeing Lucy watch him like that made him feel pleased, but he also resented the lowliness of taking pleasure in such a thing.

He felt increasingly small and insignificant.

“Did you get as close to the three as you wanted?”

Bartholomew asked Lucy.

She smiled awkwardly.

“Well… making friends with someone seems really difficult.”

Bartholomew nodded.

He empathized with her.

He understood through his relationship with Lucy that making friends was difficult, and maintaining that bond afterward was never easy.