Chapter 40
The next day, Bartholomew came to see Lucy.
“Young Master Bartholomew!”
Overjoyed, Lucy hugged Cerberus and went out to greet him.
“It’s so nice to see you again.”
Bartholomew gazed quietly at Lucy as she smiled brightly.
He looked at her with an unreadable expression before opening his mouth.
“It’s only been a few days since we last met, hasn’t it?”
“But those few days felt so long.”
Lucy laughed lightly as she spoke.
She handed Cerberus over to Bartholomew.
Bartholomew held Cerberus in his arms and gently stroked his head.
“I don’t think I can stand being bored without Young Master Bartholomew anymore.”
Bartholomew’s hand froze in midair.
Soon, he spoke slowly.
“Once I return from the temple to the estate, it will be difficult for us to meet. Perhaps…”
Looking at Lucy, Bartholomew continued,
“We may never see each other again.”
Lucy’s eyes widened.
Then she burst into laughter.
“That won’t happen. If it does, I’ll come find you myself.”
As if determined to cling stubbornly to him, Lucy stepped closer.
Bartholomew did not avoid her as she gradually closed the distance.
The corners of his lips curved faintly upward.
Seeing his smile, which felt as though she hadn’t seen it in a long time, Lucy felt her mood lift.
“Are you leaving the temple soon?”
“That seems likely.”
“Hm.”
Lucy hummed softly.
She had spoken boldly, but if Bartholomew left the temple and returned to the Paradei estate, it would not be easy to meet him.
The Paradei estate was located in the north.
Right now, it was only a day’s journey by carriage, but once he returned to the estate, they would need to plan for a much longer trip.
Lucy felt a twinge of regret, but she congratulated him anyway.
“You must be feeling much better. Congratulations.”
If he was leaving the temple, his condition must have improved considerably.
Bartholomew nodded.
He was focused on stroking Cerberus.
Watching him, Lucy spoke again.
“We don’t have much time left to play together.”
“…That’s true.”
“Since every moment counts, how about we go somewhere else instead of the annex?”
Lucy suggested going back out to the shopping district.
Once again, Bartholomew did not refuse her suggestion.
Lucy and Bartholomew headed toward the shopping district again.
“Are you planning to stop by the bookstore this time as well?”
“No.”
Lucy glanced around.
“I’m going to buy things we’ll need for the hunting competition.”
Though she would only attend as a spectator, she wanted to have the proper accessories.
“Have you made up your mind, Young Master Bartholomew?”
Lucy had asked him to be her partner at the hunting competition. He had not given an immediate answer, saying he would think it over.
“I will attend as well.”
Lucy’s face instantly brightened.
Seeing the anticipation in her eyes, Bartholomew added,
“Though I’ll probably do nothing more than play the role of a spectator.”
“I’m going as a spectator too, anyway.”
Lucy said excitedly.
“I’ll have the servants prepare everything properly. You just need to come.”
Her eyes sparkled as she told him to leave it all to her.
Watching her, Bartholomew smiled silently.
“You look like a child excited about a picnic.”
“Of course. A hunting competition is fun—”
Lucy trailed off.
A sudden thought crossed her mind.
She calculated the date.
‘It’s one week before the hunting competition now.’
That incident would happen.
Lucy was glad they had come out to the shopping district.
They had come by chance, but it was a stroke of incredible luck.
She looked around hurriedly.
“What is it?”
“Where’s the blacksmith around here?”
Seeing her sudden urgency, Bartholomew frowned slightly.
He examined a signboard with a map of the shopping district.
“We need to go to the right.”
“To the right! Let’s go, quickly!”
Lucy grabbed Bartholomew’s arm and started running.
Bartholomew hastened his steps, still not understanding what was going on.
The place Lucy and Bartholomew headed to was a hardware shop run by a blacksmith.
Lucy did not enter right away. Instead, she listened to the voices leaking out from inside.
“You’re selling a cheap sword like this for such a high price?”
“Sir, you seem very drunk. Please stop.”
A drunkard and the blacksmith were arguing.
Lucy looked around.
‘Thank goodness. We’re not too late.’
Just then, Bartholomew grabbed Lucy’s arm.
“It’s dangerous. Please stay back.”
His face hardened coldly at the sight of the drunkard pulling out a sword and swinging it wildly.
At this rate, a serious accident seemed imminent.
People in the marketplace began to gather in small groups as the commotion from the hardware shop grew louder.
Lucy searched for her escort knight.
At her meaningful glance, signaling him to intervene, the knight began to approach.
At that moment, a girl with red hair braided into two plaits appeared.
She was the blacksmith’s apprentice.
While she had been out running an errand, a drunken man had appeared and started causing trouble.
The drunkard grabbed the blacksmith by the collar, threatening to swing his sword at any moment.
However, his posture was sloppy, and he did not seem like someone who had received proper martial training.
Noticing this, the girl looked around.
Then she picked up a fist-sized stone lying near her feet.
Just as she was about to throw the stone accurately at the back of the drunkard’s head—
Someone grabbed her arm firmly.
It was Lucy.
The girl’s eyes widened, then narrowed sharply.
“Let go! Do you think I can’t hit him?”
The girl was confident.
She had learned some martial arts, and hitting a target with a stone was easy for her.
Moreover, the opponent was a drunk who could barely keep himself standing.
But Lucy did not loosen her grip.
In a firm voice, Lucy said,
“A moment of impulse can put your life in danger.”
“……”
“You know that swords don’t have eyes.”
The girl’s eyes widened slightly.
Lucy had spoken words her brother often repeated until he was hoarse.
At that moment, when the escort knight entered the shop to restrain the drunkard, the man immediately swung his sword.
The girl gasped in shock.
She had thought him a pathetic drunk, but he had more skill with a blade than he appeared to.
If Lucy’s escort knight had not drawn his sword and blocked the attack immediately, his life would have been in danger.
Only then did the girl feel a chill run down her spine.
What would have happened if she had thrown the stone?
The drunkard might have rushed at her and swung his sword.
She had underestimated him badly, and all she had was a stone as a weapon.
Just as Lucy had said, it was a situation where she could have lost her life over a moment of rashness.
Once the escort knight subdued the drunkard, guards who patrolled the shopping district rushed in all at once.
Watching as the incident was brought to a close, the girl looked at Lucy.
“Thank you.”
“I’m glad you’re safe.”
Lucy had calmly stopped her, but if she had been even a little later, it could have ended in disaster.
“I owe you my life. I won’t forget this debt.”
The girl spoke with a refined manner, as though she had never behaved so recklessly before.
“There’s no need.”
Lucy waved her hand, as she truly hadn’t done much.
It was enough for her that the girl had survived.
In the original game story, the girl was fated to lose her life meaninglessly at the hands of that drunkard.
“No. I will definitely repay you. My name is Lena Wolffield.”
Lena Wolffield.
She was Logan’s younger sister.
Logan would lose his sister in this incident, suffering a deep wound in his heart.
Already taciturn, Logan would lock his heart away even more tightly.
Winning over someone like him was not easy.
But Lucy knew the game’s story, and because of that, she was able to save Lena.
As a result, Logan would not lose his sister.
Lucy’s only goal had been to save Lena, so she was slightly flustered by Lena’s resolute attitude about repaying the debt.
After all, all she had done was stop her from throwing a stone.
“Please tell me your name.”
Lena believed, as her brother had taught her, that a debt of gratitude must always be repaid.
Reluctantly, Lucy gave her name.
“So you are the Imperial Princess. I have incurred a great debt to a noble person. I will do my utmost to repay it.”
Lucy waved her hand again, saying it wasn’t necessary, but Lena’s eyes only shone more clearly.
At the time, Lucy did not know what consequences would come from that determination to repay the debt.
