Chapter 59
At last, it was Bartholomew’s birthday.
Lucy went to the shopping district.
She was going to pick up the birthday cake she had prepared for him.
The three-tier birthday cake was perfect, exactly as she had ordered.
She handed the cake to the servant who had come with her and told them to handle it carefully.
Just then—
“It’s been a while.”
A familiar voice reached her ears.
Lucy turned around in surprise.
Alexander was standing behind her.
He was wearing a hood, but Lucy recognized him right away.
“It has been a while,”
Lucy greeted him calmly.
She had many questions—why he had not appeared for so long, and why he had looked unwell before—but she did not ask them right away.
“You didn’t buy any books today,”
Alexander said as he looked at her empty hands.
“It looks like you bought dessert instead.”
It seemed Alexander had been watching her from afar.
Lucy shrugged.
“It’s a dear friend’s birthday.”
She explained that she had come to pick up a custom-made cake.
“A dear friend, huh? Then does that mean you don’t need me anymore?”
Alexander asked, pretending to look hurt.
“Wasn’t it you who stopped needing me first?”
At Lucy’s question, Alexander lifted the corner of his lips slightly.
His gentle smile looked perfectly drawn.
Encouraged by that smile, Lucy continued speaking.
“I was worried after you suddenly left that day.”
She looked at his face carefully and asked,
“Are you feeling better now?”
Alexander nodded.
“I’m fine.”
At that moment, Lucy’s eyes were drawn to something shining near his neck.
It was the necklace Alexander was wearing.
It looked strange and fascinating.
The gem was diamond-shaped, with purple and red colors mixed in a mysterious way.
It shone clearly under the sunlight, making it hard to look away.
Noticing her gaze, Alexander looked down at his necklace.
“Oh.”
He spoke briefly and grabbed the necklace, tucking it into his clothes.
Lucy sensed that he was trying to hide it, so she asked,
“What is that necklace? The gem is very beautiful.”
She pretended to ask out of simple interest.
Alexander’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“You think this necklace is beautiful?”
He sounded surprised.
“It looks like a rare gem in the empire. Isn’t it?”
“It is true that it’s not easy to see. But I’m not sure it’s a gem you would call beautiful.”
“Then why do you wear it?”
Lucy asked with honest curiosity.
Alexander only smiled and did not answer.
It meant he did not plan to tell her.
Lucy tilted her head slightly, but that was all.
The necklace did not hold her attention for long.
What she was really interested in was the book he had taken before.
“You’re empty-handed today too,”
Lucy said.
Alexander looked at his own empty hands.
“It seems you’re still interested in that book.”
“That’s right. Taking back something you already gave is the worst thing to do.”
At her words, Alexander laughed out loud.
“It feels like we have a lot to talk about. Instead of standing here, how about we go somewhere inside?”
Alexander suggested.
Lucy hesitated for a moment.
It was Bartholomew’s birthday, and she worried about being late for their meeting.
But when she checked the time, there was still plenty of room.
She had come out early to pick up the cake.
She thought she could spend a little time with Alexander.
“Besides, it’s been a while since we met.”
She did not know when she would see him again.
“This is a good chance to make plans for next time.”
Thinking that, Lucy gestured lightly.
“How about we talk here?”
They were standing in the dessert shop where Lucy had just picked up the cake.
Normally, they might have gone to a café Alexander often visited, but Lucy did not want to spend more time moving around.
She worried briefly that he might refuse, since he liked staying hidden.
But it was an unnecessary worry.
Alexander nodded readily.
Not only that, he took off the hood that had been covering his face.
His tall figure and bright silver hair were revealed.
“Shall we go in?”
Lucy entered the shop with him.
Bartholomew came out to the shopping district.
Even though it was his birthday, he wanted to buy a gift for Lucy.
As he looked around the shops, he felt unsure about where to go.
“What kind of gift would Lucy like?”
Lucy liked books, and she liked sweets.
He had already given her sweets once.
“Come to think of it, I also gave her a necklace.”
It had been a cheap necklace bought at a night market stall.
Thinking about it now, the things he had given Lucy were hard to even call proper gifts.
The necklace was cheap, and desserts were common.
While thinking, Bartholomew headed to a bookstore.
He decided it was best to give her something she liked.
He went to the bookstore he had visited with Lucy before and looked for a book to give her.
Surprisingly, nothing felt quite right.
Lucy read many kinds of books.
At first, fairy tales, then novels, and after that, books with unclear tastes.
“Does Lucy really like books?”
The thought suddenly crossed his mind.
It seemed more like Lucy read out of obligation than enjoyment.
Wasn’t that because of the curse related to her?
“Come to think of it, she hasn’t talked about the curse lately.”
That thought bothered Bartholomew.
Lucy had said she could not freely speak or act with people other than Bartholomew.
But recently, that did not seem true.
It was the same at social parties and at the hunting competition.
At the imperial banquet before, she could barely answer in short replies.
But now, she spoke freely with Cecil, Logan, and Patrick, and her actions no longer seemed restricted.
“Am I no longer needed?”
That thought suddenly came to him.
Lucy had once desperately needed his help because of the curse.
Now, even without him, Lucy seemed healthy.
“But I’m not.”
For Bartholomew, Lucy was still his only place of rest.
If he still needed Lucy, but Lucy no longer needed him—
“Will she remember me?”
A bitter feeling spread through him.
All his struggles to not be forgotten suddenly felt meaningless.
His mood sank in an instant.
He did not even understand why he felt this way.
Soon, he forced his gaze back to the bookshelf.
He wanted to stop thinking and quickly buy a gift so he could see Lucy’s face.
Then one book caught his eye.
It was a book by an author who had been said to resemble the person who once served Bartholomew at the temple.
A small smile appeared on Bartholomew’s lips.
He wanted to give this book to Lucy.
As a way of asking her to remember the moments when they had laughed together.
After buying the book, Bartholomew headed to the dessert shop he had visited with Lucy before.
As he looked through the glass windows of the building, his eyes widened.
Lucy was there.
She was smiling brightly.
The person facing her also wore a pleasant smile.
“Alexander.”
Alexander was with Lucy.
