101st Confession - Chapter 128

<CHAPTER 128

“I love the little lady.”

“Me too! How gentle and good she is!”

“That’s not all, she’s also very charismatic!”

“The master can’t stop talking to her.”

“And he smiles whenever he’s with her. Wow, that’s the first time I’ve ever realized he can smile.”

It had been over a month since Lucia had entered the duchy. 

The servants who stayed with her for long or short periods grew more and more appreciative of her, eventually forming a group called the Admirers of the Little Lady.

Quite a few people joined the group.

Most of them had been intrigued by Herwin’s fascination with her and had fallen in love with her themselves.

Praise for Lucia overflowed from everyone she met, and the shoulders of the three people who came with her rose higher and higher.

Yesterday, there was a maid who asked what Lucia liked.

When she first announced that she was marrying Herwin, she had been worried, but now her worries were over. 

It was a relief to see Lucia so well integrated into the Duke’s household and loved by the people.

Feeling the eyes of the servants envious of Lucia, Sean stood up stiffly.

Just then, she spotted Jerome pacing in front of Herwin’s office.

“Jerome, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, Ms. Sean.”

Jerome’s face lit up as he whimpered like a puppy. Then his gaze traveled to Sean’s hand.

“Did you bring a snack?”

“Yes, it’s almost snack time, and my lady said she’d like to eat here, so I brought it.”

“Haha, I see…….”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

Jerome suddenly sighed heavily, leaving Sean dumbfounded.

“I knocked on the door, but they didn’t answer.”

“……aah.”

Seeing Jerome’s expression of liberation, Sean knew what was going on. 

They can’t open the door unless they have the master’s permission.

At this time of day, not only would Herwin be in his office, but Lucia, who had said she would be there first. But if they don’t hear anything,

“Looks like they’re having a good time.”

“Mmm! Hmmm!”

Jerome coughed, his earlobes reddening at the nonchalant tone.

This wasn’t the first time this had happened. It was the time of year when newlyweds could set each other on fire with mere eye contact. 

“How long have you been waiting?”

“You mean me? About five minutes…….”

“Well, come back in ten minutes, because I’m sure the two need some time.”

“That’s probably for the best, isn’t it?”

After conferring with Jerome, Sean knocked loudly on the door on purpose.

“Miss, I’ll be back in ten minutes!”

“……….”

Again, there was no answer. But it was enough to get the message across, and Jerome and Sean were allowed to leave for a short time.

As they left, Herwin’s keen senses caught sight of the popular pretender by the doorway.

He turned his squinty eyes straight ahead and saw the fluttering of her tightly closed eyelashes.

It was so adorable that Herwin pressed his lips to Lucia’s again. 

The kiss had been going on for a few minutes now, and Lucia was beginning to pant.

No matter how hard she pounded on his chest, no matter how hard she tried to push him away, Herwin didn’t pull away.

He just pinned her against the window and used his arms to keep her from squirming. 

After a few more minutes of savoring Lucia, Herwin finally pulled back.

Lucia gasped, flushed and breathless, and looked up at him, her tiny lips pouting and smiling.

When he looked away, his red eyes turning sinister again, Lucia slapped him on the shoulder.

“Really, how many times have I signaled you to stop, and look at your embarrassed face!”

“Whatever. The two knew what we were doing and moved out of the way.”

“That’s not what I meant… Ha, please don’t jump on me all of a sudden…….”

Lucia sighed heavily. All she’d done was come into the office and ask to join her for a snack, and now she’d been busted out of nowhere by Herwin and held captive for several minutes.

She’d be lying if she’ll said she didn’t enjoy it, but the thought of being caught in the act by Sean and Jerome made her blush.

Lucia dropped the hand that covered her face and glared at Herwin. He only grinned shamelessly at her.

“I’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t had time for this, cut me some slack.”

Herwin leaned against her chest and looked up at Lucia, trying to make her feel better.

It was a shame to use his handsome face like this.

Lucia’s eyes wavered for a moment, and then she lifted her hands to stroke Herwin’s hair.

“I know, you’ve been busy lately.”

He’d been a nightmare on their honeymoon, but since coming to the duchy, he’d had so much to do that it had been hard to find time to spend alone together.

Lucia has been relatively quiet, but Herwin has begun to take over Hail’s duties in earnest, and in two weeks, there will be a succession ceremony.

She’s sure he’ll be busy until then.

She’s proud of the way he’d been doing his job, even if he’s not happy about it.

Lucia stroked Herwin’s face in her hand. It felt so good in her hand.

Knock.

“Miss, I have a snack for you.”

There was a knock on the door and she heard Sean’s voice. Ten minutes must have passed. Lucia hurriedly pushed past Herwin and slid down from the window, checking her clothes for a moment to steady her voice.

“C’mon, come in.”

Jerome appeared, his face flushed from the blow of the wind. Lucia narrowed her eyes at his inability to make eye contact with her.

“Hmph. I apologize for interrupting your fun. It was a bit of a rush.”

Uncomfortable making eye contact with Jerome, Lucia scurried away to Sean’s side, while Herwin smiled slightly and examined the papers Jerome had brought with him.

Before he knew it, they were talking seriously about work.

It was funny how when she pushed him, he was always as fresh as if nothing had happened.

“Miss, would you like a snack?”

“Sure, thanks.”

Before she knew it, Sean had set out the refreshments and handed her a cup of fragrant jasmine tea. Lucia savored the aroma and sipped the tea as usual, but stopped when she felt a knot in her stomach.

“……What is this?”

“Miss, what’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing, it just smells so good.”

“I’m glad you like it. Would you like some cookies?”

Lucia took the cookie as Sean offered it. As soon as she tasted the sweetness, her mood instantly improved. 

She was happily munching on her cookie when she felt the couch pull away and Herwin’s heavy head resting on her shoulder.

The conversation with Jerome had come to a close.

“You’ve done well, eat this and get some rest.”

Lucia popped a cookie into Herwin’s mouth. Herwin happily devoured it and wrapped his arms around Lucia.

“Haha, we’re newlyweds, what’s this, shouldn’t I just hand over the title to Henry?”

“You can’t say that.”

“But I’m so busy, I couldn’t use a break.”

It wasn’t a flippant response; there was sincerity in it. Lucia knew what he was going through, so she simply patted him on the back.

“Lucia, how are you doing? I know you’ve been learning from Mom lately.”

“I’m doing okay. The more I learn, the more I realize how amazing your mom is. She does a lot more than I thought.”

Scarlett tends to wait until Lucia is comfortable enough, but watching her from the sidelines, Lucia can tell.

She’s not a duchess for nothing. 

As Lucia watches Scarlett, she begins to envision her future.

Still, it was the first time she’d ever done it, and she felt heavy and tired.

Herwin poked his head thinking of his father, Hail, and whether he agreed with Lucia.

“Yes. My parents are a bit of a handful.”

Herwin’s slumped form suddenly straightened up, as if his parents had encouraged him. He downed his tea in one gulp and kissed Lucia on the cheek.

“I’d rather get this over with.”

With a renewed sense of determination, Herwin returned to his desk and began to tackle the remaining tasks. 

The amount of paperwork on his desk was staggering, but with his current momentum, he should be able to get through it.

Lucia smiled brightly and slipped quietly out of the office with Sean.

* * *

February 5th.

On this snowy day, the Succession Ceremony was held.

Lucia let out a shaky breath as she and Scarlett prepared for the ceremony from start to finish.

Inside the mirror stood Lucia with a strong impression, who erased her usual graceful and friendly appearance.

The ceremony would bring together all the vassals of House Phoenaeus and the northern nobility.

She was to be their leader alongside Herwin, and she could not afford to appear weak.

Scarlett had a saying that stuck with her.

‘Don’t assume they’re all on our side. House Phoenaeus has ruled the North for a long time, and there are plenty of disgruntled families. How you perform at the succession ceremony will determine the rest of your life.’

Scarlett wasn’t trying to scare Lucia, she meant it, so Lucia spent the next few days learning from Scarlett how to deal with people.

“Hey, sweetie, are you ready?”

The door opened and Scarlett appeared. Looking for Lucia, she stopped when she saw Lucia with her back straight. Then she burst out laughing.

“Ahahaha, you look like a squirrel in a suit of armor.”

“Yup!”

It was such an apt analogy that the maids around her had to swallow their laughter. 

Sean’s shoulders shook as she kept a poker face to keep from laughing.

Lucia, who had a serious expression on her face, cringed.

“Mother… I don’t want you to do that.”

“Hahaha, I’m sorry. You’re like a man on the battlefield, so I don’t know…….”

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand what she was saying; what Lucia was wearing was a dress that previous Duchesses had worn to the succession ceremony.

Most of the previous duchesses were tall and athletic like Scarlett, so the dress didn’t fit Lucia’s petite frame.

She felt like she was wearing her sister’s clothes, so she had to shorten them.

Still, it didn’t seem to match Lucia’s.

“Are you nervous?”

“……whoa, yeah.”

“Don’t worry too much. I don’t think anyone’s going to openly challenge you, and even if they do-“

Scarlett made a cracking sound,

“Me and Hail will take care of it, and you can just relax and enjoy the succession ceremony.”

It was reassuring, if a little threatening.

As Scarlett stepped away to give instructions to the other maids, Lucia sighed softly. Sean, who had been hovering nearby, leaned in and whispered.

“Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”

“I’m just feeling a little stuffy…….”

She wasn’t feeling well today. Thinking back to Lucia, whose complexion had flown before she’d even put on makeup, Sean looked worried.

“Do you want me to get some medicine from the doctor?”

Lucia thought for a moment, then shook her head.

“No. I think I can handle it.”

Despite her assurances, Sean was still worried about Lucia. She’d noticed that her energy levels had dropped in recent days as she prepared for the succession ceremony.

She secretly thought she should tell the doctor about Lucia’s condition and get her some medicine.

“Lucia.”

Herwin appeared in the open doorway, his expressionless face breaking as soon as he saw Lucia.

Scarlett shook her head.

“I can’t get used to seeing you like that. Are you my son?”

“If I’m not my mother’s son, whose son would I be?”

“This is it. It’s not like I’m advertising your wife to be an idiot…….”

She had a soft smile, though she stuck out her tongue. This is because Herwin and Lucia looked very harmonious.

She couldn’t imagine what would have happened if Herwin had lost Lucia.

But this much was certain. He would not have been as happy as he was now.

“Come on, let’s go show our faces to the people.”

Scarlett punched Herwin in the shoulder. He winced briefly at the dull pain, then smirked smugly.

Herwin and Lucia then walked side by side, holding each other’s hands as they made their way through the crowded hall.

They reached the closed doors of the hall.

They had prearranged to enter on Hail’s signal, and now all they had to do was wait.

“Whoosh-“

A trembling breath came from within. Lucia turns to see Herwin looking just as nervous as she is, and she can feel his hands trembling slightly as she holds her own.

She was as nervous as he was, but at a time like this, she wanted to be a supportive mate to him. Lucia clasped her hand tightly enough to keep it from shaking.

Sensing it, Herwin turned to look at her, and Lucia’s eyes softened.

It’s okay.

The words were short, but they stopped the trembling in an instant. Herwin laughed softly, as did she.

“Allow me to introduce you to the next leader who will succeed me.”

Hail’s booming voice sounded from inside, and the door opened at the same time.

Lucia and Herwin stepped into the bright light.