101st Confession - Side Story Episode 18 - Island Outing (1)

Side Story Episode 18: Island Outing (1)

Oh!

Ohh!

Ohhhhh!

The front gate of Count Agnes’ estate. 

For the past hour, John had been pacing back and forth in front of the main gate, occasionally glancing at the distant entrance gate.

His restless behavior, so unlike the usual composed John Agnes, was unbelievable.

“Oh dear, darling. Are you still at it?”

Julian, coming down from the second floor, sighed upon seeing John, who had been in the same state for an hour. In response, John, with bloodshot eyes, raised his voice.

“What if something happens to Lucia?!”

“There won’t be anything. The Sword Master is right there by her side.”

“But is she taking so long?! She’s 10 minutes late from the scheduled time!”

Despite being out for an hour and only being 10 minutes late, his frustration seemed unreasonable, even though he was my husband.

“Darling, maybe there was traffic or the northern snow hasn’t completely melted, making the journey a bit difficult. Even if she doesn’t come today, she’ll definitely be here by tomorrow, so just relax and come inside. You barely slept a wink yesterday.”

“I won’t move an inch until Lucia arrives.”

“Oh dear, whose stubbornness did you inherit?”

With a dismissive shake of her head, Julian walked away. As soon as she left, John returned to his usual state of restlessness.

“Your Grace! The carriage of Duke Phoenaeus has just entered the estate!”

At that moment, a servant who had gone out on an errand came back with the news.

Upon hearing this, both Julian and John’s faces turned pale.

“I-Is that true?!”

“When did they pass through?”

“I heard the news as soon as I left the shop, so they should be arriving shortly. Oh! Who’s coming with them?”

As if on cue, the iron gate opened, and a carriage pulled in. Even from a distance, it was clear that it belonged to Duke Phoenaeus.

Julian and John hurriedly walked towards it.

“Mother! Father!”

As Lucia stepped down from the carriage with Herwin’s escort, the Agnes couple wordlessly embraced her tightly.

The familiar scent, warmth, and touch made it feel like she had truly returned to her homeland.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Lucia finally shed tears, leaving the Agnes couple bewildered. While John tried to comfort Lucia, he gave Herwin a sharp look.

“What happened up north that made our daughter cry as soon as she saw us? Let’s go to the study right away and discuss it…”

“Father, it’s not like that.”

As Lucia laughed and intervened, John surprisingly blushed. It seemed like he had aged in the mere four months they hadn’t seen each other.

Lucia nestled into John’s embrace.

“I missed you.”

Moved by her words, John also hugged Lucia tightly, and tears welled up in Julian’s eyes too.

With a satisfied smile, Herwin approached the three of them.

“All the people up north welcomed Lucia warmly. They tried to accommodate her as much as possible, making her feel comfortable. But since it’s her first time being away from home for so long, she missed her parents a lot.”

“Herwin’s right. They’ve been so good to me. Mother buys baby supplies for me every day, and Father teaches Herwin how to be a dad. Look at the carriage. Father prepared it all.”

Seeing the sturdy and comfortable interior of the carriage, both John and Julian felt relieved.

Despite knowing that Hail and Scarlet weren’t the type to mistreat anyone, they still worried that Lucia might have a tough time in the harsh northern environment.

“Yeah, as long as our daughter is safe, that’s all that matters.”

“Exactly. Who cares where our daughter is as long as she’s loved.”

“Father, really.”

Chuckle-

Lucia’s laughter filled the Agnes estate after a long time. How much they missed that nightingale-like voice. Julian and John finally realized that Lucia had indeed returned home.

“Oh my, you’ve gained quite a bit of weight.”

“This isn’t the time for that. Let’s get inside quickly. Pregnant women shouldn’t overexert themselves.”

Supporting Lucia carefully, John led her inside. Julian gave Herwin a nod, ignoring John.

“I’m sorry, Herwin. I had no idea how much Lucia missed us…”

“No need to apologize. Let’s go inside too.”

When Herwin extended his hand, Julian happily accepted his escort.

* * *

John caressed Lucia’s belly, a worried expression on his face.

“…It feels like just yesterday you were in Julian’s belly, and now you’re already becoming a mother.”

While feeling regretful at how much their daughter had grown, he also seemed excited about welcoming the new baby.

Flutter-

“Oh my, this one’s quite energetic. It started moving when we left the north, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s usually quiet, but it reacts to familiar voices.”

“I hope a beautiful child like you is born. Or maybe someone as talented as Herwin.”

“Haha, thank you, Father.”

“The child will become someone great. Before I heard about the pregnancy, I had a dream. It seems like a premonition.”

“What was the dream about?”

“It was about a big tree with golden apples hanging all over it. I picked a bunch of golden apples and gave them to you, Lucia.”

“How big of a person are you aiming to be with golden apples?”

As Herwin happily embraced Lucia, John and Julian smiled contentedly.

“It’s fortunate that your dreams are like that. If it were Lucas’ dream, oh dear…”

Julian sighed worryingly in the middle of the conversation. Lucia and Herwin were puzzled by the sudden mention of Lucas.

“Come to think of it, I heard something. You say Arista and Lucas are getting married?”

“Yeah, I was shocked when I heard about that. What on earth happened? Since when were they like that?”

When Herwin and Lucia inquired with sparkling eyes, both Julian and John wore troubled expressions.

Or should they say they forced smiles? Anyway, their expressions were filled with complex and subtle emotions.

“Um… where should we start with this?”

“We shouldn’t be the ones talking. The parties involved should speak for themselves. Since Lucas is coming early today, let him explain himself. Oh, just thinking about that day makes my heart race.”

Both Lucia and Herwin looked puzzled as they glanced at each other.

What on earth happened to make their parents react like this?

They had thought that if it were just the two of them, they would welcome Arista, but this was…

“Perhaps Lucas got into an accident.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Did he suddenly mention marriage without even mentioning that they were dating?”

It was a somewhat different atmosphere and attitude compared to their marriage.

There were so many questions they wanted to ask about Lucas and Arista, but it didn’t seem like the right time to ask. Both of them remained silent.

* * *

“Lucia!”

“Arista!”

Lucas, who came back from work with Arista, arrived at the Agnes estate.

Arista ran towards Lucia but stopped when she saw Lucia’s slightly protruding belly. Then, she carefully hugged Lucia.

“I missed you, Lucia.”

“I missed you too. Have you been well?”

While the two women inquired about each other’s well-being, Herwin and Lucas shook hands and greeted each other.

“Long time, big brother. Why do you look better than the last time I saw you?”

“That’s for me to say, man. I thought you’d have a hard time being a duke, but you’re looking pretty good.”

“Oh, don’t say that. If I’d known I’d have so much trouble, I’d have handed the dukedom over to Henry.”

“You greedy bastard, that’s not what you say.”

Herwin and Lucas burst into laughter. Eventually, Lucas approached Lucia and hugged his sister.

“Everything alright?”

“Yeah, everyone was so kind to me, so I was comfortable.”

“Congratulations on your pregnancy. Both Mother and Father were thrilled when they read your letter.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Yeah. They were even planning to come themselves, but since you said you’d be coming down soon, they were eagerly waiting for you. If you come up again this time, they’re considering going to the northern region with you until the baby is born, so Mother can be with you.”

“No need for that. Mother said I should give birth here.”

“Oh, really?!”

Arista, who was listening nearby, was also surprised.

“Yeah. October is the due date, and Mother said it would be difficult to give birth in a cold place, so she suggested giving birth here. And she said it’s better to be with family for recovery.”

“That’s fortunate. Did you tell your parents?”

“Not yet. I forgot amidst all the greetings.”

When Lucia responded with a crestfallen tone, Lucas gently stroked her head.

“Tell them. They’ll be so happy.”

“Yeah! I’ll do that.”

“Now that we’ve greeted each other, let’s not linger outside. Have you all had dinner?”

Since Lucia had already finished her meal, Lucas and Arista, who had planned to have dinner together, changed their plans. They asked the chef for simple food like sandwiches and decided to chat in the drawing room.

“Oh my, I’ve only heard of it, but seeing a husband getting a morning sickness instead of his wife is a first.”

“You really can smell anything?”

As Lucas, amazed by Herwin’s eating on Lucia’s behalf, pushed a sandwich with chicken towards him, Herwin wrinkled his nose in disdain and pushed the tray away.

“It’s disgusting, put it away.”

“Wow, is this for real? That’s true love. Man.”

“Brother, you have to do that too, okay?”

“Haha, alright…”

Seeing Arista’s subtly hopeful gaze, Lucas awkwardly chuckled. Lucia suddenly remembered that the two of them had promised to marry.