Chapter 37

“Lucette!”

Let’s see. Let’s see.

Who is that person who smiles happily and raises himself up instead of chopping firewood as soon as he sees her? 

‘Slightly dark skin, thick and strong face, he looks just like Dominic. Aha!’

“Brother Dietrich?”

“Oh, did I hear you calling me Dietrich?” 

‘Then what do I call it? Dit? Rih? Trich? Hey? Excuse me?’ 

It is the most difficult situation to be possessed.

It doesn’t matter how she treats new people. What matters is how she treats people she knows well but hasn’t seen in a long time.

‘But I have time, and that’s it. Because the other side first jokingly talked to me….’

“Oh, if you’re going to tease me, go away. Because I am not happy at all.”

That’s what she thought. Dietrich approached her with a big smile, even at the grumbling words.

“Originally, you always called me Brother Didi because it’s hard to pronounce. Don’t you remember?”

“Of course I remember! But my tongue has grown enough, and I am now old enough to say brother’s name correctly.”

“Oh my, how old are you?”

“Fifteen years old!”

Dietrich walked up to Luce as he looked at her with a mix of regret and admiration for how quickly other people’s children grow up.

“Congratulations that your tongue has grown enough, but it’s still nice to hear Brother Didi.” 

“Why?” 

“It reminds me of the old days. The old days when the only task for the day was chopping firewood.”

“…Brother, you must have had a hard time at the academy…?” 

“Ehem.” 

Dietrich, who was pretending to wipe away tears with a sad face, blew his nose.

“What are you doing today?”

“I was just going to buy cat food.”

“Do you have a cat?”

“Should I say raising them, grazing them, or putting them out as children?”

“You’re making it difficult to say that you only feed stray cats.”

Luce couldn’t keep the black cat that stayed at her house for a day.

Because Chelsea started sneezing a lot before she could tell if the cat had come in or not.

It’s a shame because she had a beginner’s antie, an antihistamine. 

With a very suspicious face— she doesn’t know why her mothers always doubt what her daughter made even though it’s something to eat—Chelsea swallowed the pills and said briefly with her nose flushed. 

“Let it out.”

“Yes… That, Mom. Maybe putting the food in front of the door…it’s okay, right?

“Ahchoo!” 

“Okay, I’ll keep it far away….” 

Even though she couldn’t raise it at home, she gave it the name ‘Nox.’ 

It was because his fur was black, resembling a night. 

Even though Luce almost steps on its tail sometimes because it is so dark, the cat’s cuteness makes up for that.

“I was wondering if I should go fishing after a long time, but would you like to go to Luchette?”

“Did brother always like fishing?”

“I didn’t like it— somehow, I want to have time to think about what life is while watching the river that flows effortlessly today.”

What did you do when you were at the academy?

Even though he talked like an old man, Luce decided to join him when he went fishing and life reflection time. 

It was because there was still a little food left to give to Nox, and she had her own purpose.

‘Because I decided to ask Dietrich about the history of the Empire and the situation in the capital when he comes.’ 

She didn’t forget the small notebook that she always carries with her.

The place they decided to go fishing was the stream below the village. It is small to be a river and large to be a stream.

However, this place was meaningful to Luce. That’s where she first met Rev.

“I’ll take the fishing rod, so go ahead and wait.”

“Ung, I will.” 

She ran ahead and left Dietrich behind. When she stopped, a shadow was cast on the ground.

She seemed to know the owner of this large, wide, angular shadow.

Luce raised her face with a frown.

“Hey. What are you doing? Are you going to do some fishing? Where are the fish here?” 

“Go away, Vincent.”

Oh, it was the first place she met this guy too. Damn it.

After fighting with Rev about the color of his eyes, Vincent ran away when he heard what Luce said. He fought with her every time he saw her, making it seem like he held a strong grudge.

Even though three years have passed!

“Do you want me to whisper again? Why do you always crawl up like this when you lose to me every time?”

“Crawl up? Hey, little thing it’s you who crawl up to me!”

“Are you interested in me?”

“What–?!”

“If you’re interested, go away, and if you’re not interested, go away.” 

“Stop talking nonsense!”

“What you’re saying is nonsense!”

Of course, in a few words, ‘I! you! very just! Ugh, I’m leaving because you’re dirty, go!’ 

She’ll watch all the funny ones. 

Dietrich, who ran to stop the two children fighting for a long time, had no time to intervene.

He stood idly and said, loosening his fishing rod.

“That friend doing something wrong to you, isn’t he?”

“He made a very big mistake, then.” 

“What mistake? What, did he steal your food?” 

“Is that the biggest mistake that Brother can think…?” 

“If it’s not. Then what is it?” 

“To walk around this town with an ugly face.”

“….”

“I thought it was the right thing to say, but if it’s against your culture as an adult, you don’t have to say anything. Because there’s a reason.”

Dietrich shrugged his shoulders as if he really thought so and sat down. Luce also sat down beside him and took off her shoes.

When she dipped her foot in it, it was a little cold, so she hit her foot several times for nothing and pulled it back.

A real fisherman would not have brought a girl who was playing with water, but Dietrich didn’t care whether the fishing rod moved or not.

Life really seemed to have come to consider something.

Luce spoke to Dietrich, who sighed deeply while watching the river flow.

“I saw Brother send me a book a long time ago. But you’re finally here? You didn’t come all the way just to Xenon, did you?

“Yes. The professor is on sabbatical, so I came to take a short break. Whew.”

“Why are you sighing? Isn’t it good because it’s a vacation?

“Vacation is good, but after that is the problem. The professors who came back from the sabbatical were so passionate that they made a fuss! Make me fix it! I got a weird project and told me to meet the deadline! Argh!”

Dietrich, I thought you were a college student, but you are a graduate student.

She understands how he feels. It was a bit sad.

She gave Dietrich a pat on the shoulder as he swung his fishing rod around in anger, as if he wanted to catch the professor instead of the fish.

“Remember, Lucette. Don’t be fooled by the professor’s prettiness. Don’t be fooled by saying that we should come to the lab and chat for a while.”

“Okay, okay.” 

“Of course, you shouldn’t be relieved just because you’re being torment. No, just don’t get involved with the professor.”

“I told you I got it.”

Dietrich, who had been talking behind the professor for a long time, cleared his throat, perhaps feeling embarrassed.

“I heard from your mother that you are being taught at the Lord’s castle?”

“Yeah, that’s how it happened.”

“What is your field?”

“Pharmacology. There are many herbs in Xenon Village. Besides, the grandfather, a pharmacist nearby, was so untrustworthy that I wanted to make my own medicine.” 

Dietrich’s expression darkened when he heard that she had won second place in a quiz competition and caught the attention of the Lord. 

“If I had been there, I would have told you not to go.” 

“Why?”

She thought he’d congratulate her, but she didn’t know what his answer means.

Is this also a sense of solidarity as graduate students?

Does he mean she has to give back as much money for research as he spends?

‘The Lord isn’t the kind of person who would save money on education.’ 

She tilted her head. Dietrich laughed as he scratched the back of his neck.

“Ah, that’s because studying pharmacology is difficult! Wouldn’t it be nice to learn a field that makes learning a little easier and makes a lot of money?”

‘Looks like he’s hiding something?’

Intuition came. Dietrich was turning around.

‘He’s just trying to throw ashes on other people’s roads and run away.’

“What is the department of history that makes a lot of money easily?”

Luce, who was closely watching Dietrich, who had a face that looked like he was beaten to the bone, decided to put his strange attitude aside for now.

Most of all, that’s not what’s urgent.

“How is it to live in the capital? Are there any interesting things? Have you been to the imperial palace too?”

“There are many strange things. But it’s so complicated and so much to take care of. I miss Xenon Village more. Imperial Palace? Of course, I couldn’t go to the imperial palace. How can a student like me go? Even if you become a professor or assistant professor and get invited, you won’t know.” 

“Then you haven’t seen the people of the Imperial family too?” 

“I haven’t seen them, but I’ve heard a lot about them. Books tell a lot of stories.”

Dietrich seemed to believe that Luce hadn’t noticed.

Rather, he was preoccupied with choosing other topics that would interest Luce, and he was caught in Luce’s words that were curious about the Imperial Palace.

“Why? Are you curious about the story of the princess and the prince? Or are you curious about proms and jewelry stories?”

“I’m curious about that too.”

Luce whispered softly.

“Actually, I prefer blind passion.” (t/n: 치정 means blind passion. Or various, confusing feelings, caused by the love between a man and a woman.) 

“…Blind passion?” 

“A tangled romance. For example.”

Something like a horrible story in which an emperor named “A” kills everyone, including the female lead, whom he married for political reasons?