Subliminal Wayfarer

For a moment, Grace thought she had misheard.

‘I stole what? And why is ‘our dear’ Lucas being mentioned now?’

As Grace felt an eerie sense of déjà vu, Selena, with playfully curved eyes and a mischievous smile, extended her hand.

“Pleased to meet you, Grace. My name is Selena, and I’m Lucas’s mother.”

Oh, heavens.

Grace’s face flushed with sudden heat, and she was flustered.

“P-Pardon my rudeness, Elder Madam! My goodness, what a faux pas. I am so sorry for not recognizing you!”

“Oh, no, no! It’s our fault for suddenly rushing in.”

Why was the duchy’s matriarch here? Or had she been staying in this townhouse all along? Had Grace been unaware of her presence and never greeted her? How dreadful! What must the elder madam think of her now, so impolite?

Grace’s mind was in complete disarray.

On the other hand, Selena had only one thought as she looked at Grace.

‘My, she’s so pretty! Lucas, that boy, he inherited my discerning eye, indeed!’

As Selena gazed fondly at Grace, a long horse tail sharply whipped her side.

“Ouch!”

Bhrr!

The horse’s tail vigorously swung, continuously pushing Selena away.

‘What’s this?’

Selena glanced at Lucas with amusement.

She defiantly embraced the bewildered Grace, who was like a statue in her confusion.

“I’m so glad to meet you, Grace. I’ve rushed here because I wanted to see you so badly.”

Bhrrrr!

The horse tried to wedge itself between the two women, but Selena relentlessly pushed him away.

“Don’t interfere, Lucas. Can’t you see I’m trying to greet her?”

Hiiiiing!

Every time Selena called him ‘Lucas,’ the horse grew more agitated.

Selena’s eyes widened in bewilderment.

Hmm? Why was he acting so wildly today?

“Stay still, you’ll hurt Grace!”

Bhrr! Bhrrrr!

“What’s wrong? Oh dear. Why are you being like this?”

The pair bickered, not even minutes after their warm embrace.

Laura, unable to watch any longer, stepped in to mediate.

“Good grief, why are two adults acting like this? Look, you’ve gotten Lady O’Ellin flustered. Now, now, let’s not do this and quickly head inside the mansion. It looks like it’s going to get dark.”

“Oh, right, you’re correct. I’m sorry, Grace, I was too impolite. Were you out for a walk at this time?”

Gabriel did say that the Elder Madam was quite playful.

The woman Grace met in person was not only full of mischief but also bright and often smiling.

For Grace, who grew up among an indifferent father and a ferocious older brother, this was a bit too overwhelming.

And then there was another concerning thing.

‘But… Why does she keep calling Luki ‘Lucas’?’

It was Selena’s attitude towards the horse.

She was treating the horse as if it were a person.

Even calling it Lucas, the name of her son and the duke.

“Heavens, Lucas. Why are you being so restless? You really want to wedge yourself between me and Grace?”

And every time she did, the horse seemed overly anxious.

He even kept sneaking glances at Grace.

Feeling something was off, Grace, who had been tilting her head in confusion, quietly asked as they nearly reached the mansion.

“Excuse me, but is Luki’s full name Lucas? I’ve only ever heard him called Luki or Lu by His Grace. I had no idea he shared the same name.”

At Grace’s words, Selena, who had been shaking her head in wonder, laughed and said.

“Eh? What do you mean? This horse is Lu—”

HIIIING!

At that moment, Luki neighed loudly and stomped his hooves.

It was a tumultuous movement, enough to kick up the dirt of the vicinity.

HIIIIIIIIING!

The sound of his hooves stomping and circling around was loud and clear.

Startled by the noise, Grace reached out her hand towards Luki.

“Why all of a sudden, Luki? Did you see a small animal or something?”

Grace quickly approached and soothed him, and Luki calmed down, snorting softly.

Huff! HUFF—!

Luki’s eyes were fixed on Selena.

The horse’s head shook desperately.

It was unclear whether it was tossing its head or shaking it in denial.

Selena tilted her head in confusion and muttered in a puzzled voice.

“You’re really strange today, aren’t you?”

Fortunately, before Selena could say anything further, the sound of the horse’s whinny brought the servants rushing out.

All of them were startled to find Selena and Laura.

“A-Ack! Elder Madam! And Mother too?!”

Among them were the butler Gabriel and Jaime, mixed in the crowd.

Both were astounded to see Selena and Laura with Grace and Lucas.

“What in the world is going on?”

Jaime rushed over to Laura, looking utterly shocked.

Laura, with her warm embrace, promptly pulled her tall son into a hug.

“Jaime!”

“W-Wait. Please, wait—”

“My, my! Have you grown taller again? Always growing taller, you are!”

“J-Just a moment. Stop, please. Everyone’s watching…”

Laura unabashedly peppered kisses on the grown Jaime’s cheeks, showing off her affection.

The long-serving attendants laughed at this sight, but there was one who was wide-eyed in amazement.

It was Julie.

Julie and Jaime’s eyes met in mid-air.

‘Wow.’

Julie found the scene fascinating.

Such an overflowing display of love.

Julie chuckled softly, watching the clear lipstick marks on both of Jaime’s cheeks.

Jaime’s face turned so red it looked like it might burst any moment.

But no matter how much he tried to push Laura away, his strong mother wouldn’t budge an inch.

“Ah, please stop…”

“What’s wrong with kissing my son! I hardly even see you once a year!”

Laura laughed heartily, patting Jaime’s backside.

Jaime’s face grew even redder, but Julie was too distracted to notice.

“Oh my! Milady!”

She had just spotted her young lady.

Julie hurried over to Grace.

“I’ve been looking for you, Milady! Where have you been? I was so worried when I couldn’t find you all day!”

“Sorry, I got a bit lost behind the garden.”

“Lost? Are you hurt anywhere? Oh dear, this won’t do. From now on, no matter if it’s dawn or night, you must always go with me, understand?”

“Yes, I understand.”

The sudden arrival of Selena and Laura lit up the mansion with a flurry of activity.

It was Cote-amont who got busy with Selena’s arrival.

He hurried inside, declaring that he would prepare a few more dishes for dinner.

Selena, having changed her clothes, led Grace to have some tea before dinner.

 

* * *

 

“Are you feeling nervous, Milady?”

Grace had a habit of reading when she felt tense.

Julie asked this, noticing Grace had not put down her book on botany since she began getting her hair done.

“A little, I suppose.”

Grace put down the plant encyclopedia she was reading and rubbed her arm covered by her sleeve, laughing awkwardly.

“Is it that obvious, Julie?”

“Just a bit. But I think you have nothing to worry about. She seems like a nice person. Don’t be too concerned, Milady. It’s not like you’ve done anything wrong.”

Grace gave a slight smile, appreciating Julie’s attempt at comforting her.

Yes, as Julie said, Grace hadn’t done anything wrong.

It was just that her head felt dizzy from the whirlwind entry of the ‘Blacke’ family into her life.

Suddenly appearing, insisting she stay and be taken care of by him and his mother.

‘…It seems like the Black family all have fiery personalities. Kind of like racehorses.’

A family that adored horses, bore the horse as their family crest, and resembled the temperament of horses.

The thought that there was no reverse gear in these people’s lives made Grace chuckle softly.

‘Right, let’s not be nervous.’

Grace took a deep breath and stood up.

It was time to go to the dining hall.

Grace wanted to call Lucas, but she refrained, thinking it would seem odd with Julie here. She’d look like she was talking to herself.

‘Maybe… Maybe the Elder Madam came because of the archaic words being transferred to the back of my hand. They must be in a hurry.’

On her way downstairs, Grace habitually touched the archaic language faintly glowing on the back of her right hand.

No matter what she heard or what story unfolded, she resolved not to be surprised.

Grace was about to open the door to the parlor, taking a slow, deep breath, when someone caught her.