Subliminal Wayfarer

“Well, as soon as you left, the woman with the pink hair woke up. Then, she started whispering a few words with Norman’s coachman.”

As Julie explained, she stammered while recounting what had just happened.

Both of her knees were scraped and bright red from where she’d fallen. Without even realizing that blood was seeping out, Julie continued telling Grace what had occurred.

“Then she asked for the baby. I thought, since she’s the mother, she probably wanted to make sure the baby was alright, so I handed the baby to her. But then I heard your voice outside, so I stepped out for just a moment, and then she… well, she went that way…”

The room the woman had been lying in had a balcony connected to the outside. The buildings in the city were often packed tightly together, and for emergencies or accidents, there was usually an external staircase on each floor. Apparently, this room had one.

“I tried to stop her, but she pushed me and just ran off— ack—”

“Those people are crazy. Running off from the third floor with a baby in her arms?”

“There are stairs, but…”

“Those stairs are for emergencies. Even going down slowly is dangerous. And she just rushed down them?”

“…Do you think she’ll be alright? She looked pretty hurt.”

“Julie, who are you worrying about right now? Look at your knees, they’re scraped up like this.”

Jaime had been carefully applying ointment and bandaging Julie’s knees until now, and he shook his head in disbelief.

Her once pretty knees were now all scratched up, but the woman who had fallen didn’t seem to care about her own condition at all. Jaime, unable to explain why he felt so upset, grumbled as he finished applying the bandages.

“Ouch! Be gentle, Jaime.”

“Now you feel the pain? Your knees are a mess, and you’re worrying about the person who ran off?”

“Well, but she had a baby… and she looked really scared.”

Julie glanced at Grace with a troubled expression.

Grace’s face wasn’t any better. Why had the woman run away? And why had Torres, the coachman, looked so pale?

Doubts that she shouldn’t entertain kept creeping in.

“This incident happened in my home, so I’ll take responsibility and find her again,” Heath interjected.

“No need. This isn’t your business. Grace, if you want, I’ll track her down,” Lucas countered.

“This is a matter between Lady Grace and me, isn’t it? And, by the way, this is my home. How long do you plan on trespassing?”

“I don’t want to stay here either, Serpiente. I’d rather not have my lovely fiancée lingering in a snake’s den.”

“Well, that ‘lovely fiancée’ of yours came here on her own.”

“And it wasn’t because of you, was it?”

“Accusing an innocent person repeatedly is a bad habit, you know.”

Ugh, this was getting out of hand…

Grace couldn’t even think with these noisy men around.

“Enough, both of you.”

As if her head weren’t pounding enough already, now these two just started squabbling the moment their eyes met. She didn’t know why they were so eager to lunge at each other’s throats, but it was time to separate them.

“I appreciate both of your offers, but I won’t be searching for her. She had a desperate reason for running away. Chasing her would feel cruel.”

Unwanted help wasn’t help—it was just force.

“…Besides, I can always ask one person for answers when I get home.”

Norman’s coachman, Torres Brown. The lingering doubts could be cleared up by questioning him.

“I suppose we should head back.”

Grace stood up, looking at the now-darkening sky.

The two men, who had been glaring at each other, immediately rose to follow her.

 

* * *

 

Night had already fallen.

Lucas had offered to take Grace home, and she saw no reason to refuse, so she gratefully accepted.

Lucas and Grace rode in the same carriage, while Jaime and Julie followed in Grace’s carriage.

‘…Has he lost some weight?’

Now that she noticed, Lucas had changed. His image, which was already tough and severe, had become even sharper.

Yet strangely, no matter how much he scowled now, he didn’t seem intimidating to her anymore.

‘He’s gotten even more handsome…’

It seemed like it would be impossible to be both brutish and elegantly handsome at the same time, but Lucas Blacke managed it effortlessly.

Grace admired him quietly, careful not to let it show. If she did, who knew what strange thing he might say next?

‘His Excellency seems to think I fell in love with him at first sight.’

Between his last remarks and that interview article, his delusion had only grown worse, and he clearly loved the idea.

Grace had thought about setting him straight many times, but in the end, she decided to keep quiet.

Explaining it all seemed awkward, and more than anything, seeing Lucas so pleased with the thought was strangely endearing.

‘Well… it’s fine. I just need to keep quiet.’

Grace quietly gazed at Lucas, whom she hadn’t seen in a few days.

It had only been a few days, but it felt like it had been much longer.

She felt slightly awkward, and surprisingly, a bit nervous.

“You should be careful around Heath Serpiente. That family is so secretive, no one knows what they’re plotting. He’s someone who tries to hold everyone’s weaknesses over their heads.”

“He runs the Serpiente Intelligence Bureau, doesn’t he?”

“Yes. He controls more information than you can imagine. If he wanted to, he could even find out what color underwear the king wore yesterday.”

That wasn’t something Grace wanted to know.

In fact, she didn’t want to know it was even possible.

She tried to ignore what she’d just heard, her thoughts wandering in an attempt to shake the irreverent image of the king’s face and his underwear from her mind.

“Of course, he can’t get into my estate,” Lucas added, grinning smugly.

Grace couldn’t help but feel curious about how Lucas could be so confident that his security was tighter than the royal palace’s.

After some thought, she decided to ask something that had been lingering in her mind for a while.

“Is Serpiente one of the ‘other families’ you mentioned before?”

Lucas smiled, both surprised and impressed, and nodded.

“Impressive. How did you figure that out?”

‘…Well, because of you, Your Excellency.’

He had called Heath Serpiente a ‘snake’ multiple times right in front of her. How could she not figure it out?

Even Heath had called Lucas a horse.

That meant they knew each other’s secrets.

“After listening to your conversations, it was impossible not to notice.”

“Conversations? Have I ever had a conversation with that sly snake?”

He rubbed his chin as if genuinely puzzled.

“You really seem to dislike him.”

“I don’t just dislike him, Grace.”

Lucas smiled kindly, then gently corrected her.

“I despise him.”

He said it so seriously that Grace couldn’t help but laugh.

“Why?”

“Because he’s my natural enemy.”

“A horse and a snake are natural enemies?”

“Let’s just say we don’t get along. I don’t like his methods, and honestly, I don’t like anything about him. Grace, don’t be fooled by his shallow appearance. You can’t tell what’s really going on inside.”

Recalling Heath, Grace didn’t find him particularly threatening.

He had been friendly and always smiling, so she hadn’t felt uneasy around him.

Still, seeing how serious Lucas looked, Grace nodded and smiled slightly.

“Alright. I’ll be careful.”

“It’s best not to face him at all. He’s a truly vile person.”

“Okay, I’ll be cautious.”

Although she doubted she would have many reasons to meet Heath again.

Lucas looked at Grace with deep concern, as if no matter how many times he warned her, he still couldn’t shake his unease.

No matter how many times she said, “I’ll be really careful, I promise,” it seemed Lucas wouldn’t be reassured.

What was making him so anxious?

Was he worried that Heath might harm her?

Did Heath have any reason to hurt her?

Or had something happened between Lucas and Heath in the past?

The questions swirled in her mind, but they weren’t ones with easy answers.

Grace decided to push aside those troubling thoughts for now.

After all, her fiancé, whom she hadn’t seen in days, was right in front of her.

He looked a bit thinner, likely from being so busy, and his gaze was still full of concern for her.

After not seeing him for a while, the last thing she wanted was to part with a face full of worry.

Clunk—

The carriage jolted just then, and Grace gathered her courage, slowly moving her hand.

Her fingertips brushed against his.

Lucas turned to look at her, and their eyes met.

Grace felt her face flush, but she didn’t look away.

Instead, she slid her fingers between his, linking their hands together.

At that moment, Lucas let out a soft, breathy sound somewhere between a sigh and a gasp.

“We’ll arrive at the estate soon. Until then… should we hold hands?” she offered.

Lucas looked utterly shocked, as if he couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it sooner.

Without hesitation, he swung the carriage window open and called out.

“Rozen!”

“Y-Yes, Your Excellency!”

In a serious tone, Lucas shouted.

“Who told you to go this fast? We’re moving too quickly, and it’s making me feel sick! Slow down! Go very, very slowly!”