◈ 319. [Side Story] In the Mood for Love
15 years ago.
One winter day when white snowflakes were pouring down.
“… … .”
Lucas was looking down at the corpses of his parents who had fallen to their deaths.
The overturned wagon rolled down the bridge.
It was winter, so the river under the bridge was dry, and I couldn’t even hope for a chance to survive drowning.
The carriage was smashed to pieces, and my parents were crushed to death.
Lucas was the only one who survived the accident, as his mother threw him outside just before the wagon rolled down.
But Lucas couldn’t hold his parents’ funeral right away. He was not even given time to collect the body.
“Be Lucas McGregor. He is the eldest son of the MacGregor family.”
A cold voice flew into Lucas’ ears as he looked down at his shattered parents under the bridge.
It was the capital defense force who ran after receiving the accident report.
They prioritized taking the surviving Lucas to the ‘destination’ rather than recovering the bodies of the McGregor couple.
“Come here. Your Highness is waiting for you.”
“But, my parents… … .”
“We will take care of it. Rather, come on.”
The soldiers dragged the stiff Lucas into a new wagon.
Lucas was dragged aimlessly, leaving the corpses of his parents behind.
It was so unrealistic that I couldn’t even cry.
Shocked by the death of his parents, covered in dirt and blood from the accident, Lucas was taken to the imperial palace.
Exactly, the star palace.
It was a small palace where the second prince, Fernandez, lived.
***
“It’s too bad that the head of the MacGregor family and his wife died in an accident. I express my deepest regret.”
tadak. tadak.
Light footsteps echoed in front of Lucas, who was kneeling.
Lucas, who was staring blankly at the floor, slowly raised his head.
“As I was being introduced to you today, I was thinking of strengthening the bond between me and your family. I never thought this would happen.”
There was a boy with glasses hanging over his nose.
A red aura flowed from her shiny black hair, and her black eyes were also tinged with red light like fireworks.
Fernandez ‘AmberKeeper’ Everblack.
He was the second prince of the empire who had just turned 12.
Seven-year-old Lucas trembled and looked up at the second prince. I had no idea what was going on.
Fernandez smiled mildly. His dark red eyes weren’t smiling at all.
“Let’s talk a little bit about debt repayment.”
“debt… … What?”
“okay. debt. You’ll be the head of the MacGregor family from now on, so you should know.”
Fernandez’s explanation was simple.
The MacGregor family was too lean, and they had to go into debt to keep the family alive. That Fernandez lent money after seeing the family name.
However, the MacGregor family could not pay the repayment in time, and the interest increased like a snowball.
“Today, I called your parents to discuss the repayment… … It’s a pain in the ass.”
Lucas, only seven years old, couldn’t understand all of Fernandez’s difficult words.
but.
“Still, you can’t make debts a thing of the past just because you feel sorry and pitiful. yes?”
He was able to sense that his life was at stake in this conversation.
No, not just himself… … Even the fact that the lives of everyone left in the family were at stake.
The fact that the MacGregor family’s life-and-death rights are in the hands of the boy in front of them. realized by instinct.
“… … I will do anything.”
So, Lucas bowed his head.
“Just live… … please.”
Looking down at such Lucas, Fernandez smiled and whispered in a soft voice.
“It’s just fine, Lucas.”
“yes… … ?”
“There is something you are qualified for. Besides, you lost your parents and became an orphan, so you are all the more suited to this job.”
Bend down, Fernandez stared into Lucas’s eyes, whose shoulders were shaking.
“If you carry out this task well to the end, you will no longer have to worry about the debt your family owes.”
“That thing… … something?”
“You know my brother Ash, right?”
3 prince. Ash ‘Bonehater’ Everblack.
Lucas swallowed dryly. can’t you know Besides being the only three princes in the empire… … .
… … Everyone whispered that he was a child destined to destroy this country.
“Are you the same age as me? I’ll take care of the procedure, so go into the child’s palace and befriend him. and… … .”
Fernandez’s finger on Lucas’s shoulder burrowed into it.
“Monitor the child’s every move and report it to me.”
“… … .”
“How about it, can you do it?”
“Yes, yes, I will do it… … !”
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“good. As expected of MacGregor, he is trustworthy.”
tadak. tadak.
Fernandez’s footsteps receded, followed by the light scratching of a chair.
Lucas cautiously raised his head and saw Fernandez’s eyes looking down at him from the seat of honor prepared at the table.
“Now, swear to me, young MacGregor.”
A prince sitting on a chair like a ruler,
A fallen aristocrat looking up while kneeling.
“Loyalty.”
The relationship was clear, and the gap was so deep that it could not be crossed.
“An oath of allegiance by the family that will never change.”
So Lucas slowly lowered his head.
I felt like I was being kicked by an invisible chain.
On this day, Lucas became the next head of the MacGregor family at the age of only seven.
At the same time, it had to be a dog that did what others told it to do.
***
Immediately after his parents’ funeral, Lucas left home.
They moved for a long time in a wagon that did not know where they were going. This time, the carriage entered the imperial palace.
The carriage stopped at a palace smaller and more elegant than Fernandez’s villa.
Lucas got off the wagon with a crumpled bag of few items, but the size of his body.
“Are you Lucas McGregor?”
The one who met Lucas was an elderly man with a strict appearance. His well-groomed hair and beard were gray, and the stubbornness was palpable in his raised eyes.
Lucas, who had somehow flinched, responded with a smirk.
“Yes, by the way… … .”
“Welcome, my name is Alberto, the chamberlain.”
The hard expression skillfully softened, and Alberto, smiling brightly, took the bag from Lucas’ hand.
“I heard that you are staying here at the villa from today. Now, give me your burden and come with me.”
“yes? yes… … .”
Embarrassed by the unexpected soft atmosphere, Lucas hesitantly headed towards the back of the palace.
I went along the road and came to a well-tended garden, where a woman was standing and waiting for me.
“Oh my God, you are Lucas!”
The woman was distinctly different from the others in the palace.
Curly gray hair, brown skin that looked like it was sunburnt. And freckles… … .
It was an appearance that would not make you feel uncomfortable even if you encountered it in a market rather than a palace. She smiled and introduced herself.
“My name is Dustia.”
“Hup!”
Surprised to find out who the opponent was, Lucas immediately bowed.
“Meet the Second Empress… … !”
“Oh my, you are very polite. I want my son to be half like him.”
Dustia covered her mouth and laughed, then reached out and gently stroked Lucas’ hair.
“But you don’t have to be so formal, Lucas. This place is not that strict. You can be more comfortable.”
Dustia spoke kindly, but Lucas was still stiff.
Dustia smiled at Lucas with compassion and affection, then took Lucas by the hand and guided him inside.
“The children have been waiting for a long time since I heard that you were coming. Come on, let’s go!”
Dustia’s hands were rough but warm. Lucas quietly followed her touch, at a loss for what to do with her unfamiliar warmth.
In the courtyard of the detached palace, a girl and a boy were looking this way with their eyes wide open.
Dustia, who brought Lucas in front of the children, clapped her hands.
“Now, boys, pay attention! As I said in the morning, Lucas will be living here with us starting today. I’m younger than you, so I have to take good care of you. got it?”
Dustia introduced the two to Lucas in turn.
“This is a serenade! My sister is three years older than you. I come to this palace often, so there will be many things to say hello to. serenade? This is Lucas. Since you are the eldest of the three of you, please take good care of me.”
“I will, Mama.”
The girl with azure hair, Serenade, bowed her head toward Dustia and laughed at Lucas. Lucas didn’t know what to do and averted his gaze.
“Now, and this is my son Ash! He is one year older than you.”
When Dustia pointed with her hand, the black-haired boy sprinted behind Serenade and hid.
As if the serenade tickled her, she burst into a short laugh, and Dustia let out a blank laugh as if she was dumbfounded.
“ash? Oh hey too. Hiding behind Serenade noona again. Hurry up and say hello to Lucas. What are you guarding against?”
“… … .”
“Yesterday, I prepared a long speech saying that I was happy to have a new brother, but when I saw your face, I felt embarrassed? Can’t you even say hello? Will her mother do it for her?”
“Oh no! I can… … .”
The black-haired boy-Ash hesitated and pulled himself out from behind the serenade.
“Kuh-hum, hmm, keuh-hum!”
Ash, who was looking around while rolling his round eyes here and there, wiped his small hands on his pants, then reached out and asked for a handshake.
“hi!”
“ah… … hello. Your Highness the Prince.”
Lucas hesitantly held out his hand and accepted it. Ash looked around at Lucas as if he was curious.
“Are you really going to be my escort driver?”
As the successor of swordsman McGregor, Lucas was appointed as Ash’s exclusive escort knight. He was able to stay with the prince in the name of that.
“yes! That’s right, Your Highness the Prince! I still lack a lot, but I will train hard so that there will be no shortage of escort for Your Highness in the future… … !”
Lucas closed his eyes and spat out the words he had memorized.
Then, inadvertently, the afterword flowed out.
“I must become the strongest knight here in the ecliptic… … ! Raising the honor of the MacGregor family, and… … !”
These were the words his parents always poured out to Lucas.
You have to be stronger than anyone else. That’s why the collapsed MacGregor family needs to be revived.
Even before the wagon crashed off the bridge, his parents were instilling that into Lucas.
Lucas, who had been pouring out words like a rapid-fire cannon, paused in shock.
After looking at Lucas with wide eyes, Ash answered with a smile.
“You don’t have to be the strongest knight, Lucas.”
“yes?”
“I may never become emperor, but my dream is to become the most wonderful man in the world.”
Ash’s big, round eyes curled like the moon, and he smiled white.
“So, you, who will be my escort, make sure you become the most wonderful knight in the world.”
Not the strongest knight.
Be the coolest knight.
“got it?”
“… … .”
It was the first time in my life I had heard such a story.
Are you the coolest knight?
what is that?
Lucas, who had been absentmindedly, nodded his head. Ash grinned as if she was satisfied.
Then Alberto brought the kettle and snacks to the garden on a tray.
“I brought you tea and refreshments, Empress.”
“Thank you, Alberto. Now, guys, shall we talk while we eat?”
Ash and Serenade, who answered yes like a chick, gestured to Lucas.
Lucas didn’t know what to do, but as his older brother and sister told him to do, they sat together at the table.
Ash and Serenade fed Lucas snacks while bickering over whether this one was better or that one.
Dustia’s second Empress was watching the children’s scene with a smile.
Even though it was winter, the midday garden was even warm.
In Lucas’ life, no.
From Lucas and Serenade and Ash’s life. The warmest and most peaceful days began like that.
– Monitor the child’s every move and report it to me.
Also at the same time.
The poisonous days began.
