In fact, Lucian Meyer's words weren't particularly offensive, but Ravielli was being unnecessarily harsh in her voice.
Maybe it was because of the emotions that suddenly came to her without her knowing while she was talking to the maid a little while ago.
As if she was taking out her embarrassment on the man in front of her.
But Lucian responded lazily, as if he didn't care at all about Ravielli's attitude.
“Don’t forget. This is outside the mansion, so I’m your guardian.”
“No, we’re outside the mansion, so we don’t need your protection.”
“Oh, in a strange place, I need your husband’s protection.”
“What is that...”
“I love the look on your face when you’re embarrassed, Molly Iacinth.”
At Lucian's words, Ravielli almost dropped the fork she was holding.
With that calm expression on his face, he must have overheard Ravielli and Rose's conversation outside.
Of course, there was nothing sensitive, but somehow, Ravielli felt like everything inside her had been revealed, and she couldn't swallow even a single bean.
Lucian sat up in bed and laughed as she froze like a statue.
“That’s surprising. You know how to tell such lies.”
Ravielli flared up at his words.
“Do you think I did it because I liked it? Maybe it’ll get known later...?”
She just found a way to avoid fear.
Because she didn't know how to deal with this problem or what to do.
She believed that money and favor were the simplest yet most powerful forces.
Lucian furrowed his eyebrows mischievously at Ravielli's protest.
"How naive. It would have been better to just keep your mouth shut."
“Why?”
“Surely you didn’t give the maid money, did you?”
Ravielli couldn't say anything in response to that.
“Hey, Mrs. Iacinth.”
At that moment, the sound of people moving could be heard beyond the door.
The creaking of the floorboards, the click of heels, even the faint but intelligible sound of speech, if you pay attention.
Lucian Meyer moved a little closer to Ravielli, who had an embarrassed look on her face.
The fact that outside noise could be heard meant that their conversation could also be heard.
"If you had just stayed still, we would have just looked like a couple on a trip. Talking to the maid and handing her money would have left a lasting impression on her."
“...”
"The maids working in places like this are as light as a feather. If you wanted to keep her mouth shut, you could have asked me."
It was when Ravielli looked up at Lucian with her crumpled eyes.
Lucian Meyer smiled brightly after saying that.
Ravielli, who had been frozen for a moment as if she didn't understand Lucian's words, quickly pressed her lips together and then parted them.
“Stop it.”
She got up from the bed, unable to hide her displeasure.
But soon she regretted her overreaction.
It was not an event that happened, nor was it a conjecture, but merely an assumption, and not a single word Lucian said was wrong.
But his last words lingered in Ravielli's heart and touched his heart.
Maybe it was because of the emotions that suddenly came to her without her knowing while she was talking to the maid a little while ago.
As if she was taking out her embarrassment on the man in front of her.
But Lucian responded lazily, as if he didn't care at all about Ravielli's attitude.
“Don’t forget. This is outside the mansion, so I’m your guardian.”
“No, we’re outside the mansion, so we don’t need your protection.”
“Oh, in a strange place, I need your husband’s protection.”
“What is that...”
“I love the look on your face when you’re embarrassed, Molly Iacinth.”
At Lucian's words, Ravielli almost dropped the fork she was holding.
With that calm expression on his face, he must have overheard Ravielli and Rose's conversation outside.
Of course, there was nothing sensitive, but somehow, Ravielli felt like everything inside her had been revealed, and she couldn't swallow even a single bean.
Lucian sat up in bed and laughed as she froze like a statue.
“That’s surprising. You know how to tell such lies.”
Ravielli flared up at his words.
“Do you think I did it because I liked it? Maybe it’ll get known later...?”
She just found a way to avoid fear.
Because she didn't know how to deal with this problem or what to do.
She believed that money and favor were the simplest yet most powerful forces.
Lucian furrowed his eyebrows mischievously at Ravielli's protest.
"How naive. It would have been better to just keep your mouth shut."
“Why?”
“Surely you didn’t give the maid money, did you?”
Ravielli couldn't say anything in response to that.
“Hey, Mrs. Iacinth.”
At that moment, the sound of people moving could be heard beyond the door.
The creaking of the floorboards, the click of heels, even the faint but intelligible sound of speech, if you pay attention.
Lucian Meyer moved a little closer to Ravielli, who had an embarrassed look on her face.
The fact that outside noise could be heard meant that their conversation could also be heard.
"If you had just stayed still, we would have just looked like a couple on a trip. Talking to the maid and handing her money would have left a lasting impression on her."
“...”
"The maids working in places like this are as light as a feather. If you wanted to keep her mouth shut, you could have asked me."
It was when Ravielli looked up at Lucian with her crumpled eyes.
“If I had committed adultery, I might have bowed my head in shame before Mrs. Iachint.”
Ravielli, who had been frozen for a moment as if she didn't understand Lucian's words, quickly pressed her lips together and then parted them.
“Stop it.”
She got up from the bed, unable to hide her displeasure.
But soon she regretted her overreaction.
It was not an event that happened, nor was it a conjecture, but merely an assumption, and not a single word Lucian said was wrong.
But his last words lingered in Ravielli's heart and touched his heart.
“If I had committed adultery, I might have bowed my head in shame before Mrs. Iachint.”
She hadn't watched him for long, but she could tell for sure that Lucian Meyer was a free man.
It goes beyond the categories of freedom that Ravielli understands.
Perhaps Lucian had comforted Ravielli the night before and then turned around and headed to the maid's bedroom.
Ravielli turned around, clasping her dry hands together, and muttered.
"I was being a fool. I should have known you were prepared."
At Ravielli's words, Lucian's lips slightly parted, and he suddenly burst out laughing.
“Oh, what a pitiful woman.”
Lucian nodded slightly and suppressed a laugh, but said nothing more.
He neither denied nor confirmed Ravielli's words, but still enjoyed the subtle atmosphere that remained in the room.
But Ravielli, who had turned around, couldn't see Lucian's expression. This deepened her suspicions, forcing her to ruminate on her own actions.
As unpleasant as it was, whoever Lucian was having sex with was none of her business. Strictly speaking, he was just the son of the Marquis of Theano, so he was no different from any other person.
It doesn't matter to her who he sticks with.
When she thinks about it like that, her heart suddenly calms down.
Besides, Ravielli had no time to be swayed by such emotions.
'What should I do? I wasted money and wasted my time talking about this and that, and now I'm just making my face even more memorable.'
Didn't the actions taken to erase anxiety end up eating away at Ravielli?
Unlike the night before, Lucian Meyer didn't try to comfort the terrified Ravielli. The man who had been cradling the terrified, weeping woman was nowhere to be found.
It was as if the heat had all cooled down overnight.
No, as if it never existed in the first place.
“Hey, Molly.”
Lucian opened his mouth and grinned, as if he was not going to stop teasing Ravielli.
“What do you think would happen if the Marquis were to summon Elden’s maid and interrogate her?”
“Interrogation?”
“Do you think a maid would keep her promise for a few pennies?”
“...”
“No, if it was someone who could be bought with money, wouldn’t they have sided with the one offering more money?”
Ravielli recalled Rose's face, thin and swollen, lamenting her fate.
She was a woman busy trying to make ends meet. She didn't seem like she had the presence of mind to care about the well-being of others.
When Ravielli didn't say anything, Lucian asked again.
“What should I do? If it’s money, the Marquis would have much more.”
“I don’t know, I just.”
“Why, did you hope to get acquainted with the maid and have her make some excuse for you?”
“That’s not it.”
She was just scared.
She didn't know if it would be okay to leave the mansion like this.
"If you had simply said you were traveling, there wouldn't have been any suspicion. You made up a false name for your husband, and now we're both in trouble."
This time too, Ravielli was unable to say anything.
Her fingertips began to grow cold. Whenever her body stiffened from tension, her hands were always the first to go cold. Ravielli, clutching her parched hand, turned and looked at Lucian.
The man has a remarkably relaxed expression for someone who has just mentioned being in trouble.
It was only then that she realized that Lucian was trying to tease her.
“Should I kill her?”
Ravielli's shoulders, which had relaxed somewhat at the man's words, became tense again.
Ravielli, with her back straight, asked in a hoarse voice.
“What did you say?”
But Lucian said nothing.
He just looks at the woman whose beautiful lips have turned pale without moving or stretching.
Ravielli stared straight into the man's hazel eyes. They shone with a mysterious light, their thoughts impossible to fathom.
Ravielli grew increasingly impatient as Lucian remained silent. She glanced at the tightly closed door and growled softly.
“You’re crazy.”
“...”
“Are you planning to commit murder, not to mention kidnapping?”
Just mentioning the word murder made Ravielli open her collar, as if a chill had run through her.
Lucian, who had been staring at her, answered with a blank expression this time.
“Because Madame Iacinth is afraid.”
“You think you can hurt someone just because I'm scared?”
“Isn’t that better than being afraid? I didn’t even ask you to do it.”
“I’m not in my right mind.”
“I don’t know about Madame Iacinth, but my method is not one of avoidance.”
Lucian stood up slowly and continued speaking.
"If there's a problem, I face it head-on. But sometimes I take a step back and see the opportunity."
Ravielli realized that the words he was speaking were not simply about dealing with a maid.
He is telling her story now.
It is the story of Ravielli Lewin, who is on her way to Mount Galatea, and a man who claims to be the eldest son of the Meyer family.
“That’s my father’s way, too. Because I’m his son.”
Lucian finished his words with a faint smile on his lips.
“You are a very great eldest son of the Meyer family.”
“Have you finally accepted me as the son of the Meyers?”
“I shouldn’t have followed you here.”
Ravielli reproached herself for reaching out to Lucian Meyer, even for a moment.
When he brought up his mother's story and confessed to his unhappy childhood, she felt ashamed of herself for even feeling a little pity for him.
“But there would have been no way.”
It seemed as if Ravielli's life had been turned upside down in a matter of days.
Of course, it wasn't a happy life she wanted to go back to. It wasn't a life she wanted to return to.
If she had to be specific, it was a terrible and painful life that she wanted to escape from, but she didn't want to escape it in this way.
While Theano was the type that aggressively snatched prey like a beast, Lucian seemed to be laying traps everywhere, waiting for his prey to fall into them.
Either way, it was equally suffocating for Ravielli.
“Why on earth are you doing this to me?”
“Didn’t I already tell you?”
Ravielli glared at Lucian with a fierce expression.
But the man turned his head to one side as if he had received a loving gaze and answered softly.
“Because I want to help you.”
She wanted to protest, but her words were choked, as if someone had choked her. Ravielli turned her head away, unable to say anything.
“You were the one who asked for help.”
Meanwhile, Lucian, who had been adjusting his clothes, changed his voice.
"We've delayed too long. If we don't move now, we'll have to stay here tonight."
With his last words, Lucian opened the door and went out.
It goes beyond the categories of freedom that Ravielli understands.
Perhaps Lucian had comforted Ravielli the night before and then turned around and headed to the maid's bedroom.
He is a man as free as he is thorough. She knew well how meticulously he planned to protect a soul that would never be bound.
"I was being a fool. I should have known you were prepared."
At Ravielli's words, Lucian's lips slightly parted, and he suddenly burst out laughing.
“Oh, what a pitiful woman.”
Lucian nodded slightly and suppressed a laugh, but said nothing more.
He neither denied nor confirmed Ravielli's words, but still enjoyed the subtle atmosphere that remained in the room.
But Ravielli, who had turned around, couldn't see Lucian's expression. This deepened her suspicions, forcing her to ruminate on her own actions.
As unpleasant as it was, whoever Lucian was having sex with was none of her business. Strictly speaking, he was just the son of the Marquis of Theano, so he was no different from any other person.
It doesn't matter to her who he sticks with.
When she thinks about it like that, her heart suddenly calms down.
Besides, Ravielli had no time to be swayed by such emotions.
'What should I do? I wasted money and wasted my time talking about this and that, and now I'm just making my face even more memorable.'
Didn't the actions taken to erase anxiety end up eating away at Ravielli?
Unlike the night before, Lucian Meyer didn't try to comfort the terrified Ravielli. The man who had been cradling the terrified, weeping woman was nowhere to be found.
It was as if the heat had all cooled down overnight.
No, as if it never existed in the first place.
“Hey, Molly.”
Lucian opened his mouth and grinned, as if he was not going to stop teasing Ravielli.
“What do you think would happen if the Marquis were to summon Elden’s maid and interrogate her?”
“Interrogation?”
“Do you think a maid would keep her promise for a few pennies?”
“...”
“No, if it was someone who could be bought with money, wouldn’t they have sided with the one offering more money?”
Ravielli recalled Rose's face, thin and swollen, lamenting her fate.
She was a woman busy trying to make ends meet. She didn't seem like she had the presence of mind to care about the well-being of others.
When Ravielli didn't say anything, Lucian asked again.
“What should I do? If it’s money, the Marquis would have much more.”
“I don’t know, I just.”
“Why, did you hope to get acquainted with the maid and have her make some excuse for you?”
“That’s not it.”
She was just scared.
She didn't know if it would be okay to leave the mansion like this.
"If you had simply said you were traveling, there wouldn't have been any suspicion. You made up a false name for your husband, and now we're both in trouble."
This time too, Ravielli was unable to say anything.
Her fingertips began to grow cold. Whenever her body stiffened from tension, her hands were always the first to go cold. Ravielli, clutching her parched hand, turned and looked at Lucian.
The man has a remarkably relaxed expression for someone who has just mentioned being in trouble.
It was only then that she realized that Lucian was trying to tease her.
“Should I kill her?”
Ravielli's shoulders, which had relaxed somewhat at the man's words, became tense again.
Ravielli, with her back straight, asked in a hoarse voice.
“What did you say?”
But Lucian said nothing.
He just looks at the woman whose beautiful lips have turned pale without moving or stretching.
Ravielli stared straight into the man's hazel eyes. They shone with a mysterious light, their thoughts impossible to fathom.
Ravielli grew increasingly impatient as Lucian remained silent. She glanced at the tightly closed door and growled softly.
“You’re crazy.”
“...”
“Are you planning to commit murder, not to mention kidnapping?”
Just mentioning the word murder made Ravielli open her collar, as if a chill had run through her.
Lucian, who had been staring at her, answered with a blank expression this time.
“Because Madame Iacinth is afraid.”
“You think you can hurt someone just because I'm scared?”
“Isn’t that better than being afraid? I didn’t even ask you to do it.”
“I’m not in my right mind.”
“I don’t know about Madame Iacinth, but my method is not one of avoidance.”
Lucian stood up slowly and continued speaking.
"If there's a problem, I face it head-on. But sometimes I take a step back and see the opportunity."
Ravielli realized that the words he was speaking were not simply about dealing with a maid.
He is telling her story now.
It is the story of Ravielli Lewin, who is on her way to Mount Galatea, and a man who claims to be the eldest son of the Meyer family.
“That’s my father’s way, too. Because I’m his son.”
Lucian finished his words with a faint smile on his lips.
“You are a very great eldest son of the Meyer family.”
“Have you finally accepted me as the son of the Meyers?”
“I shouldn’t have followed you here.”
Ravielli reproached herself for reaching out to Lucian Meyer, even for a moment.
When he brought up his mother's story and confessed to his unhappy childhood, she felt ashamed of herself for even feeling a little pity for him.
“But there would have been no way.”
It seemed as if Ravielli's life had been turned upside down in a matter of days.
Of course, it wasn't a happy life she wanted to go back to. It wasn't a life she wanted to return to.
If she had to be specific, it was a terrible and painful life that she wanted to escape from, but she didn't want to escape it in this way.
While Theano was the type that aggressively snatched prey like a beast, Lucian seemed to be laying traps everywhere, waiting for his prey to fall into them.
Either way, it was equally suffocating for Ravielli.
“Why on earth are you doing this to me?”
“Didn’t I already tell you?”
Ravielli glared at Lucian with a fierce expression.
But the man turned his head to one side as if he had received a loving gaze and answered softly.
“Because I want to help you.”
She wanted to protest, but her words were choked, as if someone had choked her. Ravielli turned her head away, unable to say anything.
“You were the one who asked for help.”
Meanwhile, Lucian, who had been adjusting his clothes, changed his voice.
"We've delayed too long. If we don't move now, we'll have to stay here tonight."
With his last words, Lucian opened the door and went out.
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