# 53
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“…Yes sir, when did you come?”
she asked, her voice trembling.
Lucio, who had been staring at the book on the floor, raised his eyes and looked at me.
"now."
“Ah... haha, well, that's true.”
Please show some signs before you suddenly speak, man!
I was so immersed in the book that I let my guard down.
I bit my lip.
“Why are you so surprised?”
"Yes?"
I asked again, but instead of answering, Lucio looked at me, suddenly sighed, and began to move.
Of course, I didn't know that he was heading towards the desk, so I quickly bent down and picked up the fallen book.
And when I looked up.
Lucio was sitting on the couch across from him.
He waved the bell on the table, not paying attention to my surprised look.
After a while, the maid entered
“Bring tea and milk.”
Lucio enjoyed mint tea even on a regular basis.
No additional milk added.
'So, you're asking me to bring milk...'
There was no denying it, it was clearly my responsibility.
Actually, it wasn't a surprise since Lucio had been constantly giving me little snacks for the past few days.
'Thank you, I seem to have gained a lot of weight these days.'
The maid, who knew this, also looked at me with a dissatisfied expression.
Of course, I didn't say anything out loud.
When the maid left, Lucio stood there and looked at me as if to ask what I was doing.
I had no choice but to sit on the couch and put my books away.
I'd rather have them do the work.
The most painful thing was seeing each other this way.
'Ideas are different, let's think of something else.'
I decided to stare into space and ignore the situation.
While I was thinking about what to think, I remembered that Lucio enjoys mint tea.
Because I had been in the Information Guild for a long time, I knew a lot of information that was not known in the political or social world.
Among them, there were many personal details such as wine preferences, hobbies, and even the sleeping preferences of senior nobles.
However, since information about Duke Elade was very limited, it was difficult to know anything about Lucio's tastes.
In Terenceum, the Duke of Elad was considered the most difficult place to reach after the Imperial Family, so there was no need to explain how rare and valuable the information was.
Therefore, if the information that Lucio enjoys mint tea is sold to noble ladies or ladies, it will be sold at a very high price.
'But I can't do that.'
Although he was once an informant, it is clear that I am now a servant of the Duke family.
Even if I leave the duchy in the future, there are things I must keep secret.
Moreover, I knew Lucio's secret, not just his frivolous tastes, but I would not l it to anyone.
‘In fact, Lucio, like Allen, is one of the few sword masters on the continent….’
Swish -
Just then, while I was deep in other thoughts, I heard a strange sound.
I couldn't contain my curiosity, I looked straight ahead and saw him tearing open the brown paper bag he had been carrying since entering the library and taking out something.
I was so shocked that I stopped breathing.
Lucio looked at me, but I couldn't help it.
What I take out is bread.
Bread too boring for the heir to the dukedom to eat, with flour dough fried until golden brown and covered in sugar.
Not even fancy chocolate chips or colorful nuts, just bread.
However, this boring bread was very popular near the academy.
Young nobles who had only eaten fine desserts in their palaces came to an independent place called the Academy and opened their eyes to street snacks, gaining popularity.
'I was wondering where you went this morning, but there was no way you were going to the academy, right?'
People who go home to rest for a while after the exam will not necessarily have to go to the academy.
But even though I knew this couldn't be that reason, I looked at it with great suspicion.
“Eat.”
With a sharp face, Lucio offered me some bread.
I completely froze.
Suddenly I heard a voice in my ear that I thought I had forgotten a long time ago.
〈You wanted to eat it so bad, didn't you?〉
He was right.
Every time I saw the academy students carrying this bread and eating it, I was amazed.
I was really starving, but I really wanted to eat this warm, fluffy bread.
When the other children in the ar gang caught the street vendor's attention and planned to steal and eat, I wanted to pretend not to know and join them.
I woke up to a clanking sound and saw the maid putting tea, a kettle and a cup full of white milk on the table.
The maid looked at me and the bread in the brown bag that Lucio had opened in disbelief.
By the time I got back to my lodgings, word would have gotten out that I was enjoying eating the bread the master had bought me after I sold it at the bookstore, but it didn't matter.
When I felt the sweet and salty scent creep into my nose, I lifted the bread and took a bite.
The warm bread was soft to chew, and the crunchy sugar was just right.
When I had it with white milk, I was amazed by the moist and soft texture that filled my mouth.
'It tasted familiar.'
In fact, at that time, I couldn't eat the bread he offered me and stared at him blankly.
This was because I felt embarrassed because I couldn't understand his intentions.
Then he tilted his head and asked.
“Why do you make that expression on your face?”
Maybe because it's been so long since I haven't looked in the mirror.
At the time, I had no idea what kind of expression I was making.
So, I raised my clumsy hand and touched my face.
The corners of the eyes and mouth were clearly lowered.
Maybe she wanted to cry.
I even shook my head, not knowing why I wanted to cry, and let out a small sigh.
Then he lowered the envelope and took out a small bottle from his pocket.
〈This is a magic potion that makes you feel better〉
My eyes widened at Lucio's words.
I knew magic existed in this world, but I had never seen it in reality, so my heart beat loudly.
Moreover, there was no way the great nobleman would lie to me, so of course I assumed that what he said was true.
I just crave bread and my mouth is watering, but it's a magic potion.
I couldn't refuse, so I slowly put what Lucio gave me into my mouth.
It was the first time I tasted chocolate in my life.
“Do you feel better now?”
Lucio asked me after I had been chewing it in my mouth for a while.
Even when I was in the orphanage, I only ate meager meals, and it was common for me to pick up trash or starve while walking the streets.
The chocolate I tasted for the first time in my life was so exciting that it sent shivers through my body, and I kept nodding my head and saying to myf: “As expected, magic potions are amazing!”
Lucio looked at me in surprise for a moment, then his eyes widened.
It was Lucio's smile that I saw for the first time.
Then Lucio spoke without paying attention to me, who froze.
“Then call me by my name, just like last time. 〉
〈. ...Yes?〉
I blinked and remembered that the day I first met Lucio, I had muttered his name while practicing handwriting.
At the time, I thought he died quietly because he did not get angry, but I felt embarrassed by the sudden matter and quickly knelt down and asked for forgiveness.
〈Sorry, I won't arbitrarily call the young master by his name again.〉
Fortunately, Lucio sighed lightly and didn't say anything.
Is that all? After that, he would sometimes give me chocolate.
I felt so bad about it that I couldn't even bite it and let it melt in my mouth.
Then the kids in the group saw it and told me. This isn't a magic potion, it's chocolate.
She felt embarrassed and quickly became depressed.
I wondered why they sympathized with a mere ar under the pretext of lying, and why I was among so many children.
But the answer was never known.
'It wasn't long before I left the ar gang.'
After that, I worked in a union-run café and tried many sweets and chocolates.
But I was never able to taste the same as I did when I tried it again.
'. …No, I thought I couldn't feel it.'
When she came to the Duchy with Diana.
The chocolate the Duchess gave me was exactly the same as the magic potion that day.
It was so sweet that I cried and my whole body trembled.
Maybe it's important to be first.
“Excuse me...”
I called out to Lucio without realizing it, and was surprised when I made eye contact with him.
I don't know what kind of courage I had.
Just thinking about the Duchess was something that came impulsively in response to the anxiety and curiosity I was feeling these days.
Diana, Aline, and even the Duke had stopped by the library in the past few days, but only one person.
Only the Duchess didn't come here.
Even though she was busy, that didn't mean she went out every day.
I spent many days doing business at the palace, and was able to visit it at least once.
But even though she asked me every day how my day was, she never set foot in the library.
I can easily guess why.
It was because he thought Lucio was uncomfortable with him.
I was more worried because I saw so many forced smiley faces.
I was afraid it would have an impact on the Duchess's death.
Is this the reason?
I ended up asking Lucio, who was still waiting without taking his eyes off me.
“Why do you call the head maid by her first name?”