Chapter 134 Cup
Leaning back in his chair, Lucien felt his shoulders loosen as the rare coolness of the quiet summer night gave him a reprieve from the day.
Beyond the study window, the chorus of crickets and the rougher rasp of cicadas drifted in from the dark. He let the sound wash over him, his eyes drooping shut.
The children's visit to Cora had been brief and somewhat bittersweet, with all of them forced to stand so far away from their friend. Aisha was the only one among them who could actually come closer, even though she couldn't remain for very long.
Leofric had immediately appointed her as the messenger, essentially passing her the clumsily shaped scones Elin had baked.
Lucien suspected Maris had taught the girl how to make them, since their shape, crude as it was, reminded him of the ones he usually had when visiting Talia's shop.
He had spoken briefly with Cora's parents afterward, agreeing to keep her in the manor for now, though he made no mention of the suggestion to send her to the capital.
At that thought, his eyes slowly opened as he took in the ledgers and loose papers spread before him, illuminated by soft candlelight that wavered faintly whenever the night breeze slipped in.
When a gentle knock sounded on the door, Lucien let the silence stretch for a moment longer than courtesy allowed.
"Enter."
To his relief, it was Alicia who walked in, carrying his sacred drink. It must have shown on his expression, because the maid smiled softly at him.
"I thought you might like a cup, My Lord."
Averting his eyes from her, Lucien cleared his throat. "My thanks, Alicia."
With practiced grace, she set the tray down before placing the coffee in front of him. Almost immediately, the scent of coffee filled the air.
Lucien took it in for a brief moment before raising the cup for a slow sip. Only when a giggle escaped Alicia's lips did he lower it again.
At his look, Alicia shook her head. "Forgive me, My Lord. But you really like coffee that much...it makes me happy just watching you drink it."
"Of course. It is the only drink one needs," Lucien replied instantly.
A hand rose to cover her mouth, though he could still see the faint curve beneath it.
"I remember you asking for it...back in winter. I think that was the first time I saw such a look on your face when you learned the manor didn't have any, My Lord."
Her words brought that day back to him, though little did the maid know there had been other things on his mind then besides coffee.
To hide the shift in his expression, Lucien reached for the cup to take another sip, only to stop when Alicia's voice reached him.
"Cora...will she be okay, My Lord?"
His hand lowered back to the desk as he considered her words.
"I don't know, Alicia."
At his answer, her shoulders lowered as her expression dimmed.
"From what I have learned, cases involving Wild Mages...rarely end well. And Cora's case is unusual even among them, given that she attempted the ritual at the mana-infused area," Lucien continued, resting his hands against the desk.
"I see..." Alicia's eyes drifted to the window, her expression growing distant in a way Lucien wasn't used to seeing. "Seeing her like that...it reminded me of my childhood."
"My world was so small back then, watching it through a window as life went on."
Lucien gave a slow nod. "...It must have been hard for you."
To his mild surprise, she shook her head. "I was lonely, yes. But it was my parents who had it harder in the end, My Lord."
"They could have had more children if not for me..."
For a time, neither of them spoke until Alicia let out a soft breath.
"Forgive me, My Lord. I didn't mean to burden you with such thoughts. The sight of Cora and her parents...it brought back painful memories."
He knew all too well about that.
A faint memory surfaced unbidden, of sharing a cup with his father after work while the sound of his mother humming lingered in the background.
"Ah..."
Looking back up, he found Alicia watching him, a small scrunch forming between her brows. She only spoke when he gave a faint gesture.
"Did your...Lord Varentis like coffee too, My Lord?"
For a brief moment, Lucien wondered whether to deny it.
It would have been safer...but denying it would only seem stranger now that she had seen his reaction.
"Yes. He was the one who introduced it to me, after all," he said at last, his gaze lowering to the cup.
His fingers rested against the warm ceramic. "It is a far better beverage than alcohol, as he rightly claimed."
A mix of sadness and amusement crossed Alicia's face, but before Lucien could reassure her that he was fine, the door swung open.
"I am back!"
Both Lucien and Alicia looked toward the door despite already knowing who it was, as Talia waved cheerily at them. The smile on her face faded into curiosity a moment later.
"...Huh? Did I interrupt something?"
When she caught the disapproval on Alicia's face, a faint curve resurfaced on her lips.
"If you need a moment with Lord Lucien, I cooould step back out!"
Despite the light flush blooming on the maid's face, she folded her hands primly in front of her. "Lady Talia, please refrain from saying such things in front of Lord Lucien...oh, and I kept your meal hot for you in the kitchen. Would you like it here?"
Talia let out a hum. "I'll have it later, Alicia. But I was only half joking earlier. I need to talk to Lord Lucien here about something."
The maid tilted her head, and to his mild surprise, an unfamiliar smile, akin to Talia's teasing look, appeared on her expression.
"Oh, I suppose I shan't interrupt your moment with Lord Lucien then."
At her seemingly innocent words, Talia's eyes widened slightly.
Leaning back in his chair, Lucien took a sip of coffee at the rare sight of his junior getting caught flatfooted.
Talia quickly recovered, and with a familiar glint in her eyes that made him faintly worried for the maid's sake, she walked over to stand beside Alicia.
"Oh, you aren't interrupting anything...actually, it's not something you'd be interested in, Alicia...but well..."
She leaned in to whisper something in her ear.
Alicia's face turned beet red before she shook her head. "M-my Lord, Sera is keeping Cora company. I should make sure she has her meal too. May I be excused?"
Before he even finished his gesture of dismissal, she turned and hurried out, the door closing with a slightly louder click than usual.
Lucien stared at his junior, his brow twitching. "What did you say to her, Talia?"
Taking a seat across from him, she crossed her legs. "It's got something to do with what we're gonna be talking about, that's all!"
The grin on her face didn't reassure him at all. When he was about to press further, she raised a palm upward.
"Before we get to that! Let's start with your stellar reputation first!" she exclaimed, her posture adopting a lecturing pose while she wagged her finger to and fro in the air.
When she didn't speak, continuing to wait for him expectantly, he wondered whether it was worth the effort to stand up and flick her forehead.
It was too bad his desk was on the larger side.
"Please go ahead and begin," he said at last, giving her a dry look.
Clearing her throat in an overly theatrical manner, her finger went from wagging to pointing at him.
"You wanted to come right out and say that you don't have any sort of relationship with Alicia, Sera, or myself, right?"
At his nod, her hands crossed into an X. "That's a self-checkmate move right there, Senior. For all of us, that is."
Lucien exhaled through his nose. "And why is that? Enough time has passed that Alicia's position in my household should be secured-"
"It's only secured because you're consistent, Senior," Talia cut in, a serious look forming on her face.
"...What?"
Uncrossing her legs, she leaned forward. "When you got tossed into this world, Alicia was already your personal maid courtesy of the former Lucien, right?"
Lucien inclined his head. "That's right...I barely managed to halt Bran's execution too."
"And now, Bran's slated to be made reeve by you when autumn arrives. That's pretty much the story in everyone's mind, at least," Talia added, gesturing toward him as though waiting for him to connect the dots.
Lucien's brow creased. "How is that..."
He stopped himself, remembering the issue with the eastern and western farmers and their dissatisfaction with each other.
"If I deny the rumors, you think the other farmers would begin to jockey for the position...?"
In response, Talia's hand waved left and right. "Among other things, yeah. It would still send that sort of message to people."
Lucien's eyes sharpened at her phrasing. "Among other things?"
"Garrick came by to speak to you about the problems with the refugees forming groups, right? That sly carpenter has got me dealing with that recently."
She rested her chin on her hand. "Imagine what'll happen when they start hearing about how there's an open spot beside you now."
"...Will they be that presumptuous? In their eyes, I am a noble after all."
"For a typical noble? No way, they wouldn't. But Senior..." She gestured toward him. "For over half a year now, you've been seen walking around the village more than any noble these people have ever seen or heard of before."
Lucien's eyes widened. "The problem might worsen if they know there's a chance to earn my favor."
"Even if it didn't, there will definitely be things we can't predict," Talia muttered, giving him a nod.
"You probably didn't intend to, but your actions so far have been the safest move to make. By keeping things ambiguous, half the village will be gossiping about half-truths rather than trying to win your favor."
"...I didn't deny it because I knew it would be useless to. Back in our world, how many times did people who denied such things ever have anyone believe them?"
Talia held up her hand, leaving only a sliver of space between her thumb and forefinger. "So little, you might as well be trying to win the lottery. For political figures, pretty much zero."
She shook her head. "Besides, it's not like everyone believes them."
At Lucien's questioning look, she winked at him. "What do you think I've been doing since I got here, huh? One way to combat rumors is to obfuscate them even more, ya know. Muddy the waters so much until no one truly knows for sure."
"At the very least, Bran and Maris definitely know you aren't doing anything untoward to their daughter."
At those words, Lucien's thoughts drifted back to a particular time at the eastern fields.
Bran asking after Alicia...and the slight smile that had cracked across the farmer's face before he spoke again.
Still...can't say I envy you, My Lord.
Managing all that.
Lucien's brow twitched faintly. "...That man."
Talia stared at him for a moment, then her lips slowly curved. "Senior...did Bran somehow forget to mention that he knew about it?"
He took another sip of coffee. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
Before his junior could continue, Lucien placed the cup back down and steepled his fingers. "Putting that aside, there is the other thing we have yet to discuss."
The smile on Talia's lips faded as she gave a slow nod. "Yeah. Let's talk about that next."