Chapter 540
"W-Well, yes, but Diana didn’t recommend it," Lucia said, shaking her head frantically as she looked at Ian, who was approaching. "She said it’s fairy etiquette to offer a guest wine and cigarettes, but since you probably wouldn’t like it, she said she’d only give me wine. But I was the one who asked for—."
As Lucia rattled on without taking a breath, Ian stopped in front of her.
Lucia, looking up into his eyes, finally lowered her head slightly. "I’m sorry, Sir Ian. I knew you wouldn’t like it, but I was curious."
"It’s not something to apologize for. You’re an adult," said Ian.
He’d already decided not to selectively apply modern standards. In truth, it had been unfair to hold someone like Lucia, born and raised in this dark age, to them at all. And yet, instead of pointing that out, she was the one apologizing.
"It just caught my eye, that’s all. So technically, this is my problem, not yours," said Ian.
"No. I knew you wouldn’t like it and did it anyway, so it wasn’t right of me either," Lucia replied, shaking her head.
A faint smile spread across her lips. "Still, thank you for saying that. I should be sorry, but honestly, I’m a little happy."
"Right..." Ian replied softly, his gaze shifting back to the table.
Of course, he couldn’t hide the faint sigh that laced his voice. Mev’s face inevitably came to mind. In any case, during her time with him, Lucia had picked up not only drinking but smoking as well.
Not that she’d probably care, though.
Ian reached out his right hand as if to shake off the thought. The cigarette at the edge of the table slid into his fingers.