Lucia - Chapter 40

Chapter 40

< — Damian — > (11)

It was afternoon and Hugo was busy working on documents in his office when the scent of tea drifted into his nose . He knew someone had come in but he was focusing on something else so he didn’t pay much attention .

After a while, he looked up, glancing at the cup of tea that Jerome had placed quietly before leaving then he put his pen down on the table and leaned back in his chair . He picked up the cup of tea and walked into the balcony, deciding to take a short break .

Because of the incoming party, the garden was filled with a lot of people busying around . He looked around the garden, searching for his wife .

He found her soon enough at a corner of the garden but she was not alone . She was with a black-haired child-Damian .

‘They’re really friendly with each other . ’

He muttered to himself, frowning slightly . Looking at it objectively, their relationship was one where they could never get too close to each other .

He was a little worried about her taking Damian to the garden party because a considerable amount of people would be suspicious about her intentions .

He considered telling her about his thoughts but shoved that idea away . She would know at least that much, she wasn’t a foolish woman .

Although it was interesting that Damian was getting along with her quite well . He wasn’t a very sociable boy but within a few weeks, he was made into an obedient puppy .

Even his butler Jerome was the same . ‘Milady’, ‘Milady’, was all he could say .

She seemed to have the amazing ability to turn people to her side . Even though many people liking her was definitely much better than their being her enemy, for some reason, he felt displeased inside .

‘What are they doing?’

For a while now, the both of them had been crouched low and their heads were facing each other . He couldn’t see what they were doing and he couldn’t see their faces properly because he was too far away .

‘What the heck are those two doing?’

He grumbled inwardly .

‘Without me . ’

The last words were what was truly in his heart but because he was so childish, he couldn’t even bear to say it to himself .

***

Lucia and Damian were so engrossed in watching the amusing baby fox that they weren’t paying much attention to anything else . The big-eared yellow fox had awkward steps, toddling as it walked .

Whenever it tried to escape from between the two of them, it was gently blocked with one hand . It didn’t take long for it to give up on escaping, sit down and begin chasing its tail .

[He’s a rare mild and gentle guy for a fox . He’ll be easy to tame]

This was the common remark that the experienced breeders, which Kate sent to help, made after looking at the fox .

“Did you decide on a name, Damian?”

“Lucia, is…is it really okay for me to name it?”

“Of course . I’ll be happy if you name it . ”

After Lucia asked him to give the fox a name a few days ago, he’d worried about it for a while and rummaged through all sorts of dictionaries while his studying took a back seat .

“Then…Asha . ” (Damian)

“Asha? Does it have a meaning?” (Lucia)

“Just like names… I want it to have a strong vitality and last long . ” (1)

“Asha . That’s a good name . ”

Lucia lifted the fox and held it out to Damian .

“Since you’ve given it a name, hold it . Don’t just look at it . ”

“Lucia, I…”

“Hurry up . I’ll drop it . ”

As the time it was held up in the air grew longer, the baby fox began to struggle and wriggle around in her hands . Once he heard her say she’d drop it, Damian quickly reached out and carefully took the fox into his arms .

Asha lifted its long snout, looking at the boy for a moment, then it relaxed in his arms . The body temperature and the sound of fast-paced heartbeat of the small animal in his arms shocked Damian . It was a new sensation to him .

His emotions felt complicated and his body trembled . He felt like he hadn’t know what it meant to be alive till this moment .

“I feel…strange . ”

“Why?”

“Just…It’s not like I hate it but I feel weird . My chest feels a bit prickly…”

Looking at Damian who didn’t know how much strength to put into his arms as he held the fox, Lucia smiled .

“Damian, that feeling means you think it’s loveable . ”

“Love…able?”

“Yes . It’s the feeling your mother must have felt when she held you after you were born . You feel something is so loveable, your heart hurts . ”

Damian stared silently at the fox with for a while, his expression unknown . The fox squirmed in his arms, adjusting itself to a more comfortable position then it placed its chin on the boy’s arms, blinking its eyes .

Damian lifted his head to look at Lucia, smiling brightly . It was the clear smile of a child, no darkness hidden within it .

The first carefree smile of the boy who was always stiff and brusque sent a burst of emotions through Lucia, deeply touching her .

Her gaze met Damian’s and she smiled at him .

A little far away, Hugo’s red eyes gazing at them trembled strongly . Unable to curb his curiosity, he finally left his office .

He walked towards the corner of the garden where they stayed crouched and at some distance, he was able to see why they weren’t paying attention to anything else .

‘What is that?’

The sight of the little beast wriggling around and the two of them concentrating on it like a never-seen-before treasure in the world came into view .

As he drew a little closer, he was able to hear their conversation .

‘Giving a beast a name? a useless act . ’

The white horse he’d ridden for so many years still had no name .

‘…Lucia…?’

He furrowed his brow .

When he heard the name the evening when they were taking a walk, he’d thought he heard wrong but he was still somewhat sensitive to the name and this time, he definitely heard it and clearly too .

Why would Damian call her by that name?

It wasn’t Duchess, it wasn’t Mother and it wasn’t even her name . He stopped walking, standing still to think about it but couldn’t reach a conclusion so he resumed his journey .

However in a couple of steps, his footsteps paused again .

Looking at the boy’s smile that was as bright as sunshine, his heart clenched, filling his chest with biting pain .

‘Hah…’

He sighed mournfully .

‘It’s you . ’

He smiled powerlessly . The child’s smile was very similar to the one his brother had given him on the day they’d met .

He just hadn’t realized it but it seemed the brother that he’d been missing had always been by his side .

Translator’s Corner
1) Very loose translation here . This was the only way for it to make sense in English .

*There’s so much cuteness and fluff that I’m getting worried .

*Also, is Hugo developing eavesdropping tendencies? hur hur .

< — Damian — > (11)

TN: Throughout this chapter’s flashback, the author barely refers to ‘Hugo’ as Hugo during the conversation . Author mostly just says ‘he’ . I’m gonna leave it that way and I don’t think it’s confusing but tell me if it is .

Hugo’s memory returned to the first day he met Damian, the scene vividly drawn out before him .

One day, Philip brought in an awkward young child that was yet to walk smoothly . Even without being explained, the child’s black hair and red eyes were traits unique to the Taran bloodline .

He left the child in Jerome’s hands and when he was left alone with Philip, he question fiercely .

“What is that?”

“He is young master Hugo’s son . ” (Philip)

At first, he was at loss for words then he became enraged . A male child? Without a relative, a boy of Taran blood could never be born .

“Don’t be stupid . That dead old geezer must’ve planted a seed somewhere, who are you trying to fool?”

“Haven’t you ever heard of young master Hugo having a lover?” (Philip)

He cursed furiously before retorting .

“What? The old fool’s tricks?”

He was so angry that he felt like he was going crazy .

“No, it is not . Young master Hugo and the miss fell in love without knowing each other’s identity and young master Damian is the result of their love . ” (Philip)

“Love?!! Bullshit!”

In that moment, he hurled curses at his dead brother .

‘Fucking idiot . After acting like you know it all, you’ve finally done it . ’

“Why didn’t he know his child was born?” (Hugo)

If his brother knew he had a child, he never would have chosen to kill himself .

“Young master Hugo passed away without knowing young master Damian was conceived . ” (TN: He didn’t know the chick was pregnant)

“Did the old geezer also not know?”

“Yes . ”

‘Hah . Serves him right, the old fool needs some retribution in hell . ’

He(Hugo) muttered to himself, chuckling insidiously .

“What of the child’s name? Did you give it to him, old man?”

“I wouldn’t dare . Young master Damian’s mother gave him his name . ”

“Mother?”

He(Hugo) remarked mockingly .

“She must be my half-sister . Here I thought they were all dead but there’s a half-sister . How many children did that old fool make?”

“Just as you know it, however from childhood, the miss had a weak body and was frequently ill . The deceased Duke determined that she would be unable to have a healthy child and decided to dispose of her . Hence, the deceased Duke believed the young miss to be dead . ”

“Disposal . Ha! That’s exactly the type of thing that crazy old fool would do . ”

He ridiculed icily .

“So? This half-sister of mine that’s supposed to be dead, how did she meet him, do this love play and give birth to a child?”

“I can only say that destiny is indeed something that cannot be predicted . I can also assure you that there was no ulterior motives or interference in their relationship . ”

“Destiny? What crap . Where’s the child’s mother?”

“She passed away after giving birth . If you want a more detailed explanation…”

“Enough . ”

As to whether or not they really knew each other’s identities, or whether or not there was outside interference in their relationship, there was no way for him to know .

No matter how long Philip rambled on, he couldn’t guarantee that it was the truth . Rather than listening to the old man’s bullshit, he switched his focus to the problem at hand .

“So? what? Why did you bring him to me?” (Hugo)

No matter whether it was his brother’s child, he was not his dead brother .

His brother was born the son of the loathsome former Duke and had a completely different personality like the different entity that he was .

Moreover, his brother wasn’t informed that the child was born so bringing the child now made him suspicious .

“He’s young master Hugo’s flesh and blood . It is only right to hand him over . ”

“Don’t blabber that rubbish in front of me, take him and leave . I don’t know when I’ll want to kill it if it stays around me . ”

However, Philip left Damian and secretly disappeared . He hid himself so well, not a trace of him could be found .

‘Then I’ll make sure the bastard doesn’t see a hair on the child’s head till the day he dies . ’

Hugo gnashed his teeth in rage and invoked a ban against Philip approaching Damian .

Time went by and sometime later Philip secretly returned and tried to meet Damian but after seeing the guards placed around Damian, a report came back that Philip had once again disappeared .

Although it (the ban) was something done in a fit of anger at the time, when he thought about it, he realized it was a good thing .

Because of the war, Hugo was swamped and extremely busy so he got someone to mostly look after the child . There was almost no difference from neglecting the child .

When he returned to Roam several months later, they were all accepting Damian as his son . He’d never personally said that Damian was his son but no one thought was an issue .

This was because of how much they resembled each other . Both of them looked so much alike, leaving no room for doubts .

However, Damian’s appearance caused Hugo’s intention of ending the Taran family line to amount to nothing .

Hugo’s feeling towards Damian were delicately complex . His brother’s only mark left in this world and mass of burden .

It wasn’t love and hatred, he liked the boy just as much as he disliked him .

However, when he saw that smile on the boy, the smile that was exactly like his brother’s, he realized something .

Just as he’d intended, the cursed Taran blood would end with him . His twin brother was a mutation that could never be born of Taran blood .

He was supposed to be born with a blood full of cruelty and madness yet he was very unlike the Taran bloodline, he was gentle, pure and loved life .

And Damian inherited the blood of his brother .

The Taran Family, led by Damian would be reborn in a completely new way .

Damian noticed Hugo approaching and quickly stood up . The fox was still in his arms and he was flustered by the sudden appearance of Hugo .

Since he wasn’t studying at this time and was busy chattering, he was afraid he would be scolded .

Hugo indifferent glanced at the fox in the boy’s arms then spoke to Lucia .

“Wasn’t the fox hunt just for sightseeing?”

“I meant to do that but Lady Milton told me she’d help me obtain a fox . I hasn’t been long since I got it as a gift . ”

Hugo was unhappy with the trivial creature rolling around in Damian’s arms .

‘So now, she’ll be going around with a beast in her arms too . ’

First, frequent outings with Damian, now it’s a fox . The road to keeping her by his side was so difficult . In his heart, what he really wanted to do was keep her only to himself so only he could see her .

“Damian . ”

“Yes? Yes!” (Damian)

It was the first time Hugo had used Damian’s name directly in front of him . Before when he called Damian directly, he said

‘Kid . ’

And when he was conversing with other people and talking to Damian, he said .

‘Boy . ’

“Fox hunting is not a game for men . It’s a trifling game for women . Return the fox to its master . ”

He commanded arrogantly .

Lucia was dumbfounded and glared at him . A trifling game for women???
Damian alternated glances between the two of them then quickly handed over the fox to Lucia .

As he handed it over, there was none of the emotions from a while ago . He didn’t even show the slightest dismay or lingering attachment .

Lucia gave a hollow smile .

“Follow me . ” (Hugo)

“Yes . ”

The boy quickly replied like a soldier with military discipline .

“Where are you taking him?” (Lucia)

“We’re going to have a talk . Between men . ” (Hugo)

Hugo began to walk ahead and again, Damian repeatedly alternated glances between the two of them then bowed his head in Lucia’s direction .

After which he quickly ran after Hugo . Unlike the usually calm Damian, this one was obviously excited .

“My goodness . What? Are they excluding me?”

Lucia was speechless . She felt a sense of betrayal from Damian who never looked back . The thought that all her efforts were less than one word from his father made her feel dispirited .

As she watched the departing backs of father-and-son, her dispirited heart didn’t take long to disappear . Their very alike behind view was very adorable . Damian’s figure as he took exceptionally light steps was also fun to look at .

“Please, get close enough that I’ll get jealous . ”

While chuckling to herself, Lucia turned towards the workers in the garden . There was still a lot to do for the garden party tomorrow .

Translator’s Corner .

*Damian obviously has favorites! Hah .

*I got a comment about the ads for the first time ever and truthfully, I have virtually no control over the ads displayed . Maybe I can shoot WP an email?