Chapter: 613
Following the young Lucy, the location they arrived at was Lucy’s room.
The room decorated by Benedict and Mira for Lucy was what many little girls would dream of as a princess’s room.
Various cute dolls, a fluffy bed, furniture splashed with pink, and a light pink canopy draping over the bed.
Any child entering this room would have their eyes sparkling with joy, but the actual owner, Lucy, was not that child.
Her eyes were parched from too much crying. She was so thin it was questionable whether she even ate, her hair a mess, and her lips tightly shut. Lucy was slowly dying alone in this room.
Her mother, who used to embrace her with laughter in any situation, was now gone.
Her father, who used to be awkward but loving, now loathed her.
The servants in the mansion, who had always been cautious around the owner, now subtly showed their disdain for her.
Even if the nobles pushed the servants to treat her better, nothing changed. She had no one on her side anymore.
At least, that’s how Lucy thought.
If I die, will I be able to meet my mother again?
If I go to where she has gone, can I hold her warm hand once more?
Can I go to the place where someone will hug me?
‘What will I do this National Founding Day?’
The girl, isolated and pondering death, had her thoughts shifted by the ugly darkness.
‘Of course, I should go to the royal palace!’
‘I can’t just stay holed up here forever.’
‘Yeah! If I catch a decent guy, I can say goodbye to that arrogant brat forever!’
National Founding Day. The royal palace. The social hall. The images dancing in Lucy’s mind were of a fidgeting Benedict and Mira who smiled at him. And herself, laughing while covering her mouth in surprise at the dazzling surroundings.
Recalling past memories brought a slight smile to her face, but the happiness etched in her heart quickly faded to gray.
How can I be so unhappy? I can’t be happy anymore, so why are you all still smiling?
Why do I have to be the one to suffer?
What did I do wrong?
What have I done to lose everything while you all still have it?
Why?
Why?
Why?
‘…I don’t like it.’
I don’t like that you’re happy.
I don’t like that I’m the only one unhappy.
It’s unfair.
Shouldn’t you all be just as unhappy as I am? Huh?
Alright. If you’re not planning to be unhappy, I’ll make you all miserable.
If I can’t be the only one not smiling, then it’s better if everyone cries instead.
As the twisted little girl declared her desire to participate in the National Founding Day festival, Benedict held onto the twisted hope that maybe, just maybe, Lucy had shaken off some of her wounds.
So Benedict agreed to Lucy’s request, suppressing his own desires not to meet anyone, and visited the National Founding Day festival.
It wasn’t hard to find a place. The hero known as Benedict Alrn was welcomed everywhere.
Even after months cooped up in the mansion, there was no one who would belittle him.
“Alrn Duke!”
“Are you okay?”
“We’re glad to see you back on your feet.”
Behind the brightly shining Benedict, hidden behind a father desperately concealing his awkward feelings, Lucy suddenly realized that no one could like her.
Just a single greeting twisted expressions.
Before she even spoke, kind-hearted people frowned.
The child who approached her in a friendly manner would stick out their tongue and run away.
Without Mira, without her mother, without her only understanding person, Lucy was left alone.
“Hahaha.”
Unable to hold back the emotions rising from deep within, she burst into laughter, firmly imprinting the image of the king greeting Benedict in her mind.
“It’s been a while, yet still as cute as ever, Lucy.”
“Even after such a long time, Your Majesty still smells weird. Is it because you’ve put on a bit too much weight?”
“Lucy!? What are you saying to His Majesty?”
“They’re pigs. They’re pigs. Hahaha. I’d rather be holed up in a barn than be around you, Pig King!”
The surrounding astonishment, embarrassment, anger, disdain – all these emotions were delightful to Lucy. The fact that everyone could be just as miserable made her smile.
So she acted even more flamboyantly. To catch everyone’s attention, she raised her voice.
To make everyone here just a little bit more miserable, she shouted.
“That’s something you absolutely cannot do! Lucy!”
After Benedict had managed the chaos and they were left alone, he gripped Lucy’s shoulders and pressed her firmly. He wanted to straighten out Lucy’s distortion before it was too late.
“Why?”
“Why can’t I? Foolish Papa? What’s wrong with them being miserable?”
“That’s not right, Lucy. You know that.”
“Why should I be doing the right thing? I don’t want to fit in with those losers.”
“Lucy. Calm down and listen to what I have to say, okay? Mira too…”
“My mother is dead!”
For the first time, the kind-hearted Lucy showed her defiance, leaving Benedict helpless.
“Don’t interfere. Foolish Papa.”
“…I will, Lucy.”
“Why? Is it because Mama asked you to?”
“It’s not that. I care about you.”
“Liar. If I was that precious to you, you wouldn’t have left me alone all this time.”
“That’s… that’s…”
If Benedict had made an excuse then, would anything have changed?
If he had cried and complained about his own struggles, would something have shifted?
If he had simply embraced Lucy without a word, would any hope have emerged?
“Haha!”
Thinking about it now is meaningless.
“AHAHAHA!”
Benedict stammered and lowered his head.
“Ah, really.”
Lucy took that hesitation as a sign of encouragement.
“You garbage father.”
“Lu… Lucy.”
“I really hate you.”
The harmonious family crumbled like this.
Afterwards, Lucy continued to participate in high society.
She had no desire to meet anyone, make friends, eat delicious food, or see beautiful things.
She solely wished for everyone to be miserable.
Benedict, who should have stopped this, couldn’t approach Lucy.
The guilt that took up residence in his heart was immense, making him think that enduring his own troubles was a fitting punishment for his sins.
With each passing day, Lucy’s desire gradually turned into reality.
Everyone became unhappy.
The people in high society. Benedict. Lucy herself.
“Haha. You really enjoy telling mischievous jokes, don’t you?”
“Is it a joke? You wish! I know you desperately want to deny it, but what can you do? It’s all true.”
“…What about me seems gloomy to you?”
“It’s hard to answer. No matter where I look, you reek like mold.”
“Ugh.”
“To be fair, umm… Ah, your eyes are also so dark that I don’t want to answer anymore.”
“…Lucy Alrn!”
Lucy and Rene’s meeting was amidst this chain of misfortune.
Lucy, wishing for the social hall to be dim, approached the welcomed First Prince, looking to instigate trouble. She wanted to drag him into misery.
Rene initially tried to endure it but ultimately, like everyone else, grew angry with Lucy and raised his voice.
When Benedict ran over to calm the situation, it did nothing to restore the mood of the social hall. Lucy had confidently achieved her goal that day.
“Lady Alrn.”
When Rene spoke to her again, it was when Benedict had gone off to converse with the organizer of the festivities.
“What is it, gloomy outsider prince? Are you trying to be friends with me? If that’s the case, let me apologize upfront. I…”
“…Sigh. Lucy Alrn. Could you please shut your mouth? Shouldn’t I at least finish what I have to say?”
The genuine irritation of Rene, who was already nearly an adult, was enough to scare young Lucy.
Though she puffed her chest in defiance, inside she was shrinking away.
“Tch. What a blunder.”
“Hick.”
“Wait a moment. No, please wait, Lady Alrn. I didn’t mean to click my tongue at you.”
“Hick.”
“I’m sorry. Please don’t cry. I don’t know what Duke Alrn would do if you cried.”
“Who’s… Hick… crying. Sniff.”
“Yes. You’re not crying! Not at all! I’ll acknowledge that, so please!”
Fortunately, Benedict hadn’t returned until Rene had managed to comfort Lucy.
Her eyes were slightly red, but she was spared the worst misunderstanding.
Relieved by this, Rene sighed at Lucy, who was glaring at him.
“Since I’ve been found out, I’ll drop the pretense. Is that alright?”
“Are you seeking approval for everything? You seems to struggle with your own choices.”
“I’ll take it as you’re okay with that.”
Lucy, though frightened, was fascinated by Rene’s words.
Among the many people she had met, this was the first time someone continued to talk to her like this.
Most would share a single word before turning away, and if the interaction dragged on, they would typically treat her like she was invisible after getting angry once.
Rene was truly the first exception.
“I’ll get straight to the point. Lucy Alrn. What you want to say and what you end up saying are different things, aren’t they?”
“…Huh?”
“Thinking something and what comes out of your mouth are not the same.”
That’s why Lucy couldn’t accept that Rene had noticed her secret for a long time.
“There was someone among the palace staff who could read emotions through actions. I was so curious about what they did that I asked them to teach me their methods. So when they said I could never replicate it, I got frustrated and worked hard to learn, and now I can make some guesses. They expressed their disdain for someone who couldn’t see through deception and couldn’t read thoughts, so what does it matter?”
“Ugh.”
“W-What’s wrong!? Why are you about to cry!? I didn’t do anything this time!”
“Waaaaah!”
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