#Chapter 3. You Have No Faith

“That…… Damian. About the tutor matter. I’m really sorry, but I’d like Lucy to be at least ten years old for that part. I don’t want to block a child’s expanding thoughts yet. Also, I’d like you to be careful with such language in front of the child.”

“Language?”

Ariel, who glanced at Damian, closed her eyes tightly and spoke.

“Telling me to come to the bedroom, or saying Lucy has no manners, things like that. And……”

Ariel, who closed her lips for a moment, quietly opened her eyes.

Damian, who came out after washing with a languid face, didn’t seem to be listening to Ariel’s story very attentively.

Damian, who walked to the sofa, nodded as if telling her to continue talking.

“I’d like you not to treat me as property in front of Lucy. Your words aren’t wrong, but regardless of the facts, they’re not good words for a child’s emotions.”

“…… Your job is to come to my bedroom, and Lucy can be raised by a nanny. Additionally, the property talk is just a fact.”

“I’d like you to refrain from saying such things in front of the child. It’s fine now because she’s still young, but there’s no need to do that.”

At Ariel’s words, Damian frowned. He looked as if asking whether he had to pay attention to such things too.

When the silence lengthened, Ariel, who had gotten up from the bed, approached his side.

When she filled an empty glass on the table with water, Damian took the water glass.

“Ariel. Come beside me.”

Damian took a sip of water and gestured to her with his eyes.

Ariel carefully sat beside him. A fragrant scent lingered around Damian, who had just finished showering.

Damian’s hand, who placed the empty water glass on the table, slowly approached Ariel’s face.

“Damian……?”

Damian, who grabbed both hands, thrust his clasped hands in front of her.

“Praying.”

“…… What? Praying?”

Ariel looked at Damian’s thick hands and asked back.

He called this praying? Crude beyond measure, hands that felt no faith at all moved in front of Ariel’s eyes.

“Yes. You called it praying. If I want to call you to the bedroom, should I say we’re praying?”

“Ah……”

A blush quickly rose on Ariel’s face. Ariel, who gulped, rolled her eyes.

“That’s……”

When Ariel avoided her gaze, Damian quickly added his words.

“Lucy was worried. What if Dad doesn’t pray with Mom. So shouldn’t you satisfy Lucy’s expectations? She seemed to have quite high expectations of you.”

“Ah, that. Damian……”

While she couldn’t figure out how to say it, Damian grabbed Ariel’s hand.

“Lucy wants it.”

Damian brought up Lucy’s name once more.

Still, when Ariel seemed to hesitate a little, Damian made a proposal.

“I’ll talk about the property treatment after Lucy grows up later. So, can we pray together now?”

Property…… treatment?

Ariel opened her eyes narrowly.

“…… No. I don’t have the faith to pray today.”

*

After Damian came, since it was the first imperial palace visit in several years, Ariel was very busy since morning.

Because of that, she didn’t have time to carefully look after Lucy.

Just before entering the banquet hall, Ariel, who finally made eye contact with her daughter, knelt down while adjusting Lucy’s clothes.

“Lucy, are your clothes uncomfortable at all?”

It was a dress that had been fitted several times. But clothes that were comfortable at home might feel uncomfortable at the imperial palace.

In case such a situation arose, Ariel checked Lucy’s clothes until the end, worried that Lucy might be troubled.

“Yes. It’s not uncomfortable at all.”

Lucy, who spread her skirt smoothly, bent her knees slightly and curtsied.

Ariel, who adjusted the ribbon on Lucy’s blonde hair, smiled brightly. How could she be so pretty and have such good attitude?

Even though she was her own daughter, she really thought she might be an angel sent down from heaven.

“Oh? Mom also wore an amethyst necklace today?”

Lucy pointed to the necklace hanging around Ariel’s neck.

Then she touched the center of the ribbon on Lucy’s chest with her small fern-like hand and smiled brightly.

A large amethyst that Ariel had specially custom-made was embedded in Lucy’s ribbon.

“Yes. This time Mom matched with Lucy with amethyst, how is it?”

“It’s so pretty. Our mom is the best!”

Lucy, who was giving a thumbs up, was so cute that Ariel forgot they were in the imperial palace and grabbed Lucy’s face to rub noses.

“…… Oh my. Duchess of Zenova.”

That’s when it happened. Someone who approached from the side stopped slightly in the corridor.

Jessica, who placed her hand on her chest and lowered her eyes, greeted Ariel and Lucy. She was the wife of Bruno, her husband’s younger brother.

“Hello, Duchess. And hello, Lucy?”

Beside her, Jessica’s son, Derek, looked at Lucy and greeted her.

“Hello, Madam. Derek, hello too?”

Ariel, who straightened her bent knees, greeted Jessica and Derek.

They were family members she wasn’t entirely pleased with.

Though Jessica probably didn’t intend it, when she gathered with other nobles, she kept bringing up bad stories related to Ariel.

She probably wouldn’t do it on purpose between sisters-in-law, and she probably just made frequent slips of the tongue. But it was uncomfortable anyway.

Ariel, who swallowed a sigh, smiled as much as possible and greeted the mother and son, then held Lucy’s hand tightly.

With the servant’s loud cry, Ariel moved away from them by entering first.

Since this was their first imperial palace visit after Damian returned, it wouldn’t be good if a big commotion occurred, so let’s avoid Jessica just for today.

“…… I was indignant about such rumors spreading, but Ariel seems so calm that she looks really amazing.”

However, regardless of Ariel’s resolution, Jessica didn’t leave Ariel alone.

Jessica, who finally brought up Lucy’s tutor story again, began speaking loudly while leading a group.

The people around sparkled their eyes as if it was perfect timing when they were already curious.

The ladies who had been subtly spreading rumors about the Zenova ducal house from behind covered their mouths with fans and sent looks demanding explanations to Ariel.

Ariel tried to smile as much as possible and cut off Jessica’s words, but it wasn’t easy as expected.

Frequent slips of the tongue, and no tact either.

“The ducal residence having financial difficulties is really nonsense. How much are just the gifts the duke received? The duchess doesn’t enjoy luxury, so that can’t happen. How frugal she is. So perhaps…… such rumors are because lady Lucy might be sick somewhere……”

Jessica’s eyes, who trailed off her words, became pitiful.

Strength entered Ariel’s right hand holding the fan.

In Ariel’s view, this part seemed to need clear correction.

She didn’t want to reveal even the child’s educational philosophy, but since it was a story related to Lucy, this needed to be corrected.

Just when Ariel was about to open her mouth—

“Mother.”

Lucy, who walked over gracefully, spread her skirt wide and greeted Ariel with perfect etiquette.

“Lucy?”

Since Lucy rarely came to find her separately unless it was something big, Ariel looked at where the children had been staying with a worried face.

“I’m sorry for coming to see you like this while you’re having a conversation. But I felt I should tell Mother. In a way, it’s also a big matter.”

The word “big matter” came from Lucy’s mouth.

At the same time, Derek, who burst into tears behind Lucy, ran to Jessica.

Lucy lowered her eyes as if pitying him.

Behind Derek, children followed along and each walked looking for their mothers.

Jessica’s voice rose.

“Derek! What’s wrong? Son! What happened!”

When Jessica, who quickly picked up Derek, asked him several times but he just cried without answering, her head turned to Lucy.

Just then, Lucy stepped forward and put her hands together in front of her chest.

She, who looked up at Derek pitifully, showed a worried face.

“It seems there’s a big problem with Derek’s tutor.”

At those words, Jessica’s eyes widened, and Ariel was also surprised by Lucy’s sudden statement.

However, Ariel waited for Lucy to finish speaking.

“What do you mean! Miss Lucy! Such slander……”

“Madam, Lucy hasn’t finished speaking yet.”

When Ariel restrained Jessica, Lucy bowed her head slightly to Ariel to show thanks, then opened her mouth.

“Derek asked me to have a contest, but there seems to be a problem with his tutor. He couldn’t answer any of the history questions. But the smart Derek couldn’t be like that.”

“History……?”

“Yes. Derek definitely told me that he, who even has a tutor, would never lose. I thought so too. But the fact that he lost…… seems to be the tutor’s problem.”

Lucy looked up at Ariel with eyes that were truly worried.

“Ah!”

Then Lucy, who clapped her hands, tilted her head.

“Could it be that Mother taught me better than Derek’s tutor?”