Her shoes and the hem of her skirt were covered in mud, and her shoulders, sleeves, and the ends of her hair were damp from the rain.
She was hardly presentable, let alone fit to meet a duke.
But I.
"I've come to see the Duke."
Said without hesitation.
"Pardon?"
Leagrin was very taken aback.
Understandably so.
Coming to see the Duke in this state.
"The Duke told me to visit after my outing, but I forgot. It's already very late."
"But, Miss..."
Leagrin tried to stop me, but I brushed past him and strode towards the door.
After taking a brief deep breath.
Knock knock.
I knocked.
I could feel Leagrin's flustered gaze on me from behind, but I ignored it.
Before, I needed Leagrin's help to open this door, but now I can do it all by myself.
"It's Lucia."
I said to the door.
After a moment.
"Come in."
A low voice replied.
With his response given, Leagrin could no longer stop me.
I opened the door and went inside.
The scene inside was the same as always.
Antique, desolate, and the Duke still didn't look at me.
It didn't matter if he didn't look at me. I bowed my head towards him.
"I'm sorry I'm late."
"..."
Only then did the Duke slowly look at me.
I could feel his gaze scanning me from top to bottom.
I suddenly wondered. Would he rebuke me for coming to him in this state, ignore me?
Or would he be furious that I dirtied his study with my muddy feet?
I looked at him with vague anticipation, but.
"Looks like you had a good outing."
He gave me a completely unexpected reaction.
'Well, I kind of expected it, actually.'
Because the Duke had been like this since some point.
Strangely indifferent and strangely accepting.
An un-Duke-like attitude.
I nodded.
"Thanks to you. Thank you."
This time, I bowed my head with sincerity.
Even if he hadn't allowed it, I would have attended Cherish's funeral somehow, but thanks to his easy permission, I was able to go more easily.
Besides...
I saw the condolence wreath sent by Rodbell standing at the entrance of the building.
'That was unexpected...'
I felt like the Duke was not the kind of person who would care about that.
"So, um."
But that was just a brief impression.
"Why did you call for me?"
I wanted to finish this business quickly and return to my room to delve deeper into my thoughts.
I had too much to think about right now. It felt like even staying up all night wouldn't be enough.
I looked at him with eyes waiting for an answer.
The Duke stared at me for a moment, then handed me something.
"......?"
I was puzzled, but I reflexively reached out and took it.
It was...
"An academy application."
"...! Academy...?"
"Yes."
I was momentarily stunned by the unexpected story.
I quickly snapped out of it and asked again.
"Why an academy application... to me..."
I had already expected it, but it was hard to believe the expectation, so I felt like I had to hear it directly from him.
The Duke replied with a calm face.
"What would be the purpose of an academy application?"
"...Can I enter the academy?"
"You are a Rodbell."
He looked at me.
With the same indifferent gaze as always.
"There is nothing a Rodbell cannot choose."
He said something very like himself.
I just couldn't believe that the subject was me.
"I'm not forcing you. If you want to enroll, you do, and if you don't want to, you don't."
In keeping with the words 'Rodbell chooses', he gave me a choice.
I blankly looked down at the application form.
Me, enrolling in the academy...?
This was truly so unexpected that I didn't even know how to react.
So, for now.
"...Thank you."
I bowed to him.
Then I left the study.
Leagrin was waiting anxiously in front of the door.
He rushed over as soon as he saw me.
He seemed to have been waiting worried about me.
"Miss."
"Ah, Butler, um..."
I blankly held out what I was clutching in my hand to him.
Leagrin's expression immediately changed to surprise when he saw it.
"An academy application? Could it be that the reason the Lord called you was..."
"...He told me to choose. Whether to enroll or not."
"Ah...!"
Leagrin exclaimed in admiration.
Then he grabbed my shoulders tightly and said with a bright face.
"Congratulations, Miss!"
I stared blankly at him and said.
"It would be good to enroll, right?"
"Of course!"
He replied without a moment's hesitation.
"If you graduate from the academy, you will be able to get the job you want. You can also study abroad if you wish. You will be able to go out into a wider world."
"A wider world..."
"You will definitely do well at the academy, Miss. You will be the pride of Rodbell!"
Leagrin was already excited, as if he had seen the future beyond enrollment... no, even further.
But his words were too unrealistic for me.
A wider world. A desired job. Was that even possible?
'That's what I was hoping for and running towards, though.'
When I thought that it was actually in my hands, I felt more bewildered and awkward than joyful or overwhelmed.
Above all...
'What is the Duke's purpose?'
He's the person who would least want my world to expand.
I have no idea.
Perhaps he noticed my feelings. Leagrin's expression hardened slightly.
"Miss, don't tell me... you're considering not enrolling?"
At his question, I lowered my head even further.
In the end, I returned to my room without answering.
Thanks to the cloudy weather all day, there was no significant change even when it became night.
When he came to his senses, the clock hands were pointing to 10 o'clock.
The Duke put down his pen and turned to look out the window.
The rain had stopped in the meantime, and although some dark clouds remained, the night sky was quite clear.
He paused as he was organizing the documents he had approved.
The academy applications with Miracle and Banshees' names on them caught his eye.
More precisely.
'...Can I enter the academy?'
It was because Lucia's reaction to receiving the application form was etched in his mind and wouldn't disappear.
That was not the reaction the Duke had expected.
The reaction he had expected was a little more...
'Wow, thank you! I'm so happy.'
A beaming and happy look.
Was that why? The Duke was vaguely disappointed by Lucia's unexpectedly indifferent attitude.
'Wasn't that what she wanted?'
He certainly thought that Lucia would want to enroll in the academy.
It was only natural to think so.
He had casually told Lucia 'Rodbell chooses,' but in fact, the original Lucia could never have dreamed of attending the academy.
'That's how it would have been.'
Because he wouldn't have sent her.
However, according to Leagrin, Lucia had excellent curiosity and learning abilities.
She liked to learn and enjoyed experiencing things.
In addition, she had no peer friends except for Banshees or Miracle, so she might be able to make new friends.
Since her ultimate fate after graduating from the academy would ultimately depend on his decision, he judged that he was only giving her an experience and that nothing would change.
In a way, it could be said to be a gift of his capriciousness and generosity.
But such a reaction.
He dwelled on what had gone wrong rather than feeling displeased.
Would she have been happier if he had given her a dress or jewelry?
Or a book? Or maybe...
Then, suddenly, the Duke thought about why he was having these concerns.
What's so great about whether the kid is happy or not?
"..."
Even so, he couldn't shake off a feeling of discomfort, and was about to leave work when.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the study door.
The Duke turned towards the door and slowly approached it.
And opened it unexpectedly.
But there was no one in front of him.
The Duke slowly lowered his head.
There...
"Ah, I'm sorry for the late hour."
Was Lucia.
"I wanted to give you this today..."
She held out a white piece of paper.
It was the academy application form he had given her.
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