CH 21.2

The mountain of dried leaves made excellent tinder, and the tiny embers began to roar.

“Kyaa!”

“Ma’am!”

“Lila!”

In the dry weather, the flames spread quickly, barely giving me time to touch them. Even the cold, dry wind fanned the flames.

It didn’t take long for the flames to spread to the annex and orangerie behind the sponsorship area.

The gardener scrambled to his feet and ran for a bucket, while Vincent came running out.

Lila froze in his arms. She was speechless at the sight of what she had done.

Lucas, too, was flustered, but he didn’t show it. With Lila in his arms, he quickly entered the mansion, Jessie following close behind.

They reached the third floor in a flash, and Lucas set Lila down.

“I’ll take care of this, go back to your room.”

At the look of urgency on his face, Lila burst into tears. Her heart leapt out of her throat.

Lucas gently wiped the tears from her cheeks like a child, then lowered his eyebrows and let out a small laugh.

“Shhh, don’t cry, go back to your room. Jessie?”

“Yes, Duke.”

Jessie, who was right beside him, replied quickly.

“Serve the lady.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Huhm, Lucas, I’m sorry…”

Lila apologised, sobbing breathlessly. Lucas hugged her tightly like he couldn’t help it, and then let go.

Then he whispered in her ear.

“So, I guess you should be punished?”

Lila raised her eyes, unable to hear the rapidly whispered words, but Lucas had already disappeared from her sight.

After stopping by his office to grab something, Lucas leapt through the second-floor hallway window.

The gardeners were hauling water in unison. Vincent checked the servants to make sure no one was hurt, and the chef jumped to help.

Lucas, stepping fluidly through them, barked an order.

“Everyone out of the way!”

The gardeners closest to the flames quickly fell back at his words.

“Duke!”

Vincent called from behind, but Lucas didn’t move back, instead stepping closer to the flames.

“Duke, it’s dangerous!”

The chef and the gardeners shouted in alarm at his behaviour, but Lucas paid them no mind.

Instead, he simply threw the object he had brought into the flames, and with his strength, it must have gone flying inwards.

After throwing a total of two tools, Lucas fell backwards.

The roaring flames began to shake violently as if being sucked into something. Then fire began to shrink.

The flames that had engulfed the annex and the orangerie disappeared without a trace.

Even the flames of the pot burning the leaves that had started the fire had vanished, leaving nothing but ashes.

“Duke!”

Vincent called, his voice full of surprise. Lucas turned his head slowly.

“What is this!”

The chef and the gardeners exclaimed in amazement. Lucas surveyed the charred trees and flowers, and the devastation of the annex and orangerie, with a nonchalant expression, then called Vincent over.

“Vincent, you can take care of the rest, can you?”

“Was it a magic tool? It’s the first magic tool I’ve ever seen.”

Lucas nodded slightly at the admiration in his voice.

“My brother made it.”

“…I see.”

“Yeah.”

Lucas thought of his brother for a very brief moment. The version of him he had hastily erased from his memory was not a good one.

The last time he’d seen him, he’d been smashing furniture like a madman because he had been dumped by his lover.

‘Is this obsession genetic?’

As he thought about it, it wasn’t just him, but his brother, his father, and his entire family were obsessed with their loved ones.

Even though they had a separate wives, their obsession and thirst for the lover they kept in their heart was so strong that it made them restless.

The only thing that distinguished Lucas from his brother and father was that his wife and lover are the same person.

He was often surprised by his own obsession.

He just doesn’t show it.

“I wonder what she wanted to eat.”

Slowly, Lucas peered into the pot where the leaves had been burning, a pile of charred remains inside.

“Hmm…”

At first, it smelled good. It was a sweet, mouth-watering aroma.

Lucas called for a nearby chef. Cooper hurried over.

“This… looks like sweet potatoes and chestnuts, perhaps.”

“Yes, Duke.”

Cooper was nervous. After almost getting kicked out of the Duke’s house and being scolded by Lila, he’d made a mental note to be on his best behaviour.

He’d been shocked by Lila’s words, and the feeling of being uncomfortable had changed him.

Besides, with make-up covering his freckles, Lucas was a very handsome man. Not just any handsome, as he wondered how he hadn’t noticed before, but handsome in a dangerous way that oozed colour and decadence.

Even from the same man, it was a nervous look.

“Can you imagine eating this? I heard my wife was going to bake and eat it…”

“It’s badly burnt on the outside, let me take it out and take out the kernels to make it edible.”

“Okay… By the way, do you eat sweet potatoes like this?”

“No, most people eat them raw, or roughly chop them up and put them in soup.”

“Hmm…”

Although he hadn’t tasted it yet, Lucas was intrigued by the baked sweet potato. It smelled very good.

“She probably misses the way it’s done in other places.

It didn’t take Lucas long to realise why Lila had said that. And as an added bonus, he remembered the practicality of sweet potatoes.

Unlike wheat, they thought it would be a good idea to popularise a way of eating sweet potatoes that was easy, simple, and inclusive.

It seems that it is difficult to become a trend, but it is very easy to get the word out if you have the right substance.

“If it were you, would you try roasting a sweet potato?”

Cooper couldn’t tear his gaze away from the Duke, who asked with a toothy grin. Those mint-coloured eyes, which should have been fragile, were as intense as any he’d ever seen.

He remembered the Duke’s steadfastness in the face of the dangerous flames earlier. Cooper wiped away all the disrespect he’d ever felt for the Duke.

Cooper answered in a firm voice.

“I’ll cook sweet potatoes and chestnuts in a variety of recipes.”

“Mmm, good. And develop a recipe for potatoes and dried corn. Preferably in a very simple way.”

“Yes, Duke!”

* * *

Lila sat on the couch, her legs shaking. She wondered what was going on outside, but she was too scared to look, so she waited for Lucas.

Please, no casualties.

Please, please, please let the fire go out.

I clasped my hands together and prayed desperately.

‘What has gone wrong? Why did the chestnuts pop out like that?’

She cursed the chestnuts, then lowered her head and buried her face in her palms.

‘Idiot! Idiot, you stupid!’

Chastising herself, she stamped her foot.

‘What should I do, should I go out now?’

Somehow, out of concern, she knew she shouldn’t. Lila sat up on the couch. She started to walk away, but Jessie grabbed her.

“You can’t leave, ma’am!”

“But… I caused the fire… What can I do, Jessie?”

Jessie’s complexion darkened as she looked at Lila with wide eyes.

“It’s all my fault, ma’am, you didn’t do anything wrong. I should have thrown it more carefully, and I will be punished, so please don’t give me that look, my lady.”

Jessie’s heart went out to Lila, who was in tears. She should have been more gentle with her. She bowed her head at her own inadequacies.

In a pensive mood, Lila stammered out her answer.

“No… It was my ignorance. I didn’t realise the chestnuts would be like that.”

Jessie was about to say something when she mumbled something in a tone that was full of melancholy.

Knock knock.

A crisp knock on the door made Lila fling open the door beside her.

Lucas gave the familiar knock and was about to open the door, but before he could, he stared at the quickly opened door and locked eyes with Lila.

“Lucas!”

Lucas smiled broadly at the teary-eyed Lila, who greeted him as if she’d been waiting for him.

“Good to see you?”

At his joking tone, she hurriedly replied.

“Yes… very much.”

“Don’t worry, the disturbance ended very well.”

“Huhmm…”

Lila burst into tears again at his response, worried to death that someone had been hurt.

Lucas casually scooped her into his arms. He looked at Jessie for a moment, then spoke.

“I think you should go to Vincent for medical attention.”

Lucas looked at Jessie’s wounds with a keen eye. Even if it was only a small cut, the burn would hurt, and it was better to get it treated.

At his words, Lila jumped in surprise. Hurrying over to Jessie, Lila found the wound.

“Jessie!”

At Lila’s pensive expression, Jessie quietly hid her arms behind her back, embarrassed because she didn’t want Lila to know.

“It’s okay, ma’am. It doesn’t even hurt.”

“Huhhh…”

Embarrassed, Lila blinked back tears and jerked her head up.

“Wait!”

Hurrying back into her room, Lila dug into her secret pouch for an ointment. Her makeup box contained a medical kit. Finding a small tub, Lila squeezed out the ointment.

She walked out of the room with the tub and turned to Jessie.

“Let me see your arm for a moment.”

“It’s alright, ma’am. I don’t feel any pain.”

“No! The burn will scar! Come on, show me.”

At her insistence, Jessie had no choice but to hold out her arm. A blister had already begun to form just above her wrist.

Lila gently applied the ointment.

“You have to be careful with small burns, they hurt a lot. Here, take care with this burn ointment.”

“Ma’am…”

This time, Jessie’s eyes filled with tears. The duchess she served was so thoughtful, and even if she wasn’t, she was overwhelmed with gratitude to have someone she admired take care of her.

“Um, Jessie doesn’t have a subspace pouch or pocket?”

Jessie, who was stuffing her medication into the inside pocket of her skirt, replied in a nonchalant tone.

“Oh, no, ma’am. Subspace devices is expensive.”

“Mmm… yes, they are.”

Lila nodded, remembering her days as a baroness. Lucas and Michael’s casual use of the tools had made her feel a little less materialistic.

Lila’s thoughts were mixed at this point. Lucas stood behind her and crossed his arms in silence.

He, too, was stirred by her words.