Reasons for Contract Marriage - Chapter 54

Upon entering the ballroom, Lucius kept an eye on his surroundings while engaging in conversation with Adelheid. He justified it to himself, claiming it was because of Florian’s request, but honestly, even without that request, wouldn’t he have been looking for her? He couldn’t confidently say he wouldn’t have.

Despite that, he didn’t expect to find Brianna. After all, how could he recognize her when her face was hidden by a mask? Though he did observe a few women wandering alone, he wasn’t really expecting much.

Then, he spotted a woman entering the ballroom. Despite his earlier doubts, he immediately recognized Brianna just by the sight of her full, red lips and her beautifully shaped, delicate face beneath the silver mask.

She began scanning the room, clearly looking for Florian. Thanks to his considerable height, Lucius could easily track the woman with brown hair as she moved around the room.

After standing still for a moment, Brianna suddenly headed up to the second floor. Not long after, a man followed her. Of course, that man wasn’t Florian. And unfortunately, Lucius knew all too well what that man’s intentions were.

“Pardon me for a moment.”

Lucius had originally planned to approach Brianna and relay Florian’s message when the moment was right. But now, with the situation unfolding as it was, he quickly excused himself from Adelheid. He intended to ensure Brianna’s safety and then return.

However, Adelheid grabbed his arm. “Where are you going? Don’t go!”

Lucius furrowed his brow deeply. His patience was wearing thin.

If Adelheid hadn’t been playing her little tricks, none of this would have happened in the first place. He would have stayed with her, and Brianna would have spent her time safely with Florian.

It was Adelheid Kirchner who had caused this situation.

Lucius firmly grasped Adelheid’s wrist and, with determination, removed her hand from his arm.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Adelheid froze in place, shocked by his cold demeanor, something she had never seen before. Lucius left her behind and headed toward the stairs where Brianna had gone.

When he saw the man forcibly dragging Brianna away, he nearly lost control and threw a punch. He managed to restrain himself, settling for pulling Brianna away from the man instead. He knew that causing a scene would only put her in a difficult position.

“Florian’s running late due to some circumstances. He specifically asked me to tell you to wait for him.”

At his words, Brianna suddenly burst out laughing. Lucius looked at her in confusion, and Brianna, her eyes crinkling with amusement, explained.

“I just remembered the first time I met you. Back then, too, Florian had some unexpected situation, and you came to greet me in his place.”

Thinking back, Lucius smiled gently. “That’s right.”

Since then, Lucius had occasionally wondered if it would have been better if he had refused Florian’s request that day.

If he had done that, accepting Adelheid would have been much easier by now. And he wouldn’t have fallen so deeply for Brianna Everett.

“I’m sorry for all the trouble Florian causes you. Normally, he wouldn’t push his responsibilities onto others, but I think he relies on you because you’ve always been so good to him.”

When she offered her apology, Lucius smiled bitterly. “Florian is my longtime friend, so there’s no need for you to apologize on his behalf.”

“How did you and Florian become friends anyway?”

Their personalities were so different, it seemed strange that they had become close.

Brianna’s curious question made Lucius ask in return, “Hasn’t Florian told you?”

Brianna furrowed her brows, as if trying to recall something. “At first, he just mentioned having made a friend, someone who took classes with him… But then one day, your name started appearing in his letters, and I never heard exactly how you two became close…”

“Then, you don’t know that I was once suspended.”

“What?”

At her startled reaction, Lucius began telling her the story of how he first met Florian at the academy. On his first day back after being suspended for knocking out a senior, he had sat next to Florian in class.

“After that, we continued attending class together without even knowing each other’s names. Neither of us had any friends, so it happened naturally. Then one day, Florian said to me, ‘Did you know there’s a guy named Lucius Carlisle in this class? I’m sure he’s a rotten fellow who beats people up, hiding behind the powerful influence of his family. Us herbivores need to be careful around such carnivores.'”

Brianna quickly covered her mouth in shock. “But don’t they usually call roll? How did he not know your name?”

“It was a morning class, and Florian was late every day.”

“Oh…”

Brianna let out a long sigh, almost a groan, and Lucius continued, “And one day when he wasn’t late, he finally heard my name during roll call.”

“Oh my goodness!”

Brianna clutched her head in disbelief. Florian had always struggled with mornings due to his weak constitution, but she hadn’t realized he had been so nonchalant about being late at the academy too.

Now that she thought about it, it seemed like a miracle that he had even managed to graduate.

“…Anyway, that’s how we became friends, and slowly, Florian started telling me about you.”

Florian hadn’t mentioned Brianna right away. For a while, Lucius had been curious about who was writing to Florian, as he often smiled warmly while reading letters.

Then, one day, after Florian had hurried out to submit an assignment, a letter had been left behind. He must have dropped it in his rush. Lucius, wanting to confirm whether it belonged to Florian, opened the folded letter.

And that was the day Lucius first learned about Brianna Everett.

To Florian,

I’m glad to hear you’re adjusting well to school. I’m also getting used to life without you here in Harzen. It still doesn’t feel real that you’re gone. My heart feels empty, but I know I need to adjust soon.

Yesterday, I went with Madam to do volunteer work…

The sender seemed to be a young girl around Florian’s age. For someone so young, her handwriting was remarkably elegant, with bold, flowing strokes. Lucius had initially intended only to check the recipient’s name, but before he realized it, he found himself engrossed in the letter.

The letter detailed Brianna’s life in Harzen. There were vivid descriptions of the beautiful natural scenery she had witnessed on her outings, as well as her compassionate and warm observations of the townspeople. There was even a humorous anecdote about a pig breaking out of its pen and how she had helped catch it, getting her clothes covered in mud.

By the time Lucius finished reading the letter, he realized he had been smiling.

The next day, when he returned the letter to Florian, his friend thanked him sincerely. From that point on, Florian started to mention Brianna Everett more often.

“That’s how I came to hear about Harzen and you almost every day.”

“You must have been bored, hearing all those dull stories.”

Lucius silently thought to himself, No, not at all. In fact, he had eagerly awaited those letters. He had secretly hoped Florian would tell him more about the letters Brianna sent.

Lucius could no longer deny it. He had longed to meet her for a very long time. Finding her at the train station that day hadn’t been a coincidence—it was fate.

“Being here like this feels a little strange.”

Brianna spoke more than usual, perhaps due to the alcohol or because her nerves had finally calmed.