Saving My Childhood Friend Through… Questionable Means… - Chapter 51

For days, avoiding Duke Lucas turned out to be far more difficult than Seria had anticipated. It wasn’t because of her responsibilities as his secretary—Lucas, thankfully, wasn’t so tactless as to send servants demanding her return to work.

Yet, somehow, despite the vastness of the duchy, she kept running into him. And every time she did, the same scene played out: Seria would flee, and Lucas would shout after her, asking to talk.

‘What’s with him? Why is Lucas wandering around everywhere? I don’t even want to see his face right now!’

After spending the entire day evading him, Seria’s cheeks had grown noticeably gaunt. Unable to endure his relentless attempts any longer, she finally decided to escape to a friend’s house for a few days. When she contacted her friend, she was surprised at how readily she agreed, encouraging her to stay as long as she needed.

Packing light, Seria ordered a servant to prepare a carriage and waited briefly in the drawing room of the annex.

‘I should’ve done this earlier! Staying in the duchy makes it impossible to clear my mind.’

Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner? Probably because her life had become so intertwined with the duchy that she couldn’t imagine being apart from it. While she’d visited friends for day trips before, it had never occurred to her to use their homes as a refuge.

Feeling a sense of relief, Seria basked in the warm sunlight streaming through the window and savored her tea. The delicate rose petals floating in her cup helped soothe her frayed nerves. Just as she was beginning to relax, the door to the drawing room opened—not to reveal the servant she’d been expecting, but Duke Lucas himself.

Startled beyond belief, Seria choked on her tea.

Cough, cough!

She sputtered violently, spilling the transparent tea onto the marble floor. As if her embarrassment wasn’t enough, Lucas stood at the doorway with a serious expression, watching her intently.

“Cough… What—what are you doing here?”

“Seria. Where do you think you’re going?”

Lucas walked toward her with a perplexed look. Seria hastily wiped the tea from her chin with a handkerchief and raised her hand to stop him from coming any closer.

“Why… why are you following me everywhere?”

“I told you—I have something to say. You keep avoiding me, so what choice do I have?”

If she was avoiding him this much, shouldn’t it be obvious that she needed space? Seria had thought she knew Lucas inside and out after all these years as friends, but apparently not. She didn’t know just how ceaselessly persistent he was.

Letting out a sigh, she picked up her small bundle of belongings and stood. Facing Lucas’s piercing blue eyes, she spoke in a calm but firm tone.

“Do you really not understand why I’m avoiding you? A lot has happened between us. Sure, maybe I initiated things at first, but after that, it was your lie that kept our relationship going. That lie hasn’t completely destroyed what we have, but it’s made everything complicated. I just need some time to think things through. Do you understand now?”

“Ah… I was too flustered the other day to explain myself properly. That’s why I’ve been trying to talk to you—to clear things up.”

A faint sigh escaped Seria’s lips. Talking to him now would only draw her back into his orbit. Even if Lucas didn’t resort to more lies, his vulnerable expression would weaken her resolve, and she would end up brushing everything aside once again.

“That’s exactly what I don’t want right now. We’ve been spending way too much time together. I need some space to think clearly.”

“Seria…”

Lucas opened his mouth as if to argue but then closed it, his expression turning forlorn. Seria couldn’t help but wonder if this, too, was an act. If he could lie to her face, why wouldn’t he fake his emotions as well? Whatever was going through his mind, she was too exhausted to care.

Reaching the door, she paused and glanced back at him.

“I’m going to spend a few days at a friend’s house. Please, don’t follow me again. Take care of yourself.”

Her resolute tone made Lucas flinch. After trailing her around for days, his body almost instinctively moved to follow her again, but he caught himself just in time.

Seria sighed and closed the door behind her. Through the slowly narrowing gap, she saw Lucas’s flustered expression. His mouth opened as if to say something, but no words came out. Instead, he ran a hand through his hair, tousling it in frustration.