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Lucia Chapter 25 [part 1]

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< — Disagreement — > (1) 

Translated by: Miss Ruby
Edited by: Ssim Yubr

TN:  We are in Book 3! And we now have an update schedule!  Kinda.  Also my translations are being stolen…


 

Jerome prepared a cup of afternoon tea as he did every day and went into the Duke’s office.

To avoid disturbing his master who was currently engrossed in his work, Jerome tried to drop the tea and leave but the desk was covered in documents and the person who was supposed to be there was nowhere to be seen.

As this was more or less a regular thing these days, Jerome shifted his gaze in the direction he expected his master to go and as expected, the balcony window was slightly open. He went closer to take a look and he could see the back of a tall man, leaning against the handrail.

These days, the duke would start work in the afternoon and then lazy around; something he had never done before. He would spend a long time standing in the balcony and looking down below.

And below was the beautiful picture of her Grace who had recently taken to diligently growing colorful flowers in the garden. Her Grace frequently went out to personally examine the flowers in the garden and his master would watch her.

Jerome initially thought that his master’s honeymoon phase would be briefly interesting but now he knew that it wasn’t going to be like that. If there was a case where the prodigal son starts to change after he gets married and becomes a reliable person, then that was practically his master.

This was why one had to live long in the world.  Jerome wondered if his master knew that when he was with her Grace, it was as if nothing else in the world was visible, his gaze was completely locked onto her.

Surprisingly, her Grace did not seem conscious of his master’s intense and straight-forward gaze.  It would seem that her Grace was unexpectedly, insensitive.

There was something delicate between the two of them.  Obviously, their relationship was good. Her Grace would give his master a pure smile, and his frigid master would warm up when her Grace was around.

Nonetheless, undeniably, there was somewhat of an invisible thin wall between them. It was too ambiguous to criticize and he couldn’t speak out hastily on something so vague.

It was a new routine to put a brief report on what her Grace did or whom she met on his master’s desk, so Jerome couldn’t postpone his report anymore.  Even more so because it was related to the health of her Grace.

Jerome hesitated a little then approached the balcony.

“Your Grace.”

“Mmm.”

“I have something to tell you about her Grace.”

At those words, Hugo turned his head. He stared at Jerome then walked past him and went inside the office. But even after waiting a while, he didn’t hear Jerome speaking. Hugo could tell that Jerome was being hesitant.

“What’s so difficult? Talk.”

“…Her Grace has never had her monthly guest.” (1).

Lucia had a promise with Jerome that she would tell the Duke about her body condition together with Jerome.

But as time passed, Lucia was still the same, keeping her mouth shut.  Jerome considered that she had forgotten so he reminded her but her Grace had only said that she understood and went back to being silent.

Jerome knew that interfering in this could be exceeding his authority but it was also the task of the steward to take care of his master’s health. Jerome worried several times if he should urge or even force her Grace to personally tell his master but eventually he decided to tell his master personally.

“Monthly guest?”

“The thing women go through every month…”

“Ah. Continue.”

Hugo was familiar with the common knowledge of women’s physiological parts but the rest was sleeping at the bottom of his mind. He had never been with a woman long enough for her to have her period.  Moreover, he had never been worried about a woman getting pregnant so he really hadn’t thought about it.

“At first, a maid was concerned about whether her Grace was pregnant or not, but then her Grace was looked at by the primary doctor who said that she wasn’t pregnant. According to her Grace, she has never had a monthly guest. She also refused to be looked at by the doctor for treatment. Milady said it was something that Your Grace already knows about so there was no need for treatment.”

“She is not pregnant so is it something serious if she isn’t menstruating?”

“It is not normal, after all, it would be impossible for her Grace to get pregnant. Her Grace has to have a medical examination for us to know for sure.”

“What does she mean that I already knew…”

[I cannot have a child.]

Hugo furrowed his brows.

“Ha.”

He gave a forced laugh. She had definitely said that. Originally, it was not something one could easily say but she had simply said that she couldn’t have a child as if it was something trivial. She had also given a small laugh.

To her, her inability to be pregnant was not a big deal because she couldn’t have a child anyways.  She had spoken like she was telling a big secret but he had simply thought it was interesting.

“Right. I knew about it.”

His head ached like it had been hit with a blunt weapon. There was an uncomfortable twisting in his stomach and he felt an anger within him that he didn’t know what for, couldn’t explain it or even give a reason for it.

“What is the doctor doing?” (Hugo)

“It is not an external disease so if her Grace doesn’t speak about it, the doctor cannot diagnose it.” (Jerome)

“Call her now.”

“…Yes, your Grace.”

Jerome could see that his master’s mood had soured so he immediately went away without saying a word.

While standing still, Hugo suppressed his anger and clenched his fists tightly. He then tried to calmly think of where his displeasure was coming from.

She was very much the ideal wife he wanted. She controlled the servants moderately well and did not give him any issues. He had nothing to complain about nor was he uncomfortable. Recently, she’d had a lot of requests but it was different from the bothersome requests he was expecting.

“Ha, dammit.”

He gave a heavy sigh, cupped his head in his hands and sat on the sofa.  This wasn’t normal. He realized he still had no idea about what she was thinking. All he knew about his wife was what was written in the few reports Fabian gave him.

Their relationship was good. As least he thought so. Their conversations were fun and in the bedroom, they were passionate. But they had never really talked.

Had she ever exposed herself to him? He seemed to have misunderstood that she had exposed all of her heart to him since she smiled so purely.

Something suddenly came to mind so he called for Jerome and ordered him to bring the details of her spending. Jerome soon returned with the documents.

“What about the doctor?” (Hugo)

“I sent someone to call her.” (Jerome)

“I’ll be coming along for the examination.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

As Hugo flipped through the documents and checked the details, his eyes grew cold. Apart from the cost of decorating the garden and the cost of throwing a tea party a few times, there was no other history of personal use.

“Has she ever called for a tailor or a jeweler?” (Hugo)

“She has not.” (Jerome)

“Even though she has thrown tea parties and gone outside several times?”

“There are dresses used by former Duchesses of the family and ornaments passed down in the Taran family. The dresses were chosen, mended and worn while the ornaments were returned to the storage room after use.”

Hugo knit his brow tightly. It was an inexplicable feeling. He was upset but he didn’t know exactly why he was upset.

‘Wasn’t this what you wanted?’

These words echoed in his head.

It was.

He got married to what he hoped for. A doll-like wife that only kept her position as the Duchess.

He needed the status and for that he needed to marry but duties of a husband were troublesome so, he made a deal. He made a contract. A contract beneficial to the both of them. From the start, she said that what she needed was the title of Duchess. Of course, he had thought that she wanted the wealth and power that came with being a Duchess.

It hadn’t been long since they were married but he knew now.  From the beginning, she was not interested in his wealth and power.

So, what exactly was making him so unhappy? Why should it matter if she didn’t want his power or wealth? There was nothing for him to lose.

Rather, he should toast to this overwhelmingly favorable contract. But he continued to agonize about it. He wanted to know exactly why he was in such a foul mood.

His current feeling was as if the ground at his feet had collapsed.  He felt desperate, he felt anxious. But he didn’t know why he was desperate or anxious.

As he was about to descend into his thoughts again, Jerome’s voice could be heard.

“The doctor is waiting.”

 

Translator’s Corner:

1.  So, there are two words that can be used for menstruation/period. The one here translates directly to monthly guest but it seems like a more formal way of saying it.

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32 thoughts on “Lucia Chapter 25 [part 1]”

  1. now yes they will start to really become a couple, he is seeing beyond what he expects of an ideal woman.
    It was exciting his anguish even he did not understand why

  2. Ya know what, even I’m not sure what’s he getting so anxious about.

    Heh silly man. You just wanna know more about her, but pity u cuz she’s maintaining neutrality and firmly following the contract… Making him frenetic.

    He wants familiarity and intimate relationship now huh, which is completely unneeded/unnecessary as the contract only requires her to be titled duchess.

  3. Hohohohoho… Time to shot your own foot Hugh ( ̄. ̄) or digging your own grave (๏_๏)..because you’re already jinks yourself with your additional contract…
    Thanks for the chapter… I’m glad there is fix schedule…

  4. I THINK… he’s anxious bc she’s not spending his money…. bc that’s ALL he can offer to her… MONEY AND POWER (in his mind anyway, since Lucia just asks for minimal stuff like approval to go out with Kate)… which Lucia doesn’t REALLY need… she’s fine with hand-me-downs and reusing old jewelries, promptly returning the jewels after use.. Hugh gifted her a necklace after much thought but she doesn’t wear it… he’s frustrated bc he feels that he isn’t pampering her enough… not giving her enough….

    ALSO, it was part of the agreement that they keep their own personal space in some sort of way, not giving her heart, or tries not to anyway. And that she had to be infertile bc there’s Damian as the heir. But now, he wants to KNOW all about her, he wants her to love him (but he f*cked himself up bc of their contract), he wants her to think anout him the way he does to her, and probably have a child as proof of that love and his obsession to her….

    Sorry, that was long… but that’s already the short version… i tried…

    1. You’ve summarized it well! Thank you for your work. After life experiences and reading so many stories (especially stories where the best meanings are implied), these are the kinds of things we start perceiving intuitively.

      Funny how it takes 2 paragraphs to explain something we just ‘get’. Poor Hugh, he can’t read this cheat sheet you’ve written, he lacks practice in the emotions department, hahaha.

      Now we’re really getting to the good parts. This is the dark part of the night before the dawn, they might make a deeper relationship after these issues.

      1. I will quote Hugo here:

        “In the Taran family tradition, we don’t believe in such things as divorce. If you wish to separate yourself from the Taran family, you will only be able to do it after death. No, you probably won’t be able to even after your death.” -Ch 4.

  5. Thanks for the chapter, translator! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ It must have been a hard work to translate it. *Pats on the back*

  6. Damn he’s cute!

    Also who’s stealing from you can you let us know so we can sla… I mean report 😇 them and get others to know and stop them also …. haven’t done this be fore so how do we stop them and a link to the real site? And leav comments? Cause they could just delet them……

  7. Did any of you remember in the chapter of how the ducal house made their brides eat that plant or not?
    I think that they are playing right into the old tradition by making the ride as ‘pure’ as can be.

    1. Yes.. But no one knows except Philip.. The doctor of Taran..
      What Hugo knew: there must be women that prepared for continuing Taran bloodline..but he didn’t want that, so he didn’t know specifics
      What Lucia know: Mugwort can cleanse the bodies as well as stopping menstruation and if she want to have a child she has to get treatment from two mix medicinal plan from period of time that she knew from Philip in previous life
      What Philip know: Hugo have a wife, but he didn’t know that the wife already meet the requirements to women that specifically for continuing Taran bloodline, because in this life time he didn’t get to meet her..

  8. He is anxious because Lucia is not dependent on him. She doesn’t want anything from him, not anything materialistic at least so he is nervous because she is not “bound” to him by any needs. While he is getting obsessed with her, she is still normal to him. Maybe in his mind, she is too independent from him so if she was without him, she would still be Lucia. However if he was without her…. I believe Hugh would definitely be changed. Probably for the worse…. This relationship dynamic is unbalanced so it makes him nervous. He needs her but it doesn’t seem like she needs him so it makes him feel a bit insecure and anxious.

    1. Yes! This! Exactly! I was thinking the exact same thing! He knows by experience that woman love him because of his title and the power and wealth that comes with it. He once mentioned that the duke is all they loved, not Hugh, the one who had nothing. Now he believes Lucia doesn’t even love the duke because she doesn’t care about the money or the power. He thinks he can’t even have that. For her, he could be replaceable, but for him, she could not.

    1. My translations are fine. It is saddening that they are hosting my translations and giving no credit but I think most people read here so I’m happy about that

  9. the heartache he felt (but don’t understand) is how heartbroken and disappointed he felt when he realized Lucia didn’t love him.

    “Had she ever exposed herself to him? He seemed to have misunderstood that she’d exposed all of her heart to him since she smiled so purely.”

    Basically his thought flow throughtout the chap;
    ‘She wasn’t worried she can’t get a child with me.'(since not worried about her period)
    ‘She doesn’t want a child with me.’
    *realizes she didn’t tell him her personal matters*
    ‘She doesnt open up to me.’
    *realizes she didnt spend anything with his money*
    ‘She isn’t depending on me.’
    .
    .
    ‘She doesn’t love me.’

    For a guy who was head over heels and initially thought that their love is budding(and mutual), that would be devastating. Poor Hugh. Even tho he did ask for it to be a contract, he’s so into her that I can’t help sympathizing.
    Go melt her heart, poor guy.

    1. Oh and the fact that he had to rely on Jerome’s reports actually shoes how little Lucia opens up to him. That he HAD to have Jerome provides reports to know her (and that’s his only source of understanding her). Instead of her telling him about things herself.

  10. I know why you’re feeling that way, Hugh. It’s because you realized that what you learned about her weren’t all there is to it. But now we know that in your heart, you had accepted her as your wife, hihi^. Because now you realized she really hasn’t opened up anything deep to you and that you are interested to know more about her. Hook, line and sinker. Go and suffer some more dude. Because you messed up the order the most. Now you are realizing how stupid, little and careless your thought about the contract.

    1. P. S. No. How little you thought about human relations. You arrogant, domineering, and cold jerk. Hihi just saying ^^

  11. I heard my heart cracked a bit from reading the title. I know that we’re going to have a rough chapter upcoming….

    Anyway I haven’t said that this romance relationship is my most favorite in any platform, I include novel and webcomics. I do love smut, so whenever I encounter good romance story with weel-attituded male and female lead, I feel a bit sad because I don’t get the smut I need.
    But from Lucia, I think I get everything. The relationship is so well explained, the story is long enough for me to keep reading for 3 days non-stop, the smut it *cough* pretty good, so I have been coming here for the second time. I am so glad to know this site.

    Thank you so much, Ruby! And SKYE too.

  12. Hehe he’s anxious bec he realized she’s not as interested in him as he is to her. And if he needs her a reason to stay, he can’t use his wealth.

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