Celebrity Lady

Chapter 102

Chapter 102The translation up to the final chapter (Chapter 158) has been completed; you can purchase them to read in advance. Pledging via Ko-fi for a cheaper bundle is still available. If you're unsure what it is about, please visit our Ko-fi page for details or reach out to us via Discord.

Swoosh. Lark quickly opened the desk drawer and took out a first aid kit.

As expected, it looks like he went to get that.

“Sorry for waking you up. Go back to sleep.”

“Wait!” I swiftly got up and snatched the kit from Lark’s hand.

“Rubette.”

“Oh my, how did this happen....” Why bother asking? It must be from dealing with the assassins planted by the 2n Prince. “Please have a seat. I’ll take care of it.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Hurry.”

“...” Lark glanced at me speaking in annoyance, and reluctantly sat down.

“Hmph.” A pained groan escaped from Lark’s mouth as I wiped away the blood. Clearly in considerable pain, he gritted his teeth tightly.

“Sigh.”

“...”

Feeling his gaze as I stared at the wound with a conflicted heart, I looked up, and our eyes met.

“Haha.”

“What’s so funny...”

“Look at this.” Lark, who had taken something from his back pocket, waved it before me as I disinfected the wound. At a glance, it appeared to be a map-like paper with a jumble of X marks in red pen. “I got them all.”

“What?”

“The last team was composed of skilled individuals, so it was challenging, but I got them all.”

“You’ve already finished?”

“You wanted to go to the ball, didn’t you?”

Huh. I blinked my eyes in astonishment, and Lark smiled mischievously. “I should let you go. After all, it’s your first and last debut stage in high society.”

“...”

“It will be grand. It will be a memorable party. I put in some effort for your sake.”

“...? Are you in charge of the ball preparations? Usually, it’s done by the princesses.”

“That’s right. But this time, Lisbeth is the organizer of the ball.”

“Ah.”

Instead of Lisbeth, who was on probation, it seemed that Lark had taken on the burden. I couldn’t fathom how he managed to handle such a hectic schedule that might trouble even ten people.

“...Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

With a heavy heart, I couldn’t say anything else and continued examining Lark’s wound. Sitting in an uncomfortable position with his arms crossed behind him, Lark occasionally let out a groan of pain whenever my hand brushed against his injury.

“Your Highness.”

“...Hmm.”

“You said you trust me, right?”

“Yeah.”

As he responded without hesitation, I paused while applying a dressing to his wound. “Why? What if I betray you...”

“Haha, if you wanted to betray me, you would have done it earlier. Didn’t you choose the difficult path by picking me, even though you knew that Nathan would rise to the throne?”

“Well, that’s true.”

As I began wrapping the bandage around Lark’s waist, I felt a pang of unease.

Lark, who was chuckling before, spoke quietly, “I’m sorry.”

“What?”

As I paused while wrapping the bandage, I glanced up, and Lark’s eyes were unexpectedly filled with sadness. His hand gently touched my cheek.

“Just... I’ve only thought that I should become a cool and decent man until you grow up and nothing more. I’ve been forgetting while thinking about that.”Vissit for updates

“...”

“If I had found you a little earlier...”

“...”

“Things might have been different.”

Perhaps Lark, without asking me anything directly, had guessed in his own way.

“Perhaps you wouldn’t have experienced so much pain in your life.”

My wish to Wishit was an empty one. It wasn’t a glimpse into an unrealized future but rather a regression that rewound the events I had already experienced...

In affirmation of his speculation, I nodded. “Still, it’s alright. We have another chance now.”

“Heh heh, that’s right. Ow, gently... take it easy...”

“Viego.”

“Ah, Young Duke. You’re here.”

In the silent living room, contrary to Victor’s words, there was only Leonard, Lark, and... A single unfamiliar woman with an excessively glamorous appearance.

“Your Highness!” Rushing toward Lark as if he were insane, Viego tightly grabbed his shoulders. “Is it true that you found Rubette? Where, where is she? Where is that girl right now?”

“Huh?”

“Kgh, huh, where... huh...”

Guilt. Longing. Relief. The jumbled emotions surged uncontrollably. Like a young child, he started sobbing, and his vision quickly blurred.

“Huh, ah, ughhh. Rubette, qu-quickly...”

“Y-Young Duke, calm down.” Lark, who was sneakily observing Leonard’s dissatisfied expression, discreetly guided the woman who had been standing behind him to step forward.

A strange woman suddenly appeared in Viego’s blurred vision. Her slender figure and alluring red hair fleetingly crossed his tear-streaked sight, but... Did he have time to spare to scrutinize the face of an unfamiliar woman?

Seeing a completely unrelated woman instead of the sister he longed to see, he felt frustrated.

“Step aside.”

“Urk!”

He pushed the woman’s shoulder somewhat nervously, forcefully moving her to the right.

“Are you okay?”

“Phew, yes.”

Although Leonard had caught the woman who was about to stumble and fall, Viego wasn’t concerned about her. He looked at Lark again and pleaded, “Your Highness, please, quickly. Show me Rubette right away. Right now...”

“But, sir, the princess is right here.”

“Yes?”

“Hahaha!” Victor, who had followed behind, held his stomach and burst into laughter for some reason. Leonard frowned at Victor and gave him a stern look.

“Huh, well, no, it’s funny, you know. What do they call this? Are you blind?”

“Stop fooling around.”

As Leonard scolded him, Lark, who had been watching the situation, awkwardly smiled and advised Viego, “Come on, sir. Wipe away your tears. It’s hard to see the road ahead like this, right?”

“Rubette...” Viego, with a restless heart, wiped his eyes roughly with his sleeve. Why weren’t they showing Rubette quickly when the child had suffered so much?

“Yes, that’s right. Focus your eyesight. And let’s look at this again.” Lark once again guided the woman by her shoulder and stood her in front of Viego.

After wiping away his vague vision, the woman’s face finally came into focus.

“...?”

Clearing his blurred vision and looking at the woman again, her completely unfamiliar face...

“Rubette?”

...wasn’t so unfamiliar.

Skin as white as sugar. Golden eyes and red hair. Even the small mark under her left eye... Her body had slimmed down completely, different from the last time he had seen her, but her face was undoubtedly Rubette.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“You, you... who are you!?” What could have happened to Rubette after she was kidnapped? What kind of despicable people caused her so much suffering, leaving her in such a state?

“Why...”

Viego had many questions he wanted to ask, but he shook his head. Whatever had happened, whatever hardships she had endured, it didn’t matter now. Rubette had returned safely. To this home. To the embrace of her family.

That was all that mattered.

Viego tightly embraced the Rubette with his trembling arms.

“B-Brother?”

Tears streamed down his face once again.

Any semblance of regal dignity was insignificant. After all, it was alright for him to cry like a young child, at least once, to let it all out.

“Ugh, ah, aaaahhhh...”

“...”

He had cried profusely every night, soaking the pillowcase because he felt sorry for Rubette, even for sleeping well.

“Oh, no... Please don’t cry. It doesn’t suit you. What if someone sees?”

“Rubette...” Viego, restraining his burst of tears under Rubette’s comforting touch on his back, finally opened his mouth, “I’m sorry.”

“What?”

It was the words he had wanted to say so badly.

The words he had planned to say first when Rubette returned.

“I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

“...”

“I’m sorry. Sorry...”