EPISODE 38

And when I think of my trip to the capital, it naturally leads to memories of the boy I met in the garden of the Marquis of Everen.

do you want to be well

It's not like I'm squatting on the shore of that lake even these days.

The memory of the boy crouching alone, scratching until he bled, was hard to leave Lucy's mind once it came to mind.

"Grandma, do you know how to make maram vine allergy medicine?"

At Lucy's question, the grandmother who was drying herbs turned to her.

"Allergy to maram vines? Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"

"Um, there's just something like that."

"Spicy."

Grandma smiled and patted Lucy's hair with her rough hands.

"Is it just allergy medicine? There is no medicine that Grandma doesn't know!"

Lucy's face brightened at the grandmother's rant.

So Lucy made allergy medicine with the help of her grandmother.

Yes. In the end, I made a drug. I don't know why, but my hand moved on its own.

I think it's because I'm so sorry that I was crouching down, so I keep thinking about it.

Lucy thought so.

Yeah, it was silly, but somehow it bothered me.

Just seeing a puppy shivering in the rain makes me want to help.

Anyway, how can I convey this?

Lucy took the finished medicine and pondered.

Could you please mail it to the Duke of Berg?

But it was all in vain.

He was the Duke of Berg. It was clear that the Empire's leading doctors were checking the duke's health day and night.

The beggar was worried about the rich. Even if it wasn't for the medicine he made, the boy must have been receiving the best treatment and care.

Finally, Lucy sighed lightly and put the vial deep in the display case.

It was a waste of hard work and time, but what can I do?

Still, Lucy decided to be satisfied with the fact that she had made a medicine for someone's pain.

As time passed, the days of thinking of the boy gradually decreased, and the regret for not sending the medicine gradually faded.

"Lucy, the allergy medicine you made last time is still on the shelf. Wasn't it made to give to someone?"

Occasionally, my grandmother would ask. Each time, Lucy said with a resolute smile.

"I just made it. Knowing how to make any medicine would be useful."

Upon hearing Lucy's reply, the grandmother smiled happily.

"Yeah, don't worry, I'll teach you everything I know about medicine! One day, you're not going to inherit this drugstore and run it."

At the words of the grandmother, the smile on Lucy's face faded slightly. But then she smiled broadly.

"Yes, yes."

In the corner of Lucy's heart, who pretended to be casual, there was actually another dream. A dream you can't tell anyone.

It was just another visit to the capital.

Of course, he loved Brom, where he was born and raised, but the lively and majestic sight of the capital could hardly be left in Lucy's mind.

But this kind of heart was a secret she could never reveal to her grandmother. If Grandma knew her heart, it would certainly be sad.

With the big world hidden in her heart, Lucy once again lived her days peacefully and inconsequentially as a country girl on the edge of the empire.

* * *

However, the small seed planted in the girl's heart did not rot even with the passage of time, only peeking at it.

Then, when Lucy was 16, she found out about a place called 'Xenomium Academy' and it finally started to sprout.

"Xenomium Academy?"

This time, the existence of the academy, which Colin was proud of, stimulated Lucy's curiosity.

"Yeah, a prestigious academy near the capital."

"Are you going there?"

"If you pass!"

Contrary to words, Colin shrugged as if he had already passed.

"Wow!"

Lucy looked at Colin with envy.

Colin was receiving strong support as the son of a baron. He had heard long ago that he would be admitted to a good academy, but Lucy never imagined that it would be an academy in the capital.

Lucy remembered after a long time a trip to the capital with Mrs. Triana six years ago.

The scenery I saw at that time had faded a little over the years, but the excitement and emotion I felt in my heart was still vivid.

Lucy's heart swelled with strange and strange emotions.

"Are you going that far?"

If Colin goes to the academy where Jeno is doing something, he probably won't see him until he graduates. Because the capital is really far and far away.

Lucy lowered her eyebrows, saddened by the fact that her best friend would go to a city she would not see often.

Seeing Lucy's pale expression, Colin became pale at the same time and quickly comforted her.

"I'm not going to be there forever, what! Three years, three years!"

3 years is too long!

Lucy exclaimed inwardly.

Without you, who do I play with?

No matter how much Colin comforted her, Lucy's mood did not improve. When I come home to have dinner with my family, or when I lie in bed at the end of the day.

She felt a sense of disappointment and sadness and could not sleep through the night.

If your best friend can get into a prestigious academy, shouldn't he be willing to support him?

Lucy scolded herself by scolding her narrow and crooked heart.

Colin is smart, so I'm sure he'll pass. you shouldn't be offended Colin deserves a good education at the best academy and a good lord.

Constantly pounding and tying. But even as the night went on, the next day, and many days passed, Lucy's subdued mood didn't seem to get any better.

Am I really doing this because I'm really sad that Colin is going away? or not… … .

Lucy pondered for several days in a sense of wonder.

There was a person who looked at her with a meaningful face all the time. Lucy's grandmother kept an eye on her granddaughter, who carried around like a more enchanted person with each passing day.

"I think I'm going to go there because I'm probably upset at the thought of breaking up with Colin."

"Because we have been together since we were so young."

Despite Mom and Dad's guesses, Grandma shook her head quietly.

"That's not it."

The grandmother's eyes shone sharply as she looked at Lucy.

That evening, at the table, Grandma said abruptly.

"In a few months, Colin is officially going to the academy for exams."

Lucy, who was biting a fork with a blank expression on her face at the words of her grandmother, raised her head coldly.

Lucy's mother said with a happy face.

"Okay, what is it? Colin is smart and he will definitely pass."

Lucy smiled awkwardly and nodded, "Okay. I will." ' she muttered.

Afterwards, the conversation continued about Colin's upright mind and the expectations he had as the next Lord of Brom. Lucy nodded her head in agreement.

But strangely, his eyes were staring blankly at the empty corner of the table.

The old woman, who had been watching the scene, suddenly said:

"Why don't you take the exam together with Lucy?"

Take it!

The fork that Lucy was biting fell to the floor, making a loud noise.

The fork, which had been rolling loudly on the floor, stopped moving after a while. Then a long silence came over the table.

The whole family raised their heads in surprise at the unexpected remarks of the grandmother.

Lucy stared blankly at her grandmother's face, not even thinking of picking up the fork she had dropped.

… … on the academy entrance exam? I?

No matter how much he thought about it, it seemed as if he had heard an auditory hallucination. Grandma smiled brightly as if telling Lucy that she hadn't heard anything wrong.

Dad was the first to break the silence and open his mouth.

"Mother… … Are you serious?"

He also asked cautiously with a face that he could not believe what he had just heard.

"Tuition is not going to be expensive."

Xenomium was the most prestigious academy in the Empire. Tuition fees were also not comparable to regular schools. When he remembered that, his forehead was slightly wrinkled.

"I was still thinking about sending Lucy to school. Even if it's not xenomium... … . There are good schools in the East too, so it should be enough for Lucy."

"How do you know if it's good enough or not enough?"

Grandma cut off Dad's words resolutely.

"Lucy is a kid who doesn't express his inner feelings. So no one knows exactly what this kid wants. Even if you are this kid's father, don't take it lightly."

Grandma continued speaking with her arms crossed.

"And as you know, Lucy has not taught herself many subjects since she was young, even though she didn't teach anything. Even the children of noble families who receive a high level of education would find it difficult to do so. I think the right level of school for this kid is definitely Xenomium."

"I know Lucy is a smart kid. But, mother. Xenomium is unreasonable in our circumstances."

"When I said I was sending you to the medical center, the villagers said the same thing. He told me not to blow any nonsense into the child and teach him to farm early."

Dad, who was trying to argue further, shut his mouth. Another deep silence fell on the table.

After a while, Lucy's father let out a shallow sigh and spoke in a calmer voice.

"Mother. You know it doesn't make sense to compare the tuition fees of the provincial medical academy and the capital academy, right?"

"Don't worry. I brought it up because I had an idea."

Daddy could no longer refute Grandma's firm attitude.

Lucy, who should be most delighted at that moment, was sitting in a restless chair despite the words of her grandmother who showed her infinite faith in her.

Grandma said that everyone had ideas, but it wasn't a very trustworthy word. To Lucy's eyes, sending her to Xenomium Academy was a decision that didn't fit her family's circumstances.

I just have to say I don't want to go.

That was for everyone.

That way, grandma and dad wouldn't have to argue over this, and grandma wouldn't have to feel sorry for her granddaughter.

"Grandma, I… … ."

After hesitating, Lucy finally opened her mouth.

I don't really want to go to Xenomium.

That one sentence was enough.

But… … .

Suddenly, she got up from her seat and ran to her grandmother. Lucy hugged her grandmother's neck tightly and burst into tears.

"Thank you, Grandma!"

She said in a cry-soaked voice.