Celine's petty lies didn't affect Lucian's products or his businesses in general like a complaint about a rash from a perfume would, but it did affect his marriage prospects. His competitors were much more ruthless than this. If she was trying to make him desperate, she was failing terribly.
'You are making excuses again.'
'It's cute, I can't deny it,' he thought. 'She's trying to chase away my admirers again, isn't she?'
Celine had spread rumors about him liking men, and then proceeded to blame him for being ashamed to be seen with her? Don't blame him for going along with her lie. She shouldn't have brought it upon herself and spread the lie in the first place. It's her own doing. He just didn't want to crush her hard work.
'I'll consider it as payment for her emotional labor,' Lucian thought, and then stopped in his tracks. He suddenly had a realization and rushed back to the store. 'Strawberry extract? Why the hell did I pick this?'
"Did you forget something, My Lord?" the manager asked, approaching him.
'A few humans I guess.' Lucian grabbed the flyer on the counter and walked to the back of the store, opening the door to the courtyard. There was a small hut and a greenhouse in the back.
A girl in a simple dress was climbing a tree. She was trying to reach the apple at the top. Her dark brown hair was tied into a ponytail, and her face was smeared with dirt.
She finally managed to get her hand on the apple, and her eyes sparkled in triumph, "Yes!" she exclaimed.
Nearby, a knight was polishing his sword while keeping an eye on her. He looked at her as if she was his entire world, and Lucian wondered if he also looked this obvious to others when he was around Celine.
"Lord Arclight?" The girl looked down at him and waved excitedly, almost losing her balance.
"Be careful, My Lady!" the knight warned.
"I'm alright!" she called out and began climbing down the tree, "Would you like some apples? They are very sweet!"
"The worms or the apples?" Lucian asked, causing her face to turn green and drop the apple she was carrying. He caught it mid-air, turning it around, "This type of sweetness is not for me. I think I'll pass."
The knight snatched it from him and began inspecting it closely, "There's nothing! Lord Arclight was lying!"
Lucian laughed, "I never said there's a worm in it."
"Hey, it's not funny!" Lady Bianca climbed down and went up to him, "You scared me half to death! How can I eat apples from now on?"
"Are you going to waste a perfectly good apple because of a silly joke?" Lucian asked, wiggling his eyebrow playfully.
The girl glared at him with a pout, and the knight reassured her that if she didn't want to, he would eat it in her place.
"You are the best, Claud!" she exclaimed and turned toward Lucian, not noticing the blush on her knight's cheeks. "If you are going to tease me again, I'm not going to help you."
"Help me?" Lucian asked, smiling at her, "With what?"
She tried to point at her knight and then at him secretly with her eyes, "You know, the thing," she whispered, not knowing how to put it into words, "I can give you two some alone time to talk if you want."
Lucian glanced at the clueless knight then at the matchmaker who was proud of her plan.
She was petite.
The top of her head barely reached Lucian's chest, so it was difficult to notice anything else beside the contrast in their sizes. She was tiny and he was huge. Like an elephant standing next to an ant. It was a bit comical.
"Did you shrink, Lady Bianca?" Lucian asked and Bianca puffed her cheeks. "Have you not been eating well?"
"I did not," she said, looking up at him, her voice sounding a bit offended, "I am wearing flats," she said and lifted the hem of her skirt, showing the bottom of her feet.
"Ah, yes. That would explain it. My mistake," Lucian nodded, smiling, "Do you like the greenhouse? Is everything to your liking?"
She nodded, looking around, "It's beautiful, thank you so much for letting us stay here," she said with a sad smile, "Though, it became very difficult to go outside without receiving odd looks."
Lucian lifted a wanted poster with Lady Bianca's portrait on it and a huge bounty, comparing it to the real thing, "I'm afraid you won't be able to stay here for long either. I can't guarantee your safety anymore," he sighed apologetically, "Someone will sell you out eventually."
"Did the Crown Prince do this?" The Knight asked, his tone heavy, his eyes filled with anger and disbelief.
Lucian stared at the copy of the wanted poster. Lady Bianca didn't have any portraits done from what she said.
There weren't that many people with such artistic talent, and even fever with a memory that could recreate her face in such detail without a reference, which reduced the list of suspects to one person only.
Celine Rochefort.