<h4>Chapter 27.1</h4>


    When she heard the destination that ude instructed the coachman to take them to, she was not surprised. Her prediction that the end of this trip would end in Louvre had been correct. Lia looked at ude facing forward and visibly hunched her back, exaggerating the motion somewhat.


    “Louvre. Is it the region I know?” She queried.


    Hearing her fearful voice, he cast his eyes down, “Which is the Louvre you know?”


    “What do you mean by which? I heard it is a ce you should never go near. And that one shouldn’t even think of stepping a foot in there,” she hurriedly replied. ude’s expression remained calm. So calm that she didn’t know what he was thinking. Lia felt like her insides were burning from frustration. She didn’t know what ude wanted to see there, but she didn’t like how he was going about things.


    “Then do you know this? The town that you can see from your window, behind the Leon River, is Louvre.”


    “Is that true? That dark ce is Louvre?” Lia asked, pretending not to know. ude nodded in response, and Lia quivered as if frightened. She mumbled that she wasn’t aware of this as she scanned the surroundings. And just in time to end the ufortable conversation, the coachman slowed down the carriage as he turned to look at the two.


    ude’s eyes paused on the dark red bell tower, then returned to her. “Louvre starts from here. The empire’s biggest mistake and shame. It is also known as Ataer’s nuisance.


    Mistake, shame, and nuisance, these words felt like they described her because she strongly sensed that she was born by mistake and felt like she brought shame to those close to her. In Cosoar, with no choice but to be an unmanageable nuisance, she was like the living example of Louvre. Light and shadow had to exist together. If Kieran was the light, then she was the shadow; the brighter Cosoar shone, the darker the shadow of Louvre became.


    “I am scared,” Lia whimpered.


    “Of what?”


    “Everything.”


    Louvre was a silent, cold ce, where it seemed that even the light that entered into the alleyways could not find a way out and was home to many people who hid themselves during the day. As if to show what an unpleasant area they were in, a stench wafted under her nostrils, and she dry-heaved when seeing a dposing dog’s body. Suddenly startled, she turned around to see a dirty-looking beggar with gaps in his rotting teeth, right next to them, asking for money.


    As all of this was happening, the carriage slowed down and stopped at the north entrance. It was the exact spot from where she’d run away from ude, only yesterday. A scruffy-looking tortoiseshell cat was disturbed from its nap, no doubt from the sound of horses hooves, and dashed across the road. In that instant, Lia grabbed ude’s arm and buried her face in his shoulder. “Lord ude, this ce is not good. The smell is making me nauseous, and I’m scared.”


    “Still, have a look around. Even though the area is neglected, it is still a ce where people live. Diverse people at that.”


    “I don’t want to. Let’s go back, please,” Lia whined.


    “It is a shadow that is cast by bright light, is it not?” ude stared at her shaking body and raised an eyebrow. Seeing his expression, enhanced by the shimmering decoration in the carriage, Lia was sure she was being tested by the unreadable, and cunning Duke.


    With her face still in his shoulder, she peeked only her eyes out, and they began to water. She knew Louvre was considered a danger zone. But she also knew that there was more to this ce than danger. Because of this, tears welled up in her eyes in sorrow.


    “I suggest that you don’t go wandering around at night. Especially beyond the Leon River,” ude said, sounding almost as if he were using her of something.


    “Yes.” Lia nodded obediently.


    “Then, we shall go,” ude said frankly as hisrge hand wrapped around her shaking shoulders. His expression looked serious as he stared ahead and instructed the coachman to take them to another destination.


    Lia didn’t straighten her body until they were far from Louvre. Her head throbbed, and she pressed it with both hands, hiding her teary eyes.


    “Were you badly frightened?” Hearing his voice above her head, she nodded. “Why did I think you would know the way?” His rhetorical question made Lia look up and re at him.


    “I have never been near or inside Louvre,” Lia said defensively.


    “It seems so,” ude said as he smirked.


    She wasn’t sure if he genuinely believed her or if he was only pretending to. Lia said nothing more and moved away from ude to look out onto the road.


    He gently turned his head, and his eyesnded on the space where she’d been sitting. Unexpectedly, he felt a strange sense of longing but he pushed it aside and returned his gaze forward. “I have an appointment with Count Garion, so let’s drop you off at home.”


    Lia smiled openly because this was the best news she’d heard today, and she couldn’t wait to get away from the Duke as soon as possible. “Your time is precious, so let us hurry to my home.”


    Most of their time together this morning, ude had been looking at her harshly, but he suddenly burst intoughter. Then he sighed and shook his head. “It’s no fun if people don’t change at all.”


    “What do you mean?”


    “Are you that happy? You seem ecstatic whenever I say I am leaving.”


    “No, not at all. I am deeply disappointed. You misunderstand me,” Lia replied, trying to keep a straight face.


    “Is that so? You don’t seem sad at all.”


    Lia disliked the fact that he was so observant of her mood changes. Like she did with Kieran, she pulled on the Duke’s sleeve, opened her eyes wide, and bluffed, “I want to have a meal with you, Lord ude. Not by myself, but rather, a meal together. But you already have ns, so I mustn’t hold on to you too long.”


    ude knew Canillian was fibbing andughed to himself. “I can push forward my ns.”