Lucia’s Heart Pounds

When noon came around, Missus Flavia sent over some lunch, just as she said she would.

“Mister Celestino! I brought you some lunch!” Miss Lella was the one who delivered it, though.

“You came, huh, Lella?” Missus Romina sighed.

“Yep! Grannie Romina, can I leave it here? Oh, I made the soup! I hope it’s good... Do you like fava bean potage?”

“Yes, I do,” Sir Celes said. He looked like he wanted to sigh too, but refrained from it.

“Ahhh. He’s so handsome! Um, um, I’ll plate some out for you!”

She was only looking at Sir Celes. I was right beside him, but she didn’t even give me a glance. She was ignoring Missus Romina too.

“Oh, you don’t need to do so much. Thank you, though.”

“Um, my mother told me to come and ask you some things.” She pulled a chair out for him, as if it was her own house, and then sat down right beside it. “Tell me all about everything! Just sit right here!”

“Everything... You mean about Boccardo?”

“Huh? Ah, yes! But I want to hear about you, too.”

“I’m not that interesting. And I can’t speak much more about Boccardo than I already have.”

“What town did you come from, Mister Celestino?”

Miss Lella really did want to hear all about him. She didn’t seem to care that he was “married” at all. I could never act like that. Sir Celes hadn’t sat down, so she put her hand on his arm and looked into his eyes. I was so intimidated by her that I could only watch.

That is, until he called for me. “L-Lucia!”

This was bad. A married woman wouldn’t just leave her husband like this. Or at least, the married women I knew wouldn’t.

“Celes... Um, I...” I managed to squeeze some words out, but I couldn’t get between them. Miss Lella’s piercing glare was terrifying.

“Time for lunch, then. Yer leavin’, right, Lella?” Missus Romina threw us a lifeline.

Even with Missus Romina telling her to go home, Miss Lella pretended she didn’t hear her, and smiled. “Grannie Romina, I’m gonna eat here today. It’s fine, right? They’re this entire village’s guests!”

“Don’t ye forget that he has a wife, Lella. Yer disrespectin’ her,” Missus Romina chided her. “Ye won’t become a good wife like that.”

“But!”

“No buts, Lella. If they’re yer guests too, yer bein’ rude.”

That managed to sour Miss Lella’s mood. Biting her lips, she glared angrily at me. “Why’s this ugly cow got such a good man!? She’s plain and boring, she doesn’t deserve Mister Celestino!”

The first one to respond to her comments was actually Sir Celes. “Miss Lella. I might be a pretty mild-mannered guy, but I’m not nice enough to sit here and have you insult the person I love. Lucia is important to me, and irreplaceable. I don’t want anyone else.”

“Ah...!” My face turned beet red. I could tell it was burning hot, without even touching it. My ears were probably scarlet, too. I know it’s just an act, but...um... This isn’t good for my heart. It almost sounds as if he actually loves me.

“Wh—”

“I don’t need anyone but Lucia. Go look for someone else,” Sir Celes said with a smile.

I’d never seen him smile so coldly. I wondered if it would count as cruel. His handsomeness just intensified the blow.

“Now, ye get goin’, Lella. Thanks for lunch.” Missus Romina herded Miss Lella out of her house.

“Wai...”

Honestly, I was glad, but that was a secret.