The servants and housekeepers were still discussing their earlier unexplained fainting in the front courtyard when someone noticed Lucy.
"Lady Lucy! Lady Lucy has returned!!"
In an instant, everyone's attention was drawn. Seeing that their young lady had truly come back, they all joyfully rushed over.
"Lady Lucy, thank goodness! It's so wonderful to see you safe!"
"Well, at her age, running away once or twice is perfectly normal~"
"A shipment of Eastern magical books just arrived. Would you like to see them?"
"Aaaaah! To see Lady Lucy again in my lifetime—I'm so, so, sob sob sob!"
"Hey, hey, Stellar, you're being way too dramatic!"
The elderly head maid was so overcome with emotion that she burst into tears, hugging Lucy's legs and wailing.
"Everyone… hasn't changed a bit."
Looking at all those familiar faces, Lucy broke into a smile. Her heavy mood lifted considerably.
"Lady Lucy, your father would like to see you in the study," a maid said, running over.
"After being away for over a year, all I get is a cold 'come to the study'…"
Lucy's expression immediately fell.
"Oh, no, that's not it. He said he wants to see how you're doing now. He specifically said you don't need to change into formal wear."
"And when I came over just now, I saw him boiling water. I think he was about to make tea."
Recalling her master's state earlier, the maid rested her chin on her hand, looking a bit puzzled. "Hmm… I don't know how to describe it. It feels like he's become a completely different person."
Lucy's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked up toward the study. "That man… making tea?"
"Lisa, are you sure you weren't mistaken?!"
"Completely unimaginable. The master doing something like that…"
Not just Lucy, but even the servants and butlers who had served Jude for years looked equally baffled, more inclined to believe the young maid had been seeing things.
With deep confusion and a nervous heart, Lucy—still in her casual dress—walked into the mansion, passed through the familiar, quiet corridors, and stopped before the study door.
"Father, it's me, Lucy." She raised her hand and knocked.
"Yes, come in."
Jude's calm voice came from inside, carrying a faint trace of barely concealed excitement and joy.
Lucy took a deep breath and slowly pushed open the door.
In that instant, a gentle breeze swept toward her, lifting her shoulder-length blond hair.
Sunlight streamed through the open window, illuminating the suited man standing straight and tall beside the tea table.
The furnishings were exactly the same, yet somehow, Lucy felt that this cold, oppressive study from her memories now held a warmth it had never possessed before?
Thinking this, she walked to the opposite side of the tea table at Jude's gesture, pulled out a chair, and sat down gracefully. Then, her expression shifted slightly.
Weird. The cushion feels warm.
And from this angle, the sunlight shouldn't be reaching here, should it?
There was no way to ask such questions in front of Jude, so she silently kept them to herself.
"Lucy, it must have been a long train ride from Magnolia, hasn't it?"
Jude pushed the freshly brewed tea toward her, carefully trying not to let his expression appear too stern. "Try it."
"Yes, Father."
Even though she had no idea what this was about, Lucy straightened her posture, reached out with both hands, and carefully lifted the teacup for a taste.
If Natsu or Happy were there, they'd be absolutely floored by her refined young lady act: Was this really the same Lucy who kicked them into the wall without a second thought?
"How is it?" Jude asked eagerly, like a child waiting for praise.
Seeing his utterly uncharacteristic behavior, Lucy was even more confused. She could only nod. "It's... very good."
"I knew it! Tea that costs a hundred thousand per pound—how could it taste bad?!"
A faint smile appeared on Jude's usually stern face. That Chase brat was clearly lying through his teeth!
"A-A hundred thousand?!"
Lucy nearly fell off her chair. The corner of her mouth twitched.
Living here before, she hadn't thought much of it. But after experiencing the misery of her landlady hounding her for seventy thousand in back rent, the Heartfilia heiress had become extremely sensitive to anything involving money.
She couldn't even imagine how many days' worth of rent that one sip had just cost!
Jude looked up and carefully studied the Lucy before him.
If this had been before his "rebirth," that cheap, simple outfit alone would have been enough to displease him.
With his heart having undergone a complete transformation, he sighed softly. "You've grown taller, Lucy."
The sudden paternal concern caught Lucy completely off guard. She sat frozen, staring down at the rippling tea in her cup.
After all, when she'd decided to come back home, she'd been prepared to sever ties with Jude and cut all relations with the Heartfilia family.
She'd never expected things to go like this!
The study fell into an awkward,
heavy silence.
After a few seconds, Jude spoke first, breaking the quiet. "About that guild of yours... Fairy Tail..."
So after all that acting, he really can't help himself. In the end, it all comes back to attacking the guild.
Lucy steeled herself. Her entire demeanor turned resolute as she prepared to say the words she had ready.
"If you plan to use your so-called money and power to hurt my guild again, I won't hesitate to stand with my comrades and make you my enemy!"
"After such a foolish and terrible mistake, please allow me to apologize—to you, and to Fairy Tail. I'm sorry."
Father and daughter spoke almost simultaneously, yet their words couldn't have been more different.
"Huh?"
Lucy, who had been prepared to fight to the bitter end, blinked in utter shock. She stared blankly at Jude, who had slightly bowed his head toward her.
Jude's expression was equally confused, but he quickly recovered and let out a quiet sigh.
Looking back now, as a father, he had gone too far with the Phantom Lord affair.
"Don't you think it's a little too late for apologies now…"
Lucy muttered under her breath, her beautiful eyes still wary.
Even so, the fierce determination she'd had—ready for a screaming match—had already faded significantly.
This is too strange. Something's wrong. That cold, heartless man—actually reflecting on his mistakes and apologizing?!
"Lucy, even though I'm in no position to say this, could I ask you for one thing?" Jude asked.
"It's about an arranged marriage with some family, isn't it?!" Lucy scoffed.
That was the only reason she could think of for her father to have hired Phantom Lord to drag her back.
"Even if your tone is much more pleasant than I expected, I'm afraid I cannot agree To such a ridiculous thing!"
***
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