TRAPPED BY THE SECOND MALE LEAD
CHAPTRE 9

For two months Meridia never took a leave of absence. Each worker in the Emerald mansion was given three days off in one month. Of course there are rules in taking leave. The dark blue girl plans to take a day off on Thursday.

The weather was really bad from night. Thunder continued to rumble, lightning struck, and lightning flashed brightly in the darkness of the morning sky as if to tell all the creatures of the earth that the sky was currently angry.

"It's good weather to take a day off" thought Meridia.

After getting permission from the butler, Meridia left early in the morning with her umbrella to the city. The rain did not hinder Meridia's desire to go for a walk and entertain herself. His kiss was filled with the typical wet earth fragrance "It's really fun."

The streets are so quiet, he rarely meets people who move outside the house. The torrential rain made Meridia's umbrella go the extra mile holding her back, "I'll be going to the temple for a while." He knew this wasn't Marigold's schedule to go to the temple.

Meridia entered the temple after cleaning her dirty clothes and shoes. The prayer room was so quiet, there were only about ten people there. They prayed, no pastor led.

Meridia sat in the back seat, put her hands together and closed her eyes. He hopes to get freedom soon, get out of the mansion like hell without being a big problem. That'sallthatis.

When he opened his eyes someone suddenly greeted him with a soft voice "Hi Meridia," the owner of the name jolted because he was sitting alone and somehow someone was sitting next to him. When Meridia opened her eyes, the man greeted her still in the position of holding the palms together. He did not focus on prayer.

The robed young man went back to see Meridia "Sorry, who are you?" emanating confusion from his two irises, he felt familiar with the young man but could not remember where he had met him. "You don't remember me? we've met before near the market when thieves took your money."

Meridia's forehead is wrinkled deep. His brain worked hard remembering "Is there such an incident?" his voice was heard by the young man. "Of course there is. I've told you my name before, I'm Lucien." he said gladly.

"Lucien?" meridia's memory that day seemed to start neatly arranged again, which was like a random puzzle piece is now installed intact. He was only reminded of the incident Lucien mentioned when he mentioned his name "Ah, the person at that time."

The masked young man smiled "Thank God you can remember me."

"..." - ".Meridia just kept looking forward, her feelings so unsettled.

"You live in the area?"

"You think I live across town and play here every day?" said sarcas. The young man chuckled softly "No, I'm glad that I could easily meet you."

"Just calm down, it's not going to happen."

"Hm? Why?"

"..."

Finished praying Meridia decided to take a walk to the market, of course she made the decision after seeing the weather was better. The rain was not as intense as it was this morning and the sun had started to show its rays although it was still timid and a small drizzle was still accompanying.

Meridia snorted "Excuse me, don't you have a purpose?"

From the temple until now near the youth market still continues to follow him and it makes Meridia feel uncomfortable.

The young man chuckled softly. "I just want to accompany you for a walk."

"I don't need friends."

Meridia went to the bakery where Samuel bought her bread. Meridia had intended to repay the gardener's kindness by buying him two loaves of bread to send to Samuel's house.

The young man looked at Meridia fixedly "May I ask you something?" Meridia did not respond and sauntered away from the bakery "After seeing your face this close, I feel like you are similar to Saintess-umph!"

Meridia quickly silenced the young man's mouth with her palm. There were many people walking around, the gazes of those people were a little strange.

Meridia immediately pulled Lucien away from there to a quieter place "Can you watch your words? Don't get me in trouble."

"Your hands..." Meridia thought Lucien didn't like to be touched so she rather violently slammed into her wrist but now it was Lucien's turn to hold her hand, "There were a lot of red bruises on your hand. You why?"

Meridia doesn't really care about those bruises while not hurting. Meridia has many such bruising marks every time she wakes up, sometimes on her back, on her thighs, on her chest, on her abdomen, and other parts. No, Meridia was often punished but she was never beaten because no one dared to touch her.

"You're iron deficient. You're so skinny, are you eating right?" Meridia was not used to being noticed by anyone other than Samuel so she felt strange when someone asked her about it.

Meridia forcibly took off her hand "I'm good, '" she replied briefly.

"Wait first. Have you had breakfast? I want to buy you something."

"No, thank you."

"Then I won't let you go home."

Meridia ends up having breakfast with a stranger at a diner. There was a whole piece of grilled chicken in front of those whose fragrance was appetizing.

Do you know why Meridia was following Lucien's wishes? Yes, again Lucien discussed about the resemblance of his face to Marigold even though he had tried to ruffle his appearance and Lucien lured Meridia with something that made his curiosity soul rise.

"Why are you daydreaming? This chicken will be intact until tomorrow morning if you only look at it. Eat it."

Meridia's stomach has been rumbling since then but she hesitates to accept it from a stranger "You promised to answer all my questions after this, didn't you?"

Lucien shrugged "Yes. I think it's free, you won't remember after."

"You mean?"

"I bought this food to eat, not to put it on display. Eat while it's warm."

Why do strangers care about me? Is he not sane? I'm sure he's lacking a job.

Meridia was astonished to see the young man understand the streets of the city more than he did. Lucien even knows a small path that shortens the time "Areally where are we going?" ask Meridia confused.

"Finding a comfortable place to chat. You really want to avoid people, don't you?"

Five minutes later they had arrived at the spot Meridia had first seen. They were already on the edge of a small river where the water was calm.

Lucien sat under a tree staring at the little fish that swam freely to and fro hiding behind the rocks. A pretty hard sight to find. Meridia sat by the river, took off her shoes and put both feet into the cold water of the river.

The young man's thin lip line was raised "What do you want to ask?"

Meridia gasped, she almost forgot her main problem. He looked back at "You know me? Or do you know Saintess?" who does not know Marigold? That's a silly question. To be honest, Meridia also did not know how to process the question.

"I know Saintess so that's why I said your face looks so much like her."

Meridia took her foot out of the water and squatted down in front of Lucien "You, since I've noticed your tone like you're not the one who's asking but you know something."

"It could be the person who tells you who is lying."

"I don't think so because the one talking about it is the woman who helped keep the Marchioness until she managed to give birth to her two daughters safely."

Meridia. Her memory is not so good, but Meridia just learned that what helped Zoya give birth was not her family doctor and the woman who helped deliver the Marchioness no longer works there.

"That's the reason why I concluded you're the other princess. Which is purposely hidden for a reason."

"We are not at all similar."

"Of course you're similar. You're twins, right? Looking at you like this, it seems like they are irresponsible and favoritist parents."

Meridia doesn't want to argue. He did not want to demonize his parents but he also had no reason to defend. "You want to stay with me? I have an empty room, and I live alone."

"You crazy? I wouldn't want to live with a strange stranger like you."

"Stay still..Do you prefer to stay in hell or go out and build your own happiness? I'm sure you've got the answer."

Are those the proper words spoken by a stranger to you? That was what Meridia thought.

Without needing much to say, Lucien seemed to read Meridia as easy as seeing a paragraph in a wide-open book page.

Lucien leaned forward, his huge palm raising Meridia's chin "If you ask me to pick you up then I will. You just have to say what you want and I'll act." He tilted his head, looking straight at Meridia's dark blue bead.

"You who?"

"Lucien."

"No. I mean, you seem to know the Emerald family very well. You're a spy from another noble?"

Lucien turned his back on hearing Meridia's question "Huh? Pfft! It could be, but just relax. I will never harm you. My target is not you."

"You know, I don't feel like I've only met you once." Meridia was trying to tear apart the notes in her brain memory. Has Meridia ever interacted with anyone other than Arden and her family? Suddenly his mind was like a tangled thread.

"Maybe you'll remember. Don't have to be forced. You'll forget this meeting anyway."

"Why are you so sure I'll forget this?"

"That's how it happened, isn't it? If I don't say my name, will you remember me by yourself?" no. gabe. Meridia hardly remembers she had met Lucien.

After much chatting Meridia's heart felt relieved. It was only the first time that he felt so excited to talk to someone who did not show a look of disgust and fear like everyone else used to do.

Meridia was not used to it, Lucien's attitude that was so attentive with small things made the frozen side in his heart touched something that made his stomach feel tickled.

Meridia's alert level is declining. Even so his sense of curiosity still increased along with Lucien's good treatment to him. Take him for a walk to a fun place, take him to eat every time he sees something glimpsed, learn something new together. They spend a lot of time together. Lucien did not hesitate to drive Meridia home to the front gate of the mansion. It's good that he's suspicious, thought Meridia.

"Meet me if you want to get out of that house. I'll gladly pick you up, My Lady."

When Meridia stepped into the gate, she smiled. Today is quite fun, he can take a vacation and enjoy his time all day without receiving unfair treatment.

When his hand was already stuck to the back door, something like missing from his memory "Why do I feel happy?" he looked behind him and then from a distance looked back at the gate "Loh, what did I do during the streets outside?" this is what Lucien meant.

Meridia rested for a while and went into the garden to talk about her short walks and how she met Samuel's family. Samuel had three children, two sons were eight years old and his wife only worked as a fruit juice brewer at home.

"Why do you bother returning the bread?"

"I..I didn't tell you I bought something?"

"I know you'll do it. That's why you came home, isn't it? Lady, you just save that money for your needs." Samuel felt that soon his favorite master would be gone.

"I'm enough with the one, uncle."

"Oh yes, I had a glimpse, you were ushered by someone? Have you made any new friends outside?" asked Samuel enthusiastically. Imagining someone who could comfort Meridia as everyone in the mansion shunned her made Samuel's anxiety decrease.

Meridia raised her one eyebrow "Someone? I went home alone" he said in surprise.

"Eh?"

As Meridia spends her time outdoors taking walks and eating new types of food that she first tasted, at home Marigold begins to make a new showdown. It seemed that not making a conflict between Ziel and Meridia a day just made Marigold lose his appetite.

While Meridia was away, Marigold and his two parents gathered in the living room and chatted casually together. The topic of Meridia will be the dessert.

Marigold and Zoya looked at each other, strangely enough, Ziel was drinking his fresh tea peacefully. Not tucked in the slightest confused or unhealthy look on his face. The man had already returned like he usually was.

"Dad, yesterday what's the matter?" Marigold started with the same question a second time. The authoritative man frowned "Dad is fine. Why have you been asking that question since?"

Zoya flinched "T-but baby, last night when you came home you were like a daze. You ate something wrong? Marigold and I have tried repeatedly to question you but your answer is always unclear." She said worriedly, she held her husband's hand "You're not drunk, are you? Neither me nor the others smell alcohol from you. Where the hell have you been?"

Ziel increasingly does not understand the worry of Zoya over the events that have been missed last night. "I met up with friends and spent a few minutes chatting in the teahouse, then.." from there his memory began to blur "It seems like yesterday I went to the auction."

"Celtic Black? Wh-wh-what for? you didn't tell me before."

Ziel smiled clumsily at his wife pouting "M-sorry, I went there because my friends told me about the area of approximately 200 hectares where there is a gem mine in it. But take it easy, I didn't win it."

Marigold did not really understand about the auction world, one of the places he had never visited was Black Celtic and the entertainment district "Who managed to win such a promising territory, father?"

Ziel went back to silence, he kept on remembering who managed to make his heart goosebumps "I heard that the one who won it was Young Duke Navarro."

Marigold felt familiar hearing the name "Navarro?"

"You know him?" ask Zoya

Two minutes were spent brainwashing and finally Marigold remembered where he read the name of the congregation that often followed the morning prayers at the temple and one of them had the name Navarro "It seems like he also lives in this area."

His murmur could still be captured by the senses of Ziel's listener "What do you mean? Duke Navarro still lives in the city of Goldenleaf even though it is close to the border of the city of Norfolk."

"Eh? Did ya? But I didn't misread it, the name was often written in the temple book." Marigold held his chin while thinking of something "But why have I never seen his figure? Supposedly a nobleman was easy to recognize even though he was dressed like an ordinary person."