The servants and stewards were gathered in the front yard, still murmuring among themselves about the strange, unexplained fainting spell that had overcome them, when someone suddenly spotted a familiar figure.
"Miss Lucy! Miss Lucy is back!!"
In an instant, all eyes turned toward her. Seeing with their own eyes that the young lady had truly returned, they rushed over, joy and excitement overflowing.
"Miss Lucy, we're so relieved you're safe!"
"Well, at your age, Miss Lucy, it's normal to run away once or twice~"
"A shipment of Eastern magic books just came in. Would you like to take a look?"
"Ahhh! I'm so happy I got to see you again in my lifetime! I truly, truly am, meow-meow!"
"Hey, Granny Styler, aren't you overreacting a bit?"
The elderly maid, overwhelmed with emotion, clung to Lucy's legs, sobbing loudly.
"Everyone… you haven't changed a bit."
Looking at the familiar faces surrounding her, Lucy smiled softly. Her heavy mood lightened, if only a little.
"Miss, the master wants you to go to the study," a maid called as she hurried over.
"My father, after his daughter ran away from home for over a year, greets me with nothing more than 'Come to the study'…?"
Lucy's face fell instantly.
"Well, it's not quite like that," the maid corrected quickly. "The master said he wanted to see you right away, and he specifically told me to tell you not to bother changing into formal clothes."
"When I passed by earlier, I saw him boiling water looked like he was going to make tea."
The maid paused, one hand on her chin, her expression turning uncertain. "Hmm… I'm not sure how to put it, but it felt like the master was… different somehow."
Lucy's eyes widened in disbelief as she turned toward the mansion's study.
"That man… making tea?"
"Lisa, you're absolutely sure you weren't seeing things?!"
Even for Lucy, the thought was impossible. And the servants and housekeepers who had served Jude for years all wore similar expressions, looking far more ready to believe the young maid had been imagining things.
Still filled with doubts, Lucy dressed simply in a casual outfit entered the mansion. She passed through the familiar, quiet corridors until she reached the study door.
"Father, it's me Lucy." She raised her hand and knocked.
"Come in."
Jude's voice came from within, calm but carrying the faintest trace of excitement and joy.
Lucy took a steadying breath and slowly opened the door.
A gentle breeze greeted her, stirring her golden shoulder-length hair.
Sunlight streamed in through the open window, casting a warm glow on the tall, straight-backed man in a suit who stood before the coffee table.
The furnishings were exactly the same as she remembered, and yet… for some reason, this study once cold and suffocating felt as if it held a touch of warmth it had never known before.
At her father's gesture, Lucy stepped forward, pulled out the chair opposite him, and sat down gracefully.
Her expression shifted slightly.
Strange… the seat was a little warm.
From this angle, the sunlight didn't even seem to reach her seat.
Of course, Lucy couldn't exactly bring that up to Jude, so she simply kept the thought to herself.
"Lucy, the train ride from Magnolia must have been long, right?"
Jude pushed a cup of freshly brewed black tea toward her, his tone unusually gentle as he tried not to sound too formal.
"Try it."
"Yes, Father."
Though she didn't quite understand the sudden change in his attitude, Lucy straightened her back, reached out gracefully, and carefully lifted the teacup to take a sip.
If Natsu and Gray had been there to see it, they'd have been shocked out of their seats and probably made an exaggerated face like, Is this really the same Lucy who would punt us into a wall at the slightest provocation?!
"How does it taste?" Jude asked quickly, almost like a child waiting for praise.
Seeing his odd eagerness, Lucy felt even more bewildered but gave a polite nod.
"It's very good."
"I told you a pound of tea that costs a hundred thousand jewel could never taste bad."
A faint smile touched Jude's meticulously composed face. So, that little brat Chase really was lying through his teeth.
"One… one hundred thousand per pound?!"
Lucy's mouth twitched, and she nearly slid off her chair.
When she'd lived here before, such things had seemed normal. But after surviving in Magnolia on her own and being chased by her landlady over seventy thousand jewel in rent the daughter of the Heartfilia family had grown very sensitive to anything involving money.
She couldn't help but calculate how many days' rent just that single sip could cover.
Jude tilted his head slightly, his eyes studying Lucy carefully.
If it had been before his "rebirth," just seeing her in such a modest, simple outfit would have been enough to put him in a foul mood.
But now… his mindset had changed completely.
"You seem to have grown taller, Lucy," he said softly.
The sudden note of concern in her father's voice left Lucy caught off guard. She stared down at the rippling surface of the tea in her hands, unsure what to say.
When she had decided to return here, it had been with the full intention of severing all ties with Jude and the Heartfilia family.
She had never expected the conversation to take a turn like this.
The air in the study grew thick with awkward silence.
After a few seconds, Jude was the first to speak, breaking the stillness.
"Regarding the guild you're in… Fairy Tail "
After holding back for so long, he finally couldn't stop himself from turning the discussion toward the guild.
Lucy's heart gave a sharp jolt, and her posture straightened in an instant. She delivered the lines she had prepared long ago, her voice steady and resolute.
"If you still plan to use so-called money and power to harm my guild, then I will stand by my friends without hesitation and I will become your enemy!"
"I did something so foolish and wrong. Please allow me to sincerely apologize to you… and to Fairy Tail. I'm sorry."
The father and daughter spoke completely different words at the exact same moment.
"Huh?"
Lucy, ready to stand her ground until the bitter end, blinked in confusion. Her eyes widened as she stared at Jude who had just given a slight bow toward her.
In contrast, Jude's own expression faltered, though he quickly recovered with a soft sigh.
Looking back now, he could admit it he had gone far too far with the Phantom Lord incident.
"At this point… isn't it a little late for an apology?"
Lucy muttered under her breath, pouting slightly. The guarded wariness in her eyes remained, but the fierce determination to fight had already softened.
This was strange. Completely wrong. The cold, unfeeling man she knew as her father was actually… reflecting on his actions? Apologizing?
"Lucy, although I have no right to say this now… may I ask you for a favor?" Jude said.
"It's about marrying into a certain family, isn't it?!" Lucy shot back, her voice cold.
It was the only reason she could imagine for why her father had ordered Phantom Lord to bring her back.
"Even if your tone is much softer than I expected, Father, I still refuse to agree to something so meaningless!"
....
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