"By spoiling their taste, we won't have to worry about them flying away and not coming back???"
The girls in the room all froze, staring blankly at Lucas.
Why did it feel like… he wasn't just talking about the birds, but about them too?
Their tastes had already been spoiled—whenever they ate food outside the castle, it was just for novelty or fun. If they had to eat it regularly, it wouldn't take more than a few days before they started craving the castle's delicious meals again.
(￣▽￣)
Lucas's black eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at the group of girls. With a smirk, he teased, "What's wrong? Are you all thinking about flying away?"
"N-no! My taste is already spoiled." Annie sat up straight, shaking her head.
"I'm not going anywhere," Ayesha murmured lazily, rubbing her slightly full belly. "You'd have to kill me to make me leave."
"Ma— cough cough … I mean, if Annie isn't leaving, then I'm not leaving either." Freya quickly corrected herself after sneaking a glance at Catherine and Dahlia.
"I have nowhere else to go." Mina murmured, her blue eyes narrowing slightly. She subtly dragged her chair closer to Lucas, her cat tail flicking behind her. She was already Young Master's person.
"Mnn~"
Suddenly, a soft whimper escaped Mina's lips. A faint blush spread across her cheeks, and her eyes shimmered with moisture.
Her tail… Young Master was holding her cat tail, gently stroking it up and down.
Nicole gave Mina a strange look before asking with concern, "Mina, are you okay?"
"N-no, I'm fine." Mina shook her head slightly, forcing herself to endure the tingling sensation traveling from her tail.
"..."
Catherine suddenly felt a little flustered. She turned her head toward Dahlia—this topic had come out of nowhere!
Under the table, Dahlia tugged at Catherine's sleeve, her eyes blinking twice, signaling her to stay calm.
"Hoo…" Catherine exhaled softly, steadying herself.
After all, they were about to bring up the idea of moving out—something that wasn't exactly polite in noble circles. Would it make it seem like they thought the noble's home was unfit? Or worse… would it look like the noble was driving them away?
"Catherine, Dahlia, is there something you want to say?" Lucas rested his chin on one hand, noticing their unease. His voice was gentle. "Do you need any help?"
"I…" Catherine's lips parted slightly, but she couldn't get the words out. She turned to Dahlia for help, her eyes full of reluctance.
She didn't want to move out.
The taste of the delicious noodle soup still lingered in her mouth. If they moved out, she wouldn't get to eat it anymore. She wouldn't be able to play poker with Nicole at night either.
"Lord Lucas, we… we'd like to move out of the castle," Dahlia spoke up, taking the lead. "Catherine's illness has fully healed, so we really shouldn't continue imposing on you."
Before Lucas could respond, Ben suddenly stood up.
"Young Master, I'll go take care of my tasks now." He said abruptly, excusing himself.
Ben's eyes held a strange expression as he glanced at Nicole before leaning close to Lucas's ear and whispering, "Young Master, Catherine is a duke's daughter. If she stays in the castle too long, there will be rumors."
After saying that, he flashed a peaceful smile and walked out of the dining hall.
Figuring out how to spoil the pigeons' taste buds… that was going to be a real challenge. But challenges were what he enjoyed the most.
"..."
Lucas blinked, digesting Ben's words.
Then, he slowly turned his gaze toward Catherine and Dahlia with a somewhat amused look.
If Ben hadn't reminded him, he really wouldn't have thought about that.
A noble girl, unmarried, living in another man's home for too long? If word got out, people would say she was shameless.
Lucas leaned back slightly and asked calmly, "Have you found a place to stay?"
No matter the era or the world, gossip alone could destroy a person's will to live.
Lucas had seen plenty of cases like this online—some incidents were completely trivial, yet certain media outlets would blow them out of proportion just to attract clicks. They'd twist the facts, exaggerate, and distort a simple story into something scandalous, fueling a toxic wave of verbal abuse.
People who lacked firm beliefs would get swept up by the fabricated narrative, unknowingly becoming spreaders of baseless rumors.
And this world was no different.
A girl's reputation was sometimes more valuable than her life. In a society where ignorance thrived, gossip spread like wildfire, fueled by the prejudices of the masses.
This was exactly why Lucas valued education so much.
The more people understood, the stronger their ability to think critically—only then could they stand firm in their beliefs and separate truth from lies.
"Yes! We found a place—it's at Elisa's house." Dahlia said softly. She hadn't expected Lucas's reaction to be this calm—it was completely beyond her expectations.
"Alright," Lucas nodded, then turned to Annie. "Let Max know and have the keys delivered to them."
"Got it." Annie frowned slightly, still puzzled. The castle was warm, safe, and comfortable—why would they want to move out?
"Lord Lucas, I…"
Catherine took a deep breath, gathering her courage. Her mind raced for an excuse—maybe she could say she was sick again?
"It's fine. I understand."
Lucas cut her off before she could finish.
Lucas let go of the cat-eared girl's tail, waving his hand gently. "When the power of rumors isn't in your hands, saying anything else is useless. Even the righteous fear being smeared with filth."
"Ah?" Catherine was confused. The power of rumors? How could anyone control that? People's mouths belonged to them—what could she do?
Dahlia was also deep in thought. She stared at Lucas, feeling like there was something she hadn't fully understood. Could rumors really be controlled? Could someone dictate what others said?
"You'll understand in time."
Lucas smiled faintly, choosing not to explain further.
Could rumors be controlled?
Of course.
Once he developed cheap ink for the printing press, newspapers—the ultimate weapon of influence—would be born. And with that, he could steer public opinion however he wanted.
Can't read? Then he'd train storytellers, adapt some novels, and have them casually slip in a few extra lines here and there. With that, public opinion would be in his hands.
"Thank you for understanding, Lord Lucas."
Dahlia lifted the hem of her dress, gracefully curtsying with a slight bow—a noblewoman's etiquette.
"C-can I still come to the castle for meals?"
Catherine followed suit, also bowing, but her voice carried a hint of urgency. "I really… really want to…"
"I know. Don't worry about it."
Lucas chuckled, cutting her off gently. Some things didn't need to be spoken outright.
"..."
Catherine froze, her eyes staring blankly at him.
Lucas rose from his seat, turned, and casually waved his hand as he walked away.
"Come whenever you want. It's not like I'm kicking you out."
"Mhm!"
Catherine's delicate face lit up with a breathtaking smile as she nodded enthusiastically.
"I'll come every day for meals!"
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