Outside the window, the sun was slowly sinking towards the horizon.

Larinne had left the Southern Palace earlier than planned. This was due to information that Chardi had brought.

Two Zhakan soldiers were due to patrol the Pactio River at dawn that day. She had heard that one of them was William.

‘William… you’re not planning to expose where the supplies are hidden, are you?’

She had originally planned to leave late at night, but her unease would not subside, so she set out earlier than expected.

The people of the imperial palace had been lounging around since early evening, worn out from the celebratory banquet for the delegation.

Leaving the palace was not difficult.

‘The area near the Pactio River is full of reeds, so the children should be fine. Besides, the scouts won’t start their patrol until 2am. There’s plenty of time.’

Nevertheless, she hurried on.

Beyond the abandoned temple, a rocky desert landscape stretched out before her.

After walking along the layered cliffs for a while, a field of white reeds came into view.

This meant that the river was nearby.

‘The children must already be here.’

Five minutes farther north lay the place where the supplies were hidden.

‘We should be able to finish before midnight.’

Larinne checked the pocket watch she had brought with her and was about to quicken her pace when someone suddenly grabbed her from behind and pulled her into an embrace.

“!”

Her heart dropped.

‘Who—?’

Her thoughts froze.

Had someone been following her?

She hadn’t sensed anyone’s presence.

Countless thoughts raced through her mind as she felt someone rest their forehead against her stiff shoulder.

The faint scent that reached her nostrils was one she recognized.

“I truly don’t understand why you keep throwing yourself into dangerous situations.”

“…Duke Winterd?”

The arms wrapped around Larinne tightened.

At the same time she felt relieved that this was not someone sent by the emperor, confusion began to bloom.

‘Why are you here?’

Before she could ask, a question came first.

“Are you still going, even knowing you’ll come back injured like this?”

For some reason, his voice sounded angry.

Only then did she vaguely realize why he had followed her.

“I don’t know what Sir Harry told you, but I’m fine.”

“It seems that, for you, ‘fine’ means simply being alive.”

Libehi Winterd turned Larinne around within his arms.

Their gazes locked without escape.

His eyes fell upon her torn forehead. Even though the bleeding had stopped thanks to Chardi’s treatment, his neat brow furrowed.

“…How strange.”

“What is?”

“To my eyes, you seem angry right now.”

“Would that offend you?”

Whenever he behaved like this, it made her feel strangely unsettled.

“I’ll have some medicine sent through a maid. Something that won’t leave a scar.”

“I’m fine.”

“I’m not.”

His thick fingers touched Larinne’s forehead.

Unable to bring himself to touch the wound directly, his hand carefully brushed around it.

“Please allow me to accompany you.”

“That won’t be possible. This has nothing to do with you.”

“If you could be put in danger, how could it have nothing to do with me?”

“……”

She had thought this before, he was a man who had a talent for leaving people speechless. She looked into his eyes, unusually red in the glow of the sunset.

The corners of them were so flushed that, for a fleeting moment, she wondered absurdly if he had been crying.

‘Why… are you like this toward me?’

The question lingered on her lips, unspoken.

At that moment, a blue bird flew in from somewhere and landed on Libehi Winterd’s outstretched hand.

It was a mana bird.

Larinne immediately realized it was Harry’s doing.

“The Zhakan scouts are approaching from this direction. It would be better if you took me with you.”

Libehi handed her the note tied to the bird’s leg.

***

“Lady Larinne, who is that man? Is he your lover?”

“Hey, you idiot. Lady Larinne is His Majesty the Emperor’s fiancée.”

“Hmph. What kind of foolish man in the world makes his woman cry? My mother said men like that make the worst husbands.”

“Right, my mother said the same thing. She even said she wished Lady Larinne at least had a secret lover hidden somewhere.”

“Then… are you really Lady Larinne’s lover?”

The Pellet children, who had been following Libehi Winterd through the reeds, all turned to look at her as she walked ahead.

Larinne was taken aback by the sudden question.

Despite the heavy bundles they were carrying, the children’s eyes sparkled with curiosity towards the unfamiliar man she had brought with her.

Despite having always lived under oppression and persecution, the children now looked refreshingly lively for their age.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen Lady Larinne bring an adult man.”

“That’s right! And someone who isn’t even from Pellet!”

Several pairs of eyes turned to Larinne, waiting innocently for her answer.

Among them were crimson eyes gleaming with interest.

‘What on earth is he expecting?’

Clearing her dry throat, Larinne picked up the box of supplies and walked ahead of Libehi Winterd.

“We don’t have time to stand around. We need to move before it gets any later.”

Perhaps interpreting her attempt to change the subject in their own way, the children lowered their voices and whispered among themselves.

“Hey, I think Lady Larinne is embarrassed.”

“Hmm… it does look that way to me too.”

“You idiots. My mother said when that happens you’re supposed to pretend you didn’t notice.”

The innocent voices from behind pricked at Larinne one after another.

As if unwilling to leave Larinne to stubbornly pretend ignorance, Libehi Winterd strode forward with his long legs and quickly matched her pace.

“I didn’t know there were times when you ran away.”

“Are you teasing me?”

“How could that be?”

His tone was slightly irritatingly playful, but at least his expression looked much better than it had earlier.

She startled herself when she realized that she had been worrying about him without even noticing.

Keeping her composure, Larinne changed the subject.

“I’ll apologize on their behalf. The children aren’t usually this mischievous.”

“It’s fine. They didn’t say anything wrong.”

What was he trying to say this time?

Without thinking, she turned her head towards him.

As if he had been waiting for her to do so, Libehi Winterd leaned in and whispered in her ear.

“Well… isn’t it said that it will be so soon? The companion dream.”

“A companion dream?”

One of the children walking behind them—whose ears were particularly sharp—jerked their head up in interest.

Then the others all turned to look at the two of them like curious meerkats.

“What’s that?”

“Wait, I think I’ve heard of it before.”

Larinne’s cheeks grew so hot they flushed red.

‘This man—honestly!’

In a hurry, Larinne grabbed Libehi Winterd’s arm and pulled him along.

“Come on. Hurry.”

He obediently let himself be dragged wherever she pulled him.

A low laugh followed.

When she shot him a glare at his teasing expression, he curved his red eyes like crescent moons.

‘…Honestly, this man.’

He clearly had no sense of embarrassment.

“Don’t worry, Lady Larinne. We’re good at keeping secrets!”

“That’s right. We’ll take it to the grave.”

The children were thoroughly delighted to see this unfamiliar side of Larinne, who was usually so flawless.

“Don’t say things like that.”

Even then, she didn’t forget to firmly correct the child who had mentioned “the grave.”

“Thank you for helping move the supplies. But could you perhaps keep your mouths a little quieter?”

“If that is what you wish.”

Why was it that whenever she was with this man, she became strangely dull to things without realizing it?

The white reeds swayed gently in the breeze, bending and rising repeatedly.

This peaceful scene made it easy to forget about reality.

A warm night-time breeze, carrying the warmth of the sun, brushed against her cheek.

“I don’t really know much, but if he’s helping Lady Larinne, he must be a good person.”

“Right, right. When Lady Larinne was with His Majesty the Emperor, she never looked happy. But right now… you can really see the difference.”

The children’s voices whispering their little secrets scattered through the reed field.

This peaceful moment was sweet for everyone.

‘If we all escape the Eastern Empire together… maybe we can live like this every day, laughing and talking.’

For the first time in a long while, Larinne allowed herself to relax.

She realized it had been a very long time.

She glanced at Libehi Winterd, who was walking beside her.

From the moment they first met, she had thought it: he suited gold remarkably well.

The long earring hanging near his jawline swayed gently, repeatedly drawing her gaze.

“Thank you for today. I truly mean it.”

“Just in case, let me say this—you don’t need to repay me.”

He deliberately ran the tip of his tongue across his lips before adding,

“Who knows? I might ask for something far greater.”

“Duke Winterd!”

Libehi Winterd burst into laughter and felt the flush spreading down her neck.

Just as she was about to respond to the mischievous man, he suddenly stopped walking.

At first, she thought it was another one of his jokes.

However, she soon noticed the rich emotion on his face disappear.

“Someone is coming from that direction.”

From the opposite side, the voices of several men were drawing closer.

Their cheerful conversation came to an abrupt end.

“Shh, lower your voices.”

The quick-witted children immediately closed their mouths and crouched down.

The tall white reeds and the spreading darkness around them provided the perfect cover.

Once it fell quiet, they could hear the other party’s conversation more easily.

“What could possibly be in a reed field like this?”

“They said there was something suspicious around here.”

“William. Are you sure that information is reliable? You dragged us out here in the middle of the night—if it turns out to be nothing…”

They were Zhakan scouts.

At the faint mention of William’s name, the children stirred uneasily.

‘Shh.’

Larinne pressed a finger to her lips to calm them.

When she checked her pocket watch, she saw that it was at least three hours earlier than the scheduled patrol time.

Instead of moving in pairs as expected, there appeared to be over a dozen soldiers nearby.

‘Something has changed.’

Chardi had obtained the information by overhearing a Zhakan meeting through the birds.

Someone had clearly introduced an element of uncertainty along the way.

Her instincts told her so.

That someone was almost certainly William.

“Search this entire area.”

Not far away, the scouts began pushing through the reeds.

Fortunately, they had not noticed this side yet.

“Lady Larinne, what should we do?”

One child crouched low on the ground and whispered. Behind her, the other children met her gaze, clutching the boxes and trembling.

If they were discovered, it would be the end for them all.

“We have to divert their attention so the children can escape safely.”

At Larinne’s request, a sharp gleam flickered through the crimson eyes. They looked like a snake that had spotted its prey.

“I know quite well how to get out of situations like this.”

He slowly parted his lips and added in a low voice,

“Though I worry you might scold me for being improper.”

“Getting the children out safely comes first.”

Once he received her permission, his dry lips curved into a dangerously alluring smile.

“It’s a classical method, but surprisingly effective in situations like this.”

A classical method?

Before Larinne could fully grasp the situation, Libehi deliberately ran the tip of his tongue over his lips again.

The meaning was perfectly conveyed.

This simple gesture had somehow become deeply suggestive.

“If I may give one piece of advice—there’s no need to hold back your voice.”