“Take him away.”

After mocking him to my heart’s content, I flicked my hand dismissively and turned around. Soon after, the knights dragged the house steward away without ceremony.

“…Hah.”

Only then did I finally let out the breath I’d been holding. The tension drained from my body.

I’d acted as though all of this were perfectly natural just moments ago, but in truth, I was still reeling. I’d never once imagined that, in this estate, a single word from me would be enough to have the house steward dragged out like that.

Of course I hadn’t. Not once had I ever been treated as someone in authority here.

At the same time, this incident convinced me that the Duchy of Balthazar truly was on my side.

I’d received help without intending to—but what of it? Out of countless lifetimes, this one was the only one in which I’d gained allies.

That alone made it meaningful.

“What does the duchy want from me?”

Before I could even fully calm the swelling joy in my chest, my lips moved.

This level of goodwill was never given without reason. If they were showing me such favor, then surely there was a demand to match it.

Because there’s no such thing as kindness without a reason in this world.

“What could you possibly want, that someone I’ve never even seen would go so far as to help me?”

At my words, the servant from the Duchy of Balthazar—who had been standing silently—cast a sidelong glance. In response, all the servants in the drawing room quietly withdrew. Once everyone had left, a brief silence settled over the room.

“Before that… could you tell me your name?”

Up until now, I’d thought a name was pointless. But if we were allies, it seemed only right that we at least know each other’s names.

The servant from Balthazar, however, looked only at me. He didn’t even make a move to take out his notebook.

“I’ll be calling for you often, you know.”

I felt awkward for no reason and hurried to continue.

“I can’t keep calling you ‘the servant from the Duchy of Balthazar’ forever. More than that, since we’re in the same boat, I thought it’d be better to at least know your name.”

Only then did the servant nod and write his name in the notebook.

[Eric.]

Then he added something beneath it and held the notebook out to me.

[The Grand Duke desires only one thing: that you find your happiness.]

Contrary to my worries, it seemed the Grand Duke of Balthazar was favorably inclined toward me. Still—

“You’re saying the Grand Duke is helping me purely for my happiness?”

[Yes.]

“And how does he know what my happiness is?”

At my question, Eric scratched his cheek awkwardly before moving his hand again.

[That’s a good question.]

How exactly was the Grand Duke of Balthazar supposed to find a happiness I didn’t even know myself?

Between this string of nonsense and the question he’d thrown at me before, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

“Don’t tell me… the Grand Duke wants my body?”

I’d never even met him, yet he was treating me with such excessive consideration—it was deeply suspicious. To be blunt, what could a man who ruled an entire duchy possibly lack that he’d go out of his way to help me?

More than that, he shared blood with the exalted emperor himself. It wasn’t as though he’d known me from before and decided to help out of sentimentality.

It was strange. Truly strange.

People don’t step in unless something concerns them directly or there’s a clear interest at stake. When someone they barely know falls into trouble, most merely feel a moment of pity and move on.

Even if the Grand Duke were an avid reader of my work, it felt doubtful that reading alone would inspire this level of goodwill toward me.

“All I have is this body. No matter how I think about it, I can’t figure out what the Grand Duke wants from me.”

Perhaps I was thinking this way because, out of countless lifetimes, this was the first time I’d ever received help from someone else.

[This was never done with the intention of taking anything in return. I assure you.]

At my question, Eric waved his free hand emphatically, the one not holding the notebook, as if to deny it outright.

[Truly. There is no improper intent whatsoever.]

For some reason, he seemed desperate.

“Then are you planning to lock me up and make me write, nothing else?”

[No. That isn’t it either.]

His eyes were so clear that I could see my own reflection in them. Maybe it was because of that incongruously pure gaze, but it stirred a strange feeling in me—not excitement, but the sense that I was overlooking something important.

[Use me as you wish.]

At some point, Eric had dropped to both knees before me, notebook in hand, looking up at me. Then, without even a moment’s hesitation, he pressed his lips to the top of my foot—more precisely, to the toe of my shoe.

It was a gesture of submission.

“W-wait.”

I quickly stepped back. Eric lifted his head and broke into a bright, almost bashful smile. Perhaps it was the sunlight pouring in through the window, but the smile he directed at me looked innocent and untainted.

Are servants from the Duchy of Balthazar all that good at flattery? He seemed to know exactly when to ingratiate himself, which suggested he was far from ordinary.

My face heated up for no good reason. I fanned myself with one hand and looked away.

[Shall we take a walk?]

In the meantime, Eric showed me what he’d newly written in his notebook, still wearing that gentle smile.

“No, it’s fine.”

Given how widely this incident was bound to spread, Louis—still in a neighboring country—would surely hear of it. And once he did, there was no doubt he’d return within the day.

Then he’d start screaming at me, asking how I could ruin his life like this, and he’d probably raise his hand as well. With that dogshit temper of his, it wouldn’t be surprising in the least.

That thought snapped me fully back to my senses.

There’s still something I need to do. I can’t afford to make a mistake.

“I’m going to rest here.”

I leaned back against the arm of the sofa.

“I’ll need to fight back when Louis arrives, and if I don’t rest now, I’ll be exhausted.”

A fight is, after all, a battle of stamina.

“You should go rest too.”

I was practically sprawled across the sofa as I placed the back of my hand over my eyes.

Beside me, I heard the soft scratch of writing. It seemed Eric was jotting something down.

[I regret to inform you that Louis Regie Simon will be unable to return today.]

He was moving his hand faster than usual, which made me wonder what he was writing—but the content alone was enough to drain my energy.

“Then I suppose I’ll be waiting a while.”

I lifted my gaze from the notebook and looked slowly at Eric’s face.

[I didn’t say that so you would wait. The road back is… long.]

His eyes were steady, just as they’d been before.

“Oh. So Balthazar’s had a hand in this?”

Instead of showing me the notebook again, Eric curved his lips into a faint smile.

It was answer enough.

“Then I’ll just forget about it.”

I stared at Eric for a moment, then adjusted my posture.

“Rather than wearing myself out waiting pointlessly for someone who won’t be back anytime soon, that’s better.”

With that, I got up from the sofa at once. I’d just realized that saying I would sit and rest there had come, unconsciously, from the habit of waiting for Louis.

Looking back over my countless past lives, every time Louis went out, I’d always waited for him—like a pet.

On the “sofa” the house steward had designated.

“…You’re right. Going for a walk sounds better.”

I didn’t want to live like that anymore.

I would change the version of myself that revolved entirely around Louis.

Part of me was also curious about how things outside the estate might have changed while I’d been cut off from the world. And I didn’t just mean the estate gardens.

Outside the estate—the world where people lived.

“Could you prepare me to go out?”

I smiled faintly and gave a small nod. At once, color returned to Eric’s face.

[I will prepare everything at once.]