“Hey. Is he really your husband?”

When the woman just stood there, unable to say anything as if in shock, the man behind snickered and sneered.

“You said she was your wife. But it seems the noble gentleman is also interested in this woman, so why don’t we all……”

Thwack!

When Dominic threw a punch, one of the thugs fell to the ground.

His crooked hat landed miserably in a puddle of water.

“You bastard!”

The skinny one standing beside him pulled out a knife from his inner pocket.

It was a small, rusty knife typically used by sailors to cut ropes on ships.

The one who had been hit and fallen down joined in, and both rushed at Dominic.

They seemed fearless, perhaps thinking they could just escape to the open sea after committing a crime.

Normally, they would have backed off knowing the severe punishment for harming a nobleman, but they seemed to have lost all fear.

Whoosh! Swish!

Each time the small but threatening knife attacked Dominic, Ellin’s heart sank.

“Ah!”

Though Dominic blocked the attacks and landed blows on them, the two men rose again like zombies.

No matter how good a fighter he was, it wasn’t easy to keep dealing with two persistent men driven by malice.

Ellin didn’t just stand still; she quickly looked around.

She spotted a black carriage in the distance, used by Napas guards for transportation.

She also noticed a small whistle on the ground, probably dropped by the sailor when he fell.

She quickly picked it up and began blowing it with all her might.

The sharp tweet from the small whistle was so piercing that even the men in mid-attack hesitated for a moment.

‘They’re coming!’

Fortunately, the guard carriage that had just passed by the street heard the sound and could be seen rushing toward them.

“D*mn it. Let’s run!”

The men, their faces a mess of blood and dirt, fled, but Dominic didn’t chase them.

While Ellin quickly ran to check if he was okay, the guard carriage passed by them.

They seemed to instinctively chase the fleeing men first.

“Are you okay?”

“Ellin. I came to find you……”

Just then, two men who had stepped out of a luxury carriage called to him and rushed over urgently.

“Your Grace! If you had informed us of your visit to Napas in advance, we would have welcomed you properly!”

“We were worried when you didn’t come to the hotel after so much time had passed!”

“Those ruffians were running away just now; are you injured anywhere?”

They were influential figures in the region, visibly older than Dominic Linderto.

News that the Duke from the capital—no, a powerful figure in the kingdom—had appeared in the small city of Napas must have spread everywhere, as they seemed to have been searching for him with burning eyes.

When they approached, Ellin gently separated herself from him and took a step back.

She thought he had stopped here on business and happened to run into her by chance.

Though such a coincidence seemed incredible.

“I’m sorry. The last stagecoach is about to leave, so I must go.”

Ellin stepped backward one step at a time before turning away from him.

She held back, fearing that the fact that the former Duchess was here might burden him, or that this might be an unwanted encounter for him.

And her statement about the stagecoach time being tight was also true.

It had been dark for a while, and the tower clock hands were pointing toward the time of the last carriage.

If she missed the carriage, she would have to walk for hours on a dark and dangerous road to reach her destination.

Seeing this, her heart also began to race.

As Ellin left with quick steps carrying her basket, Dominic rose from his place, staggering.

“Ellin!”

As he chased after her, those beside him also awkwardly followed him.

“Don’t follow me!”

At his shout, they all froze in place instantly.

Ellin ran, breathing heavily.

“Wait a moment. Please wait!”

She barely managed to board the carriage that was just about to depart.

Dominic, watching with dismayed eyes as the carriage carrying Ellin departed, quickly stopped another carriage that was just arriving.

“Sir. This carriage has finished its operations for today.”

When the coachman tried to stop Dominic with a bewildered face, he pulled out a heavy gold coin from his pocket and held it out.

The coachman’s eyes widened at the sight.

This amount of gold was more than he could earn working for days.

“Just follow that carriage. If you drop me off at the destination, this money is yours.”

He put the gold coin in the coachman’s upper pocket, suggesting it was a good deal.

The coachman seemed to consider it for a moment before sitting back in the carriage.

“We’re departing.”

The carriage began to race quickly, following the one that had left earlier.

After traveling on the night road for a while, the carriage arrived at the harbor.

He could see the ship he had arrived on still docked.

Around it, twinkling lights swayed like stars.

“Is that the young lady you’re looking for?”

Looking outside at the coachman’s words, he saw Ellin getting off in a quiet residential area.

An old woman approached the carriage as if she had been waiting for Ellin, helping her disembark.

“Miss. Why are you so late? I was worried and couldn’t focus on my work, so I came out.”

“I’m sorry. There were some circumstances. Let’s go inside and talk; it’s cold. Bianca, your hands are like ice.”

“No, but Miss, your face……”

Bianca looked worriedly at Ellin, who appeared pale as if shocked by something.

Ellin took Bianca’s hand and walked toward the house.

A moment later, Dominic, who had been watching this scene, also pulled up his collar and got out of the carriage.

“Thank you.”

Unlike during the day, the sea breeze at night was biting.

Ellin seemed completely unaware that he had followed and gotten off from the carriage behind.

The first to notice his presence was Bianca, who had come out to meet her.

“Who……”

Ellin, who was about to open the door upon reaching the house, turned around at those words.

Her surprised eyes widened.

“Y-Your Grace! Why…… How did you come all the way here……”

“I followed the carriage.”

“……”

The desperate look in his eyes revealed that he had no choice but to follow her here impulsively, fearing she might flee to another place.

‘Your Grace?’

Hearing those words that had just escaped from the young lady’s lips, Bianca immediately sensed that this handsome young gentleman was that person.

The protagonist who had occasionally plunged Ellin into deep sadness and made her sigh.

He was definitely the one.

But……?

How strange.

Looking at that high nobleman’s appearance, he seemed even more affected than the young lady, not less.

His eyes were filled with deep longing while gazing at her.

His approaching footsteps were careful, and he seemed cautious about speaking.

By this point, one became curious.

Why on earth did those two separate?

Bianca realized she was staring blankly at the man and quickly shook her head to gather her wits.

“Ah, Miss. I need to put the water on for tea, so I’ll go in first. Take your time talking and come in later.”

Bianca entered the hallway, seemingly slipping away, but then poked her head out again.

“It’s cold outside, so perhaps it would be better if both of you came inside.”

Dominic accepted her suggestion first.

“Thank you. It is indeed cold.”

With those words, Ellin couldn’t stop him from entering the house.

Standing together by the seaside in this cold night wind would have been awkward anyway.

“Please come in. I’m glad I put plenty of water on to boil.”

Bianca bustled about like an important guest had arrived, tying her apron and heading to the kitchen.

Ellin let him in with a sullen face and just stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room.

When the Duke also stood still, looking at her, she reluctantly guided him to the sofa.

“Please sit here.”

Ellin and Dominic sat facing each other on the sofa.

When their eyes met with him looking directly at her, Ellin averted her gaze first. The air between them felt awkward.

“Have some tea.”

Bianca placed steaming, fragrant tea in front of the two and quickly slipped away.

Returning to the kitchen and hiding behind the stove, she peeked out to observe the atmosphere in the living room.

Her heart pounded unnecessarily.

Strangely, it wasn’t a worried or fearful pounding, but an excited feeling making her heart flutter.

She felt almost silly for her age.

Looking at those two beautiful young people made her heart race even more.

“How difficult it must have been for him to come all the way here. Of course. He likes our Miss Ellin so much—I worried for nothing.”

Stroking her chest, she felt tears welling up.

She felt a pang in her heart remembering the young lady’s occasionally empty expression.

Unlike Bianca’s balloon-like excitement, the atmosphere between the two in the living room remained awkward and strange.

Ellin looked at Dominic without touching the steaming teacup.

Her gaze contained many questions without saying a word.

Finally, before she could ask, he spoke first.

“This place……”

He slowly looked around the modest house with his eyes, and only then did Ellin answer.

“It’s the home of a woman who worked like family at my great-aunt’s house.”

“Ah.”

He nodded and struggled to think of what to say next.

He had so much to say when they would meet, but now face to face, he found it difficult to speak.

“You look well, and I’m glad.”

That was sincere.

Ellin now looked much more comfortable than the last face he remembered.

This made his heart sink further.

He knew too well who was responsible for that.

“Thank you. Did you come here for work? Why isn’t Secretary Higgins with you……”

She had almost asked why he was alone earlier but stopped herself.

She realized she had no reason to ask about such matters.

They were nothing to each other now.

Ellin couldn’t imagine that the Duke had come all this way specifically to find her.

Since he was a person who traveled busily everywhere for business, whether within the kingdom or abroad, she naturally thought he had come here for work and met her by chance.

“If you need a place to stay in Napas, there’s the large hotel in front of the station. Are you staying there?”

When Dominic nodded, Ellin acknowledged with a short nod.

“It’s already late, so please stay until morning. You can’t rent a horse at this hour, and there won’t be any carriages on the streets.”

She thought this was the minimum courtesy she could offer.

She couldn’t chase him out into the cold winter night.

“I’ll bring you some blankets.”

Dominic tried to stop Ellin, but at that moment, Bianca walked out from the kitchen.

She seemed to think the conversation had ended when she saw Ellin getting up.

“Bianca. It’s late, so he’ll need to stay in the living room tonight.”

Hearing Ellin’s words, Bianca opened her eyes wide and said,

“Of course. There are no carriages outside—where would he go now? The sea breeze at night is so cold. I should put more wood in the fireplace.”

Because Bianca was bustling about in the living room, Dominic missed the appropriate opportunity to speak to Ellin.

That night, as the blue dawn approached the small two-story house, only Bianca slept deeply.

Ellin lay in bed in her room upstairs, spending the night wide awake.

She couldn’t believe the Duke was downstairs.

The same was true for Dominic, who sat leaning on the sofa downstairs.

He watched the blazing fireplace, then quietly left the house as the outside began to brighten with a bluish light.

He shouldn’t rush.

Today, he was satisfied just seeing Ellin again.

He thought he needed to take his time to win back her heart.

In that sense, this wasn’t the right moment yet.

When he opened the door, the fishy, cold sea breeze hit him as if to freeze his lungs, proving Bianca’s words were no exaggeration.

He walked lonely down the dawn street where not even an ant could be seen.

Around dawn, Ellin, who had briefly fallen asleep, opened her eyes wide.

Looking out the window, she saw it was already daylight.

Hastily putting on her robe, she went downstairs to find the place where he had been sitting hours ago now empty.

“Yaaawn.”

Bianca, stretching as she came out of her room, looked around the living room.

“Oh my! He must have left already. Surely he didn’t just leave in the night?”

Ellin looked out the window with worried eyes at the still early morning.

* * *