“…Yvette.”

It was then.

Noel, who had been silent for a moment, spoke up.

“If you have any worries, tell me. I’ll listen as your fiancé.”

Noel murmured in a low voice, looking at Yvette.

Due to their close proximity, his voice sounded even clearer.

“I don’t really have any worries…”

Yvette’s voice trailed off.

In truth, she had many worries.

She was concerned about how to persuade Kervel to lift the curse, and how to deal with Baron Larishi in the future.

There were countless other small worries, but she couldn’t bring herself to confide in Noel.

She was already receiving too much help from him.

“…I’m fine, so don’t worry about it.”

Yvette forced a smile.

Noel slightly frowned at her weak voice.

“Exactly which part of you is fine?”

His low voice resonated in her ears. When she looked up, she saw Noel staring at her with an expressionless face.

“You were attacked by your uncle today. Is that also fine with you?”

“……”

Unable to answer his sharp question, Yvette could only bite her lip.

Seeing her inability to respond, Noel let out a small sigh and continued.

“I have a duty to ensure your safety. So if you need help, tell me anytime.”

With those words, Noel fell silent.

Instead of answering, Yvette slowly repeated his words in her mind.

Suddenly, a question arose.

‘Why does Noel keep trying to help me?’

When you think about it, Noel had no reason to help her.

Yet, Noel took care of her as if she were his real fiancée.

‘Is it just because I look pitiful to him?’

Having lost her parents at a young age, and is now being attacked by her only blood relative.

From Noel’s perspective, she might indeed look pitiful.

‘…Either way, I’m grateful for what it is.’

Yvette gazed down at her wrist.

Without Noel, the situation might have been much worse.

Whatever the reason, just the fact that he was helping her was very reassuring.

“We’ve arrived at the Duke’s residence.”

Eventually, the carriage they were riding in stopped, and with a knock, the coachman announced their arrival.

“It’s been a while, Lady Blanche. No, I should call you Count now! My mistake.”

As she got out of the carriage, a familiar face greeted her.

“It’s been a while, Lord Blur.”

Yvette smiled and greeted Sid.

Sid, whom she met after a few weeks, was as energetic as ever.

“I heard the Count was hurt. Whoever did it, if our Duke gets his hands on them, they’ll all be dea-“

“The doctor? Did you have one waiting?”

Noel, who got out of the carriage later, cut off Sid’s words.

Sid, finally noticing Noel’s mood, straightened his back.

“Yes. I had one waiting as soon as I received the message.”

“Then guide us there immediately.”

“Yes, sir!”

As Sid took the lead, Yvette quietly followed behind him.

Noel walked beside her, matching her pace, with an unreadable expression.

Eventually, they arrived at a small drawing room attached to Noel’s bedroom.

As the three entered, the doctor who had been waiting stood up abruptly.

As he hurriedly tried to bow, Noel raised his hand to stop him.

“Skip the greetings and treat the patient first.”

“Ah, yes! Which one should I examine?”

“Here,” Noel said, gesturing towards Yvette’s arm.

“My fiancée seems to have injured her wrist.”

“I see. Let me take a look.”

The doctor nodded and approached Yvette.

“Excuse me, but could you please roll up your sleeve?”

As the doctor politely asked, Yvette hesitantly rolled up her sleeve. Soon, her reddened and swollen wrist was revealed.

The doctor examined Yvette’s wrist carefully with a serious gaze.

“How much pain do you feel when you move it?”

“It’s not severe, just a bit of a throbbing pain.”

“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like there’s any problem with the bone. However, it would be best to be careful not to strain your wrist for a while.”

The doctor recommended a few herbs good for reducing swelling while saying this.

“Then, I’ll take my leave now. If you experience any discomfort, please don’t hesitate to call me again.”

With a polite farewell, the doctor left the drawing room. Sid, who had been watching Noel’s mood all along, also slipped out at that moment.

With just the two of them left, the atmosphere in the drawing room became awkwardly quiet.

“See? I told you I was fine.”

Yvette muttered, lowering her sleeve and pretending to be nonchalant.

The man in front of her was more concerning than her throbbing wrist.

“It’s getting late, so I’ll head home now.”

“……Take my carriage. I’ll have you escorted.”

Noel replied briefly, ordering a servant to prepare the carriage.

Since it was nearly impossible to find a private carriage at this hour, Yvette didn’t refuse.

Soon, the two boarded the carriage heading to Wheatley.

***

On the way home, Yvette gazed out the window with mixed feelings.

‘I didn’t expect he would attack even knowing I was Noel’s fiancée.’

The last time she saw him, Baron Larishi seemed to be clearly afraid of Noel.

However, the Baron Larishi she saw today acted recklessly, like a person who had lost his mind.

It seemed somewhat suspicious to be just because of gambling debts.

‘Come to think of it, it was also strange that Viscount Magnus appeared there.’

After his face was ruined due to side effects, Viscount Magnus rarely showed himself in social circles.

He used to make appearances at imperial events when the previous emperor was alive, but after Liandry’s ascension, he hardly ever left his mansion.

‘There’s no way that man would appear at a party without reason…’

While Yvette was deep in thought,

The carriage stopped, and at the same time, Noel’s voice was heard.

“Looks like we’ve arrived.”

“Ah, so we have.”

Yvette lifted her head abruptly. Through the window, she could see Herbert already waiting outside.

Noel said he had something to discuss with the knights and got out of the carriage first.

As Yvette alighted next, Herbert greeted her with a gentle smile.

“You’re home late today.”

Yvette nodded with a weak smile.

“I stopped by the Duke’s residence, so I’m a bit late.”

“I see. You must be tired from the long journey, so I’ll have Philia prepare a bath for you.”

“Thank you.”

Herbert bowed politely and returned to the mansion. By then, Noel, having finished his conversation with the knights, approached Yvette.

“I’ve stationed knights around the area, so don’t worry about anything else and get a good rest tonight.”

“……Thank you, Noel. I’ve been nothing but trouble today.”

Yvette smiled weakly.

Perhaps now that the tension was easing, her whole body felt stiff and throbbing.

‘I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about Baron Larishi for a while.’

It seems she had been thinking too carelessly.

“Just in case, keep this with you.”

Before leaving,

After escorting Yvette to the entrance, Noel placed something in her hand.

When she opened her palm, a bracelet with a softly glowing purple pendant was revealed.

“……What is this?”

“It’s a magical tool called a communication stone. It’s a means to contact me immediately in case of emergency.”

Yvette examined the jewel with curious eyes.

‘So this is a communication stone.’

Communication stones were magical tools mentioned in the original work, functioning similarly to modern telephones.

Usually, they had a limited number of uses, with more expensive stones allowing for more communications.