“It’s raining a lot…”

Miss Veronica, who had drawn the curtains to check beyond the window, murmured in a voice full of concern.

With my hands clasped behind my back, I approached Miss Veronica and nodded as I checked through the window she had opened.

“It really is. This rainy season seems to be bringing more rain than usual.”

Not only was it night, but the rain clouds had also obscured the moonlight and starlight, plunging the outside into darkness.

As Miss Veronica said, the wind and rain were particularly fierce this time.

“You’re very worried, aren’t you?”

I cautiously asked Miss Veronica.

I knew what Miss Veronica was worried about.

She was probably anxious that the crops in the territory might be damaged by the rain, and worried about the distress it would cause the territory’s people.

“Yes. I hope everything will be alright.”

“Don’t worry too much. There won’t be any major problems.”

I said this to comfort Miss Veronica, but the heavy rain showed no signs of stopping. It seemed that this rainy season would bring continuous downpours.

“I don’t think this will do. I should go check on the crops.”

Miss Veronica had been looking out the window with a worried expression for a long time. Then, with a deep sigh, she suddenly said she would go outside to check on the crops. The moment I heard those words, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

I had seen Miss Veronica say something like this somewhere before.

Yes, I had definitely ‘seen’ it.

A rainy day, Miss Veronica going out to check on the crops, and the unfamiliar man lying on the path…

As I slowly retraced my memories, unfamiliar recollections began to engulf me.

“Claire?”

“Yes, yes?”

When I didn’t respond for a while, Miss Veronica called my name in confusion.

“What’s wrong all of a sudden? Are you okay?”

“Yes? Oh, yes. I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine!”

I answered with a wide smile to reassure Miss Veronica. But my heart wasn’t in it, and the corners of my mouth seemed to tremble slightly.

“Then could you help me get ready to go out?”

Fortunately, it seemed Miss Veronica didn’t notice my trembling lips. Seeing her smile in relief made cold sweat run down my back.

You might think it’s absurd, but this was the world inside a novel.

The sudden return of my memories left me dizzy.

I already knew I had been reincarnated, but I hadn’t realized exactly what kind of world I was living in. I had vaguely thought it was a romance or fantasy world.

But the moment I heard Miss Veronica’s words, a specific novel popped into my head like a lie.

Very vividly and in detail.

This was the world inside the R-19 romance fantasy novel ‘Fallen Flower.’

It was a story where the female protagonist, Veronica Maynard, whose life was ruined by the villain Alexander Berzel, meets the male protagonist Edwin Anstis and dramatically reaches a happy ending.

And right now, it was the prologue of the novel, the moment when Miss Veronica, who hadn’t made her debut yet, first meets Duke Alexander Berzel.

“Oh, no!”

“Huh?”

I couldn’t let Miss Veronica meet Duke Berzel today.

If they met and Duke Berzel fell for Miss Veronica at first sight, everything would be over.

Anyone would fall in love at first sight upon seeing our lovable Miss. Her soft pink hair like blooming petals, her clear sky-blue eyes like topaz. Her smooth skin and cherry-red, plump lips.

Even the infamous Duke Berzel must have been captivated by Miss Veronica. If he met her, he would plan to ruin the Count’s family to get her, eventually imprisoning and trampling on her.

I couldn’t stand to see our beloved Miss’s life fall apart like that.

Moreover, Duke Berzel would plan to isolate Miss Veronica to get her, and if that didn’t work, he would kill everyone in the Count’s family. Naturally, I, who served Miss Veronica closely, would be no exception.

For Miss Veronica’s sake, and to save my own life, I had to prevent them from meeting today.

I quickly glanced out the window, looking for a reason to keep Miss Veronica from going out today.

“It’s raining heavily today! What if you catch a cold if you go out? It’s already late, so you should sleep now and go out tomorrow when the sun rises.”

“But…”

“If you’re so worried, I’ll go out. You should rest inside, Miss.”

“By yourself, Claire?”

“Yes. You didn’t know I love getting caught in the rain, did you?”

Saying I liked getting caught in the rain was a strange excuse even to me. Miss Veronica widened her eyes as if she was hearing this for the first time.

“Really? We’ve grown up together, but this is the first time I’m hearing that.”

Of course, it was a lie.

“It’s a hobby I developed recently. I once went out in the rain, and it didn’t feel too bad.”

Miss Veronica, who was looking at me suspiciously, soon smiled.

“…Then could I ask you to do that today? Just check briefly and come back.”

“Of course. Trust me.”

Fortunately, it seemed Miss Veronica was convinced.

“I’ll check quickly and come back. You must wait here, okay? It might be late, so please go to bed first.”

“Yes. Be careful, it’s slippery and dark outside.”

As soon as I heard her answer, I quickly left the room.

I hurried back to my room, changed into clothes that I could get wet in, put on a raincoat, and left the castle.

The rain was still pouring down fiercely. It wasn’t just an expression. The falling raindrops were painful on my shoulders.

If I hadn’t worn thick clothes under the raincoat, I would surely catch a cold the next day.

But there was no time to worry about that now. I started walking in the direction Miss Veronica would have checked.

When I reached the farmland, the crops were indeed flattened by the rain, just as Miss Veronica had feared.

As I looked at the crops with a bitter heart, I noticed an unfamiliar figure lying on the ground.

When I got closer, I realized it was a person, as expected.

A man in black clothes with a handsome face.

The man seemed injured, clutching his abdomen with one hand.

He seemed to be muttering something, but the rain was so loud I couldn’t hear what he was saying.

“Hey.”

You’re Alexander Berzel, aren’t you?

My words wouldn’t be heard over the rain, but I called out to him just in case, but the man didn’t respond.

I carefully walked towards him, almost slipping on the muddy ground.

The closer I got, the clearer the man’s appearance became.

His black hair was wet with rain, messily clinging to his forehead. Water droplets formed on his sharp nose and fell onto his red lips. I’ve never seen such a beautiful and handsome person since Miss Veronica.

I was sure as I looked at him.

This man was undoubtedly Duke Berzel.

I hesitated as I looked at the unresponsive man.

If I left him here, he would eventually be rescued by soldiers.

Moreover, he would have an identification token, so the soldiers would confirm his identity and bring him to the lord’s castle.

If that happened, it would be inevitable for him to meet Miss Veronica, the lord’s daughter.

If they met, he would fall for her beauty for sure.

But I couldn’t let that happen.

I had to prevent them from meeting at all costs. To do that, I couldn’t leave him here.

I quickly looked around.

Fortunately, there was an unused warehouse nearby.

I could hide him there for a while.

I made up my mind and lifted the man’s shoulder.

Moving a man much bigger than me, soaked and limp from the rain, wasn’t easy.

I managed to take three steps back before resting, then two more steps and rested again, dragging him along.

I finally managed to move him to the warehouse after catching my breath several times. I had no idea how much time had passed.

After laying the man down in the warehouse, I took a moment to catch my breath. My body was tired, and I felt like my patience was already at its limit.

But I couldn’t give up here.

So what should I do next?

This warehouse was a temporary one used only after the harvest.

No one would come to this warehouse during the rainy season.

So, could I leave him here? I thought about it, but it wasn’t possible.

What if he woke up and asked the lord’s castle for help?

It would all be for nothing.

There was only one way.

I had to treat him here myself and send him away without letting him near the lord’s castle.

That way, Miss Veronica and he wouldn’t meet.

But I doubted if this was possible.

I would have to leave this place when I worked…

But there was a way.

After a deep sigh, I took off my raincoat and hung it on the wall. I decided to take off the man’s clothes first.

If he stayed in wet clothes, he might catch a cold or hypothermia.

It would be troublesome if he died here. Although it wasn’t my fault that he was injured and in the rain, it was a serious crime not to aid a noble.

I reached out to undress the man’s upper body.

At that moment, the man suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed my wrist.

“Who are you…”

The blue eyes hidden beneath his eyelids were like jewels. His chilling gaze was directed at me.

My body started to tingle so much that I couldn’t even breathe.

“Ah, I…”

I managed to open my mouth and breathe. I spoke slowly, watching the man’s reaction.

“I’m C-Claire Evernizer.”