I woke up from sleep in a daze. When I came to my senses, I found a blanket covering me.

It seemed that I had fallen asleep first, and Alex had covered me up.

“…What time is it?”

“It’s past eight.”

Someone answered the question I asked absent-mindedly. Startled, I turned my head to see Alex looking at me with a calm expression. I was so flustered that I didn’t even check his condition and asked back.

“What? Eight o’clock?”

“Yes. If my watch is correct.”

Alex handed me something. It was a pocket watch. And the time was indeed past 8:00, as he said.

“If you were awake, you should have woken me up. Why didn’t you?”

I jumped up from my seat and quickly grabbed my raincoat, putting it on.

Alexander shrugged his shoulders as he watched me.

“You were sleeping so soundly. If you get into any trouble, I’ll help you out later.”

“Really, Alex?”

I was tempted by his words but quickly shook my head to erase my expectations.

After all, my goal was for Alex to recover safely and leave, not to form ties with the Maynard family.

“No, why would I ask Alex for help? I should take responsibility for my choices. Anyway, use the food I brought yesterday for your meal.”

I hurriedly said to Alex and moved toward the door. I was really scared that Alex might barge into the Maynard estate. It seemed best to leave quickly.

Before my hand touched the doorknob, I turned my head to look at Alex.

He was so sick yesterday, would he be okay alone?

Thinking of Alex groaning all night made it hard for me to leave.

“Are you feeling… better?”

“Thanks to you, much better.”

Alex answered with a smiling face. Seeing his handsome face smile was enchanting. I felt my face heat up and nodded.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better. I’ll leave some medicine, so take another dose after breakfast.”

“I’ll do that. Take care, Claire. I’ll be waiting.”

Alex greeted me as if I was his wife who’s going out.

His words made my heart pound. He might have heard it.

“Well, I’ll be going then.”

I hurriedly stepped out into the rain. I hoped the sound of the heavy rain would hide my heartbeat.

***

“Claire, is that rumor true?”

While I was about to leave the count’s estate after finishing my work as usual, Miss Veronica suddenly asked without any context.

“What rumor?”

“The rumor that you’re dating Derrick.”

“…What?”

The words that came out of Miss Veronica’s mouth were absurd.

I was so shocked that I couldn’t close my gaping mouth and looked at Miss Veronica.

“Who said I’m dating who?”

“You and Derrick.”

“No, Miss, where did you hear such nonsense? And my standards are higher than you think.”

If you just went to the warehouse, you’d see a stunningly handsome man…

What? Derrick?

What a ridiculous story. The content was absurd, but it was even more shocking that it came from Miss Veronica.

“I’ve been working here with Derrick since childhood, but he’s not my type. I have no intention of dating him. Who started that rumor…?”

As I continued speaking, I suddenly remembered what happened yesterday.

“Did Dr. Voltaine visit today?”

“Yes. Today is my mother’s check-up day.”

I finally understood how the rumor might have been distorted.

“Miss, it’s a misunderstanding. It’s really not true.”

Miss Veronica’s eyes, which were usually gentle, now looked worried. Even her worried expression was lovely. As expected of the female protagonist of the story.

“Really? Then I must have misunderstood. I’m sorry, Claire.”

“You don’t need to apologize, Miss! I’m grateful that you asked me about it.”

“Got it. By the way, I didn’t know you had high standards, Claire. But I agree! You should meet a wonderful man!”

Miss Veronica seemed more earnest about it than I was. Seeing her clench her fists and look at me with shining eyes made me laugh unintentionally.

“So, you’re going out today as well?”

“Well, yes.”

“Alright. I won’t ask who it is. But be careful. The roads are slippery and dark.”

“Yes, Miss. Thank you for worrying about me.”

Miss Veronica was indeed kind. Despite her curiosity, she didn’t pry about my nightly outings.

Don’t worry, Miss! I’ll make sure to protect you and the count’s estate!

I finished my greeting and headed straight to my room. I was already prepared to go to the warehouse.

I’m walking through the heavy rain on the dark road.

I was so familiar with the path that I could find my way even in the dark.

As I was heading to the warehouse, I noticed a strange light in the distance.

It was odd to see a bright light in this weather and at this time, so I looked closely.

There were men in dark raincoats seemingly searching for something.

I quickly hid between the buildings and observed them.

First, the light seemed to come from a magic stone. It looked similar to the magic stones embedded around the Maynard estate to light up the darkness.

Magic stones were much more expensive than potions, so I couldn’t even dream of buying one.

And the people are using the magic stone to search for something.

I examined their faces, but I had never seen them in the 23 years I had lived in this territory.

I combined the things that came to mind as I watched them.

Outsiders searching for something at night, with enough wealth to use magic stones.

And Alex, or rather, Alexander Berzel, who had been stabbed and left for dead at night.

Could it be that they were looking for Alex?

It was a reasonable suspicion.

I held my breath and watched the people searching before cautiously turning around.

The suspicious people were on the path from the Maynard estate to the warehouse.

Although the warehouse and the estate weren’t close, it was still the fastest route.

But given the current situation, it seemed dangerous to take that path.

If they were the ones who attacked Alex, I would be leading them to his hiding place.

No matter how bad Alex was in the original story, I couldn’t let him die because of me. Not me, nor anyone else.

No, if they were the ones who attacked Alex, they had no reason to spare my life either.

They were willing to take the life of a noble like Alex, so they would certainly see my commoner’s life as insignificant.

The important thing was to inform Alex of this without being caught by them.

Fortunately, I knew all the paths in this village.

I started taking a detour, wary of being discovered and chased by them.

Luckily, no one followed me. I had to hurry.

I quickened my pace and headed to the warehouse as quickly as possible.

My heart was pounding loudly.

I shouldn’t have come out today.

But if I hadn’t come out, Alex would have been in danger.

I bit my lip and swallowed my saliva. I had twisted the original story and saved him instead of the female lead. It was a choice I made entirely on my own. So I had to protect him until the end. There was no time for regrets.

I wiped the rain off my face and opened the warehouse door.

“I’m coming in!”

Without even knocking, I spoke and entered the warehouse. Then I quickly closed the door and leaned against it, catching my breath.

“What happened?”

Alex asked, raising one eyebrow.

I caught my breath and slowly began to speak.

“It seems someone is looking for you, Alex!”

At my words, Alex grabbed the sword next to him and stood up.

Although his condition had improved significantly, his wound was not completely healed yet. Even so, he picked up the sword.

“Who is looking for me?”

“Yes. Yes? No, I’m not sure…”

Since I was focusing on his condition, I misspoke.

Feeling embarrassed, I bit my tongue and slowly started explaining what I had seen.

“I saw some people I had never seen before searching for something on the path from the count’s estate to here. There were several of them, and they were using magic stones, so they must be looking for something important.”

Seeing outsiders in Maynard’s territory wasn’t unusual.

Maynard bordered the capital, Sergal, so merchants, travelers, and adventurers often passed through.

However, what made these people suspicious was the timing and the hour.

Late August in the empire was known for its rainy season, with rain falling for about a week.

The rain was so heavy that most people in the empire didn’t leave their homes during this time.

Merchants usually didn’t transport goods, and travelers and adventurers didn’t risk the rainy roads.

In other words, movements in the empire were almost frozen during this period.

But now, outsiders were searching for something within the territory?

Even a ten-year-old child would find it strange.

And the only person hiding in this territory right now.

That person was the man in front of me, Alexander Berzel.

“But I’ve never seen anything unusual while walking that path at night, except for you, Alex. That’s why I told you. I think they might be looking for you.”

“…It seems so.”

After hearing my guess, Alex nodded in agreement.

“What did they look like?”

“They were wearing raincoats, but they were black, so I couldn’t see their clothes.”

“And?”

At Alex’s question, I recalled the people I had observed while hiding.

“One of them was as big as a bear. He seemed to have a scar on one side of his face. Another one had a similar build to you, Alex. His face was handsome but not particularly distinctive. He didn’t leave much of an impression. And then…”

I wasn’t sure how accurate my observations were, but I began to recount the features of the five people I had seen.

“Lastly, there was a boy about my height. He looked to be in his mid-teens.”

Alex listened to my description with an unreadable expression.

He seemed more serious, maybe even annoyed.

“Do you know them?”