“Sometimes it’s important to have time alone.”

Sir Kruger said, placing his glass on the railing.

At those words, I stopped my approach towards him.

“Oh! Have I perhaps disturbed your alone time because of me?”

I suddenly became the person who interrupted Sir Kruger’s time.

As belated guilt washed over me, I was considering turning back when Sir Kruger spoke.

“No. Come to think of it, it’s better to have a conversation with someone than to be alone and miserable.”

“That’s just something you’re saying to comfort me, right?”

“No. It’s really fine.”

Sir Kruger shrugged his shoulders as though it was truly alright.

I was unsure, but rather than fleeing awkwardly, it seemed better to have a conversation with Sir Kruger as he suggested.

“So it’s really okay for me to be here?”

“Yes.”

Only after hearing Sir Kruger’s confirmation did I carefully approach his side.

“Aren’t you cold?”

Unlike me, who was wearing a shawl, Sir Kruger was dressed in a light poet shirt and black trousers.

His attire was so light it was hard to believe it was early winter.

“It’s fine. I don’t really feel the cold much.”

“That’s impressive. I’m actually a bit cold even now.”

“Ah, then wouldn’t it be better for you to go inside?”

“No, it’s okay. It’s a bit stuffy to just stay inside.”

“I see.”

Sir Kruger nodded like he understood.

I adjusted my shawl at his response. Then I noticed the glass he was holding.

“By the way, did something unpleasant happen?”

Although it felt a bit awkward to ask someone I hadn’t known for long, it was something I couldn’t not ask out of courtesy, so I carefully inquired, trying not to offend him.

“…No.”

He answered after stalling for time by looking at the distant mountains.

It was my intuition, but it seemed like he had some unpleasant business he didn’t want to talk about to others.

However, since he wasn’t speaking about it, I felt I shouldn’t force the issue, so I kept my mouth shut.

Sir Kruger silently gazed at the mountains for a long while.

I too followed his gaze to look at the mountains, but they seemed unremarkable.

Perhaps what he was looking at wasn’t the mountains, but something he didn’t want to talk about.

“Are you perplexed by the Duke’s sudden proposal?”

Sir Kruger, who had been maintaining silence for a while, asked me.

Instead of answering, I smiled.

It was awkward to say I was troubled to one of Alex’s subordinates, and it was also odd to lie.

Sir Kruger seemed to understand my feelings and picked up the wine bottle, then suddenly checked on me.

“I only brought one glass… what should we do?”

He looked at me hesitantly just as he was about to pour the wine. I was slightly surprised by his unexpectedly thoughtful consideration.

I shrugged my shoulders slightly while looking at him.

“It’s okay. I don’t really like alcohol anyway. It tastes bad.”

“Then, if you don’t mind, I’ll drink alone.”

“Please do.”

Sir Kruger, who bowed his head once again to ask for understanding, lifted the bottle and filled his glass.

The dark red wine filled the glass. Meanwhile, the wine in the bottle showed its bottom.

“You’ve already finished a whole bottle?”

Sir Kruger seemed to be quite a drinker.

I spoke without much thought, just stating what I saw. Sir Kruger then lifted the empty wine bottle to look at it.

“I thought I hadn’t drunk much, but it’s already empty.”

Whether it was because he had finished the wine or because he was thinking of something else, a bitterness appeared on his face.

I pretended not to have seen anything and turned my head to look at the garden.

“By the way, what brings you all the way here, Miss Claire?”

“I had some time left, so I thought I’d look around the mansion. Then I saw you and came over. Also to see the garden while I’m at it.”

“Ah, I see. Do you like the mansion?”

“It’s pretty, but… what’s there for me to like or dislike? It’s not mine anyway.”

“……”

Sir Kruger looked down at me for a moment. Then he spoke in a low voice.

“It might become yours, you know?”

“You mean if I marry Alex, right?”

Sir Kruger nodded, meaning yes. I frowned one eyebrow at his response.

I had conversed with the Rose Knights a few times, but I still couldn’t understand their reactions.

“Do you really want me to marry Alex, Sir Kruger?”

“Well, rather than wanting…”

“I don’t understand. Even if Alex, I mean Duke Berzel, acts that way, shouldn’t you be opposing it? It doesn’t make sense no matter how you look at it. Me, who’s just a maid, marrying Duke Berzel, a high noble?”

“……”

“I don’t know what Alex is thinking, but at least the people around him! No, no. At the very least, shouldn’t the Rose Knights, who are Alex’s closest confidants, be opposing this?”

“In a normal case, that would be correct.”

Sir Kruger answered as if he understood my doubts.

“Then is this not a normal case?”

“Correct.”

“Then what kind of case is it?”

“As you said, Miss Claire, the other party is Duke Berzel.”

“……”

It was a statement I absolutely couldn’t understand.

“Anyway, from what I know of the Duke, there’s nothing he can’t obtain if he wants it. Be it money, power… even if it’s love.”

I agreed with that.

Alex was someone who would do absolutely anything to get what he wanted.

And the fact that Sir Kruger knew this meant that the Alex I knew from the original story wasn’t much different from the current Alex.

Just thinking about it gave me goosebumps.

“If this conversation made you uncomfortable, I apologize. I’m sorry.”

When I didn’t respond, Sir Kruger apologized to me with a bitter expression.

“No, it’s fine. I was just curious why no one was trying to stop Alex. I guess everyone thinks like you, Sir Kruger.”

“…Probably. And as I mentioned before, the Duke is a lonely person. They probably think that having a good person like you by his side would surely have a positive influence.”

I shrugged my shoulders at his words.

Anyway, it seemed that Sir Kruger was in favor of me being with Alex.

And it seemed that others had no objections to this idea either.

This shouldn’t be happening…

If someone opposed and hit a wall, it would give more justification and I could naturally return with the excuse that it couldn’t be helped.

But then again, would it be meaningless for Alex’s subordinates to oppose him?

He could just ignore everything and proceed anyway.

Should there be opposition from the nobility or the imperial family if it’s going to happen?

“If.”

While I was lost in thought, Sir Kruger opened his mouth.

It was such a low and small voice that it was barely audible.

If I hadn’t been standing next to him, I might not have heard it.

I looked up at him. His amber eyes stared intently at my face.

Perhaps because he had drunk a lot, his pupils seemed a bit dilated.

“If Miss Claire still doesn’t like the Duke even after time passes, I will help you leave. Please feel free to tell me later.”

“You’ll help me, Sir Kruger?”

“Yes.”

“That’s reassuring, but is that okay?”

“There’s no reason why it wouldn’t be.”

Sir Kruger, who had shifted his gaze straight ahead, tilted his glass. The amount of red wine decreased and soon the glass was empty.

Sir Kruger removed the glass from his mouth and let out a small sigh.

Then he smiled slightly as if he had never been dazed.

“Well, I’ve finished my drink, so I’ll be heading in now. I hope you enjoy your tour comfortably.”

“Yes.”

Sir Kruger bowed his head briefly towards me. I also greeted him in the same manner and watched as he walked away.

Only then did I slowly move into the garden.

Despite it being early winter, flowers were blooming in the garden. Preservation magic had probably been cast on the flowers.

I had heard that this was common among nobles, but it was my first time seeing it in person.

There were no artificially maintained flowers in bloom at the Count of Maynard’s residence.

The Madam disliked forcibly blooming flowers…

It was Madam’s principle that living things are beautiful because they are alive.

The garden at the Maynard’s residence was bare now.

But there was a charm in waiting for the vibrant flowers that would bloom in the coming spring.

I knelt down and looked at the modestly blooming flowers. Then I carefully reached out towards the flowers.

Unlike the cold air, the flower petals that touched my fingertips were lukewarm.

It was evidence of magic.

Just looking at the garden, the difference between the Maynard count family and the Berzel ducal family was too great.

Even so, seeing the flowers was indeed nice.

It provided a good spectacle for someone like me who was just staying briefly before leaving.

At that moment, a cold wind brushed against my exposed neck. I reflexively shrank and tightened my shawl.

“Ugh, cold.”

It seemed that today’s outdoor walk should end here.

I stood up and looked around. At the same time, I froze in place.

“Uh…”

A problem had arisen.

I must have walked out lost in thought, because there was nothing but grass all around. There were occasional statues and ornaments, but ultimately, bushes filled all directions.

I remembered Avina’s words that if I couldn’t find my way, I should just grab a passing servant or maid and ask.

But unfortunately, I couldn’t do as she said.

Because there wasn’t a single person around to ask.

“…What should I do?”

At the age of twenty-three…

I had lost my way inside Berzel’s ducal mansion.