We explored the market while eating the pies. Although it felt awkward that people were keeping a strange distance, it wasn’t without its advantages.

Every time I walked around the market before, I couldn’t get a proper look because of the crowded people, but now I could look around the market much more comfortably as people made way for us.

Suddenly, a piece of jewelry being sold at a stall caught my eye.

“Wow, it’s cute.”

It was a cute carrot-shaped hairpin.

It looked less refined and cruder than ones made by professional craftsmen in jewelry stores, but the clumsiness seemed to add to its cuteness.

“Are you going to buy it?”

Alex approached me and asked. He was looking at the hairpin I was holding with an expression of incomprehension.

“Why? Can’t I?”

“It’s not that, but is there any reason for you to buy something like this? If you want…”

Alex tilted his head and trailed off.

“This has its own charm.”

“Is that so?”

Seeing Alex still not understanding, I held the hairpin up to my hair to show him.

“Look closely. How is it? Does it suit me well?”

I deliberately winked one eye, and Alex chuckled with a smile.

“Indeed, anything suits you well, Claire.”

“Good. I thought it was mine the moment I saw it. How much is this?”

“It’s 2 shillings.”

“Oh! The price is cheap too.”

Just as I was about to rummage through my purse after hearing the price from the merchant,

“Here.”

“Huh? This is…”

Alex handed over money from his pocket first. But the amount Alex gave wasn’t 2 shillings.

“I-I don’t have enough to give you change for this much.”

The merchant looked flustered as he received the 1 gold coin Alex had handed over.

“Keep the change. Just take it.”

“What? But…”

“Consider it payment for making Claire happy.”

“Thank you!”

After hearing the merchant’s thanks, Alex turned to me and smiled softly.

“Are you going to put it on right away?”

“Ah, yes. That’s what I was planning.”

“Let me do it for you.”

Alex took the pin I was holding.

“You know how to do this too?”

At those words, Alex, who was about to raise his hand to my hair, hesitated for a moment and looked down at the pin.

Wondering why he was acting like that, I quietly watched him as he struggled to open his mouth.

“How do you do this?”

Seeing him ask back in embarrassment, I let out a small laugh.

I found it cute that he had picked up the pin first out of a desire to help, even though he didn’t know how to do it.

“Let me see. I’ll do it.”

“No. If you tell me how, I’ll do it.”

I nodded obediently at Alex’s words.

“If you look at the back, you can spread it like this. Then you just stick it in the hair like this.”

“…I see.”

Alex nodded with wide eyes.

Then he gently brushed my hair.

For some reason, I felt tense at his soft and careful touch.

“Tell me if it hurts.”

“I will.”

I felt Alex inserting the pin into my hair.

Because he was being so careful, it didn’t feel like it was properly attached to my head.

Soon Alex took his hands off me.

“Is it done?”

“I think so.”

“Hmm.”

I looked around for a mirror while fiddling with the pin with my hand.

“Here’s a mirror.”

The stall owner hastily handed me a mirror.

It wasn’t clear enough to see more than just confirming my face. But it was enough for now.

I examined the left side of my hair where Alex had pinned the hairpin in the mirror.

He had done quite well for his first time pinning it.

It looked like it might fall off if I shook my head a few times, but it looked fine from the outside.

“Does it suit me well?”

“Yes. It’s cute.”

“Right? I think I made a good choice. Thank you for buying it for me.”

“You’re welcome. And you’re cuter than the pin.”

“……”

I looked up at Alex for a moment, at a loss for words at his casual delivery of such a cheesy line.

He gently smiled and brushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

Then he lowered his hand and took mine.

“Let’s go.”

“Ah, yes.”

I snapped out of my daze after staring at him as if entranced.

I felt my face getting unnecessarily hot.

We returned to the security office, retracing our steps only after we had gone around the market once.

Seeing the employees of Duke Anstis’s family waiting outside, it seemed that Miss Veronica and Duke Anstis’s business was not yet finished.

“It’s taking longer than I thought.”

“Well, the other person is Duke Franz after all.”

It was a short sentence, but I understood.

“Then we’ll just wait a bit longer, I guess.”

We decided to wait for Miss Veronica.

The security office had prepared a place for Alex to rest inside out of consideration.

Alex and I sat alone on chairs, waiting for Miss Veronica and Duke Anstis to return.

“Come to think of it, I heard Sir Kruger decided to turn himself in? What’s going to happen to Christine then?”

To be honest, I wasn’t worried about Sir Kruger.

The damage Alex had suffered because of him was not insignificant.

He deserved to face the consequences of his wrongdoings and receive punishment according to his crimes.

This confession was for that purpose, so there was no reason to sympathize with him.

But the problem was Christine.

Christine had been captured by Duke Franz at a young age and had lived in an underground prison.

Her memories were stuck at that young age.

I was deeply worried about whether she could survive on her own.

If Sir Kruger confessed and revealed his crimes, not only Duke Franz but also Sir Kruger himself would not be able to avoid punishment.

“Are you worried about her?”

“Of course. Christine is someone who helped me after all. And she didn’t do anything wrong.”

“That’s true.”

Alex briefly agreed and looked at the door with a complicated expression.

“When Sir Kruger decided to confess, he came to see me.”

“You, Alex?”

“Yes.”

“What did he say?”

“He asked me to take care of his sister.”

“Ah…”

It was what I had guessed.

Honestly, even though Sir Kruger had been deceived by Duke Franz, it was true that he tried to harm Alex.

In that sense, it seemed shameless of him to ask Alex for a favor, but on the other hand, I could understand.

In the current situation, Alex would be the only person Sir Kruger could trust.

“…What are you going to do?”

“What do you think you would do if you were me, Claire?”

“……”

It was a difficult question.

Protecting the sister of a traitor who had tried to take his life…

If it were me, I didn’t think I would readily help Christine.

But I thought there must be another reason why Alex was bringing up this question to me.

“You’ve decided to do it, haven’t you?”

I cautiously asked him back.

After all, Alex needed a decisive witness to trap Duke Franz.

If Sir Kruger confessed and became a witness at the same time, Duke Franz would not be able to escape easily either.

And now that Sir Kruger had decided to confess, it wasn’t difficult to guess what decision Alex had made.

Alex nodded as if my words were correct.

“That’s right.”

I quietly reached out to him. And I held his firm hand.

Then he gave me a look.

“Thank you for worrying.”

I felt relieved as I saw Alex’s expression soften.

He seemed to be in better shape than I had thought.

“I’ve finished talking with Kruger. First, we’ll start by reviving the title of Count Robelin. The children of the Robelin family were only missing, the title itself wasn’t revoked. It’s a shame about the territory though. It was returned to His Majesty the Emperor since it couldn’t be managed while they were missing.”

“Then who becomes the Count of Robelin?”

“Christine Robelin.”

“Christine?”

“Yes. For now, we need someone to revive and maintain the title while Kruger is being punished. But from what I heard, it seems Kruger has no intention of becoming Count Robelin even after his punishment.”

I let out a small exclamation, thinking it was unexpected.

“And our side will be in charge of Christine Robelin’s education. From noble etiquette to how to run a merchant guild.”

“Even a merchant guild?”

I felt puzzled and asked about Alex’s words.

It seemed a bit strange to teach the Count of Robelin to run a merchant guild, considering their family had lost both territory and wealth.

Then Alex crossed his arms and leaned back against the chair.

“The only right they have left is quite valuable.”

“What… Oh! Are you talking about the diamond mine?”

I belatedly recalled the memory and asked Alex.

It must have been the correct answer, as Alex nodded with a pleased expression.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s as if the owner of the diamond mine, which had been vacant until now, has returned.”

It had been 10 years since Alex had obtained the mining rights for the diamond mine, but because he was framed for the murder of Count and Countess Robelin, he hadn’t touched the mine at all during that time.

It was a kind of pride from Alex’s standpoint.

That he didn’t kill them.

Now that all the truth was about to be revealed, there was nothing more to hesitate about.

“I’ve already finished talking about the mine with Kruger and Christine Robelin.”

“That’s good.”

“…It is good.”

Alex’s short sigh felt particularly heavy.

“Anyway, we agreed to help prepare them to stand on their own by following the procedures one by one like that.”

I looked at Alex and smiled gently.

“You did well.”

“Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease.”

Alex also smiled faintly at me.