After offering an apology, he immediately muttered, wondering why he kept accumulating things to be sorry for, and vigorously rubbed his face with one hand.

Although the apologetic person was right in front of her, Lysith was truly fine. It hadn’t hurt that much to begin with, and it was natural for someone who handled swords to be sensitive and quick. The library’s unique smell and the soft sunlight pouring through the window had also made her mood soft and malleable.

“You don’t need to go that far.”

That’s why Lysith spoke those words and gently smiled at the man sitting beside her.

“……”

And the moment she smiled, Dietrich’s deep blue eyes became dreamily unfocused as if wandering through a dream. How long had it been since he had seen such a smile from her? As this thought crossed his mind, he was seized by a desire to never forget this smile. Last time, someone had interrupted, and he hadn’t been able to see it.

Without even blinking, he took in her face until it returned to its usual expression, and then suddenly questioned Lysith, who was looking at him in astonishment.

“Why……”

“Su-suddenly, why are you crying?”

“……?”

What an absurd situation this was. Lysith hurriedly offered the handkerchief she had brought. Yet this foolish man was still tilting his head as if he didn’t understand what the problem was.

Thinking she might grab him by the collar out of sheer frustration, Lysith directly wiped his tears.

Momentarily startled by Lysith’s sudden proximity, Dietrich soon realized he had shed tears when he felt the wetness on his face.

They weren’t tears of sadness but physiological tears caused by not blinking for too long. However, since the situation of her wiping his tears felt so good that he could float away, he didn’t mention it and quietly accepted her touch.

“Did I… say something strange?”

Dietrich remained silent at Lysith’s question.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally answered in a small voice, as if gauging her reaction.

“Just, because I’m happy.”

“……Pardon?”

“If it’s not too presumptuous, could I hug you just once?”

So suddenly? Though perplexed, Lysith put away her handkerchief and gave a small nod.

It’s not like she would wear out from a hug. That much was fine.

With her permission, Dietrich slowly extended his arms. The hug, executed with such excessive caution, had a somewhat foolish aspect to it.

‘Is this even considered a hug?’

It was impossible to tell whether he was hugging air or Lysith. Dietrich’s arms were about 5 centimeters away from her. Seeing this behavior, Lysith finally sighed, causing him to flinch and try to slowly withdraw his arms.

How frustrating. Unable to bear it any longer, she extended her arms.

“No, you should do it like this.”

“……!”

Exasperated, Lysith leaned her upper body forward, extended her arms, and hugged Dietrich. Surprised by her action, he soon seemed to gain courage and placed his arms around her waist and back.

Feeling this, Lysith let out a slight snort.

“Last time, you hugged me very tightly.”

“Back then, I wasn’t thinking clearly……”

But he vaguely thought that he wasn’t thinking clearly now either. The small hand on his back, the feminine body nestled obediently in his arms, the softly grumbling voice, the white skin visible when he looked down, the faintly wafting delicate scent, and the straight back felt under his palm—all these things made his mind hazy.

Deliberately ignoring his heart’s clamor to hold her longer, Dietrich clung to the thread of reason and slowly withdrew his arms.

After a brief moment, as arms returned to their original positions, Lysith naturally put on her hat again and picked up her book, as if flowing with water.

“Will you be staying longer?”

“No. Let’s go together.”

Dietrich, holding the embroidery book he had placed beside him, briefly checked Lysith’s reaction before turning it over and inserting it into the return box as if it were nothing.

‘He’s already seen it all.’

Still, Lysith decided to pretend she hadn’t noticed. Judging by his demeanor, he seemed embarrassed to show that he was so earnestly studying embroidery for her.

After Lysith borrowed the novel she was holding, they left the library together and headed toward where the carriage would be waiting.

Now she could go home and finally read the novel she had obtained, ending the day on a very good note! With this thought, she walked forward, but what awaited her was the thunderbolt-like news of a broken carriage wheel.

“I’m sorry, Miss. I’ve called someone, but they said it will take some time……”

“It’s alright. How long will it take?”

“Well, they said it would take about three hours.”

“Three hours……”

At the coachman’s words, Lysith looked up at the sky.

In three hours, the sun would set, the evening hours would pass, and most importantly, waiting that long meant either standing here or sitting in the library. To make matters worse, the library closed at 6 PM.

As Lysith was contemplating what to do, Dietrich, who stood beside her observing the situation, extended a helping hand.

“I can take you home.”

“……”

Shifting her gaze to the all-black carriage standing to the side, Lysith gave a wry look.

She didn’t have particularly good memories associated with it…

At that look in her eyes, Dietrich closed his mouth like someone who felt guilty about something. However, given the circumstances, he didn’t seem inclined to withdraw his offer.

“Sigh, then I’ll accept your help just for today.”

“It’s hardly worth calling it help.”

Leaving her carriage in the coachman’s care, Lysith finally boarded Dietrich’s carriage. As soon as he took his seat across from her and the order to depart was given, she spoke.

“Could you wait for a moment when we arrive at my mansion?”

She still had his coat that he had wrapped around her in the imperial palace garden. There was nothing particularly soiled about it, but she had even had it cleaned. There was one more thing she needed to give him, but Lysith decided to return just the coat for now, just in case.

However, her words didn’t seem to register with him, as Dietrich raised one eyebrow in question.

“I want to return your coat.”

“Ah……”

His voice sounded slightly deflated, as if he had been expecting something else.

Feeling preemptively guilty, Lysith blurted out words that hadn’t been asked.

“The handkerchief is… not quite finished yet.”

“……I see.”

When the conversation ended, silence naturally followed. Perhaps because it was the Grand Duke’s carriage, or because magical devices had been extensively used, even the rattling noise was barely audible, making it even quieter.

‘What should I do about this atmosphere.’

Looking for somewhere to rest her eyes, Lysith finally fixed her gaze outside the window.

Her sky-blue eyes, which had started observing passersby and street scenery just to avoid awkwardness, soon began to show signs of enjoyment. She was captivated by the everyday streets she rarely saw and the peacefulness of the late afternoon.

And Dietrich, who was staring at Lysith’s profile, suddenly thought that the woman sitting before him looked like a noble lady. The wide-brimmed hat to hide her face, the white dress covering her from neck to wrist to toe, even the ivory lace gloves.

……Until just a few months ago, she had indeed been a noble lady.

Suddenly feeling self-loathing, he let out a small, imperceptible laugh. There was a passage in a book he had read as a child. That love is all about timing.

How true those words were. Could he have known that his first love would end badly and become his divorced ex-wife?

Strictly speaking, it was because of the divorce that the current Lysith he had fallen for existed, but unaware of this, Dietrich struggled with his self-loathing.

The carriage carrying a woman distracted by the scenery and a man immersed in self-loathing finally came to a stop in front of a modest mansion.

As Lysith was getting out of the carriage with Dietrich’s escort, she glanced at the mansion and then saw a figure slowly approaching from that direction. In that moment, she slipped and lost her footing.

“Ah……!”

Along with the sensation of her heart plummeting, Lysith tightly closed her eyes, but felt no pain. This was, of course, because Dietrich, who was beside her, immediately grabbed her lower back. However, Lysith’s attention was elsewhere, causing her heart to pound twice as hard.

And simultaneously, Penchev, who had rushed over in an instant, extended his hand with a visibly worried look as he opened the main gate.

“Miss! Are you alright?”

The carriage had stopped in front of the gate, and he had been at the mansion’s entrance, yet somehow he had come immediately. Lysith tried to calm her wildly beating heart and nodded.

“Uh-uh….. Yes, I’m fine.”

I know what this is. I’ve experienced this multiple times already!

Lysith inwardly wailed and blamed her past self from tens of minutes ago. Where had the past me gone who was wary even of Ashites’s visits? I should have just asked him to take me home!

“The carriage broke down, so… I happened to meet His Highness the Grand Duke, who brought me home.”

“I see.”