She looked as if she had been hurt. Even though her expression was calm, Nocturne Lavernia couldn’t understand why she appeared that way.

“……You have someone?”

This time, even Serena was deeply hurt.

She turned her body abruptly and decided.

‘I will definitely leave this damn house!’

Serena’s mood was severely damaged.

“……Nocturne. Lavernia.”

“……Ye, yes, Father.”

Nocturne spoke without taking his eyes off her back.

“Go apologize to her right now, escort her to the ducal residence, and come back.”

“…But!”

“Just because you don’t say it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. What you said crossed the line.”

“……”

Nocturne also agreed with Marquis Lavernia’s words.

It was true that he had said it deliberately to hurt her.

But honestly, it’s also true that he didn’t think she would be hurt while saying it.

Of course, he thought a fist would fly, or there would be a violent outburst, or curses would be hurled.

Anyway, it means that Nocturne had said those words after preparing himself in his own way.

“…I’ll be back.”

Just as Nocturne answered with a sigh and was about to stride out of the Marquis’s residence.

‘…What?’

Fortunately, she hadn’t gone far.

However, Serena Lavernia was in someone’s arms.

In front of a carriage, she was embracing someone and holding onto them.

‘A man?’

Nocturne gradually slowed his brisk pace.

Eventually, with a few steps left, Nocturne stopped walking.

It was because the man, seemingly sensing his gaze, slowly raised his head and looked at Nocturne.

‘…Duke Kelahinum?’

The one embracing Serena was that very man.

Her husband, and like the Lavernia family, a man about whom many unfavorable rumors were circulating due to Serena.

‘Why……’

He quietly looked at Nocturne.

His bright yellow eyes pierced through him, and then one corner of his mouth lifted in a sardonic smile.

It looked both like a satisfied, full predator and a beast about to devour him right away, causing Nocturne to swallow hard.

He stroked Serena’s back with a very affectionate gesture.

Then, slowly taking his eyes off Nocturne Lavernia, he lightly kissed her nape.

“Serena.”

“Mm.”

“Did something happen?”

“No. Nothing.”

Seeing the two calmly exchanging a question and an answer, Nocturne almost let out a scream.

‘Wh, wh, who is that?!’

He couldn’t believe it.

Who on earth was that person speaking so normally in such a normal voice!

Nocturne Lavernia ended up frozen with his mouth open so wide it looked like his jaw might drop, completely losing his composure.

“I’m a bit worried since you hugged me as soon as you saw me….”

“Ah, sorry for making you uncomfortable……”

When she tried to subtly pull away, Magnus tightened his arm around her waist a little more.

“Not at all. It’s fine. I’ve always told you, haven’t I? I like it when you’re in my arms because it calms me down.”

Magnus was selling his usual medicine.

But in fact, he thought that saying such things so often might be making them true.

Magnus felt good when Serena was in his arms.

Even more so because she was looking at him with an expression like she was seeing something entirely new.

“We should talk when we get back. You look like you’re about to cry.”

“……I don’t cry.”

“I told you, it’s okay to cry in my arms.”

“That’s……!”

Magnus let out a low laugh as he saw her about to burst out but then firmly close her mouth.

With a face flushed bright red, she opened the carriage door and went in.

Magnus glanced at Nocturne and raised his index finger to lightly press it above his lips.

“That?”

Yet he asked Serena nonchalantly.

“That’s what you said in bed……! Forget it, let’s go back.”

“Yes, we should go home.”

“……”

Although Serena’s response wasn’t heard, Magnus got into the carriage with a slight smile.

“So, do you feel like telling me what happened?”

A voice leaked through the open carriage window.

Serena opened her mouth as if there was no one watching anymore.

“Just……”

“Just?”

“I just heard something obvious.”

“Someone said bad things to you again.”

Serena clenched her fists and turned her head.

“What did they say?”

“I was just giving advice, but they said no one likes me. It’s true though….”

“That’s wrong.”

The coachman seemed to have finished preparations and was holding the reins, waiting for the signal to depart.

Nocturne Lavernia couldn’t move from his spot.

“Didn’t I say that I love you?”

“……”

“Serena, I love you.”

“……Really.”

At that moment, a voice mixed with tears was heard.

“Giddy up!”

The carriage slowly started to move. The window was already closed.

Nocturne Lavernia couldn’t move even long after the carriage had gone far away.

It was because he had never seen his sister cry, not even once.

Not once from a very long time ago, since he was very young until now.

‘……Am I screwed?’

He stood there for a long time, rooted to the spot, turning pale.

‘Did you say harsh things to Lady Serena again?’

Slay, who came out belatedly, saw the young master who had turned pale and also turned pale himself, stomping his feet anxiously.

The misunderstanding only deepened.

* * *

“……Yes?”

“I heard that you’re in charge of the Marchioness’s treatment and that she has shown significant improvement.”

“Ah, yes……”

Serena was genuinely curious how that information had reached their ears.

“I have a request, Serena.”

“Yes?”

“My… His Majesty is suffering from the same illness. No one has known the cause until now.”

“Yes……”

Serena felt that something had gone terribly wrong.

She just wanted to live an easy life.

“Even when we called famous doctors, they all failed even to diagnose the illness.”

“……Yes.”

Serena just wanted to go home now.

Because such a long build-up always meant that troublesome talk was coming.

Originally, she had no intention of meeting this Crown Prince and Crown Princess, that is, the male lead and female lead, ever again.

After all, she had already said her final goodbyes!

“It’s better if we don’t see each other.”

“I’ll live quietly so that no news reaches you. It seems we won’t have any reason to meet again, so I hope you become a wise ruler.”

She had even parted with such words!

No matter how poor she was at basic human relationships, it didn’t mean she wasn’t embarrassed to meet like this again after parting with such formality.

“……”

She sincerely felt like crying.

‘Today, Magnus isn’t even here.’

Serena looked at them with disgruntled eyes.

She sincerely didn’t want to write the tenth line on her to-do list.

“If it’s about that, I can introduce you to a doctor and give them the medicine formula……”

Serena brought out a skill from her old teaching assistant days after a long time.

I won’t do it myself, but I’ll roughly tell you how, so you figure it out yourselves.

— That was the technique.

“I know you’ve been starting a business lately.”

“Yes……”

Though it’s more like being a figurehead.

Serena became a little anxious.

“I’ll support you.”

“I’ll support you too! I heard you’re making things like prosthetic limbs… if the temple supports……”

‘So how do you know all of this.’

Serena was starting to get scared of the information network in the medieval era.

Wasn’t this information that only Magnus, some related parties, and the Lavernia couple should know, information she hadn’t even mentioned?

“No, it’s fine……”

Serena refused.

She didn’t want to make the work bigger.

Moreover, the prosthetic limb part would never be brought out to the world again except for Drukan.

Because it’s headache-inducing and troublesome.

Serena frowned, recalling the prosthetic limb that was still stagnant even after nearly a month of racking her brains.

‘Ah, Drukan.’

This was perfect timing.

“Do you perhaps need a guard knight, Your Highness?”

“…A guard knight? Suddenly?”

“Yes, I have a guard knight I hired who is very skilled, but it seems a bit wasteful for just protecting me, so I wanted to introduce him. His name is Drukan.”

“……Drukan?”

The Crown Prince seemed to recognize the name.

Serena nodded as if she had been waiting for this.

Because Serena also knew that the Crown Prince knew the name Drukan.

“…Drukan, you say, that name is……”

“Do you know him, Your Highness?”

“Ah……”

The Crown Prince pondered.

Certainly, if the Drukan he knew was that Drukan, he would be perfect for guarding the Crown Princess.

“If it’s the person I know, he’s a knight with excellent skills.”

“Is he that good…?”

“Yes, in this empire, perhaps only Magnus… I mean Duke Kelahinum could defeat him.”

‘……Huh?’

Serena was surprised.

Was Magnus that strong?

Thinking that Magnus would be greatly offended if he knew, Serena opened her eyes wide.