“Moving to the countryside was my dream.”

Ever since entering elementary school, her life had been nothing but studying, studying, and more studying.

She spent each day in fierce competition, and even on days off, she couldn’t properly rest due to stress.

In a way, it might have been the same after coming to this world.

Living as Catherine Rochelin, she had been scrambling and rubbing elbows with nobles in the world known as high society.

“Ah— the fresh air.”

In this world, the air in the city wasn’t particularly bad, but still, the feeling was just different. Coming to the countryside, it felt like she was breathing incredibly clean air.

Catherine’s maid, Sandy, spoke up.

“My lady said you must write a letter at least once a week without fail.”

“Sure. I’ll send one when I feel like it.”

“Miss.”

“Anyway, I can’t wait to go inside.”

As Catherine bounced on her feet with excitement, Sandy quietly looked up at the building.

“But the place you’ll be staying… is this really…?”

…Truly the right place?

Sandy examined the building up and down with suspicious eyes.

The two-story wooden structure was far too run-down for a noble to reside in.

“Yes. This is it.”

Catherine said confidently.

“There aren’t many buildings around here. All the other places look like this too.”

At her words, Sandy looked around. It was certainly a small village. The buildings scattered sparsely throughout the village were comparable to the one Catherine had pointed out.

Still, as a count’s daughter, she could at least stay in the finest building in this village.

Even if it’s not this village, a rural lord’s manor would be fine too…

Sandy had words rising up to her throat, but she swallowed them back down. Catherine was spinning around going “Ah— this is wonderful—,” and Sandy had the illusion that flower petals were drifting around her.

‘Ah…… she’s beautiful……’

Even as a fellow woman, she’s so pretty.

‘If only I could be even a fraction as pretty as a single strand of that hair.’

While Sandy stood there in a daze, Catherine spoke.

“By the way, Sandy.”

“Yes?”

“Could you go to the village and buy some food?”

“Let me put down the luggage first.”

“No. I’ll take care of the luggage. Hurry along.”

Catherine lifted her single bag and shrugged her shoulders. Up until this point, Sandy hadn’t thought anything of it.

It was unlike a count’s daughter to come down with such a modest scale, but since she must have been so mentally and physically exhausted in the capital, perhaps she wanted to empty everything out.

Of course, that was true, but she never dreamed in a million years that she herself would be included in the things Catherine wanted to “empty out.”

After all, Sandy had come down with her solely to attend to Catherine.

She simply thought that Miss must be very hungry, and hurried her steps toward the market entrance. And as her footsteps quickly grew distant, Catherine smiled slyly behind her.

‘Tsk tsk. Naive Sandy.’

But if she stayed with Sandy, her every move would be regularly reported to her mother and father, the weekly letter would become a reality, and eventually there might even be a disaster where the two of them came down themselves.

If the trail grew that long, her whereabouts would be exposed as well.

Among the bored noblewomen of high society, there might even be people who would come to see Catherine under the pretense of a casual visit — when really they were coming to watch the runaway.

The future was plain to see, and she couldn’t just sit still.

Taking advantage of Sandy’s absence, Catherine detached the horse from the carriage. There was a reason she had reduced her luggage to a single bag. Catherine quickly loaded her belongings onto the horse and climbed onto its back.

“Hyah!”

This is the beginning of true freedom.

She began to ride without any particular destination.

Sandy, who had been coming out of the shop, spotted her and came running after her, calling out “Miss!” repeatedly, but it was impossible to keep up with the speed of a horse.

“Sorry! Don’t look for me!”

“Nooo—! Miss—!”

Deeper, deeper, deeper into the countryside she would go.

And she would shed her life as Catherine Rochelin and find the healing life she had truly wanted.

– – –

The Switzelia Empire. Capital city, Kelt.

The Count and Countess Rochelin — that is, Count Carmen and Countess Sabrina — were sunk deep in worry.

Sandy, standing before them, bowed her head low like a criminal.

Carmen asked in a low voice.

“So you’re saying she fled on horseback? Our Catherine?”

“……That is……”

‘It’s true. It really is true. Even I had no idea our young lady was such a wild one. Waaah.’

Sandy wanted to cry.

The count and countess couldn’t easily believe her words. But they also knew well that Sandy, whom they had watched since childhood, was not the type to tell lies.

Carmen and Sabrina did not treat those beneath them carelessly. Part of the reason Catherine had been able to remain a jewel of high society for so long without scandal was thanks to her irreproachable parents.

While most nobles would immediately punish servants for failing to properly attend to their master, the two of them were merely distressed.

“What are we going to do about our Catherine?”

“We need to send people out and search thoroughly.”

When Carmen spoke with a grave expression, Sabrina stopped him.

“Dear. If word of this reaches His Majesty’s ears……”

“Hmm.”

Carmen let out a low groan.

‘Whatever shall we do about this situation.’

The incident that had happened to Catherine at the banquet hall had been relayed to both of them as well. Being a rather embarrassing rumor, the gossip that Catherine had toyed with Edwin as a one-night fling and then discarded him reached their ears quite late.

They were probably the last people to have heard this rumor.

The problem was that Edwin had continued to seek out Catherine even after that.

Whether it was different when they were alone, whenever there were people around, Edwin would drop remarks laden with misunderstanding.

Things like:

“You’re clearly different between day and night. That’s your charm.”

Or:

“I wonder how you’ll entertain me today.”

No matter how Catherine glared and reacted, the rumors only deepened in a direction unfavorable to her.

In the end, Catherine declared it.

That she was leaving Kelt.

That she could no longer live here.

Carmen and Sabrina were not pleased about sending Catherine alone to an unfamiliar place, but forcibly keeping her in Kelt would have been far too cruel to her.

In the end, Catherine sought help from the Marchioness Cheliano household. Since they had a territory in a distant frontier, she would stay there. She could have stayed in a Rochelin-owned territory, but Catherine refused, saying what if the Emperor found her there.

So it was decided she would receive help from her best friend, Vivi Cheliano.

Since Catherine and Vivi had been close friends since childhood, the count and countess reluctantly gave their permission.

But since they were anxious about her going alone, they sent Sandy along with her.

And yet this disaster had occurred.

“Did she at least make it to the Cheliano territory?”

“Yes. There was a run-down building there, but it seemed strange that Miss Vivi would have arranged such a place. But then again, it was such a small village, there was nothing decent to be found either……”

As Sandy rambled on with excuses, Sabrina asked in a gentle voice.

“It’s alright. Go on. You said the owner of that building knew nothing?”

At those words, Sandy flinched.

She had been played by Miss’s plan from beginning to end.

“When I went inside, it was an abandoned house…… I have committed a sin worthy of death!”

Sandy finally prostrated herself flat on the floor.

She had thought it looked run-down, but to think it was actually a ruin!

How utterly dumbfounded she had been when she went inside.

She had already complained to Vivi, but Vivi had also seemed shocked. She said there was no way she would have arranged lodgings in such an abandoned building, and was bewildered in turn.

What on earth is to be done about this.

Just as they were deep in deliberation.

The outside grew noisy.

Amid the murmuring, voices like “The young lady is not here,” and “It’s the truth” could be heard. Judging by the fact that the servants were unable to actively stop them, the rude visitor appeared to be of high status.

Bang!

The intruder, who had barged in without even knocking, peered into the room. Seeing Sandy prostrated flat before the Count and Countess Rochelin, the intruder tilted his head to one side.

“What’s going on here?”

“Your Majesty.”

Carmen and Sabrina observed proper decorum. While inwardly grinding their teeth, thinking he was someone they could tear apart and k*ll.

It was because of this person that Catherine’s once smooth life had been dragged through the mud.

Because of that wretched Emperor.

And that wretched Emperor, Edwin, looked displeased. He got straight to the point of his unannounced visit.

“Where is Catherine?”

“We do not know either.”

“Count Rochelin. Do you think that’s a reasonable answer?”

“We ourselves are devastated by our daughter who left home so recklessly.”

“……”

Edwin furrowed his brow.

He knew that the reason Catherine had left home was because of him. But he was equally reckless. He felt he wouldn’t be at ease until Catherine was right before his eyes, but he had no idea how to release this dark and relentless feeling.

“You.”

“Y-Yes!”

Sandy was startled when Edwin called out to her.

“I’m taking this one with me.”

“Your Majesty!”

Carmen tried to stop him, but Edwin merely looked down at him with cold disdain.

“Find a way to contact Catherine. If a week passes, I will pull out one of this girl’s fingernails each day.”

“……!”

Sandy instinctively clenched her fists to hide her fingernails. Her body trembled uncontrollably. Even on the way back after losing Catherine, she had never once imagined being tortured. That was how kind and benevolent Carmen and Sabrina were as masters.

But why does the Emperor have to get involved……

Edwin forcibly dragged away the struggling Sandy. Terrified by the Emperor’s authority, Sandy couldn’t even properly resist. She choked back her sobs like a pig being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

Carmen had to compose his devastated feelings in the face of Edwin’s increasingly severe tyranny.

– – –

“You’re here.”

Upon returning to the imperial palace, Edwin found that he had a visitor.

Despite it being a face he hadn’t seen in a long time, the greeting was brief. That could be interpreted as a sign of how close they were.

Edwin’s guest — that is, Duke Rowell Windhart — raised an eyebrow upon seeing his cousin for the first time in a while.

“What have you gone and done this time.”

Bringing in some woman with tears brimming in her eyes made it seem like he had done something terrible again.

“Rowell. It’s none of your concern.”

“……”

“More importantly, did you take care of those vermin properly?”

“Of course.”

Rowell had been on his way back from fighting rebels from a vassal state that had risen against the Empire, under Edwin’s orders.

He had only just arrived in Kelt today.

Rowell’s gaze briefly drifted toward Sandy. She didn’t seem like Edwin’s type, so he couldn’t understand why he had brought her all the way here.

At that moment, Edwin spoke.

“By the way, I feel bad asking someone who just arrived today, but…”

“You don’t look sorry at all.”

“Really? Then I’ll just say it directly.”

Rowell nodded. He’s probably going to send me somewhere again, he thought.

But then Edwin said something entirely different.

“You know Catherine, right?”

Rowell looked up. He had expected him to bring up war or suppressing rebels.

“You mean the Rochelin young lady?”

Is there anyone who doesn’t know that woman?

Surely he’s not asking something so obvious.

As Rowell stared at him steadily, Edwin murmured in a low voice.

“Go find that woman. Right now.”