For now, she had come inside the room.

But Catherine could not calm down. Looking out the window, she could see people moving about noisily. The late afternoon sunlight had begun to take on a yellowish hue.

Catherine gnawed at her fingernails and paced around the room in circles.

Rowell had said they would return to Kelt tomorrow.

Was she going to follow along obediently? And if she did, what would happen?

Rowell would take her to the imperial palace. And then how would Edwin react? Would he merely taunt her with words as he had been doing? Or would he actually try to…

“No!”

Her steps came to an abrupt halt.

She had allowed herself to imagine something horrifying. Her previously composed expression crumpled in an instant.

Having that kind of skin-to-skin encounter with that man?

Absolutely not.

At the same time, her aversion toward Rowell, who was keeping watch over her, grew stronger.

Unless he was completely oblivious, he had to know full well what would happen to her if she was taken to Edwin like this. And yet he was still going to take her?

He was a good man for the heroine, and no one else.

For her, cast in the role of the villainess, he was far too terrible a person.

She glared at the door for no particular reason. Was he planning to stand guard all day? Probably. Stubborn man. He seemed like the type who would stand guard without even eating. The type who would stay up all night keeping watch without sleeping.

It was then that the curtains caught Catherine’s eye.

She leaned her upper body out the window and looked down.

Third floor.

Worth a try.

– – –

Rip, rip, riiiip.

The sound of something being torn came through.

Rowell was still standing in front of the door with his arms uncrossed.

He had expected her not to stay still, but she really was not staying still.

The corner of his lips lifted slightly.

If she was going to do it, she could at least be a little more discreet about it.

It was genuinely difficult to pretend not to notice.

What made it truly hard to suppress his laughter was that she was clearly trying her best not to make noise. The fact that her efforts were so palpably evident made it even harder to hold back.

She was so careless about it.

Even though it would put him in a difficult position if Catherine escaped, he couldn’t bring himself to feel any ill will toward her.

Having been through every kind of hardship imaginable, Rowell could paint a detailed picture in his mind of Catherine’s actions from the faint sounds alone. She was probably tearing up the spare clothes in the wardrobe, or the curtains. Making them into a rope, like something out of a fairy tale, to escape out the window.

It wouldn’t be as easy as in a fairy tale.

He even felt a strange sense of anticipation, wondering whether Catherine would actually manage to pull it off.

What on earth was he doing.

The Rowell of normal circumstances would have bound her on the spot at the slightest sign of an escape attempt.

It was the second day since receiving the order. Was he being leisurely because he still had five days remaining?

Even he found this side of himself unfamiliar.

– – –

“Phew.”

Catherine wiped the sweat beading on her forehead.

Making a rope by cutting up the curtains had taken quite a long time. She had to cut carefully to keep the sound from leaking outside.

The fact that it was quiet outside suggested she had succeeded.

Catherine tied the ends of the cut fabric together. When she finished, a long rope was complete. Looking out the window, it was already pitch dark outside.

She wondered whether Rowell was still standing outside. It was dinnertime.

But what if she opened the door to check and he was still there?

She had worked so hard to make the escape rope. It would be a disaster if it got confiscated.

Catherine tucked away her unnecessary curiosity and looked around the room. Somewhere to anchor it…

“Oh!”

She spotted the posts at the four corners of the bed.

“I can tie it there.”

It was all coming together smoothly.

‘As expected, I’m a genius.’

She tied the fabric rope tightly to the corner post closest to the window. She let the rest of the rope drop down outside the window.

Now all she had to do was climb down…

Ugh. Could she actually do this?

The third floor was higher than she had expected. She hadn’t known she had a fear of heights. Her knees were beginning to feel weak. But she summoned her courage.

‘You can do this, Catherine!’

She swung her body out the window.

She descended carefully, one handspan at a time, along the rope.

Her arm strength was less than she had expected, and she couldn’t pick up speed. Catherine strained with everything she had to keep from slipping off the rope. Somehow, she ended up dangling in a rather ridiculous position.

“Ugh.”

She wanted to cry.

‘I am a count’s daughter.’

‘Why do I have to be doing this? So undignified. Waaah.’

But this was no time to be lamenting her circumstances.

Knock, knock.

“Miss. I’m coming in.”

Sandy’s voice came through.

– – –

A short while before.

Rowell had seen Sandy come out of the maid’s room. Sandy quietly bowed her head to Rowell and disappeared down the stairs. No particular words were exchanged between the two of them.

Even at that point, Rowell didn’t know where Sandy was going.

Since the only one he had been told to bring back was Catherine, Sandy could disappear wherever she liked, as far as he was concerned.

And then, a short while later.

Sandy reappeared.

Walking along the corridor, she was carrying a large tray in her hands. On it sat a meal with steam rising gently from it.

“Your Grace. I have prepared a meal.”

Oh, this is a problem.

“Please dine together with Miss.”

She would be in the middle of climbing down by now.

Rowell said neither yes, nor no, nor that it was fine. Saying yes would have been the most appropriate response, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. Saying no seemed strange, and saying it was fine wasn’t right either since he had no intention of skipping the meal.

Unable to make a decision, he remained silent.

Knock, knock.

Sandy was quite decisive in her actions.

“Miss. I’m coming in.”

Sandy, who had opened the door deftly with the hand holding the tray, nearly dropped it.

“Miss!”

Catherine was gone.

Leaving behind only a strange rope tied to the bedpost.

Rowell, who had followed her inside, grasped the situation in an instant. The taut rope extended all the way to the window. That meant she was still hanging from it. But the movement of the rope was unsettling. The way it swayed anxiously suggested she had been startled by Sandy’s arrival.

At that moment.

Snap!

The taut rope broke. More precisely, the knot tying the ends of the fabric together came undone.

“Ahhh!”

He moved without time to think. When he came to his senses, Rowell had his body more than halfway out the window.

“Ro, ro, ro, Rowell!”

Catherine cried out, her face drained of all color. She clung desperately to her lifeline. The end of it was held in Rowell’s hand.

His head spun.

Cold sweat ran down Rowell’s back. He had nearly let go. He had caught it just barely, by the narrowest of margins.

Catherine looked at him as though he were her savior. Right now, Rowell was the only one she could rely on.

“Do not move.”

“Uh, yes…”

“It is dangerous if you sway.”

His black hair swayed. Those eyes, cold as ice, burned with heat.

The solid muscles concealed beneath his shirt moved in steady rhythm as they pulled the rope.

Catherine hung from the rope obediently. Who cared about a ridiculous posture or anything else. She had nearly died. And she had been saved like this.

Rowell’s intense gaze and expression were seared into her mind. His face drew closer and closer.

Catherine found herself in a daze without realizing it. She hadn’t known that the face of a man saving someone could look this remarkable.

“Hah.”

Rowell’s breath was slightly ragged. That had truly been a close call. If he had been even a moment later…

Those blue eyes cooled to a cold stillness. They seemed to hold ice as sharp as a blade.

Catherine flinched.

He must be angry that she tried to escape.

Well. For Rowell, Edwin’s orders came first.

She understood.

But she had truly nearly died just now. Even if she hadn’t died, falling from that height would have meant serious injury at the very least. Catherine’s entire body trembled uncontrollably.

Rowell pulled Catherine up to the windowsill, then buried his face in one hand, before sensing something off and lifting his head again.

He had assumed that once he pulled her up to the windowsill, she would climb down on her own.

Catherine did not move from where she was. No, she couldn’t.

Catherine was trembling like an aspen leaf. Ah, why was her body doing this. Her mind was telling her she was fine, but her body was being honest. She had been badly frightened.

Rowell carefully took hold of her shoulders and helped her climb down from the windowsill.

“You’re all right now.”

“Ah…!”

Catherine couldn’t even stand properly. The strength had gone out of her legs. Rowell gripped her shoulder more firmly to support her.

His gaze grew heavy. He was angry at himself.

The entire time Catherine had been preparing to escape, he had simply watched. Without knowing that a situation this dangerous might unfold.

Belatedly, Sandy leaped to her feet.

“Miss! How could you do something so dangerous!”

Rowell lifted Catherine, who was still trembling, into his arms. And laid her down on the bed.

Sandy came over and checked Catherine all over.

“My heart nearly stopped! I won’t live to see old age at this rate!”

“Sa-Sandy… I nearly d-died.”

“Exactly! Escaping through a window, of all things! Through a window!”

“But if only you hadn’t come in, I would have succeeded…”

Catherine couldn’t finish her sentence. Sandy burst into tears.

“Oh no! D-don’t cry! It was my fault!”

Catherine was weak against tears. But at Sandy’s next words, cold sweat ran down her back.

“When we get back, I-I’m going to tell my lady everything. Hic.”

“Sa-Sandy…?”

The image of Sabrina flashed before her eyes like a panorama, smiling sweetly in her lovely voice as she imposed various forms of discipline that Catherine hated, such as being forbidden to go out. Catherine’s face went pale as a sheet.

It was then that Rowell stepped in.

“There is no need for that. I will personally see to Lady Rochelin’s safety from here on.”

At his cold, cutting voice, Sandy stopped mid-sob and bowed her head.

“See to the meal yourself, and step outside.”

With that, Sandy went out.

Only the two of them remained in the room.

An awkward silence settled between them. Catherine thought he was going to interrogate her. She expected him to press her on why she had tried to escape rather than quietly returning to Kelt, despite the Emperor’s orders.

She almost wished he would say something, anything.

He said nothing.

Unable to bear the silence, Catherine lifted her head. Rowell happened to be picking up the tray Sandy had left behind. He brought the tray over to the bed.

His gaze swept over Catherine. She was trying to appear composed, but her body was still trembling faintly.

“This should help you calm down.”

He held out a warm bowl of soup.

Catherine pressed her lips inward for a moment, then accepted the soup. It was still warm.

After confirming that she was eating, Rowell picked up his spoon as well.

It was a meal without conversation.

Whether it was the lingering shock, Catherine couldn’t eat much. Rowell didn’t have much of an appetite either. The meal ended quickly.

Rowell moved the tray to the nightstand beside the bed and rose to his feet. Or rather, he tried to. If only Catherine hadn’t reached out and held him back.

“Your Grace. Where are you planning to sleep…”

“I can manage without sleep for a day or two.”

Rowell replied indifferently, but his heart was anything but. He hadn’t known that the act of a woman on a bed reaching out to hold a man back could be this stirring. Even if it was nothing more than a sleeve.

Those blue eyes watched Catherine quietly. She must have been quite badly frightened. It had truly been a close call.

Catherine looked more fragile than usual.

「Ro, ro, ro, Rowell!」

She had called his name earlier.

He had thought she was afraid of him, but perhaps it took saving her life before she would open up.

He didn’t feel entirely bad about that.

A quiet laugh escaped him.

“You must have been badly frightened, so please get some rest.”

Rowell pulled the blanket over Catherine with one hand. Lying there quietly, she looked as pretty as a doll. The sight of her trembling so vulnerably stirred in him the desire to protect her.

Why was that?

He couldn’t bring himself to leave. He couldn’t leave her alone.

“I will stay until you fall asleep.”