Chapter 34

An elderly doctor opened the door and stepped into the hallway. Derrick, who was standing next to Laura, approached and asked.

“How is his condition?”

“There’s nothing major aside from some muscle strain.”

Laura placed a hand on her chest, visibly relieved. Karina also let out a sigh as the tension drained from her body. Just as she was about to follow the others into the room, she hesitated and turned around.

“Noah.”

Noah was walking down the opposite hallway with a servant. Karina approached him and stopped in front of him.

“Is Father alright?”

“Yes. It doesn’t seem like anything too serious.”

“That’s a relief.”

Karina smiled brightly and bowed her head sincerely to Noah.

“Thank you so much for helping my father. I couldn’t greet you properly earlier because it was such a chaotic moment.”

She had been too flustered by the unexpected meeting at the entrance and had to focus on bringing her unconscious father inside.

“I’ll compensate you for the clothes and shoes that were ruined.”

“It’s fine. A good wash should take care of it.”

Noah politely declined, but Karina pretended not to hear him and let his words pass. Soon, the door opened, and Derrick appeared.

After asking Noah for his understanding, Karina entered the room. Asillis, who had woken up at some point, was sitting on the bed, talking to Laura.

“I told you, I’m fine.”

“Don’t say such nonsense. After being carried here like that, where do you think you’re going again?”

Karina, who approached out of concern, couldn’t believe her ears.

“You’re planning to head back to Marquis Brown’s residence?”

Asillis nodded as if it were no big deal. Laura, unable to hold back, turned to Karina for help.

“Karina. Does this sound reasonable to you?”

“Why are you going so far, Father?”

“It’s because of a chess match.”

“Chess… are you serious, Father?”

When Karina asked, unable to comprehend, Asillis cleared his throat. Laura seized the opportunity to scold her reckless husband. In the end, the one who surrendered was Asillis.

“It’s just not my day. First, my horse suddenly stopped in its tracks, and then I fell into the mud as soon as I got off.”

“Regardless, you’re not going anywhere today. Marquis Brown will understand.”

“Alright, alright.”

Grumbling, Asillis called for a servant and instructed him to write a letter to the Marquis.

“Oh, by the way, what was the name of that gentleman earlier? I should at least thank him.”

Laura clapped her hands belatedly as she said this. Karina took a step back. It was already too late. Laura’s expression hardened instantly as she turned to look at Karina after hearing something from Asillis.

“Karina. Would you step outside for a moment to talk with me?”

After leaving the room a little later, Karina let out a deep sigh and looked around. For some reason, Noah was nowhere to be seen. When she called Derrick to ask, she learned that he had left just moments ago.

“By the way, Young Lady, that gentleman’s name….”

“I’ll be back shortly.”

Leaving behind a bewildered Derrick, Karina hurriedly headed downstairs.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Noah. After a moment of hesitation, she called out to him.

“Excuse me.”

It was evening, and dusk had begun to settle. The door behind the man, dressed in muddy clothes, slowly closed.

“Have you had dinner yet?”

***

The table was more lavishly set than usual, making her eyes wander. Laura spoke in an especially gentle tone.

“There isn’t much, but please enjoy, Noah.”

Noah, who had changed into clean clothes, smiled as he picked up his utensils.

The hearty stew warmed his insides. It was a fitting dish for the cold winter.

As Karina idly stirred her soup, she glanced up and paused. The plate in front of Noah was already empty. Laura, noticing this, quietly called a maid over.

“Michelle, bring out more soup, please.”

Before they had even properly started the meal, another plate of soup was brought out.

But the second plate was emptied just as quickly. Laura, who had been observing him, let out a small laugh.

“You must have been very hungry. Take your time eating.”

“Thank you, Madame.”

“Let us know if you need anything else.”

Fortunately, it seemed to have left a good impression. Karina unconsciously felt relieved.

‘I’m not sure why, but I’m glad.’

As she continued eating with a strangely uneasy feeling, Laura spoke again.

“As I mentioned earlier, thank you once again. If it weren’t for you, Noah, I don’t know what would’ve happened today.”

“It was nothing. It was simply what I had to do.”

Noah swallowed the food in his mouth and answered politely. Karina silently prayed for the conversation to end quickly.

“I was honestly surprised. I never expected the person carrying him to be Noah.”

But Laura naturally continued the conversation, thwarting Karina’s hopes.

Her face now showed an unmistakable curiosity.

“I heard you’re close with our Karina.”

Karina shot Laura a reproachful look, but Laura ignored it and raised her eyebrows.

“Would it be alright if I asked exactly how the two of you met?”

Noah, still calmly eating, answered sincerely.

“The first time I met Lady Karina was at a party hosted by the Russell family.”

“Ah, at Lady Celine’s birthday party.”

“Yes.”

“Then you’ve known each other for quite some time.”

Laura nodded, seemingly intrigued. Karina, feeling uneasy, cautiously added to the conversation.

“That was when I borrowed a handkerchief from Sir Noah.”

“Ah, yes, the handkerchief. I think I remember hearing about that.”

Worried that her crying might be exposed, Karina glanced at Noah, who added a brief comment.

“You mentioned that your sleeve got wet from the dew.”

His calm tone revealed nothing more. Karina nodded awkwardly. Thankfully, Laura didn’t pry further into the matter.

The meal continued in a precarious atmosphere. Meanwhile, Noah astonishingly emptied his plates one after another. The servants had no time to rest as they kept bringing out more food.

‘Should I skip breakfast tomorrow?’

Karina pondered this as she reached out for the salt shaker.

“Oh, and at an Imperial event, I heard the two of you danced together.”

Laura suddenly brought up an unexpected topic, and Karina’s hand slipped, knocking over a silver candlestick. Noah casually reached out and caught the falling candlestick.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I was surprised to hear that. I never imagined you were a knight affiliated with the Imperial Family.”

Quietly taking the salt shaker, Karina tapped it over her now-cold steak.

“Just in case you’re worried, there’s no need. I’m sure it was due to unavoidable circumstances.”

“Unavoidable circumstances….”

“When choosing a partner, you selected Karina as someone you liked, didn’t you?”

Noah, looking slightly puzzled, trailed off, while Laura spoke in a playful tone. Her words made the atmosphere awkward. Karina tightened her grip on the salt shaker.

“Yes, I remember.”

That was when she made her mistake. The lid of the shaker came off, spilling salt all over her steak.

“The tradition is to invite the lady you like to dance, isn’t it?”

Her clear voice resonated in the room. The grains of salt that had spilled out of the shaker rolled off the plate and scattered across the floor. The lively conversation came to a halt, leaving only one man blinking innocently.

***

The garden of the Duke’s residence was shrouded in deep darkness. Karina leaned against a pillar in the corridor. The cold wind brushed against her exposed neck and cheeks. Soon, Becky’s voice echoed from inside.

“Michelle. Have you seen Lady Karina?”

Karina quietly stepped around the pillar, hiding herself from view.

There wasn’t much time left until the servants finished their duties. She planned to endure until then before heading upstairs.

‘I can’t exactly lock the door either.’

Not that it would stop Becky’s barrage of questions. Karina clutched her throbbing head. Sending her mother upstairs had already been a near-impossible task.

As she stood there absentmindedly, the culprit behind her current predicament suddenly appeared beside the pillar.

“Lady Karina, here you are.”

Karina froze and turned her head to find Noah leaning against the wall and asked.

“Why are you hiding behind a pillar?”

It was a straightforward question. Karina couldn’t come up with an excuse and stepped out from behind the pillar. But before she could say anything, the sound of footsteps grew closer.

“Um… wait a moment.”

Karina quickly pressed herself against the pillar again and stopped speaking. Noah stood in front of her, his back turned.

It felt like an extra wall had appeared. Karina glanced up at him but avoided his gaze just before their eyes met. Meanwhile, Derrick and Becky’s conversation took a strange turn.

“Yes. Sir Noah seems to have stepped out.”

“Lady Karina has also been missing for a while… oh, could they be together?”

Technically, their guess wasn’t wrong. Karina held her breath nervously.

“That might actually be the case. If so, we wouldn’t want to disturb them.”

Muttering seriously, Derrick spoke as if resigned.

“I’ll go prepare Sir Noah’s carriage then. Let me know if you find them.”

As their voices faded, Karina let out a mixed sigh of relief and frustration. Noah blinked at her, looking like a curious puppy asking if it was okay to leave now.

“You should go. Derrick must have prepared the carriage by now.”

“What about you, Lady Karina?”

“I’ll head upstairs soon.”

“Alright. I understand.”

Noah turned as if to walk alongside her, but Karina hesitated before speaking.

“Noah. About what you said during dinner earlier.”

“During dinner? Huh.”

Karina, trying to remain composed, addressed Noah, who repeated her words like a parrot.

“The things you said to my mother… it’s better not to say such things lightly.”

It was an embarrassing topic to bring up, but if she didn’t mention it now, she knew she’d regret it later. Who would’ve thought he’d say something like that in front of her mother? Just remembering the awkward dinner made her shudder.

“Why shouldn’t I?”

“It could cause misunderstandings. Even if that’s not what you meant.”

Noah tilted his head, looking genuinely confused, and then said something that left her speechless.

“But I really do like you, Lady Karina.”