“You, you shameless—!”

“I’m sorry, I was just born this way…”

“Stop lying! You did incite the fight…!! Everyone here must have heard it, right?!”

The woman, who had been shouting indignantly, looked around as if seeking agreement.

But.

“……”

“……”

“Why is no one saying anything!”

No one took their side.

Far from taking their side, people’s gazes toward the woman were only cold.

‘After bullying people in this area for so long, what are you expecting?’

How must it feel to be cornered by the same lies after threatening people with falsehoods?

It felt like watching the final moments of the boy who cried wolf.

When the woman was at a loss for words, the man stepped forward.

He pointed at her and exclaimed in disbelief.

“Don’t play innocent! You clearly told me to stab…! Saying you wanted to see a handsome man bleed!!”

“Oh my, are you calling yourself handsome now?”

“What? No, that’s not what I meant…!”

“I’m sorry…. It’s good that you love yourself, but you’re not my type….”

The man’s face noticeably turned red and blue.

“Don’t, don’t lie! You definitely said my face wasn’t too bad….”

“That doesn’t mean I called you handsome, does it?”

“This… damn it, enough with these word games!! Let’s go!”

He shouted toward the woman and abruptly turned around.

But he had to stop in his tracks.

Because knights had blocked his escape route from behind.

The two were completely trapped.

The knight in white armor pointed his sword at them.

“I hear you’re quite famous? Swindling people with these methods… and moving to a different area when business slows down.”

“…Well, the two of us are….”

“Oh of course, I know you two aren’t the only ones. You probably move as an organization. Including the one who turned a blind eye to it.”

The knight glanced at Fred, the security commander.

Fred, receiving the glance, flinched and looked around nervously.

The woman and man sent pleading looks to their connection, hoping for help, but there was nothing he could do for them anymore.

The knight in white armor noticed their glances and said sharply.

“All escape routes are cut off. Don’t resist and come along. I hate it when things get annoying.”

Eventually, after exchanging glances, they sighed as if giving up.

And they were quietly escorted away as the knight had ordered.

“The same goes for you.”

The knight in white armor grabbed the shoulder of the tense Fred.

“Follow along. You have a lot to be questioned about.”

And so, former commander Fred was led to the security forces following the swindling couple.

The knight in white armor, who had been watching their retreating figures, turned his head toward Naran.

He said as he removed his helmet.

“I thought it was just some minor thuggery, but this incident might help us root out corruption in the security forces…. No need to thank me, young master of Cayenne.”

The knight’s bare face was revealed beneath the helmet.

His golden hair shining in the sunlight and his green eyes were impressive.

He had a somewhat prickly impression, but his emerald eyes were truly beautiful.

It was a striking appearance that would have been surprising if she hadn’t seen the three Cayenne siblings.

Naran was looking at him with displeasure.

He didn’t seem to like being called “young master.”

“So, was it Caron?”

“It’s Baron.”

“Right, Baron. You said you’re a holy knight? Thanks for the help. We’ll be going now.”

Naran, speaking sharply, turned to her and said.

“Did you wait long? Sorry for being late. Let’s go.”

It was a completely opposite, affectionate attitude compared to when he was speaking to the knight named Baron.

Baron, who had been watching this for a moment, shifted his gaze to her.

“…You said she was a maid?”

“Yes, what about it?”

Though it seemed like he was asking her, Naran responded in an irritable tone.

“A maid wearing a robe…. Madam, the little young master seems to care for you quite a bit.”

Baron brought his face close to hers.

At his action, as if trying to examine her face under the hood, she instinctively drew back.

“—Are you not backing off?”

Naran, who had instantly positioned himself between her and Baron, spoke in a savage voice.

“…Indeed, you seem to have an extremely good relationship with the maid.”

“Shut up and get lost.”

“You have quite a foul mouth, young master.”

A tense atmosphere circled between the two who stood glaring at each other without yielding an inch.

It seemed like it might escalate into a physical fight at any moment.

And Baron threw in a decisive comment.

“I apologize if I’ve offended you. But I’ve heard rumors that Cayenne kidnaps people… As a knight, I cannot simply ignore such a suspicious situation.”

Though he was adopting a polite tone, there was clear hostility in it.

Moreover, he deliberately mentioned the word “kidnap.”

He was definitely someone who knew about Lize Allenheim’s story.

‘Hmm… this isn’t a good situation.’

Naran, also sensing the gravity of the situation, was examining Baron with cold eyes without saying anything.

“……”

“Well, if it’s not too intrusive, the relationship between you two….”

“Please pretend you don’t know!”

At her sudden outburst, both men’s attention turned to her simultaneously.

Not stopping there, she promptly embraced Naran’s neck.

“That the young master and I are lovers…!”

“Eh?”

A surprised, cracked voice escaped from Naran.

“W-wait a minute… Li, Li—”

“Yes, Lis belongs to the young master.”

She quickly interrupted Naran’s words with a coquettish voice.

Baron, who was looking at them, also had a face that suggested he hadn’t expected this. He muttered suspiciously.

“The little young master’s lover…?”

“There are too many eyes here, so let’s move somewhere else for me to explain. I don’t want the young master to be caught up in strange rumors because of me.”

“…Then let’s go to that alley.”

Baron, after thinking for a moment, pointed to a corner alley.

“Let’s go, young master.”

“…Uh, uhh… okay.”

Naran, who might have been expected to resist, made strange sounds and was dragged along without resistance when she pulled him while linking arms.

So in the empty alley, she told Baron that she was both Naran’s maid and lover.

While still tightly holding onto one of Naran’s arms.

Baron muttered, “Indeed, if it’s Cayenne, that could be possible….” when she said that no one knew about their relationship and she would surely be kicked out if the family found out, which is why she wore a robe.

It was essentially badmouthing the family right in front of them, but Naran seemed to have no time to care about such things right now.

Whatever she said, all he could do was respond with a thin voice, “Uh, uhh… that’s right.”

‘He seems almost out of his mind…?’

While holding onto Naran’s arm and acting to the best of her ability, Baron finally nodded slowly.

“…I understand the situation. It seems I’ve been intrusive.”

“Thank you for understanding. As a knight, you’ll keep our secret, right?”

“I will. You said you were going to buy fabric.”

Baron said with narrowed eyes.

“As an apology, I’ll escort you to your destination.”

‘He hasn’t completely abandoned his suspicions yet. What an annoying guy.’

Though slightly irritated, she smiled even more brightly and said.

“No, no! I can’t trouble a busy knight like yourself. You’ve already helped us enough!”

Baron, not backing down at all, replied firmly.

“No— I’m not busy. I think I’ll feel uncomfortable if I don’t apologize properly.”

“My… I thought I heard that knights have a lot to do, could it be that you’re trying to play hooky…? Hoho, that can’t be right?”

“Service is a holy knight’s duty, so it can’t be called playing hooky. You might get into trouble with more thugs on your way. Didn’t you say you were concerned about attracting attention?”

“……”

Since that was true, frustratingly, she couldn’t think of a rebuttal.

“Would it be alright if I accompany you, little young master?”

“Uh, uhh… uh, sure.”

Naran answered without even bristling at being called “little young master.”

Baron, having heard Naran’s answer, looked at her as if to say ‘did you hear that?’

“Since the young master says it’s fine, let’s go together.”

“…Tch, let’s do that.”

She clicked her tongue loudly.

‘He seems to be planning to follow and monitor us.’

If that’s the case, she absolutely wouldn’t give him any excuse…!

She felt like her competitive spirit was burning inside her.

Looking at Baron’s eyes as he gazed at her, it seemed he felt the same way.

‘I will definitely discover something suspicious-‘

—She could almost hear such a voice.

After exchanging fiery glances for a moment, both of them turned their heads away with a “tch” at the same time.

❖ ❖ ❖

The journey to the store with Baron’s escort was both smooth and not smooth.

There were no troublemakers, but to deceive Baron’s eyes, she occasionally had to speak to Naran with flirtatious smiles.

“Young master, next time let’s go to the riverside. They say that couples who ride boats together have long-lasting love, don’t they? I’ll prepare delicious snacks!”

She whispered brightly, softly, but loud enough for Baron to hear.

“Uh, uhh… uh.”

Naran continued to give the same answer as if he were broken.

And Baron just watched me without saying anything.

Upon arriving at the store, she left Naran’s side and began selecting fabrics.

Naran stood with a blank expression, breathing heavily.

It seemed he needed a bit more time to come back to his senses.

Just as she was carefully examining the texture of the fabric, she felt a presence beside her.

It was Baron.

“May I ask what the fabric is for?”

“No.”

“What are you going to use the fabric for?”

“Am I allowed to ignore the knight’s words too?”

At those words, she heard the sound of someone chuckling.

“I apologize. But… what do you plan to do with the little young master in the future?”

“Pardon?”

“Surely you don’t seriously believe that you two will end up together?”

“What does that have to do with you, Sir Knight?”

When she looked at him and asked, Baron, who seemed to be choosing his words carefully, opened his mouth.

“Well… I just don’t want the maid to get hurt.”