The headmaster and the servant looked at the scene in astonishment. At the center of the destruction stood Cedric.

His red eyes were fixed on Arne, flickering.

The headmaster, upon seeing Cedric, hurriedly ran out. His bowing posture and servile tone were in stark contrast to how he treated Arne.

“Young Master Renigrad, why are you so angry?”

“The lady has been missing for so long, and you didn’t even organize a search party. Your loyalty to the Duke’s family is questionable. Moreover, you dared to block my way as I searched for the lady.”

Cedric’s red eyes scrutinized Arne intensely. Suddenly, his brows furrowed, and he picked Arne up.

“I don’t want to stay here for another moment. I will address your incompetence and rudeness later.”

“Cedric! Cedric!”

Without giving the headmaster a chance to catch up, Cedric entered the carriage. He placed Arne on the seat and, without giving her a moment to object, put the cookie box beside her.

His movements flowed seamlessly as he lifted both of Arne’s wrists. As her sleeves fell back, the clear handprints on her wrists were revealed.

“Did that bastard do this?”

“…….”

“Are you not going to answer?”

“…Today is a special and good day for me. I want to remember it as a good day.”

“The box is heavy. I won’t ask what’s inside the cookie box. Just tell me if it was him.”

“The box… you knew?”

“Didn’t I say that you slightly curl your left lip when you endure pain.”

Cedric’s red eyes flickered. It was hard to suppress the rising anger. He knew it was excessive. Anger was also one of the demon’s mischiefs.

‘Even if I despise it, I must be a true Renigrad by blood.’

Cedric’s low voice seethed.

“Did you find Benjamin while getting your body this hurt?”

Why did that fact make him so angry? Cedric pulled Arne’s arm to his lips. Arne’s face flushed hotly. The sensation of his lips touching her neck made her neck tingle.

As his lips repeatedly touched and left, the blush that started on Arne’s face spread down her neck. Every time her lips trembled lightly, it was hard to resist the urge to leave bite marks on the red handprints.

When he kissed her fingertips, they turned red.

“No need to find Benjamin.”

「Benjamin has escaped. There’s no reason to be here anymore. But Benjamin will only meet Sister Arne when she looks for him, because he likes her.」

“He’s already not here.”

“How did you know?”

“A child with foresight told me.”

“Then it’s true he escaped. Why would he run away? Escaping is a life-threatening choice, and he would be on the assassination list for the rest of his life, constantly pursued by assassins.”

“I didn’t know that.”

Cedric’s lips twisted.

“Were you close with Benjamin?”

“Marie, Benjamin, and I are the best of friends. We promised to remain close friends for life.”

A dry laugh escaped Cedric’s lips.

‘Friends for life, huh. That sly bastard. Pretending to be a friend while hiding his burning passion, enough to risk his life to escape.’

Cedric roughly ran his hand through his hair. The lady personally harvested selindefirin to alleviate Benjamin’s illness. Without her, he would have died already.

‘…Worth risking his life for.’

He didn’t like that fact at all. Today, it was especially hard to control his anger.

As Arne cautiously observed Cedric’s deeply furrowed brow, she carefully spoke.

“I know you’re busy today, but I just want to apologize to Marie before I go. I don’t want to part ways like this, not knowing when we’ll meet again.”

When Arne mentioned Marie instead of Benjamin, Cedric’s frown eased. Cedric thought about how fickle human emotions were.

“I’ll also make sure to see the doctor. Please.”

He didn’t mind Arne’s clear eyes resting on him. It was surprising how much his heart softened; human emotions were indeed fickle.

“Is your ankle alright?”

“…Thanks to your blessing, it’s fine now.”

Arne’s face flushed again, recalling Cedric’s blessing. Watching her ears turn red, Cedric felt a tension in his back.

The fingers touching his lips were hot. The air inside the carriage felt peculiar.

‘Is this a bit dangerous?’

Cedric sighed lightly and rubbed his face with his hands.

“Alright. But stay where I can see you. You get hurt so easily when I take my eyes off you.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Arne’s eyes shone brightly. Her faint smile was beautiful.

Cedric deliberately opened the carriage door quickly. As he escorted Arne out, the anxious headmaster hurriedly ran over.

“Cedric!”

The moment Cedric’s head tilted slightly and their eyes met, the headmaster had an urge to step back.

His murderous intent was completely different from before. His legs trembled. However, now was the only chance to seek forgiveness.

Incurring the wrath of Renigrad was absolutely unacceptable.

“Cedric, are you upset? I’m sorry. Please show mercy.”

Seeing the headmaster bow repeatedly in front of Cedric, Arne had many thoughts.

‘He never apologized to me even once.’

She suddenly realized the position Cedric held as the young master of the Renigrad family.

Moreover, the carriage Arne rode in, the clothes she wore, and even the cookie box were all thanks to Cedric’s help.

‘You easily provide what I’ve dreamed and longed for my entire life.’

She knew it, but it felt strange. She wondered if Leverun would have proposed to her if Lady Leverun hadn’t had an affair with Kale in her previous life.

It felt odd, as if they were people from entirely different worlds.

“I’ll let it go this time for the lady’s sake. But there won’t be a next time.”

“Of course. Thank you very much.”

“Thank the lady. If it weren’t for her, I would have left immediately.”

“Oh….”

“Is it difficult to directly thank Lady Ronia?”

Arne snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the headmaster.

‘Thank you.’

This was something Arne had never experienced before. The headmaster, who had bowed naturally to Cedric, stiffly hesitated in front of Arne.

However, as Cedric’s expression hardened, the headmaster’s head quickly bowed.

“…Thank you, Lady Ronia.”

“…….”

Arne’s eyelids moved slowly.

‘That was quite easy.’

Her wrist, which the headmaster had pulled, still throbbed. As Arne slowly nodded, Cedric, suppressing his anger, spoke coldly.

“Now leave.”

“Understood.”

Cedric watched the headmaster’s retreating figure. He repeated to himself countless times that today was a special and good day for the lady.

Once the headmaster disappeared, only Marie remained. Her bangs were disheveled, probably from rushing out when Cedric carried Arne to the carriage.

But when she stood in front of Arne, she couldn’t find the words.

‘I can’t let her go like this.’

As Marie anxiously darted her eyes around, Arne hugged her.

“Marie, I’m sorry. I couldn’t tell you properly. I didn’t want you to worry. I wanted to show you that I was doing well. That’s why I couldn’t come until now. Because you would surely be sad.”

Marie bit her lips. Arne’s low voice continued as if it were a final confession.

“You were happy the day I was adopted by the Duke’s family. You asked if I would come to the Freya Orphanage with a basket of cookies like a noble lady. If I could finally take off this dreadful black dress.”

There was a time when they dreamed of such things in this place. Even now, there might be children here who imagine such things.

Having a family, someone to share meals with, someone to hold your hand when you’re sick, someone to hug you when you have nightmares—such dreamlike stories.

“I never escaped the black dress.”

In the Freya Orphanage, where children who lost their families lived, Marie was Arne’s family. She was her mom, dad, and sister. So Arne wanted to show her that she was doing well.

Because she knew Marie would get teary-eyed like this.

“I didn’t want you to know this side of me. But losing you is not something I can bear. I’m sorry, Marie.”

“You idiot, you never talk about these things. Even when you’re in pain, you only say you’re in pain when it’s unbearable.”

Marie’s eyes reddened. She was upset. Her heart ached thinking about the time Arne had endured alone. So she was angry.

“I know. But it made me so angry thinking that you told that young master things you couldn’t tell me.”

‘I was even more upset because I knew I couldn’t do anything for you even if you told me.’

Swallowing the words she couldn’t say due to her bitter pride, Marie hugged Arne tightly.

“But I was also angry because, unlike Benjamin, I didn’t have the courage to run away from here to see you.”

“Did Benjamin leave here to see me? Was he worried because I hadn’t come for so long?”

“…Well. You should ask him yourself.”

Cedric, who had been listening quietly, twitched his eyebrows. Seeing this, Marie hugged Arne tightly and spoke.

“Arne, I’m still the best, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m your favorite, right?”

“Yes.”

As Arne answered without hesitation, Marie smiled satisfactorily at Cedric. It was a timid complaint.

“Arne, come here. The children made flower crowns. Please accept them.”

Expectancy shone in Arne’s eyes. When she turned to look at Cedric, he nodded. Only then did a smile spread across Arne’s face.

Marie took Arne’s hand and led her to the garden. It felt like they were going back to their childhood, and they both smiled.

Cedric followed behind Arne.

‘She said she wanted to show she was doing well.’

When he heard those words in the carriage, he didn’t understand what she meant. He thought, as most people do, that she wanted to show off. Because that’s how people usually feel.

‘She didn’t want to make them worry.’

Cedric thought that perhaps Arne had a deeper bond with Marie and Benjamin than he had imagined.