She felt like she’d really suffocate to death in his arms at this rate. He was embracing her, yet she felt like she was being strangled.

As expected.

Daphne sneered inwardly.

This man hasn’t changed at all.

He was still the same.

“Let’s go, Daphne.”

Only then did Astaire loosen his crushing hold. Still, the man didn’t completely let her go. This time he grabbed her hand and pulled.

Daphne nearly fell from his ruthless action.

“Be careful when you walk.”

Yet after doing that, when she almost fell, he gently supported her waist again.

His actions—seemingly considerate yet ultimately causing her pain—made her want to laugh.

Upon their reunion after so long, she realized for the first time.

‘I actually had so much I wanted to say to him.’

Why did he only see people as tools?

Why did he act so cruel?

And after all that, why did he pretend to be caring?

So many words wanted to burst out right away, but unable to emerge, they seemed stuck in her throat like a blockage.

“There’s no time. The First Prince will target you.”

As expected, that’s why the man came.

“…Were you worried I’d turn traitor?”

“No.”

Astaire answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Because I was worried about you.”

She never knew the word ‘worry’ could sound so heavy.

Even receiving his concern brought her no joy now, only burden.

“I’m not going. Let go.”

“Daphne, you’re mistaken about one thing.”

The moment the man whispered with a grin, she felt a chilling sensation.

“We’re still married. It’s natural for a husband to come see his wife, isn’t it?”

“…Is it also natural for a wife to run away because her husband did terrible things to her?”

This time Astaire didn’t answer.

As expected, she knew it.

He always clamped his mouth shut at unfavorable questions.

Daphne knew too.

Since Astaire had come down here, insisting she wouldn’t go was meaningless.

More than anything, she worried about Mr. Belinda and his gallery.

Like what he’d done to the maid Ada, she feared what Astaire might do to him and his precious place.

She wasn’t strong enough yet.

To escape from him, she needed something bigger.

Though she didn’t yet know what that was.

* * *

“Wouldn’t it have been better to say goodbye?”

“…No. He probably knows.”

Mr. Belinda was the Second Prince’s person anyway.

And of course he knew she was Duchess Seyfried.

If Astaire appeared and she disappeared, he’d figure it out.

She didn’t want to waste his time meeting him just to say goodbye.

Daphne looked at the scenery changing outside the window. The landscape was no different from the train ride, but in the meantime the blue sky was turning yellow.

“Where are we going?”

“The ducal estate. We have to go home.”

No. That house had never once been her home.

But Daphne just silently clenched her hand resting on her thigh.

Thud!

The carriage shook violently.

Rattle!

Bang, bang! Rattle! Bang!

The carriage that had been running smoothly without shaking suddenly began lurching crazily.

What?

Startled, Daphne stood up while bracing against the wall.

Then Astaire wrapped his arms around her and shouted.

“Don’t move!”

“Kyaaah!”

A scream escaped without her realizing. Meanwhile, the carriage was making thunderous noises and flipping every which way.

There’s been an accident. Daphne’s mind raced. But since this was her first time in such a situation, her body froze and she couldn’t do anything.

Astaire curled up in a corner while holding Daphne, supporting her head with one hand.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Meanwhile the carriage just kept rolling. Daphne squeezed her eyes shut and stayed still. She prayed for this time to end quickly.

At some point, the surroundings became quiet.

The rolling carriage had finally stopped.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“…No.”

She answered and tried to stand up to see the situation outside, but Astaire sat her back down and stood up instead.

“I’ll go out and check.”

Like that, Daphne was left alone in the carriage.

In less than a few seconds, Astaire returned. They’d rolled so violently that even the entrance of the black carriage, sturdy from being made of obsidian, had collapsed.

“What… what’s the situation?”

“Looks like the carriage was attacked midway.”

After that, Daphne kept her mouth shut. There was no need to ask who did it.

“They probably tried to disguise it as an accident. The coachman is dead.”

Astaire mentioned one person’s death matter-of-factly. Daphne flinched without realizing. This was her first time directly experiencing someone’s death.

Did she show a dazed expression without realizing? Astaire firmly grasped her hand and said.

“It’s okay. I’m here.”

Along with the warmth, his quiet words were ridiculously comforting right now.

Daphne couldn’t even think of pulling her hand away.

Like that, they stayed still in the silence.

“Stay here for now. I’ll go check the outside situation more.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“That’s why I’m saying let’s go together.”

Astaire frowned when she kept insisting without backing down. Regardless, Daphne followed him out.

“While you’re out alone, who knows what might happen to me left behind?”

“…That’s true. It would be more rational to stay together.”

Daphne’s eyes widened the moment she carefully stepped outside the carriage.

“Ah!”

The carriage had rolled down somewhere deep in the mountains.

Because Astaire said they needed to return to the capital quickly, the coachman must have taken an unpopulated shortcut.

Looking at the sky, it was gradually darkening. The time was now leaning toward night rather than day, and the wind was bone-chillingly cold.

The two were left alone in the barren mountains. Before them stretched only roads with no indication of where to go.

She couldn’t grasp the reality that she was left alone with just Astaire.

Everything felt surreal.

Daphne looked around blankly, then pressed her lips tight. Her mind was confused. She struggled to suppress some emotion boiling up from deep in her chest.

As she caught her breath and looked around quickly again, she heard an owl hooting from somewhere.

Rustle—

She even made eye contact with a wild animal in the dark forest.

Her sweat-soaked palms trembled, but her head grew clearer.

“It’s okay.”

That’s when it happened.

Astaire grasped her sweat-soaked hand and whispered.

“We’re going to live.”

Of course.

Daphne gritted her teeth and endured the surging fear. Of course they would survive. She didn’t want to die meaninglessly in a place like this and only do the First Prince a favor.

“Your Grace… aren’t you afraid?”

“Not particularly.”

He answered without a hint of hesitation. And strangely, his answer reassured Daphne.

She was relying on him again.

“It’s okay to rely on me.”

Astaire murmured low, seemingly reading her thoughts.

Daphne kept her mouth shut. If she said even one word, Astaire would probably see right through her.

Thinking about it, this man was always like this.

He always had her in the palm of his hand, controlling her. She was just helplessly subjected to him.

“…Have you experienced something like this before?”

Rather, Astaire’s composure felt strange, so she deliberately changed the subject and asked a different question.

He looked around, reading the shape of the trees and the flow of the sky, gauging where this was and roughly what time it was. Daphne hurried her steps to follow him. Her breathing grew a bit labored, but she deliberately didn’t show it.

Astaire only looked straight ahead. After a brief silence, like he’d pondered whether to speak or not, he said.

“Once, distant relatives sent an assassin to me before I inherited the dukedom.”

“…How could they?”

Daphne covered her mouth before she could gasp.

“If I, the direct heir, disappeared, naturally one of the collateral branches would inherit the dukedom and its assets. In the end, it’s because of money and power, those reasons.”

“……”

She couldn’t even ask if he was okay.

“That’s what noble life is like. Life is this ugly. Money and power—humans are creatures who’ll do anything for them.”

Astaire’s words even conveyed a terrible sense of cynicism. Daphne thought she vaguely understood.

Why he’d lived such a twisted life.

“This is what I am. Living this kind of life, I’m someone whose life is filthily twisted.”

“……”

“So if you were going to run away, you should have done it properly.”

Before she knew it, Astaire was looking straight at her. Green eyes stared at blue eyes penetratingly.

The green that darkness had settled upon now resembled this forest full of unknown secrets and dangers.

Daphne trembled quietly. From head to toe, goosebumps rose.

She should have run from this man.

She knew it too.

And she had clearly failed at running away.

What would happen to her now that she’d returned?

She faced a future worse than being stranded in this forest. Though she was in a forest with good air, her breath kept catching.

“Are you cold?”

“…No.”

Actually, she was cold. Daphne shook her head vigorously at Astaire, who’d seen her unconsciously hunching her body.

“You’re clinging to worthless pride.”

Astaire chuckled, then took off his coat and draped it over her.

“It’s fine. You’re cold, Your Grace.”

“Wear it.”

She needed to stop being swayed like a reed by his pointless tenderness.

Strangely, just this moment felt odd, like everything had returned to the beginning before she met him.

“It’s troublesome if you get sick.”

Of course. This man would never truly care for her.

“Hold on.”

“I’m fine.”

“It’s not good if your hands get cold.”

Despite her refusal, the man stubbornly grabbed her hand and walked quickly. He looked back once to see if Daphne was struggling.

“Tell me if it’s hard. We have to walk for quite a while.”

“Do you know where to go?”

“If we keep going down in this direction, there’s a village. We need to go there first and ask for help.”

“Okay.”

Daphne knew nothing about the geography around here. Because it was a forest, the surroundings darkened even after just a little time passed. Now she could barely even see Astaire’s face.

It wasn’t so bad actually. She could hide her emotions now.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

The two hurried their steps, treading on fallen leaves.

That’s when it happened.

Rustle, rustle.

When they walked again, rustling sounds came from somewhere not far away.

“What’s wrong?”

When Daphne stopped walking, Astaire asked, “Don’t you hear a strange sound?”

“It’s leaves scattering. Nothing much.”

“No. It’s definitely different from that sound.”

Anxiety blooming deep in her heart. Daphne trusted her instincts.

And at the same time, she prayed her intuition was wrong.

Rustle, rustle.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

The sound grew closer and closer.