Somehow, she felt she shouldn’t just stand there—she needed to run.

But fear dominated her mind, and she couldn’t move a muscle, like her legs were caught in vines.

“Ah!”

Before long, the source of the sound revealed itself.

“Grrrrr…”

A bear.

It was far away and dark, so she couldn’t see well, but that silhouette was definitely a bear’s.

“It’s a bear! We need to run!”

“D*mn it.”

Even in this situation, Daphne spoke in a low voice, afraid the bear would spot them.

Astaire cursed quietly. He looked around, searching for a place to hide.

“There’s nowhere to hide. This is bad.”

It wasn’t just bad. It was deadly.

Daphne looked at Astaire without realizing it. Astaire bit his lip hard, then looked at the tree beside them and said.

“Can you climb a tree?”

“What?”

Daphne asked back in disbelief.

But there was no time.

She showed him through action instead of words.

Riiip—

After tearing the hem of her dress without hesitation, she grabbed the rough branches with her hands and slowly began climbing the tree.

The old branch bent downward, seemingly ready to break at any moment. But there was no choice. Daphne gritted her teeth and focused on climbing the tree.

She felt Astaire watching her from below. He had a momentarily surprised look in his eyes.

That made sense.

No matter how fallen a noble family was, nobles were still nobles. They rarely lived rough enough to climb trees.

“…Everyone climbs trees and plays when they’re young.”

“Really? First I’m hearing of it.”

Astaire answered in a tone that genuinely didn’t understand.

“Hurry up, Your Grace.”

Regardless, survival was the issue now. Daphne, who’d climbed to the top first, reached her hand down to Astaire.

“Isn’t the tree dangerous?”

“It’s a bit unstable, but it should be fine for two people.”

That’s when it happened.

Crack!

The tree, rotten from moisture, couldn’t bear the weight and was breaking.

“Oh!”

Gradually, Daphne’s world began falling downward too.

It was already too late. She was falling from the tree.

“Daphne!”

Astaire barely managed to catch Daphne falling from the tree in his arms. Holding her, he swayed greatly, and the two eventually rolled onto the rustling fallen leaves.

Daphne tried to get up quickly. But it wasn’t easy.

Her left ankle wouldn’t move properly.

“Ah!”

Meanwhile, the bear heard the commotion and turned toward them.

The moment she met those eyes, shiny like doll eyes, goosebumps rose from head to toe.

The bear opened its mouth wide, drooling, and began approaching them.

“Daphne, are you okay?”

“I think I sprained my leg.”

“D*mn it.”

The bear was approaching, and Daphne couldn’t move because of her injured leg.

Daphne finally looked at Astaire and said.

“At least you should run away first, Your Grace.”

“…D*mn it!”

Cursing didn’t change the deadly situation.

Daphne quietly closed her eyes and accepted her fate.

Yet Astaire remained unmoved.

He didn’t run away.

Had Astaire lost his mind?

When he should be running for his life, Daphne found it so frustrating that he just stood still beside her.

What on earth was he trying to do?

That’s when it happened. He pulled something from inside his coat.

“…A revolver?”

The silver metal barrel glinted in the air. Daphne clutched her sprained leg and stared blankly at Astaire.

“Your Grace. That’s too reckless!”

The bear slowly pounded its hind legs, preparing to leap toward them. Daphne shouted urgently.

There was no way he could shoot and hit a bear at this distance.

Instead, he’d just provoke the bear, turning a situation where one person would be attacked into one where both would be.

Stopping him was useless.

The Duke seemed to have already made up his mind.

“It’s okay.”

In the urgent situation, the man murmured in a surprisingly calm voice. And strangely, Daphne felt reassured by his voice.

It was an emotional flow even she couldn’t understand.

“Everyone has a weakness. Even the most ferocious beast.”

Astaire didn’t bother adding more.

Click.

The sound of loading the revolver cut through the cool air. And almost simultaneously, the bear leaped powerfully and began charging toward them.

Daphne squeezed her eyes shut without realizing it.

Oh, no!

Was this the end…

Bang!

The gunshot tore through the cool forest air. At the ear-splitting loud noise and the thick smell of blood seeping into her nose, Daphne carefully opened her eyes.

“Ah!”

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw bright red everywhere. Her heart pounded crazily.

Could it be…

After the gunshot, an eerily chilling silence arrived. Suddenly her vision went dizzyingly black.

All the strength drained from her body, like she’d collapse to the ground any moment.

That’s when it happened.

“It’s okay.”

Astaire held Daphne in his arms with his solid arms.

Over the nauseating smell of blood, a cool woody scent began to layer.

Like a lie, her whole body relaxed. Daphne squeezed her eyes shut and opened them once more.

Blood was on Astaire’s clothes.

As shock washed over her like waves again, the Duke added.

“Don’t worry. It’s not my blood.”

His words reassured her. Daphne, who’d traveled between heaven and hell, finally gasped for rough breaths.

“Roar! Screech—!”

When she barely regained her senses and grasped the situation, ahead of them the bear was clutching one bleeding eye and screaming piercingly.

Only then did Daphne understand the situation. Astaire had shot the bear’s eye with the revolver.

“We need to hurry.”

When Daphne still couldn’t stand, Astaire simply lifted and carried her on his back. She awkwardly ended up on Astaire’s back, unable to do this or that.

The man began running with Daphne on his back. Naturally, running while carrying someone wasn’t easy, so before long sweat beaded on his temples too. Yet Astaire didn’t stop. He didn’t slow his pace for even a moment, running down through the forest like mad.

“There…!”

How much time had passed like that? Finally, houses appeared at the bottom of the mountain path.

Ah, thank goodness.

All the strength drained from her muscles. Beyond thinking it was fortunate, tears welled in her eyes.

“Daphne!”

Suddenly, Astaire called her name.

Why?

Daphne didn’t know what state she was in right now.

After that, she fainted.

* * *

Something warm and damp began wiping her hand. Then it moved to her arm, her shoulder.

The moment the warm wet cloth touched her face, Daphne lifted her eyelids, her eyelashes trembling.

“Ah!”

She sat up abruptly in bed with a startled exclamation.

Then the unfamiliar woman she’d never seen before also widened her eyes and sat Daphne back down.

“I won’t hurt you. I came to help.”

“Who are you…?”

The words about not hurting her seemed sincere judging by her expression. Daphne’s eyes swept around the ceiling and room once. In the small wooden room, she was sitting on a bed receiving care from this woman she’d never met.

“You’re safe, ma’am. This is Delma Village at the foot of Mount Delma.”

So the forest they’d been in earlier was a place called Mount Delma. It was the first she’d heard of it.

Daphne looked at the older woman still wiping her arm with a blank face.

“Don’t worry. I’m not one now, but I used to be a nurse.”

“Um, by any chance…”

She was curious about how she’d ended up fainting and coming to this house, but the words didn’t come out readily. She couldn’t just ask someone helping her who they were, could she?

But the woman seemed to know what Daphne was trying to say.

“You’re concerned because I’m a stranger, aren’t you, ma’am? I understand. I don’t really know who you are either.”

But how did this woman end up giving up a room in her house and caring for her?

“I went to the village and saw your husband running around carrying you unconscious. I couldn’t just pass by, so I brought you home.”

“Ah…!”

Come to think of it, Astaire was there.

“Is the person who brought me here okay?”

“Yes. Fortunately, he’s fine without any injuries.”

For some reason, Daphne got the feeling this woman knew that she and Astaire had been attacked by a bear. Then Astaire must have explained the situation beforehand.

“You almost had a terrible accident. Fortunately, your husband’s shooting skills are excellent, so you don’t have any major injuries.”

“……”

Then Daphne had nothing more to say. She quietly leaned back against the headboard. Just speaking one word, reaching out once drained all the energy from her body.

“Rest. You must be exhausted.”

“Thank you. I’ve become indebted to you unintentionally.”

“Not at all.”

The woman waved her hands.

“Mount Delma is famous for having many bears. I’ve often seen people like you and your husband come down to the village after being stranded on the mountain.”

“Thank you.”

Even if it wasn’t a big deal to them, gratitude was gratitude. These people were her and Astaire’s benefactors. Daphne didn’t spare her thanks.

Knock knock.

“Who…?”

The woman put down the wet cloth and went to open the door. Creeeak—a hinge sound from a wooden door she’d never heard at the ducal estate, and behind it stood Astaire.

“Your husband is here, ma’am.”

“Your Gra… I mean, Astaire?”

She’d almost called Astaire ‘Your Grace.’ That would have exposed their identity for sure. She’d have to answer annoying questions too.

Astaire’s gaze touched the old woman, then turned to Daphne.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes… I’m fine.”

Strangely, Daphne found it hard to look into Astaire’s eyes. Why?

Was it because she remembered how he hadn’t run away and willingly risked his life to save her?

In the sea of memories rushing in like a tidal wave, Daphne felt at a loss.

Before she knew it, the woman had closed the door and left the room. Now only Astaire and Daphne remained alone in the small bedroom.

“Look at me, Daphne.”

“I said I’m fine.”

Regardless, Astaire grabbed her chin and made her look at him. Even facing each other, she found it so hard to meet his eyes that her pupils rolled around.

“Why can’t you look at me like this?”

“……”

“Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed?”

“No. That’s not it.”

Only then did strength enter Daphne’s eyes. Clear blue eyes mixed with green. But she didn’t know. That her face was flushed red right now.

“Your face is still hot. Are you still not feeling well?”

“…No. That’s not it either.”

“Do you dislike me?”

This time she had nothing to say.

Wasn’t it a question with an obvious answer?

For a moment she tried to answer yes. But there was another memory that flashed by like lightning. The memory of Astaire saving her from the bear.

Holding such a memory, she couldn’t bring herself to say she disliked him to his face.

“This is troublesome. I like you.”

“What?”

“Am I not allowed to say I like you anymore?”