Marcel carefully moved the documents onto the desk. It was an action meant to avoid disturbing his sensitive master’s mood. However, despite Marcel’s efforts, Iophe couldn’t quite hide such signs.

“I take it there’s still no word from Philip.”

“Yes. You don’t need to worry at all!”

He tapped the desk slowly while reviewing the backlog of documents.

“How long has it been since she left.”

“Um…… about two or three hours.”

Marcel added.

“Haha…… she just went out to look around the village for a bit, what could possibly happen? Please just review these documents.”

Yuena was someone who could cause trouble in even that brief time. So he couldn’t let his guard down for a moment, and hadn’t she been restless to go wandering around the moment she woke up.

‘I can’t lock her up like last time.’

Yuena’s guess about the nails in the window had been correct. He’d made excuses about the poison, but while she was lying there, he couldn’t help thinking such thoughts.

Iophe recalled that day. The day Yuena’s maid had burst into his office.

It was morning, not long after he and Yuena had fallen through the secret passage beneath the library.

Whether from the kiss in the rain or the fall through the gaping hole under the painting, she’d gotten slightly ill and had been quiet because of it. But just like the several times since coming to Hertus, Yuena quickly regained her usual condition. That’s why he’d been too at ease.

“What is it?”

“I have something to tell Sir Iophe.”

He could hear the sound of a small dispute at the door. From the stiff tone of the woman talking with Marcel, Iophe recognized her as Yuena’s maid. Marcel looked troubled as he sought permission.

“What should I do?”

“Tell her to come in.”

At his permission, the maid who entered with urgent steps had an anxious expression on her face.

“Lady Yuena went under the portrait in the library.”

“What?”

Like someone who’d discovered an arrow flying from behind, a chilling sensation swept through his entire body. Was this the price for being too at ease?

Just as the maid said, Yuena had collapsed on the grassland of that cursed place, the castle’s most secret location—beneath the painting in the library they’d passed through together before.

‘Why.’

Had his warning not to touch it been too weak? He knew it wasn’t a poison that caused fatal injuries in one go, but in that moment, the only fact Iophe could grasp was that Yuena had collapsed.

“Yuena. Wake up!”

Like a madman, by the time he’d carried her back to the castle, the sun had already set.

“Lock that woman up.”

The maid was dragged to the underground prison without resistance, as if she’d anticipated this. No matter how many times he interrogated her, her sealed lips never opened.

‘She wasn’t just an ordinary servant after all.’

All he gained from the interrogation was the speculation that the maid Yuena always kept with her wasn’t an ordinary person. Iophe stopped questioning her and returned to Yuena’s bedroom. She lay there like someone in a deep sleep.

“Why did you do it?”

Iophe asked the sleeping Yuena.

“Did you want to die?”

Would this have happened if he’d told her that poisonous plant doesn’t take your life in one go?

Coincidentally, the first day he saw Yuena, the incident that led him to House Idebald was a similar event.

“Yuena Idebald threw herself off her family’s terrace.”

“My, was the shock that great even though Seian was such a bastard?”

“As if. Now that Idebald’s really dead, she must have realized what her situation is.”

“Hahaha. Then what happens to that ridiculous marriage?”

Those people wagging their three-inch tongues without even knowing where Hertus was—they were pathetic beyond words, but on the other hand, it piqued his interest.

That woman threw herself off? Then who’s supposed to sign my business proposal?

It was only that level of interest. But anyway, it drew Iophe to House Idebald. The woman seemed perfectly fine and even made him a proposal to take what they needed from each other.

‘So the s*icide incident wasn’t true.’

Why was that matter he’d dismissed in one sentence back then coming back to him now? Iophe had nails hammered into all the windows of the room where Yuena was lying.

The problem was he didn’t know what to do about the anxiety that remained even then. He paced Yuena’s bedroom every day and checked her condition with the physician several times a day.

“How is Yuena?”

“All her other responses are normal. Right now, I can only see it as a sleeping state.”

That would be right. Iophe had watched these symptoms long ago too. But knowing didn’t make the anxiety subside. He had no choice but to sit by the bed where Yuena was lying again.

“When will she wake up?”

Yuena gave no answer, and she woke up only after a full month had passed. He felt like he’d lose his patience when she turned her back and lay down instead of answering his question about why she’d done it, but anyway, the fact that she’d awakened was more important.

“Look at this. People go crazy when they’re locked up in such a dark place.”

Fortunately, Yuena who woke from her long sleep was no different from usual. She threw out snide remarks like before she fell asleep and huffed with that indignant face again.

‘She didn’t eat it knowing it was a poisonous plant.’

If he hadn’t confirmed she had no intention of dying, he would have planned to never remove the nails hammered into the windows. Yuena returned to her original state as she always had…… to a state where he couldn’t take his eyes off her for even a moment.

Iophe frowned as he recalled this part. It was just a few days ago. Taking advantage of his absence.

‘She was in a room with that priest bastard.’

Just when he thought she’d unusually tell him something herself, she said Seian had done something to her. While she talked about how she’d collapsed again with a perfectly normal face, making his heart feel like it was being squeezed, Yuena just laughed as if what she’d said was funny. Without knowing how people feel.

Huu. Iophe exhaled.

Looking out the office window, a carriage was entering.

“……Looks like she’s back.”

❀ ❀ ❀

To be honest, Philip had no talent for lying. Philip himself knew this, but he just didn’t want to admit he was an idiot who couldn’t even give a single short answer properly.

“Was there anything unusual?”

“No……!”

Naturally, Iophe noticed Philip’s exaggerated abdominal breathing, his lips that moved a half-beat late, and his awkward mouth shape.

“Seems something happened.”

“N-no……”

“What is it?”

Philip ultimately had no choice but to confess with his own mouth about the commotion where Yuena had briefly disappeared.

“She did disappear for a moment……”

“Disappeared?”

“B-but she came back right away.”

“I told you to report immediately if anything happened.”

Iophe stood up. Philip reflexively stepped back.

“I was going to! Just as I was about to send someone to the castle, she came back!”

“What did she say?”

“She didn’t say anything…… just said to go back to the castle……”

Had something happened?

Iophe, who’d decided to go check, walked toward the door. Philip, left alone behind, secretly let out a sigh of relief.

As Iophe walked to Yuena’s room, he thought.

‘As I thought, it won’t do. I need to tell her she can’t go out alone anymore.’

At least not within Hertus territory—if he said that, Yuena would sharpen her eyes but soon agree.

His steps toward the room grew increasingly urgent.

❀ ❀ ❀

Yuena was sitting on the bed wearing a light gown. She was looking at the fading sunset through the window where the curtains were drawn back.

“Yuena.”

“……”

Iophe felt a familiar anxiety at her back that gave no answer. Even though she must have noticed the presence behind her, she just sat there blankly.

Iophe said.

“I heard you went out to the village today.”

“……”

“I heard you disappeared on the bridge. Don’t think about going out without me anymore. At least within the territory……”

Because you’ll probably cause another incident when I’m not watching.

He’d definitely meant to say something like that. But…… when he walked around the bed to approach her, frustrated, what Iophe faced was a completely unexpected scene.

“Yuena……”

He brought his hand to Yuena’s cheek with a careful motion. Her thoroughly soaked cheek was cold.

“Are you hurt somewhere?”

Iophe said that as he lowered himself. It was to meet her gaze, but Yuena showed no reaction as if she couldn’t hear. He was the one getting anxious at the gaze that wouldn’t quite reach him. He stood up again.

“I’ll call the doctor now—”

“……Don’t need one.”

“Then why……”

Yuena grabbed Iophe who was getting up to call the doctor. His fingertips that settled beside her wandered, not knowing what to do.

“……What happened today?”

Yuena bit her lip and shook her head slightly. That was all. But now his heart felt like it was being pricked beyond just being squeezed.

‘Why so painfully……’

Tears continuously falling over her white cheeks. To Iophe, they felt like cracks in a glass. It felt like she’d shatter if he held her tightly. So he had no choice but to hold her as carefully as possible.

“Huk……”

She leaned into his arms and made a faint crying sound. Did I just break this glass? Afraid that the sob just now might be the sound of shattering, Iophe was scared.

“If you tell me why…… I’ll help.”

No answer came back. She was never honest, so he’d expected this much. Iophe stroked her small heaving back.

And he whispered. In a lower voice than usual.

“Just stay where my eyes can reach. Then I’ll solve it.”

Whatever it is. I’ll do it for you.