“Queen of Farmin! This can’t be! The Queen of Farmin has failed to secure her sixth consecutive victory!”

Even with her hat on, Eliza felt as though the skin on her face was melting from sheer embarrassment at her behavior, and for a moment, she fell into a panic.

She had clearly seen with her own eyes that “Morning Glory” had won—yet all she could hear was the name “Queen of Farmin.”

“‘Morning Glory’! ‘Morning Glory’ has defeated the Queen of Farmin to take the win! The Queen of Farmin’s six-win streak has been broken! This is unbelievable—an upset, ladies and gentlemen!”

Flustered, Eliza jumped to her feet and hurried toward the betting counter.

It felt as though everyone in the stands was chasing after her.

“Cash out! I’d like to cash out.”

‘D*mn it… even when you win, gambling still makes your hands shake!’

Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she held out the betting ticket.

At this point, she didn’t even feel embarrassed anymore.

It was impossible to calmly accept the fact that she had actually succeeded in a twelvefold bet.

Clenching her teeth, she screamed inwardly.

‘Hurry! Hurry and give me the money. My bag—what if my bag is too small?’

Just as she placed her large handbag on the counter, thinking exactly that, a massive figure stepped in front of her, completely blocking her view.

Reeking faintly of stale tobacco, his voice echoed like it came from a cavern.

“Ma’am, would you come with me for a moment?”

“…What? Yes…?”

Eliza craned her neck to look up at the man, he was so large he could have been mistaken for a giant.

His hair was cut short, almost shaved, and his face held no expression whatsoever.

It was the kind of face that would make anyone instinctively afraid.

“Please wait while we prepare the money. Follow me.”

‘Am I… going to die?’

Sensing danger on instinct, Eliza took a step back.

Her mind told her to stay composed, but her voice trembled first.

“W-why? There shouldn’t be any problem with my ticket. That man will remember me.”

She stretched out her arm, pointing at the clerk who had sold her the ticket.

The clerk, however, stared blankly into space with a defeated look that seemed to say, I knew something like this would happen.

Eliza let her inner scream spill out.

“I’ll wait here. I’m not going anywhere.”

The man frowned and raised his arm as if to grab her, and Eliza blurted out,

“I think it would be best to call the police so I can take my money safely.”

At the mention of the police, the large man’s expression darkened even further, and Eliza grew more frightened.

If he was avoiding the police, then it could only mean he intended to do something illegal to her.

Desperation rising, Eliza cried out inwardly.

‘I should’ve just broken into James’s safe!’

The next moment, a pleasant scent filled her nose. Then she heard a man’s voice—calm and gentle, almost unreal.

“Samuel, what’s going on?”

“…My lord. It’s nothing.”

‘My lord?’

Eliza couldn’t even breathe. She froze completely.

In the meantime, the man addressed as “my lord” stepped slightly in front of her, as if to shield her. All she could see was his straight back—sleek, almost feline.

That back seemed to smile as he spoke.

“It doesn’t look like nothing. I could see from over there how frightened this lady was—I couldn’t just walk past. Samuel, do you have any idea how bad the mood is among the guests right now? There’s no need to stir things up further, is there?”

“Well…”

The man’s voice rose with emotion.

“‘Queen of Farmin’ lost! I lost big this time! D*mn it—since when did six stop being a lucky number? Samuel, didn’t you bet on ‘Queen of Farmin’?”

“I did. Just a little…”

‘No way… It can’t be. Why are you here…?’

Eliza wished desperately that none of this was real.

She felt as though she were being punished for foolishly believing that fortune had finally begun to favor her.

In truth, she hadn’t only decided to run from James and Lorina.

When she chose to abandon her life as a pushover, she had also chosen to leave this man behind. When she decided to escape from James, she had been running from him as well.

Even if they were to meet again by chance, she had sworn never to meet his eyes. It was the least she could do—her final shred of conscience as a human being.

And yet, the back before her now was far slimmer and more beautiful than she remembered. His voice was still gentle and soft. His demeanor remained composed and elegant.

The fear of the situation, mixed with the despair and longing of seeing him again, made her feel as though she might as well die on the spot.

But the viscount only assumed that Eliza was frightened because of Samuel.

Glancing back briefly, he shifted slightly, shielding her more as he spoke.

“Unlucky for you too, Samuel. But what business do you have with this lady?”

At that moment, Eliza felt Samuel’s sharp gaze pierce straight through the viscount and land on her. It snapped her back to her senses.

“If there’s a problem, it’s that this lady didn’t bet on ‘Queen of Farmin’!”

“…Pfft.”

Eliza could hardly believe it—the viscount had just flinched and let out a laugh.

In an instant, her face burned bright red.

He had seen her earlier in the stands, seen her completely lose herself and scream the moment “Morning Glory” crossed the finish line.

“Ah…!”

Overwhelmed by a hellish wave of embarrassment, Eliza covered her face with both hands and sank to the ground.

‘How… how did it end up like this?!’

Startled, the viscount crouched down in front of her and spoke in a voice so gentle it was almost maddening.

“Ma’am, it would be best if you stood up. If you stay like this, it will put Samuel in a difficult position. Isn’t that right, Samuel? No matter who it is, it won’t be easy to be forgiven for making such a refined lady cry.”

Samuel clicked his tongue, clearly displeased.

“Even so, you’ll have to come with me. Mr. Bark asked me to bring you.”

“Ah, Bark.”

As the viscount’s tone suddenly dropped, Eliza felt an even deeper sense of dread.

Then he turned to her and said,

“Ma’am, if you don’t mind, may I accompany you?”

Eliza lowered her hands from her face and looked at him.

Wheat-colored blond hair.

Clear blue eyes with a faintly muted hue.

A youthful, almost boyish kind of beauty.

It was him.

The only person who had saved and protected her after she had been abandoned in her past life.

The man A-young had once called the “great fool”—Viscount Deonar Goodwin.

Her chest ached, and tears threatened to spill.

She wanted, desperately, to refuse his offer. But if she followed that giant alone, she felt as though she might be buried alive without a trace.

The words simply wouldn’t come out.

Swallowing hard, Eliza managed to answer,

“Th-thank you.”

As they followed Samuel down a narrow basement corridor, Deonar leaned slightly toward her and whispered playfully.

“Don’t worry too much, ma’am. I haven’t quite sobered up yet, but I should still be able to help you.”

“……”

Even in the face of fear so sharp it felt like death, Eliza found herself swallowing back a sob at the sight of his tired smile—still lingering from a night of heavy drinking.

‘Please… stop it. Are you going to save me again the moment you see me?’

Beyond the door Samuel opened sat a middle-aged man—clearly Bark—with a belly round as a jar.

On the desk in front of him, piles of cash were stacked high like a small mountain.

‘Th-that’s… 2.4 million derk?’

Eliza stood there, feeling as if her soul had left her body, thinking that with that amount, she might be able to buy all of Athern itself.

Then Bark looked at her, eyes widening in disbelief.

“A young woman?”

Bark looked between Deonar Goodwin and Eliza in turn, his expression growing darker.

“Did you have that woman place the bet on ‘Morning Glory’ for you, my lord?”

Deonar gestured politely for Eliza to sit on the sofa. Then he sat a short distance away, stretching out as if exhausted.

“Do I look like someone who would do that right now? I just lost ten thousand derk on the ‘Queen of Farmin.’”

At that, Bark shouted.

“Ha! Look at this, then. I lost two million four hundred thousand derk!”

Realizing that the money piled on the desk was what Eliza had won, Deonar turned to her in shock.

Eliza, unable to meet his eyes, lowered her head deeply.

A faint groan slipped from her lips.

That alone made her look utterly guilty—whatever the charge might be.

‘Of course. To you, I’m a sinner.’

As if a wave of hangover had suddenly hit him all at once, Deonar frowned and asked slowly,

“Two… million four hundred thousand derk? Is that correct, ma’am?”

“Yes! Two million four hundred thousand derk! In a single race!”

Bark shouted as he slammed his thick fist down on the desk again and again.

Startled by the noise, Eliza’s whole body flinched, and Deonar frowned at the crude display unfolding in front of a lady.

The only reason Eliza found the courage to speak at all was because Deonar was there.

“N-no one tried to stop me when I placed my bet of two hundred thousand derk. If I had lost that money, no one would have said a word either. Isn’t that right?”

“Hmm.”

“But now that I’ve won, you summon me here and shout like this? In that case, I think it would be best to call the police.”

Each time Eliza spoke, Deonar nodded in firm encouragement.

But at the mention of the police, he tensed slightly and glanced at Bark.

Bark’s face had turned menacing in an instant.

Deonar quickly stepped in, speaking in a calming tone,

“Ma’am, Mr. Bark here is a… well…”

He paused, as if about to say “lawful businessman,” then corrected himself.

“…a businessman. If you placed your money legally, then he will, of course, pay you legally as well. Isn’t that right, Bark?”