“My lady!”

The one who entered was the Marquis. Unlike when she’d seen him in the morning, he appeared completely disheveled.

His sweat-soaked shirt subtly showed off where and in what shape his muscles were positioned, and every time he caught his breath, his firm chest heaved through the loosened shirt.

‘Wow.’

Arinne quietly admired his broad chest and thick arms.

“Are you alright?”

“Wh-what?”

The Marquis approached at a near run and stood before Arinne. Arinne’s eyes widened at his upper body filling her entire view.

“Are there aftereffects? Ray said your complexion looked pale…!”

“I’m fine, so calm down.”

Arinne soothed the Marquis while crumpling the paper and holding it behind her back so he couldn’t see. Jo quickly received it from behind and stuffed it into her pocket.

“Are you really sure you’re alright?”

“Yes. I’m really fine. Could you put that away first? It’s threatening.”

“Ah.”

Only then did the Marquis come to his senses and step back several paces.

The Marquis looked down at his hand blankly. In his haste, he’d brought along the wooden sword he’d been holding while supervising Jade’s swordsmanship.

“I forgot to leave it behind.”

The Marquis carelessly tossed the wooden sword aside. The wood fell to the floor with a dull thud.

“Are you in pain? Should I call a doctor? Ray said you looked like you were about to collapse…”

“I clearly told Ray I was tired and wanted to rest, though?”

“…”

The Marquis thought for a moment before hastily finishing his words.

“The child must have exaggerated. Anyway, I’m glad you look fine. Then I’ll be going…”

The Marquis picked up the wooden sword he’d just thrown down and slowly backed away with an awkward face. Unlike his hasty entrance, it was an awkward and quiet exit.

* * *

“That Ray…”

Lawrence roughly swept his fallen bangs back with his hand.

He should have known when Ray came humming while holding Formington’s hand.

‘Where’s the lady?’

‘Huh? B-big sister is… waaah!’

The child suddenly burst into tears and babbled incoherently, pouring out words, so he thought something really serious had happened.

If she were really sick, Ray probably would have stuck with her and refused to leave.

His thoughts hadn’t reached that far. There was no way Ray would have come to him in that situation.

Since that lady arrived, the child had been bringing up words like ‘mom’ or ‘death’ strangely often. Before then, he’d rarely even said the word, let alone looked for his mother.

It was obvious who had been putting ideas in the child’s head.

“It must be that Formington.”

He didn’t know what he’d said to Ray, but he’d hold him accountable immediately and chase him to the west. Let him live being tormented by the estate butler of the Count’s household, who was just as stubborn as the former Count. Tsk.

Lawrence clicked his tongue and quickened his pace.

‘I’ll be right back.’

‘You’ll c-come back again?’

Because he’d left like that, Jade would be waiting for him.

‘You learned well from Calon.’

‘I really, r-really worked hard…!’

He didn’t know how long it had been since he’d seen that child genuinely happy in front of him. It seemed like the first time since back then.

Lawrence knew the children relied more on Calon and Formington than on him. Because he himself had made it that way.

While it was bitter, part of him was also relieved. He’d considered it fortunate and run away.

From the children, from responsibility.

While Lawrence wandered and ran away, the children grew up.

Jade, who had been a high-maintenance child, had now become a mature child who barely needed help.

Ray, who had been a newborn, seemed to think similarly about his dad as about his mom who hadn’t been there since his memories formed. Just as someone who exists.

When children grow up, a parent’s domain shrinks. The thought suddenly struck him that it might be too late by then.

It wasn’t because of Formington’s presumptuous meddling or Calon’s tiresome nagging.

It wasn’t because Ray spread his arms to Formington first instead of him, or because Jade only opened up to Calon about feelings he hid and didn’t tell others.

“Was it Arinne…”

That woman from the east, supposedly a country noble. It had been since she arrived.

Whenever he asked anything, she’d change the subject and play dumb, so all he’d learned was that she was ‘a noble from the east.’

Ray had already fallen completely for her and wanted her to help with even brushing his teeth and washing his face, which apparently troubled the maids.

Jade was shy around her, but that child was standoffish with everyone except Calon…

How surprised he’d been when Calon told him she’d said Jade was rude.

Because he himself found the children difficult and avoided situations where he’d have to scold them, accepting almost everything as he raised them, the children often acted stubborn and rude.

Thinking of her pale, delicate face when she was brought in, he couldn’t believe that woman had scolded Jade.

He was curious about how she treated the children. He wanted to know what about her the children responded to.

And today, observing her with the children together, he realized it. She had the power to control the children.

“I should ask if she’s interested in employment.”

Whether as a nanny or tutor, his conclusion was that he needed to keep her at the marquis’s estate longer.

“Marquis!!”

Just then, Formington was running toward him from the opposite direction, calling out and panting.

‘Perfect timing, you b*stard Formington.’

Lawrence tightened his grip on the wooden sword, planning to give him a thorough beating.

“The young masters are fighting!!”

“What?”

“They’re scratching and pinching each other! It’s chaos!! Everyone’s trying to stop them but…! You need to go quickly…!”

“…”

Lawrence’s wooden sword greeted the floor crudely once again. Formington pulled at his frozen arm, urging him on.

‘The kids are fighting? Physically?’

Those children never fought. Even when they did, it was usually just a bit of verbal bickering.

Even when he’d heard that the kids had cried and fought on the day that lady Arinne was brought in, Lawrence hadn’t believed it.

‘They probably cried because they were scolded. She said they were rude.’

‘I’m telling you they cried from fighting?’

Sure, Ray was a whiny crybaby, but wasn’t it strange that Jade cried while fighting his younger brother? He couldn’t believe a strange woman had scolded Jade, and he believed even less that Jade had fought with Ray and cried.

He’d thought maybe they’d lied, saying they fought when they’d actually cried from being scolded because they were embarrassed.

Until this moment.

What if the kids were really fighting? Crying, hitting, and brawling?

‘No!’

Even though it was just imagination, his spine went cold. A sense of crisis washed over Lawrence that he hadn’t felt even when he’d fallen from his horse in battle and landed in the middle of enemies.

“Where’s Calon?”

“Didn’t he go to work in your place?!”

“Ah.”

Lawrence lamented in dismay.

D*mn it. Why. Why this trial…!

“Ah. W-wait, Formington!”

Lawrence, who’d been running in panic, stopped abruptly.

“Yes? Wh-whoooa?!!”

Formington, who stopped hastily following him, flew through the air helplessly like a paper doll with a single scream.

Lawrence quickly turned and ran in the opposite direction. Calon wasn’t at the estate right now, but wasn’t there one strange yet remarkable person who had controlled the children in a short time?

“My lady…!”

Lawrence ran desperately.

* * *

Arinne ran down the corridor holding the Marquis’s hand.

‘Why am I doing this?’

She’d followed him without time to think at his urgent words, but after hearing the reason midway, she wondered why she was running.

“Hurry!”

“Huff. J-just leave me behind!”

The Marquis urged Arinne as she slowed down. Arinne found it absurd that she, not even part of this household, was running herself ragged because of someone else’s family affairs.

“I’m going to get hurt at this rate! Either slow down or leave me behind!”

Her stamina reached its limit past the corridor and before the stairs. If she went down the stairs at this speed, she’d definitely tumble and fall.

“This is maddening.”

The Marquis, who irritably swept his disheveled hair behind his forehead, lifted her up in an instant.

“Kyaaa! Wh-what are you doing?!”

“Excuse me.”

“You say that before you act, ah!!”

Arinne’s final cry contained nothing but irritation.

If he’d carried her in his arms, it might have at least looked somewhat decent. This was no different from hauling cargo.

Arinne wondered if this madman was the same person who’d supported her body with his forearm that morning.

The Marquis slung Arinne over his shoulder and leaped down the stairs several steps at a time.

The servants who saw this stood with their mouths agape.

‘What the h*ll is this?!’

More than embarrassment, Arinne’s heart pounded at the rapidly changing view and her body swaying this way and that.

Arinne clutched the Marquis’s shirt and kept screaming.

“If you drop me, I’ll kill you!!”