Arinne lifted her arm, which felt as heavy as a lump of iron, and pinched her cheek with her hand.

It hurt. She was definitely alive.

‘I’m alive.’

When she realized she was definitely alive and even felt relieved, she felt strange.

‘I’m glad to be alive…’

No matter how boring life was, she realized anew that she didn’t want to die.

She didn’t want to live but hated dying so she had to live, and sometimes she felt like dying but didn’t actually think about death so she had to live.

Even her attitude toward life was like this. Pure contradiction through and through.

“Oh my. You’re awake? Just a moment. I’ll help you up.”

A maid with a rather kind smiling face put down the water bottle in her hand and hurried to support Arinne.

The maid, who’d firmly propped pillows behind her back, poured water for Arinne, whose throat was hoarse and who was coughing.

“How long have I been like this?”

“You’ve been lying down for two full days, miss.”

“Two days, ahem, hmm. Then where is this…”

“Don’t strain yourself. I’ll tell you everything you must be curious about.”

Her voice wouldn’t come out well because she’d been asleep for two days. Cracking sounds kept coming out along with coughs.

“This is the Carentium Marquis estate.”

“Ca-what?”

Arinne couldn’t swallow the water in her mouth and spat it out.

Water flowed from her mouth down her chin.

“Ha!”

The nimble maid skillfully caught it with a towel before the water could touch the bedding.

The maid looked at Arinne, whose eyes had widened, and proudly gave a thumbs up.

“I heard you helped the young masters? Everyone at the Marquis estate is deeply grateful.”

At the maid’s words, Arinne’s thoughts stopped again.

“Oh dear. You’re still feeling unwell, aren’t you? The master was very worried too.”

“…”

While Arinne just blinked, feeling distant from reality, the maid carefully wiped the moisture remaining on her lips.

“Are you a servant of the Marquis household?”

“Yes. I’m Beika, a faithful maid of the Carentium Marquis household. I’ve been assigned to serve you during your stay.”

Beika explained point by point within what she knew.

Arinne quite liked Beika’s polite attitude and quick perception.

‘Anyway, this is the Carentium Marquis estate…’

Arinne pressed her forehead with the back of her hand. Her head throbbed at the series of coincidences that seemed unbelievable.

Since she’d decided to try proposing to the Marquis of Carentium, it was a place she would’ve come to eventually. This outing was also to choose a proposal-slash-visit gift for him.

Though she hadn’t known she’d meet his children and end up here as a patient like this.

“May I withdraw now? I’ll tell the butler that the guest has awakened. If you need anything while I’m away, please ring the bell beside you.”

Arinne nodded in response.

“Wait. Where’s my maid?”

“Your maid is in the next room.”

“Ah… Call her for me.”

“I’ll do that.”

Not long after Beika left, there was a sound of something falling and breaking outside, then the door opened noisily.

“Miss!! You’re awake?!!!”

Jo, whose eyes were so swollen they looked like macarons, slid quickly to the bedside and dropped to her knees.

“Are you alright? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you? I-I swear I didn’t say anything!!”

Jo placed her hand on her chest and spoke solemnly.

“I couldn’t say you’re the Lady of Marcedea! If I had, you would’ve jumped up and sewn my mouth shut!!”

Whenever she was in trouble, Jo pretended to faint too.

She scratched her head sheepishly, saying that just now she’d pretended to faint the same way but ended up actually falling asleep.

“So. Why am I here?”

“It’s a long story…”

Starting with those words, Jo quickly explained what had happened while Arinne was unconscious.

“Uh, uh, so, on the way to the guard station, I met knights looking for two boys, and they seemed like those young masters! So I brought the knights back to tell you, but suddenly there was this flash of light! And then you collapsed, miss!! Do you know how shocked I was?!! I didn’t remember the hotel’s name or location! I was panicking, and then, well, I got swept along here… huff, gasp…”

“Can you breathe while talking?”

“No. I’m so, huff… out of breath.”

Jo gulped down the water Arinne handed her with audible swallowing sounds.

After pouring out everything from the past two days, Jo’s face became much more relaxed, seemingly relieved.

“…I see. A lot happened.”

Actually, she hadn’t understood Jo’s words well. Jo’s words just circled around her ears without entering.

Jo’s breathless explanation and defense only made Arinne’s ears ring.

She’d barely understood anything properly.

The children she’d coincidentally helped were the Marquis’s children, and she, having fainted, was moved to the Marquis estate where she’d been asleep for two full days.

She’d only understood about that much.

So she’d only understood as much as Beika had cleanly explained earlier, not Jo.

Whether from the protective charm’s electric shock, her body still ached and her head wasn’t working well.

‘Or not?’

Her shoulders seemed a bit lighter.

Arinne gently rolled her shoulders. Her shoulders and back were definitely lighter.

“What about the children?”

“Both young masters are fine.”

“Putting something like that on children’s bodies. Does the Marquis not have that much sense as a guardian?”

If he was going to give them something, shouldn’t he have given them something sturdy and thoroughly taught them how to use it and the precautions?

No sooner had Arinne criticized the Marquis than Jo added.

“This is the first time this happened. Normally it wouldn’t break even if you hammered it? It broke on its own.”

All the children knew how to use the protective charms, and the cause of the automatic activation was under investigation.

“Does that make sense? Then it’s really shoddy.”

Arinne tried to reflect on her hasty criticism, then canceled the reflection, thinking that as someone who’d been harmed, she could criticize this much.

“M-miss…!!”

“Something that won’t break even if you hammer it breaks because a kid moved? Making an innocent person get struck by lightning and then ’under investigation.’”

“Miss, are you listening to me??”

“Yeah. I’m listening.”

Starting from letting the kids wander around alone, the Marquis couldn’t avoid responsibility. 

What if something had happened? What if the protective charm didn’t work when it really mattered?

“This isn’t the time for this!”

Arinne glanced at Jo with eyes faintly tinged with irritation and continued her thoughts.

“Geez, listen! He’s here? This isn’t the time to be dazed!”

Jo grabbed Arinne’s shoulders and shook her. Jo was really skilled at interfering with her master.

“Who’s here?”

“The Marquis of Carentium!!”

When Arinne showed annoyance, Jo shouted urgently.

“Why did he come?”

Arinne looked at Jo with bewildered eyes, like she’d heard something she shouldn’t have.

“Because you woke up, miss!”

Jo combed through Arinne’s hair with her hands to tidy it.

‘Now that I have to actually meet him, I don’t want to.’

She’d easily told Jo she’d marry the Marquis of Carentium, but it was actually just words. She’d thought and planned everything from one to ten by herself, and didn’t even know yet if his position and calculations matched.

“Tell him to come in.”

Arinne straightened her sitting posture.

Whoosh.

After briefly organizing her breathing once, Arinne skillfully arranged her expression.

Soon after, a tall, handsome man entered.

“Ah.”

Arinne unconsciously opened her mouth.

The man’s gray hair swayed slightly with his steps. It was a darker ash color compared to Ray’s.

In addition to his solid build, his dark gray hair and calm eyes captured Arinne’s gaze.

‘Me with that man?’

For a moment, the thought flashed through her mind that she must have been crazy when she decided to marry.

“You don’t need to get up.”

The Marquis stopped Arinne from trying to rise. Perhaps because his face was orderly in appearance, even his voice was pleasant.

“How is your body?”

“No trouble moving.”

The Marquis, standing upright before the bed, examined Arinne’s complexion with a calm face.

Arinne examined him as well. His face, properly molded with straight lines, had no rough edges. She liked that his slightly tired-looking face showed he was a man.

“I’ve heard the circumstances. The children caused you trouble.”

The Marquis, who’d drawn in a small breath, bowed his head politely to Arinne. His ash-colored hair swayed softly following the movement.

“If there’s any compensation you desire, please tell me. I’ll provide it.”

Arinne raised one eyebrow slightly then lowered it. The greeting was fine, but his manner of immediately mentioning compensation was irritating.

“More than that, Lord Marquis.”

“Yes. Please speak.”

“Could we talk while sitting? It bothers me that only you’re standing.”

“Ah. Let’s do that.”

The Marquis awkwardly pulled over a chair and sat. Finally their eye levels were similar.

Seeing him up close, he was even more handsome. It was a face that could make one readily declare they’d love even a madman.