In the dark bedroom, I looked around but couldn’t see the Grand Duke anywhere.

Where had he gone?

I slipped off the sofa and tiptoed to the door, careful not to make any noise.

Thinking he might have left, I pressed my ear to the door and thought I heard faint echoes in the corridor.

I carefully opened the door and peeked out.

“……”

The corridor, lit only by occasional candles for servants to pass through, stretched dark and straight ahead, looking as frightening as an endless cave.

I squinted carefully but couldn’t see the Grand Duke, so I turned my head to look in the opposite direction.

“…?”

There he is!

I caught sight of the Grand Duke’s back passing under the light from the dim wall lamps between patches of darkness.

Like a terrifying grim reaper carrying death, he would disappear into the darkness, then reappear near the faint wall lamps, revealing his enormous figure alongside a beast-like shadow.

Where could he be going at this late hour?

The timing was too odd for him to be attending to business…

Perhaps he was meeting someone?

A butler, a knight, or maybe a messenger.

Or if not those… a woman?!

I unconsciously covered my mouth at the sudden thought.

I hope it’s a woman!

Then I wouldn’t have to find a woman for that man to fall in love with.

My heart raced at the thought that things might be easier than I’d imagined.

Afraid he might sense my presence, I pulled my body further inside the door, sticking out only my head as I watched him.

He had been bare-chested earlier, and if he was just wearing a robe now…

Yes, it seemed most likely to be the latter option.

At that moment, the Grand Duke stopped abruptly.

Oh no, did he notice me?

When he started to turn around, I swallowed the scream that nearly erupted from my core and quickly pulled on the doorknob.

No, no! If the door makes a sound while closing, I’m done for!

I kept holding the doorknob all the way, afraid that letting go would make a locking sound, and suppressed my terrible fear.

Surely he didn’t see the door closing?

The corridor stretched straight ahead, making opening and closing doors easily visible.

No, the corridor was so dark, could he have seen it?

Wait, if he was turning around, doesn’t that mean he already noticed something?

The master of this castle was unnervingly perceptive. And so suspicious of everything!

Perhaps he was already striding toward this room.

Should I dive back onto the sofa and pretend to be asleep?

But if he hadn’t noticed anything unusual and continued on his way, I had no idea how far he might have gone.

In that case, the chances of losing him would be higher.

The anonymous helper told me not to fall asleep, right?

“Haa, haa…”

My heart pounded so anxiously it felt like it might jump out of my body.

Looking down at my tingling fingertips, I realized I had been gripping the doorknob with excessive force without knowing it. My hand was even trembling slightly.

My feet felt glued to the floor, but I had to make a decision.

“Huh…?”

Something strange was happening.

Though brief, I should have heard footsteps if he was approaching, but there was no sound at all.

Was he not coming?

I pressed my face against the door and listened closely, holding my breath.

I couldn’t sense any presence.

“……”

Should I open it to check?

After a deep breath, I slowly began to turn the doorknob.

What if I opened the door and made eye contact with the intimidating Grand Duke standing in the corridor?

He might be waiting for me to open the door, looking down at the doorway with cold eyes.

An icy fear crept up from my ankles.

“Hup…”

I squeezed my eyes shut as I opened the door, then prayed to God as I cautiously opened them.

“…Huh?”

Contrary to my worries, the corridor was empty.

I stretched my stiff neck and immediately stepped outside.

“Wh-where did he go…?”

As if what I’d seen earlier was a ghost, not even a shadow could be found in the wide corridor paved with smooth natural marble.

Where had he disappeared to?

I was about to search for the Grand Duke, whose whereabouts I had no idea of, when it suddenly occurred to me whether this was a good idea.

Already disliked from all quarters, I might face even worse treatment if I drew attention to myself.

This time, they might lock me not in a hospital room but in a dungeon or something similar…

“…I don’t want to be imprisoned.”

But the message from the anonymous helper might be related to this current situation.

Though uncertain, I decided to find the Grand Duke first and began running carefully on my tiptoes to avoid making footsteps.

“That’s strange…?”

I was sure it was around here.

I hadn’t thought the bedroom was this far, but after running, I realized the distance was considerable.

Even after coming this far, the end of the corridor remained shrouded in darkness.

He wouldn’t have gone down the stairs, would he?

I glanced at the stairs that appeared intermittently and ran my hand through my hair in frustration.

No, he wouldn’t have gone up or down.

Let’s search this floor first.

“……”

I looked around while trying to slow my rapid breathing, which had risen all the way to my chin from running so fast.

How many doors are there?

The corridor, long as a railroad track, seemed to have too many doors.

If I tried opening all of them, I’d surely be caught by someone.

“…But what do I do after opening them?”

Even if the Grand Duke was nearby, I couldn’t predict what would happen when I opened a door.

If he was having a confidential meeting with someone, or perhaps a secret romantic encounter…

“He’d really hate running into me.”

Especially if he was meeting a hidden lover, I worried about witnessing a scene I shouldn’t see.

I didn’t care who he loved, but the thought of peeking at someone else’s intimate situation made me shudder.

“No, this is necessary. It must be.”

My mysterious helper must have had a reason for telling me not to fall asleep.

Right, I wasn’t in a position to be choosy about what I saw or what I liked.

In my desperate situation of needing to establish a way to escape quickly, hesitation was a luxury.

“Whew…”

After pressing my hand firmly against my rapidly beating heart, I opened the nearest door.

Though the tall windows reaching the ceiling were covered with muslin curtains, the bluish dawn light seeping through made it easy to see inside.

It was a room with billiard tables, a piano, and round tables placed here and there.

“……”

Not here.

Click.

The second room, filled with portraits, yielded the same result.

“Where on earth is he?”

This wasn’t the only problem making it difficult to find him.

Each room was surprisingly spacious, and some rooms even contained several rooms within them. Because of this, I realized that finding one person in this castle was no different from finding someone in a vast amusement park.

Moreover, I had been running on my tiptoes for so long that my already sore toes had long since lost feeling.

“If he’s not here either…”

I’d have to give up if he wasn’t in this room.

After carefully checking that no one was in the corridor, I cautiously opened the door.

The place was so large and majestic compared to any other room I had seen before, like a giant library.

Sure enough, bookshelves of the same height were placed between the tall windows, with countless books filling each shelf.

I also enjoyed the pleasure of walking with my full feet on the thick carpet.

Passing through the jaw-dropping library and through an arched wall opening, I came to a marble-paved floor.

“Ugh.”

I felt sad at the realization that I had to raise my heels again, but what could I do?

My already cold feet were tingling from constantly walking on tiptoes, but as I carefully stepped onto the marble floor, I saw a huge table surrounded by chairs.

Imposing statues also lined both sides.

It seemed to be a meeting place.

“Huh…?”

Just then, a faint light flickered in the distance.

It was light flowing through a half-closed door beyond the meeting room.

Is he there?

I immediately covered my mouth and approached quietly, hearing a faint crackling sound.

It sounded like a fireplace burning?

“Haah…”

“…!”

At that moment, a rough groan leaked out, sending chills all over my body.

A roaring red fireplace, groaning sounds, faint yet subtle lighting… warm carpet…

In movies, nine out of ten times, similar settings all led to the same thing.

With each rough breath I heard, my mind went blank and my body hair stood on end.

‘C-calm down.’

I tried my hardest to regain my composure, clenching my fists tighter.

Right, I should open the door, pretend to be startled at discovering them, and then scream.

No, wait! I should run away quickly enough not to get caught, then scream in the middle of the corridor!

That Grand Duke probably runs terrifyingly fast.

I should pretend to accept his mistress while showing more devotion to him, and be nice to the servants too. If people feel sympathy for me and testify even one word on my behalf, that would ultimately be good.

‘Huff! Huff! Steel yourself.’

Having come this far, I felt I needed to accomplish something, so I pushed the slightly open door with the tips of my toes.

Creak—

As the door opened, I quickly pulled back my extended foot, preparing to flee.

“…!”

Simultaneously, a flashing gaze from beside the fireplace lunged fiercely toward me.