Théodore’s voice, more animated than she had ever heard it, drew her toward the front porch. And the moment she turned, the first person she saw at the head of the procession was her own brother, Alexander.

“Goodness, Alex!”

Three years had erased every trace of frailty from him. Lisette’s eyes went wide at the sight of a man radiating a fully formed masculinity.

‘That’s Alexander?’

The strong, defined lines that three years had carved into his face stirred something overwhelming inside her without her even realizing it.

“Brother!”

She called out to him loudly and stretched her arm up to wave. Alexander’s eyes went wide at the sound, and he broke into a bright smile, urging his horse forward in a hurry. He rode up in a single dash, leaped down from the saddle, and pulled Céline into his arms.

“Mother!”

“Oh, dear God.”

Wrapped in Alexander’s tight embrace, Céline burst into tears. The worry she had carried every single day for three years, praying at the temple, found its release in that moment.

She had sent her young son to the battlefield, practically as a sacrifice for the family name, and that must have left something knotted deep inside her. Understanding that, Lisette quietly stepped back and watched the two of them.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“You’ve been through a lot, young master.”

Théodore moved to their side and patted Alexander on the back. And beside him, sister-in-law Angela smiled faintly.

“…….”

Standing apart from them, watching from a distance, she somehow felt as though they were a family unto themselves.

But she felt no resentment. She was used to scenes like this.

She kept a smile on her lips, pretending it was nothing, and turned her head. She had confirmed that Alexander was safe. Now she wanted to know whether he was safe too.

‘Leon.’

He had promised to come back alive. She never once doubted he would return. And in Alexander’s last letter, there had been no particular mention of Leon either.

She craned her neck, picturing Leon, who must have grown even more impressive than the already changed Alexander.

But.

“…….”

‘Why.’

She could not find him anywhere in the procession of knights.

Thinking she might simply have failed to recognize him after all the changes, she scanned the crowd even more carefully. But there was not a single trace of him to be found.

‘Didn’t they say he earned merit several times over and even received commendation from His Majesty the King?’

She couldn’t understand why he wasn’t there, and her brow furrowed.

‘Could something have happened?’

The moment the thought crossed her mind that something might have gone wrong, her heart dropped and seemed to dissolve, and she pressed a hand to her chest. Anxiety sent cold sweat trickling down her spine, soaking the coat against her back.

‘Did something happen after the last letter I exchanged with my brother?’

No, if that were the case, Alexander would have told her in advance so she wouldn’t be blindsided.

One thought chased another, and Lisette turned to look at her brother.

“Lisette.”

Just then, she met Alexander’s eyes as he looked her way. Those blue eyes were full of affection for his little sister, but right now…

‘Where is Leon?’

She had no room to think about anything else.

Alexander read the question in the shape of her lips and flicked his gaze briefly toward the rear garden, just as Théodore’s jubilant voice rang out.

“Open the gates at once and prepare a banquet! Anyone who has brought honor to the name of Vermoa, eat and drink and shake off the weariness of the road. Day or night, you shall have your fill!”

“Hooray!”

The cheers of everyone gathered filled the sky above the Vermoa manor. The great roar was enough to stir the spirit, and just as Lisette drew in a breath, Alexander, who had caught her eye, shifted his gaze.

‘That way?’

He was clearly pointing her in a direction, and she turned her head. And there, truly, far in the distance through the crowd, Leon was walking toward her. The cold sunlight at his back made it hard to look straight at him.

But she could make him out clearly.

He wore his black hair long, falling loose. The moment he lifted his head and she saw his face…

“Leon.”

The call slipped from her lips, faint as a breath.

And as though in answer, Leon’s gaze turned toward her as well, where she stood beneath the porch with her family.

“…….”

“…….”

In that moment, with so many people around them, it felt as though only the two of them existed.

And at that moment, she could not think of anything else.

The relief that washed over her at the simple fact that he had come back safely, back to her side, numbed all reason. Yes, the sole fact that he was standing right there in front of her, whole and unharmed, left her unable to think at all, and she ran straight to him and threw her arms around his neck.

“Leon! Leon Hart!”

A familiar scent filled her completely.

‘Yes, this is it. Leon’s scent.’

On nights when anxiety kept her from sleeping, she would only fall asleep clutching the hem of his clothes. She had always loved the cool, forest-like scent that was his own.

The familiar smell pulled her back to those days, and she held him a little tighter, burying her nose in his shoulder. At that moment, she caught a faint smell of blood coming from his collar.

It was nothing like the cool, forest-fresh scent he had always carried.

Her body went rigid.

‘His scent has changed.’

“Miss.”

“Lisette de Vermoa!”

Céline’s cry, sharp with shock, cut through everything. Lisette turned her head, and Leon took hold of her wrist and unwound her arms from around him.

“Leon?”

It was the first time. The first time he had ever pulled free of her embrace.

She stared at him with unsteady eyes, and Leon released her wrist and stepped back. Then he raised his head, and she sucked in a sharp breath at the look in his eyes.

“Why?”

Nothing of who he had been three years ago remained.

The clear, always gentle eyes that had once held such warmth were now razor-edged. Like those of a predator.

“There are many eyes watching.”

Still held by the wrist, Lisette flinched. At that, he loosened his grip and stepped back, lowering his head.

“…….”

She bit her lip at the unfamiliar sight of him pulling away from her.

“You, why.”

“Lisette de Vermoa!”

But before the words could fully leave her mouth, Céline’s sharp cry cut in.

“Come here this instant!”

Before she could even pause at Céline’s call, Théodore’s voice followed.

“Now!”

But none of it reached Lisette.

Only the fact that Leon had pushed her away circled through her mind. Shock swallowed her, and tears gathered in her eyes.

“You, what is this? Why, right now.”

Each word threatened to break into sobs, and Lisette was breathing in short, ragged gasps when…

“Lisette.”

Alexander stepped to her side, smoothed her hair, and rested a light hand on her back.

“Let’s go.”

The firm hand that guided her forward, almost like a push, made her turn and look up at his face. Something in Alexander’s smile was strained, and the sight of it made her feel she might burst into tears. She bit her lip.

“Okay.”

“Come, this way.”

Lisette followed Alexander, who had taken hold of her wrist, and turned her back on Leon.

Théodore’s face, flushed red and ready to explode as he glared at her, and Céline’s sharp gaze from within Angela’s arms, both seemed to pierce her all over.

But compared to the blank, indifferent look Leon had just given her, none of it hurt at all.

Not at all.

* * *

That night.

While everyone was drunk on the banquet, the events of the day seemingly forgotten, Lisette slipped out of her room under cover of darkness and stood at the edge of the forest leading to the rear garden. She wrapped her arms around herself against the chill seeping out from the dim trees.

‘Leon said he wouldn’t attend the banquet. He’s probably at the cottage.’

It was what Alexander had reluctantly told her when Lisette, too distracted to focus, kept searching for Leon. She understood well that he was in no position to refuse her, but not in a position to actively help her either. So she asked nothing more after that. She simply waited for everyone to fall into a drunken sleep.

Her mother. Brother Théodore.

Everyone watching her.

“Hoo.”

Lisette rubbed her arms briskly to warm them and pulled her hood down low. Her body, worn out from days of fever, was making its protest felt. She would probably spend the next few days bedridden after tonight, but even so, she had to come.

Yes, she had to see him.

‘Only.’

Lisette, who had been staring into the forest, lifted her head. The clouded sky swallowed even the moonlight, leaving the darkness so thick she could barely see a step ahead. The forest was packed with fog on top of that, making it impossible to see clearly even right in front of her.

Of course, it was a forest the servants passed through regularly, and it was well-maintained enough that she only needed to follow the path underfoot. Even so, the forest at night was so different from the forest by day that it made her hesitate.

And hadn’t there been talk of wolves spotted in the area these past few days?

‘Should I just go back?’

A creeping fear made her turn and look up at the manor. The house with its scattered lights looked far safer than the gloomy forest path. She even had the fleeting thought that going back there would keep her fully protected.

But she could not go back.

‘I’ve already come this far.’

And once she reached the cottage…

‘Right, Leon will be there.’

She wouldn’t have to worry about the return trip. With that thought, she let out a long breath, adjusted the bag pressing down on her shoulder, and stepped forward.