Warm sunlight gently enveloped the room. Blue finally fell asleep by the window after confirming that his owner was safe.

He must have exhausted his energy, having spent the entire night pacing back and forth in front of the window where Anne was.

Anne scattered some nuts she had prepared in front of Blue, making sure he could eat them when he woke up, and then walked over to Carly.

“Is there anywhere that feels uncomfortable?”

“Not at all. Thanks to you, Anne.”

“Shall I at least wipe you down with a wet towel?”

“There’s no need for you to do that, Anne.”

“You saved my life, so at least let me do this much.”

Ignoring Carly’s protest, Anne soaked a towel in water. Carly hadn’t washed for a long time, so she must have felt uncomfortable.

Anne planned to carefully clean her, avoiding the stitched areas.

She neatly arranged Carly’s hair to one side and then turned toward the door.

“Could you two step out for a moment?”

“Why?”

“Is that really necessary?”

Kyle and Evan both questioned Anne, their expressions showing concern. Anne hesitated, looking to Carly as if asking for permission.

“It’s fine, Anne. they’ll just turn around,” Carly reassured her with a gentle smile.

With Carly’s permission, Anne carefully began to remove her patient’s gown. Knowing that Carly couldn’t shower yet, Anne started gently wiping her down with a wet cloth, avoiding the stitched areas.

Despite the awkwardness of the situation, neither Evan nor Kyle left the room. Soon, the sound of Carly’s soft laughter filled the space.

“Anne, isn’t it funny? They really thought I was dead,” Carly chuckled.

“Carly, stop teasing. Kyle cried so much,” Anne said with a warm smile as she wiped Carly’s arm with a warm towel.

Kyle and Evan, who were facing away, remained silent.

“It did hurt, but having these two cry for me made my heart feel all warm and fuzzy…”

“That’s enough,” Evan growled in a low voice.

But Carly, being Carly, wasn’t one to let it go.

“Duke, I’ll say it again—you were being foolish. Do you really think Anne will just come and go at your command? At least ask me, her very close friend, and maybe she’d consider coming back.”

“Huh? I think you two have more…”

Anne trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. It was always a mystery to her how these two, who had such a long history of friendship, seemed to constantly bicker like this.

“Anne! You too! You should at least tell us where you’re going! Do you know how worried we were? Well, I’m glad you found your brother… but you have to introduce him to me later!”

“What do you mean to introduce?”

This time, Kyle growled in a low voice. Knowing full well Kyle’s feelings, Carly couldn’t help but find his reaction adorable.

With a mischievous grin, Carly decided to tease him further.

“Hmm, I wonder how handsome your brother must be if he looks like you.”

“…Anne isn’t exactly pretty.”

Kyle’s firm reply earned him a sharp pinch on the thigh from Evan.

Kyle’s sudden yelp made Anne quickly turn around to cover his mouth. But before she could react, Evan had grabbed her hand and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Carly, seeing that the men had their backs turned, quickly put her patient gown back on.

“Seriously, you two are impossible. Am I ever going to get married at this rate? Maybe I should listen to Anne and make you two step out for a bit?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Why?”

“There could still be terrorists hiding in the hospital.”

Kyle’s serious tone made Evan nod in agreement.

* * *

Later in the afternoon, after Anne had left to check on Garnet’s condition, Carly spoke to Evan.

“I never really understood why I came back.”

Evan, surprised, turned to look at Kyle. Seeing Kyle’s nonchalant expression, as if he already knew, made Evan frown even more.

“Have I been wasting my breath?”

Was it pathetic that Kyle believed such nonsense, or should he admire Carly for convincing him?

“Maybe it was to prepare for today? I saved Anne. I saved her.”

The satisfaction on Carly’s face was undeniable.

Seeing this, Kyle placed a hand on his forehead. It was always like this. These two seemed to live solely for Anne.

Even just now.

After dying once in a previous life, shouldn’t Carly have fought tooth and nail to enjoy her own life once she came back?

Seeing her so happy, having risked her life to save Anne, made him uncomfortable.

“It was just luck. What were you thinking, throwing yourself in front of me like that?”

“Oh, and I saved you too, Kyle!”

Kyle’s heart ached.

Despite the gruesome scar that would forever mar her side, this precious young woman had risked everything.

“You should’ve let me take the hit.”

“How could I?”

At Carly’s retort, Kyle sighed deeply. Off to the side, the thin kitchen plate she had worn was visible.

Seeing the bullet hole in the plate made his heart sink all over again.

“No one’s as reckless as you.”

Evan muttered as he watched, and Kyle nodded in agreement.

Carly pouted at their reactions.

“Who’s calling who reckless here?”

“Who else would think to wear a cheap piece of metal around their neck like armor?”

“Hah, but thanks to that, Anne and Kyle are alive. And, wasn’t it thanks to that piece of metal that you, Duke, survived as well?”

Evan chuckled as he posed the question, a teasing smile on his lips.

“Did it get so heavy that your neck started to droop?” Evan’s innocent curiosity made Carly’s face flush red with indignation.

“It’s still better than someone who constantly gets injured despite wearing actual armor!”

Kyle, watching the two of them with a look of exasperation, finally intervened.

“Enough arguing. But how did you get so good at shooting?”

Carly, blushing a little, answered Kyle’s question.

“Actually, after coming back, I prepared to go to the field hospital and decided to learn how to shoot. I figured if I wanted to protect someone, I needed to know how to fight. The soldier who taught me said I was really good at it. I mean, I just hit the target without even trying. Maybe I’m more useful than the Duke.”

Though Carly’s words were meant to tease, Evan found himself quietly watching her, appreciating her resilience. Before her return, when Anne had died, Evan had acted as if nothing else mattered. But Carly’s words, in that dark time, had been his only comfort.

And now, in that near-tragic moment, Carly had saved Anne again. Carly’s return had been a gift, something Evan hadn’t realized he needed so desperately. He was grateful to have her by his side.

“What’s with that sappy look!” Carly exclaimed, breaking Evan out of his thoughts.

“Thank you for saving her,” Evan replied softly.

“Hah, well, just do your part from now on. And please, stop trying to win Anne over by just hanging around. You know that’s not attractive, right?”

“I’ll handle it my way.”

* * *

It wasn’t until 8 p.m. that Anne began to prepare to leave. Evan frowned as he watched her get ready, clearly disapproving. The idea of her walking through the dangerous night streets alone made him uneasy.

“Anne, let me accompany you.”

“Evan… don’t you have anywhere to go?”

Evan chuckled, finding her question amusing. He then gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Are you really sure you’ll be fine without me?”

“…Of course, I will.”

Leaning in, Evan rested his forehead against Anne’s shoulder.

“There was an incident at the hospital just yesterday. We haven’t caught all the terrorists yet.”

Remembering the attackers who had taken over the hospital made Anne’s heart skip a beat.

“…Are you scared?”

“No.”

Despite her fear, Anne’s discomfort with Evan was evident. Sighing softly, Evan spoke again, this time more carefully.

“Once, I truly considered leaving your side. I thought that with me around, you’d constantly be in danger. I was ready to become the villain if it meant you’d be safe, even if you forgot about me.”

“……”

“But just because I wasn’t around, it didn’t mean I stopped thinking about you. When the war ended, I worried that you might get struck by lightning or meet a bad person. How could I stop worrying?”

“Evan…”

“I’ll spend my entire life hovering around you with these feelings, as long as you’re not by my side.”

Anne couldn’t understand why Evan was so devoted to her. He was the ideal match, yet here he was, clinging to her for reasons she couldn’t comprehend.

“You should find someone better.”

She barely managed to get the words out, her voice trembling. Evan raised his head, his eyes cold as they met hers. He took a step closer, his body pressing against hers.

The warmth from their contact spread through her.

“What do you do with a lover who says such cruel things?”

“A lover?”

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