“Thank you?”

Karsten murmured under his breath.

Given everything that had just happened, Breti seemed too shaken to hear him.

Karsten gave a silent, bitter laugh to himself. How strange it was to hear those words of gratitude in a moment like this.

The truth was, Karsten had known for some time that Dylan was lurking nearby, watching both Breti and himself. He had used Breti as bait.

Of course, the one Dylan was after had to be Breti—the girl who’d sent his mother to rot in a dungeon. If Dylan attacked Breti, it would be easy to punish him for assaulting a noble. There couldn’t have been a simpler solution.

And just as Karsten expected, no sooner had he stepped away from Breti than Dylan came charging in.

‘Foolish,’ Karsten thought, watching it all unfold.

As Breti straightened up, she let go of Karsten’s hand. He did his best not to look as her hand slipped away from his.

“Thank you again, for saving me.”

She said, bowing her head. A tear rolled from her eye, falling silently to the ground.

Karsten’s gaze lingered on that clear drop—deeper and darker than ever.

💙💙💙 💙💙💙

As soon as Breti and Karsten returned to Servien Manor, the rain began to fall.

Karsten looked more tired than usual as he entered the house. Breti watched him closely as he rubbed the back of his neck.

‘Is he still in pain?’

Even though it had been a month, the memory of his injury still lingered in her heart.

“You should go up and rest.”

“…Yes.”

“We’re leaving early tomorrow, so don’t hang around.”

With those curt words, Karsten started up the stairs first.

Breti followed behind, carefully watching his movements.

He kept rubbing the back of his neck, and she thought she saw his face twist in pain.

Even after returning to her room, Breti couldn’t shake the memory of his furrowed brow.

‘What is it…?’
‘Did I do something to upset him?’

Instinctively, Breti began to retrace everything she’d done that day.

Having spent years working as a slave at Aurora, she was still hypersensitive to her master’s moods — a difficult habit to break. However, the more she thought about it, the more she realised that Karsten’s expression had not just been one of irritation.

It looked more like pain—almost as if he was physically hurt.

‘Could it be that the wound from before is still troubling him?’

Lost in thought, she was startled by a knock at the door. Bagi entered, wearing a serious look, and approached her carefully as she sat on the sofa.

“Miss, is something worrying you?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“I’ve prepared your bath. Please, you should go and relax.”

“Thank you.”

Breti said, following Bagi to the bathroom.

The moment she dipped her foot into the tub, a gentle fragrance rose to her nose. It wasn’t just pleasant; somehow, it soothed her heart as well.

“This scent is lovely.”

“His Grace wanted to be sure you could rest tonight after such a difficult day, so I took special care in preparing your bath.”

Breti, distracted by the scent, suddenly turned to Bagi in surprise.

“He… No, my brother did?”

“Yes. He’s always looking out for you. I’ve never seen siblings as close as you two.”

Siblings… Is that really how we seem to everyone else?

“…Is that so?”

Breti mumbled vaguely, sinking deeper into the water until it reached her chin. She couldn’t help letting out a long sigh.

Hearing her, Bagi gave a gentle smile and asked,

“It’s because we’re leaving here tomorrow, isn’t it?”

“Ah…”

For a moment, Breti had forgotten all about it while thinking of Karsten, but Bagi’s words brought it back to her.

Tomorrow, they would leave this place and head to the capital.

“Yes… that’s it.”

We’re really leaving—leaving this place behind. Her heart, already restless, felt even more unsettled.

As Bagi gently scrubbed Breti’s shoulders with a sponge, she spoke in a comforting voice.

“His Grace visits here every year during the summer holiday. He’ll come again this summer, so you can always come back then too.”

“I see… Oh, but…”

Breti suddenly reached out, grabbing Bagi’s hand.

Bagi looked surprised at the unexpected gesture. Breti held her hand for a moment, then managed to speak.

“I’m sorry for making you leave, too. You must have grown attached to this place…”

As Breti left for the capital, Bagi, her servant at Servien Manor, accompanied her. Karsten had made the decision, so Bagi had no say in the matter.

But Bagi simply smiled and shook her head.

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I grew up on the streets without parents, so I’m used to going wherever life takes me.”

“Bagi…”

“In fact, thanks to you, I’ll get to see the capital for the first time. I’m excited, honestly.”

Bagi said, gently holding Breti’s hand in return.

“But still, isn’t it hard to leave so suddenly?”

“No, truly, I’m all right, miss.”

Bagi kept repeating that she was fine, her smile unwavering—but Breti could see a faint tremble in her eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

“Miss, please don’t say things like that. I really am all right. Ah, let me go get you a towel.”

With a touch of regret, Breti released Bagi’s hand.

She watched as Bagi left the bathroom, then turned her gaze back to the water.

Breti felt sorry for her, but in this moment, there was nothing she could do to help. That helplessness felt unbearably cruel.

A little while later, Breti finished her bath and went straight to bed.

“I’ll come early tomorrow, miss.”

Bagi said at the door.

“All right, Bagi. See you tomorrow.”

Once Bagi left, Breti lay down at the very edge of the bed, as she always did. It was a comfortable bed, but she never seemed able to use it comfortably. She still wasn’t used to having so much for herself.

‘I can’t sleep.’

Normally, after lessons with Countess Abbott, her body would be so exhausted that she’d fall asleep no matter what. But tonight, even after a day more exhausting than any other, sleep wouldn’t come.

‘So I’m really leaving this place tomorrow…’

Fear and excitement tangled together inside her.

She listened to the sound of rain tapping against the window. Just a little while ago, it had only been a drizzle—but now, the downpour was steady and strong.

‘When I lived at Aurora, rainy nights like this used to terrify me…’

When she was trapped in that underground cell, she’d always been afraid of the rain.

If it rained too hard, water would start seeping into her tiny space. She’d lose her clothes and most of her meager belongings to the flood every time.

‘Whenever that happened, I always ran away…’

Ever since she was little, after once being caught in a violent storm, Breti would gather everything she owned into a backpack and leave her room whenever the rain grew heavy.

She would sneak out to an abandoned storage shed on a hill nearby. At least there, the water never rose high enough to trouble her.

Each time, she tried to lull herself to sleep to the sound of the rain, telling herself it was a lullaby.

Just like before, Breti tried to use the sound of the rain to help her fall asleep.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she found herself drifting somewhere between sleep and waking — a hazy, uncertain space where dreams and reality blurred together.

Half-conscious, Breti tried to move her body, but something felt wrong. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t move her hands—or even open her eyes. The only thing she could sense was the steady tick, tick, tick of a clock somewhere nearby.

Then, suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching.

‘Please, someone help me!’

She tried to call out, but no sound left her lips.

A rough hand touched her cheek, and fear seized her heart.

Moments later, a voice whispered in her ear.

“Jena, my little bird.”

She couldn’t open her eyes to see the person’s face, but the voice was strangely familiar—someone she felt she’d heard many times before.

‘But how…’

But what truly startled Breti was something else—the owner of that voice not only knew her middle name, but also understood its meaning.

“Do you know how long I’ve waited for you, Jena?”

What was happening? Even if this was a dream, it made no sense.

“My little bird, wait for me. I’ll come for you soon.”

As the words faded, a strange warmth pressed against her forehead.

“My Breti.”

If her guess was right, it must have been his lips.

Terrified, Breti struggled to move—but she couldn’t budge. A wave of exhaustion crashed over her, and in the end, she was pulled down into a deep, heavy sleep.

“Good night, my little bird.