“Ah…!”

With a sharp cry, Breti dropped back down to the ground. She had tried to hurry back, but in her rush, she twisted her ankle and lost her balance.

Still seated on the ground, she glanced down to check her ankle—and only then did she realize the state of her clothes.

“Oh, just look at this…”

Her dress was completely ruined, stained with mud and streaks of green from the grass. And now, having even fallen over, she must have looked a complete mess.

As Breti let out a sigh, flustered by her predicament, a shadow suddenly fell over her. Startled, she looked up.

“Y-Your Highness…”

It was none other than Karsten standing before her.

Flustered, Breti tried in vain to hide her ruined dress with her hands, but there was no way to cover the mess.

“How pathetic.”

At his words, Breti’s head drooped in shame.

“I’m sor—ah!”

Before she could finish apologizing, Karsten lifted her lightly into his arms. Suddenly, she was weightless, her body suspended in the air.

“W-wait, just a moment…!”

“Hold still.”

At that quiet command, Breti bit down on her lower lip. He was right—she could barely walk on her own, yet she’d managed to move all the way here.

While she was still trying to figure out where to look, Karsten carried her effortlessly, arriving at the carriage in no time at all—something that would have taken her much longer on her own.

As soon as they returned, everyone looked at Breti with worried faces.

“Young miss!”

Bagi ran up to her, alarmed.

“What happened? Are you hurt?”

Karsten gently set Breti down and addressed Bagi.

“Laterna twisted her ankle. Make sure to help her.”

“Oh my goodness!”

Bagi quickly took hold of Breti’s arm, her voice filled with concern.

“How did this happen?”

As Breti dodged the question with an awkward smile, Karsten spoke up.

“Benon, find us lodging at the nearest house.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I don’t think it’s wise for us to keep traveling today.”

Benon immediately set off to arrange accommodations.

Watching the scene unfold, Breti felt a pang of guilt.

Bagi squatted down, fussing over the hem of Breti’s dress.

“It’s a relief, miss. Your dress is ruined and you’re not well… For now, you should just sit in the carriage and rest.”

“No, wait a moment.”

Ignoring the pain in her ankle, Breti hobbled over to the woman who must have been waiting anxiously. Bagi hurried to support her, holding Breti’s arm firmly.

“Here, take this.”

Breti held out the herbs she’d gathered.

“What is this?”

“Your child is suffering from a disease called spati.”

“Spati?”

“It’s a common illness that usually appears around twelve months of age, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

“Is… is that true? Oh, thank goodness…”

The woman’s relief was evident at Breti’s confident words.

Breti gently rubbed the child’s arm.

“The rash here will probably start to weep soon. If you wipe it gently with a clean, damp cloth, it shouldn’t leave a scar, so please try not to worry.”

“Thank you, miss.”

“Once you’ve finished treating the child, take him to a physician. Ask them to prescribe medicine for spati.”

“But…”

Just moments ago, her face had been filled with relief—now, a sudden shadow passed over her features.

After a long hesitation, the woman finally spoke.

“I… I don’t have the money to take him to a physician…”

Money.

Breti knew all too well what it was like to feel helpless because of money, even when someone’s life was on the line. Her own mother had died for that very reason—so it weighed on her heart all the more.

After a moment’s struggle, Breti unclasped her necklace and pressed it into the woman’s hand.

“I—I can’t possibly accept this…”

“Please, don’t worry. Take it.”

Breti offered her a faint smile as she rose to her feet. When she turned around, she found Karsten standing by the carriage, watching her intently.

She hurried over, limping as she approached him.

“I’m sorry. I acted without your permission…”

Karsten said nothing, his expression unreadable. Instead, he turned to Bagi.

“Get in the carriage and keep an eye on Laterna’s leg.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Once the two of them were inside, Karsten mounted his horse and called out in a commanding voice,

“We’re moving to the nearest house!”

💙💙💙 💙💙💙

As soon as they reached a house nearby, rain began to pour in earnest. There was no sign that it would let up anytime soon.

“It’s a good thing we found a place to stay before the rain started.”

Bagi said, pressing a cold pack to Breti’s ankle.

“Yeah…”

Breti gazed out the window, watching the raindrops tap against the glass.

Thanks to Bagi’s devoted care, Breti’s swollen ankle went down quickly. After staring out the window for a long while, she glanced at her ruined clothes.
Suddenly, the memory of being held in Karsten’s arms flashed through her mind. Breti shook her head, trying to push the thought away.

‘You’re out of your mind.’

She shook her head again and spoke to Bagi.

“Bagi, you should go back to your room now. You need to rest too if we’re going to travel tomorrow.”

“Yes, miss. I’ll come by early in the morning.”

Bagi left the room, carrying the ice pack and Breti’s ruined dress.

Breti stared after her—more accurately, she stared at her ruined dress as Bagi left.

💙💙💙 💙💙💙

From the moment the rain began, Karsten hadn’t been feeling well. A splitting headache and a heavy drowsiness made it nearly impossible to stay awake.

He had just slumped onto the edge of his bed, clutching his head and squeezing his eyes shut, when a knock sounded at the door.

“Sir, it’s Benon.”

Though he looked as if he might collapse at any moment, Karsten suddenly straightened and called out,

“Come in.”

Usually, his voice was icy and cold, but now it sounded different—gentler, softer.

Benon frowned slightly at the change as he entered.

“I’ve finished preparing everything for our departure tomorrow.”

“Is that so? That was fast.”

Karsten gave him a small smile, the corners of his mouth turning up. The gesture made Benon’s shoulders tense.

“With this rain, who knows when it’ll let up?”

“I… I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”

“You never know when the rain will stop, right, Benon?”

Benon couldn’t shake the strange feeling brought on by his master’s unfamiliar tone. While he was still puzzling over it, Karsten asked,

“Where’s Breti?”

“I settled her in the innermost room.”

“Good. Make sure she’s well looked after.”

With a faint smile on his lips, Karsten walked right past Benon and out of the room.

Once Karsten had left, Benon realized something else that was odd.

‘He specifically ordered me never to speak Breti’s name…’

Yet Karsten himself had just said it aloud—a name he was never supposed to utter.

Meanwhile, now going by Adrian, he headed to the innermost room just as Benon had said. He walked down the quiet, empty corridor and stopped in front of Breti’s door. Just as he reached for the doorknob, his heart thudded violently in his chest.

Adrian let out a quiet, amused laugh between his teeth.

“Why, Karsten… are you seeing Breti as a woman now?”

He dismissed the thought as a fleeting joke and opened the door, stepping inside.

Bathed in moonlight, Breti was fast asleep.

Moving quietly, Adrian approached and began to gently cup Breti’s face in his hands. His touch was slow and careful as he stroked her cheek, then moved down to her injured ankle.

But this time, a sharp ache pulsed through his chest.

“But Karsten… does any of it really matter, no matter what you do?”

As Adrian pressed his lips softly to Breti’s ankle, he murmured quietly,

“You were never going to be the one to make Breti happy.”

His gaze remained fixed on his own reflection in the large mirror beside the bed. Deliberately, he kissed Breti’s ankle again and again, making sure the mirror caught every movement.

“You’re just a useless fool who can’t do anything.”

“…”

“Back then, and even now.”

Adrian let out a bitter laugh at his own reflection.

Just then, the rain that had seemed like it would never stop finally began to ease.

“Still, you always get lucky, Karsten.”

With a hint of regret, Adrian pressed his lips to Breti’s ankle one last time.

“Let’s see what kind of fool you’ll become this time.”

He glanced at his reflection once more, a twisted smile playing on his lips.

“I’ll admit… I’m a little curious.”