“Oscar, I’m sorry. I’m ending the call. I’m going to refer you straight to the branch manager. I’ve been handling this for you, but I guess I’m not the best person to deal with someone I have a personal relationship with. Please understand. I didn’t expect you to be so angry over such a small amount.”
 
With that, the communication was cut off.
 
Oscar realized he had made a huge mistake. 
 
He shouldn’t have said such things. He could have reasoned with Lowell more logically…
 
Divorce. He should have mentioned that he’d filed for divorce. Now she’s no longer the Duchess of Crestwell. …….
 
He spoke too many unnecessary words in his anger these days.
 
He couldn’t tolerate any damage to his image. He clenched his fists and trembled. Veins bulged from his tense neck.
 
‘This was all because of Marlena, that annoying b*tch.’
 
* * *
It was about this time that Oscar heard the news from the bank and went absolutely ballistic. 
 
I was having a leisurely cup of tea at a cafe with outdoor tables.
 
“Server, I’d like a carriage, please. One from Redron’s.”
 
“Of course, My Lady.”
 
Whether Oscar was contacted by the bank or not, I was relaxed.
 
No matter how pissed off he was, there wouldn’t be much he could do. Except pay the money back before the interest kicks in.
 
Well, I did take out a family loan during the divorce, so if Oscar plays his cards right, he might be able to subtract 50 million Acrons or so from the alimony calculation. 
 
But that’s it.
 
I just used a loophole; I didn’t break any laws.
 
He might come after me, shouting and screaming.
 
So I was going to be in as many crowded places as possible. Oscar was too afraid of public embarrassment to confront me.
 
“I’ll buy some clothes, pay for a hotel room, and enjoy some of the things I’ve been missing.”
 
I waited leisurely, and soon an elegant carriage arrived. 
 
The carriage I summoned was from Redron, known for its finest service.
 
The coachman pulled up in front of me, tipping his hat politely. I nodded in return.
 
“To the Idesia Hotel next to the government office.”
 
“Understood, My Lady.”
 
The coachman turned to me.
 
“Shall we take a shortcut?”
 
This question meant whether to take the main road or a slightly risky side street to get there faster.
 
“Take the shortcut.”
 
I always took the shortcut when the coachman asked me this question.
 
The back streets are a little scary, to say the least, but I’ve never had any major problems.
 
Even the city street dealers in the back alleys have intelligence and insight, so they don’t mess with these luxury carriages. If you get mixed up with a high-ranking noble, you’ll be in trouble.
 
They didn’t want to risk their lives over a petty robbery.
 
Of course, criminal organizations such as the ‘Red Crows’, which are closely watched by the kingdom, do not care about the identity of the target of the crime… … . 
 
The Red Crows have bigger, more sinister things on their minds, not something as trivial as a carriage robbery.
 
If problems frequently occurred on shortcuts, the coachman wouldn’t have even asked whether to take them or not.
 
The fact that the carriage had a simple communication device inside that had a direct line to the nearest security station also played a role in my decision.
 
If anything were to happen, the officer would be on their way in five minutes.
 
I got into the carriage calmly.
 
* * *
The carriage passed through the alley behind the government office, the same street where Oscar’s lover, Serwen, lived.
 
Since I didn’t know what trouble Oscar might stir up, I had no intention of meeting Serwen in person.
 
However, my gaze was drawn in the direction of number 24.
 
Serwen.
 
How pretty could she be?
 
How pretty was she that Oscar, who treated commoners like bugs, took an interest in her?
 
Oscar runs a theater business, so he’d seen plenty of pretty women, so what was so special about Serwen?
 
Not that I intended to do anything, but I wouldn’t mind taking a look at that impressive face once…
 
But I wouldn’t visit her to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings with Oscar.
 
While I was having such peaceful thoughts, I momentarily furrowed my eyebrows.
 
A man staggering outside my window caught my eye.
 
His appearance was quite unique.
 
He was dressed in shabby clothes, like a beggar, but he was wearing a luxurious silk pouch. The incongruity of it all caught my eye.
 
That wasn’t the only strange thing about the man’s outfit.
 
“No, and is that… a sword at his waist?”
 
Why is he wearing a sword when he looks like a normal person?
 
The coachman drove his horse slowly because it was a narrow street, so I kept my eyes fixed on him for quite a while.
 
But there was no way I could figure out anything by staring. Finally, I noticed that he seemed to turn his horse’s head to the left, so I decided to look away from him.
 
However, as soon as the coachman turned to change the route…
 
As if waiting for the nobleman’s carriage to pass, a group of ruffians appeared in the alley and attacked the staggering man.
 
The sight of five or six of them pouncing on the staggering man at once jolted me awake.
 
Gasp.
 
In the split second I saw it, I almost instinctively pressed a button on the carriage’s simple communications device.
 
The unpleasant beeping characteristic of magical devices was followed by an instant connection to the officer.
 
“Yes, this is the Aeolian Officer Force.”
 
The moment I heard the voice of the communication operator, I narrowed my eyes.
 
This might be none of my business, or it might be overstepping.
 
But that doesn’t mean I can look the other way, especially when someone is about to get beaten up right in front of me.
 
It’s only in the presence of Oscar Crestwell that my conscience is raging.
 
I made sure to identify myself and my location so that the officer would come quickly.
 
“I’m the Duchess of Crestwell, near 30 Eveleth Street, help me!”
 
Then, without waiting for a response, I called out to the coachman.
 
“Coachman, stop the carriage!”
 
The coachman was surprised and stopped the carriage. It was in a blind spot where the ruffians on the other side of the alley couldn’t see us.
 
I didn’t think it would be helpful for me to come to the front, as I didn’t have much power. If they try to avoid me and run away with that man on their backs, the situation will only get worse. I don’t have the stamina to chase them.
 
The logical thing to do was to wait quietly for the officer.
 
I quietly opened the carriage door a crack and listened to the sounds outside. It would take about five minutes for the officer to arrive.
 
Please, Mr. Nameless Man, just hold on until then.
 
But could he? Judging by his staggering state… He seemed quite feeble.
 
As if my ominous premonition were correct, I heard a few dull groans in quick succession, and the alleyway beyond went silent.
 
I felt a sense of urgency.
 
“Unknown victim, come to your senses. The security forces are coming really soon.”
 
I hurriedly got out of the carriage and stuck to the corner.
 
I sneakily peered into the alleyway, and there was a sight I never expected to see.
 
“Ohh… … !”
 
I covered my mouth and sucked in a breath.
 
Six ruffians lay sprawled on the ground, whimpering softly. Four of them seemed to have lost consciousness entirely, and the other two couldn’t move their bodies.
 
The young man, who had been attacked, stood unsteadily among the fallen, swaying slightly.
 
But he was apparently unharmed.
 
What the hell?
 
My mind went blank with bewilderment.
 
This didn’t make sense. 
 
I had been listening from the carriage for about two minutes at most.
 
Yet at that time, that frail-looking man had knocked down six burly ruffians.
 
I forced myself to come to my senses.
 
“Marlena, think rationally. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a good thing the target of the crime took out the criminals in one hit.”
 
But I couldn’t be so rational. My body couldn’t move as it wanted.
 
This is because the spirit emanating from an unknown man overwhelmed me, a completely ordinary person in the combat field.
 
I could feel that he was no ordinary person.
 
‘Ah, the strength in his legs…….’
 
I squirmed in my seat against the wall.
 
The man must have sensed movement and raised his head to look at me.
 
Our eyes locked. The gleam in his eye seemed to pierce through me.
 
I was overcome with instinctive fear.
 
So I was ready to defend myself. I just saw them attacking you and tried to report them. I was trying to help you.
 
But before I could open my mouth, the man’s eyes and expression changed. In a bewilderingly quick flash.
 
The glow in his eyes that seemed to burn everything he looked at was gone. 
 
The fierce, feral expression melted away, and the presence that had once radiated so clearly faded.
 
The change was so sudden that I froze once again.
 
He stumbled closer, his eyes clouded, his hand clutching his head.
 
His unkempt appearance made it difficult to read his expression accurately.
 
But it was clear that he had no intention of harming me.
 
He had a completely different, tame, lamb-like vibe from earlier.
 
“Ugh…….”
 
He swayed wildly and knelt down in front of me.
 
In an instant, we were at eye level, and I could look more closely into his eyes.
 
Through moistened lids, he pleaded for something. His parched, chapped lips were trembling incoherently.
 
“What, what is it?”
 
I asked, not completely off guard. He blinked hard.
 
A voice that I hadn’t expected to hear from the looks of it—a husky, resonant, and yet vulnerable timbre—slipped through his chapped lips. It was a mesmerizing voice.
 
“Please save…… me.”
 
I quirked an eyebrow.
 
Save you from what?
 
You just knocked out all six of the people who attacked you before the police even arrived.
 
His upper body shook violently before I could express my disbelief.
 
“If I get caught…… everything…….”
 
With that, he collapsed to the width of my skirt.
 
“Into his hands…”
 
He left it at that, sounding like he was going to cry.
 
“Um, My Lady… … .”
 
Behind my back, the helpless coachman squeezed his hat.
 
And from afar, I heard the sound of security forces approaching this way in unison.
 
I looked down in horror at his head, which had fallen into my lap.