Two days later, Rose ate a simple breakfast and left the ducal estate at once.

As Raphael was going out that morning too, she travelled with him in his carriage as far as the city district. Near the station, they reluctantly said their goodbyes.

In the next carriage, Louisa rode with an attendant whom Raphael had thoughtfully assigned to accompany them.

Thanks to Raphael’s careful planning, Rose had been able to stay at the estate without crossing paths with Amezella.

Mealtimes and daily routes had been adjusted in advance to prevent any possible friction.

Furthermore, Raphael had taken firm measures to ensure that Amezella could not seek Rose out directly.

Whenever she was shown such sincere care, Rose sometimes felt guilty about the things she still could not bring herself to confess.

Nevertheless, she never regretted her decision to help Louisa.

There had once been a time when Rose suspected that Raphael might be living a double life.

No matter how much she thought about it, she could not fathom why he had put a watcher on her.

However, according to the occasional reports that Louisa passed on, Raphael seemed completely innocent.

He was burdened with exhausting work each day, yet he never failed to make time to stay by her side.

As for the Crown Prince’s words, which had once unsettled her, the more she considered them, the more unfounded they seemed.

And so, Rose’s goal gradually changed from what it had been at the beginning.

Until she recovered her memories, she wanted someone by her side whom she could trust and rely on — second only to Raphael.

For that role, Louisa was still the best choice.

Anyone could lose their judgement and make mistakes when backed into a corner.

But the Louisa that Rose knew would not make the same mistake twice.

“Miss Hamilton, this way.”

Just as they had agreed, Rose pretended that she wanted to browse the dresses in a shop. She left the attendant waiting in the carriage and, as soon as he looked away, she slipped out of the boutique and hurried off.

The streets, which she had never truly noticed before, now felt strangely different.

The busy flow of people and the cries of merchants calling out from their stalls filled the city with life.

Having lived in Blancheau for a long time, Louisa knew the area well.

As Rose followed her through the winding alleys, curiosity shone in her eyes.

“We don’t have much time, so we need to hurry.”

Whenever Rose was distracted by the ever-changing scenery, Louisa urged her on in a hurried voice.

She had a sick father, a mother who had died young from illness, and two younger siblings.

These were burdens that she could never free herself from.

Whenever she resolved to break free, guilt seized her and pulled her back.

Despite knowing that discovery would mean ruin, Louisa had committed a sin she should never have committed.

Rose, knowing the truth, said without hesitation that she would help her.

Perhaps Rose had only turned a blind eye because she believed that Louisa was still useful.

Nevertheless, that did not lessen Louisa’s gratitude towards her.

Even now, as in the past, Louisa always felt strange receiving Rose’s help against all expectation.

“It’s to the right here.”

Blancheau Prison was located on the outskirts of the city, some distance from the center. Even a round trip on foot would take a considerable amount of time.

That was why they had deliberately chosen the clothing shop — a place where they could stay for a while, and where the male attendant could not come and go as he pleased — to allow time for anything unexpected to happen.

Watching Louisa hurry anxiously ahead, Rose tried to steady her increasingly harsh breathing.

“But if I appear as the guarantor… won’t the prison officials report it to the Duke?”

“Please don’t worry. Even as the lord of Blancheau, he wouldn’t involve himself in such trivial matters of city security. I’ve heard these things are usually settled quietly by the officials in charge.”

Just then, the conversation Rose had shared with Louisa earlier flashed through her mind.

At the same time, the foul stench of sewage from somewhere nearby invaded her senses.

And suddenly—an unbearable headache crashed over her.

“Ah—”

Rose halted mid-step.

It felt as though someone were driving an awl straight into her skull.

Clutching her head with both hands, she staggered.

“Miss Hamilton, what’s wrong? Are you alright?”

The pounding of her racing heart thundered in her ears, which rang as though she were underwater.

Through her blurred vision, she could see fragments of something she almost remembered scattering through her mind like shattered glass.

A shabby storehouse.

Was it really a storehouse?

No.

In the dark corner of a dilapidated hut that looked as if it might collapse at any moment sat a young girl hugging her knees.

For some reason, the child looked familiar.

“I’ll save you from this gutter.”

A black shadow approached the girl.

Its voice came brokenly, cut off in sharp fragments, yet it pierced through the chaos in her mind.

“If you come with me, you’ll be able to meet the mother you’ve missed so dearly.”

The voice was kind.

Yet the chestnut-brown eyes of the young girl, trembling violently as though gripped by overwhelming terror at the shadow before her, told a different story.

A groan thick with pain slipped through Rose’s clenched teeth.

“…Miss… are you… come to your…”

Haa… haa…

Rose dragged in deep breaths, her reddened eyes squeezing shut, then opening again and again.

“Miss Hamilton!”

Flash.

When Rose opened her eyes, Louisa’s pale, stricken face filled her vision.

Gasping as though she had been holding her breath too long, Rose seized Louisa’s hand where it gripped her shoulder and used it to steady herself.

“I’m alright, Louisa. I’m alright. I’ll be fine.”

Her words tumbled out in disorder.

Just as Louisa, alarmed by Rose’s alarming complexion, was about to say something, Rose shook her head firmly.

“Louisa, we need to get out of here. Quickly—show me the way.”

The chaos that had shaken her only moments ago vanished, replaced by an odd, almost false sense of calm.

Rose nudged Louisa forward, gently pressing against her back. The woman kept turning to look at her with concern.

They could not afford to waste any more time here.

***

After passing through the heavy, iron-barred gate and stepping inside the prison, Rose paused beneath the oppressive grey concrete walls.

However, once she had seen the interior for herself, she quickly regained her composure.

It was far more ordinary than she had expected.

As Louisa had instructed her, Rose informed the guard that she had brought a guarantor.

Without a word, the guard led the two women to an empty room, told them to wait, and then disappeared.

The room was cluttered with haphazardly scattered supplies, and it looked as though a table and chairs had been hastily brought in.

It seemed like a space rarely used under ordinary circumstances.

Louisa stood beside Rose, breathing shallowly; her anxiety was plain to see.

“Don’t worry, Louisa. Those men don’t know who I am. They’ll judge only by appearances.”

Just as Rose said, the situation was obvious enough.

As it was unusual for someone from the lower classes to accumulate a large sum of money quickly, anyone who was suspicious of it would be far more likely to believe that Rose, dressed as she was in such elegant attire, had lent the money to her.

“Thank you so much, Miss Hamilton. To so willingly accept such a difficult request, and to pity my circumstances as well… Even ten mouths would not be enough to express my gratitude.”

“I’ll accept your thanks after everything is over. So there’s no need to be so frightened.”

The two women were speaking quickly in an attempt to ease the tension when they suddenly fell silent, sensing movement beyond the door.

A moment later, there was a knock and the heavy door creaked open.

It was the guard who had appeared earlier. Bowing his head slightly towards Rose, he spoke.

“The party involved in the case wishes to confirm matters personally and is on the way here now. Before that, the guardian of Logan Gelberti must sign some documents. Would you please follow me for a moment?”

Confused, Louisa blinked and glanced back and forth between the guard and Rose.

Rose quickly gestured for her to go ahead.

With no other option, she left the room with the guard.

Once they had left, the stale air and suffocating closeness of the windowless room seemed to close in around Rose.

She adjusted her posture in the chair and quietly clenched the hem of her skirt.

Why did the person involved in the case want to verify matters personally, rather than through a prison official?

What on earth was going on?

The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed that Louisa’s younger brother had got mixed up with someone dangerous.

Just then, there was another knock at the door.

Rose sprang to her feet.

A moment later, the door opened and a gentleman wearing a top hat stepped inside.

“Are you the one who reported Logan Gelberti as a pickpocket?”

Growing anxious, Rose skipped any greeting and blurted out the heart of the matter at once.

The man, however, responded with unexpected calm.

“Yes, that is correct. However, I am merely acting as his representative and have come to deliver a message in his stead. I apologize for troubling a young lady of your standing to come here in person.”

What does that mean?

Rose frowned.

The man strode further into the room, reached into the inner pocket of his jacket, and held out something he had pulled from it towards her.

It was a letter sealed with wax.

Rose stared at it in silence. Before she could ask, however, the man cut her off in a businesslike tone.

“If you sincerely wish to help your maid, it would be wise to comply with the proposal written in the letter.”