Chapter 49

“This is the first time. The first time I’ve felt this way about someone.”

Ryan whispered to Daphne in a gentle, affectionate voice.

“Because it’s the first time, I didn’t know what these feelings were. Even when I vaguely realized what it was, I couldn’t act on it easily. I felt like a child lost in a strange place, only aware of my ignorance and helplessness.”

“…….”

“Honestly, until just a moment ago, I wasn’t sure what to do. At least not until you said those words to me.”

“What… what did I say…?”

Daphne blinked rapidly and asked. She tried to recall her words, but couldn’t quite grasp what he meant.

Ryan let her hair fall from his grasp. Then, with both hands, he gently cupped her face and tilted her head up to meet his gaze.

“I mean the words where you said I could leave your side.”

His hands, hardened and rough from years of wielding a sword, were now careful and gentle, as if handling fragile glassware as they held Daphne’s face.

“I agonized over it so much, but the moment you said you’d let me go, everything became perfectly clear.”

A life as an incomplete noble with her, or a life as a complete noble without her.

There was only one answer he could accept.

“No matter what the cost, there is something I absolutely do not want to give up.”

There was no more hesitation in his choice.

* * *

When the two returned home together, Marianne was hanging laundry in the yard.

Step, step. Without a word, the two walked side by side in silence. The distance between them was so close that their hands could almost touch.

Marianne paused her laundry to watch them.

Daphne’s cheeks were flushed pink, and the corners of Ryan’s lips were faintly lifted. Their excited glances at each other and the indescribable pleasant thrill in the air.

It worked out well.

A sigh of relief escaped Marianne’s lips. She had thought things would go well, but she’d still been worried seeing Daphne leave the house with such a tense expression.

“Marianne!”

Spotting Marianne in the yard, Daphne smiled brightly and waved at her. Ryan, who had been completely focused on Daphne, finally looked up and saw her too.

“Welcome back, both of you.”

Marianne greeted them warmly with a gentle smile.

* * *

Peaceful and joyful days followed.

Daphne and Ryan spent every waking moment together, from sunrise to bedtime. Like a needle and thread, their relationship fit perfectly.

The days were as satisfying as could be.

Spring arrived in earnest, the weather grew even warmer, pretty flowers bloomed like jewels everywhere, and birds returning from the south sang cheerfully.

Daphne finally found happiness in her life after a long time.

Ryan, dazzling enough to make her heart tremble, was endlessly kind to her. Lily, who had been suffering from a cold, improved noticeably thanks to her new prescription. Even Baldwin, who used to summon her to the mansion and turn her world upside down, had not sent any news.

‘Is it really okay to be this happy?’

Daphne enjoyed her long-awaited happiness, but at the same time, she was afraid.

Like the saying ‘the calm before the storm’, she wondered if these peaceful days were just the quiet moments before a storm would hit.

Surely not. It’s just an unnecessary worry.

She tried to dismiss her uneasiness as a groundless concern.

But, as always, the storm that would change everything came without warning.

* * *

After some time without contact, Baldwin suddenly summoned Daphne one day.

[An important guest from the capital has arrived, so come to the mansion tonight and attend the dinner.]

It was a short, concise message, with no further explanation.

An important guest from the capital.

Daphne tilted her head as she read the note.

The only person who might come all the way here to see her was her friend Amelia. But Amelia was from Roxanne, not the capital. And if she were planning a visit, she would have contacted Daphne directly. Plus, Baldwin was unlikely to call Amelia, the Viscount’s daughter, an ‘important guest.’

Who could it be?

Daphne’s eyes caught a postscript at the bottom of the note.

[Make sure to bring your knight escort.]

He wanted her to bring Ryan to the dinner. It was a strange command. Of course, as her knight, it wasn’t entirely odd for him to accompany her even to unofficial visits.

Maybe it was just for formality.

“Ryan, where are you?”

Daphne neatly folded the note in half and started searching the house for Ryan.

* * *

After hearing the story from Daphne, Ryan’s mind was troubled.

‘Around seven this morning, I saw a strange four-wheeled carriage heading to the mansion.’

In fact, he had already received a report from his subordinate about a stranger visiting the Sinclair mansion.

‘It was an obviously luxurious carriage, and there were at least a dozen guards following it.’

‘I checked for any crests that might identify the owner, but found no clues. The windows were covered with curtains, so I couldn’t see inside either.’

“Are you sure they’re from the capital?”

Ryan asked again.

“Not from another nearby region, but a guest from Helmberry?”

“I’m telling you, yes.”

Daphne nodded and opened Baldwin’s note.

“See? It says right here, a guest from the capital.”

“…….”

[An important guest from the capital has arrived.]

Just as Daphne said. Ryan frowned as he read the words himself.

A guest from the capital.

The distance between the capital, Helmberry, and Hillsboro was considerable. Unless they were very close, it would be hard to decide to visit so suddenly.

It was hard to understand.

The Sinclair family was considered a rather isolated noble house, even within Westro. Like the people of Hillsboro, who rarely interacted with outsiders, the Sinclair family seldom mingled with other noble houses.

Most families were active outside their own territories and built businesses, but the Sinclair family was different. They settled, stayed, and stagnated in their own land, Hillsboro. It was no wonder that few people in the capital knew about them.

Did this mean the Count had hidden connections?

Baldwin was ambitious enough to offer his daughter’s name as a bride to aging foreign royalty. Considering that, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

“You have formal attire, don’t you?”

Daphne asked, lingering beside Ryan, who was deep in thought. When he gave her a questioning look, she continued.

“Uncle said you must come with me tonight.”

“Me… too?”

“Yes. It’s probably just for appearances. There’s a small chance the guest might know me, and having a knight escort would look somewhat proper.”

Daphne spoke as if it was nothing. But Ryan’s expression grew ever more serious.

The only reason Ryan’s identity hadn’t been exposed so far was because the Sinclair family kept their distance from society. But a guest from the capital changed things.

Ryan was one of the top five most famous people in society. And Helmberry, the capital, was called ‘the center of society.’

If the guest from the capital had any connection to society, they would surely know Ryan’s face. That meant his long-hidden secret could be exposed in an instant.

“Is there any clue as to who the guest might be?”

“A clue? No. The only thing I have is the note I showed you.”

Ryan asked hopefully, but Daphne denied it immediately.

“You’ll come with me tonight, right?”

Right?

She asked with shining eyes, looking up at him with her chin slightly lifted—her gaze was almost pleading.

‘I’m sorry, but I really can’t this time.’

Ryan rehearsed the words in his head as he looked at her.

‘I have countless reasons why I shouldn’t accompany you.’

“……Yes.”

But the answer that escaped his lips was completely different from what he’d been thinking. He was surprised himself after he said it.

“Thank you!”

He was helpless before Daphne’s radiant smile.

* * *

On the way to the mansion in the carriage Baldwin had sent.

“Ryan, are you okay?”

Daphne quietly asked Ryan, who sat opposite her.

“You look a little pale.”

“It’s nothing.”

Ryan, who had been staring out the window with his lips pressed tight, turned to Daphne and answered.

“It’s just dark outside since it’s evening. That’s probably why.”

His calm and gentle voice, and the affectionate look in his eyes, melted away the tension that had crept into Daphne’s face.

“You’re right. That could be it.”

Daphne nodded, agreeing with Ryan. Then she turned her head to look out the window, as if trying to figure out how much farther they had to go.

She glanced out the window, then rubbed her palms lightly against her skirt. A sigh escaped her lips.