“Huh? What did you just say?”

“Shh, shh. I’m sure there was a reason.”

Before Fabi’s lively and somewhat hot-tempered voice could rise, Rochelle hurried to calm her down.

“He was working. He said he had a lot on his mind lately, and it was my fault for dropping by so suddenly.”

“Fault? You shouldn’t say that! Honestly, I was hoping Sir Yevgeny might be so overjoyed he’d throw a little party or something.”

“A party? Isn’t that a bit much, Fabi? Anyway, he was only surprised at first, but he congratulated me right away.”

“And you think a belated congratulations is supposed to make you feel better? Sigh, miss, you’re too soft-hearted. If it were any other lady, she would’ve bitten his ear off right then and there.”

“Oh my.”

“I mean it. When I worked at Madame Larenne’s house, the couple used to fight so much we had to buy a new set of plates every week because they’d throw everything within reach. You can’t imagine how stressed I was back then. On the other hand, Sir Ivan always treated me with a certain decency. I should’ve quit sooner and gotten a job with the Beneff family… Ah, never mind.”

Fabi, her face flushed as she vented, suddenly fell silent, recalling the day she’d been hurt. Rochelle carefully set her teacup down on the table.

“So he was a good employer in his own way? Well, of course, people’s personalities are very complex. But if Ivan was really so decent, would he have done that to your face? It’s hard to believe.”

“…You’re right. Sir Ivan is terribly foul-mouthed and violent. I forgot for a moment.”

Fabi gave a bitter smile and touched the deep scar on her right cheek.

“After you left, I was planning to quit soon too. Of course, I had to get another job lined up first… I have a helpless older sister at home who relies on me.”

“You said she looks like me?”

“Honestly, the only resemblance is your sky-blue eyes. But I just felt drawn to you…”

“I see. I’m always grateful to you, Fabi. When I heard you accepted Sir Yevgeny’s offer, I was so happy. You’ve been a tremendous help.”

Rochelle smiled softly at her, as if to show her sincerity. Fabi beamed back.

“It’s me who should be grateful. Thanks to you, I get to work at the most coveted job in town, at Sir Yevgeny’s mansion. Actually, this is a secret, but… my pay has doubled, too.”

“Oh my!”

“I thought Sir Yevgeny was truly kind, seeing how eager he was to make things comfortable for you. But then, well…”

Fabi’s lips pouted again. Even if he was her employer, she couldn’t hold back her criticism, and she continued with a sulky look.

“Haven’t you two never even gone out on a date?”

“Well, I’ve been on the run all this time…”

“But now you have your residence permit!”

Fabi’s voice was rising again. Rochelle quickly poured more tea into her cup and gave her a reassuring look.

But the more she thought about it, the harder it was to shake the sense of distance she felt from Yevgeny.

Come to think of it, had she ever had a proper conversation with him since they reunited?

Of course, after entering Yevgeny’s mansion, Rochelle spent a long time recovering. Even now, she struggled to open her eyes until late morning, or even near lunchtime. She’d slept in as a child, but never so late that she’d skip breakfast.

Because of that, it had been quite a while since she’d properly faced Yevgeny. He started his day early in the morning and only returned to the bedroom after everyone else was asleep.

If she needed to, she would visit his study to talk, so she hadn’t found it strange that there was a certain distance between them.

Fabi blew on her hot tea to cool it a bit and continued.

“At the very least, I think Sir Yevgeny should know how you spend your days alone. You were resting before, but now that you’ve mostly recovered, keeping you cooped up in the mansion and just bringing you food is no different from keeping livestock.”

“…”

“He doesn’t even provide the bare minimum so you can spend your free time pleasantly and meaningfully, does he? He’s a rather indifferent man, isn’t he?”

Rochelle nodded as she spoke.

“I was actually about to ask if he could get me an instrument.”

“You spent all that time quietly lying in bed, and now you want your hobby to be something indoors, too? Why not try something like driving, or active sports like riding or hunting?”

“That sounds nice. Thank you for the suggestion, Fabi.”

Rochelle smiled faintly and lowered her gaze. She was truly glad to have Fabi by her side. Without her, she might have gone mad with frustration long ago.

***

“A date?”

Yevgeny, reviewing the stack of documents piled high on his desk, quietly looked up. Rochelle blinked and spoke.

“Is that not allowed? I haven’t been outside even once since I got here.”

“…”

“I got my temporary ID not long ago, too.”

Ah, Yevgeny and Owen both frowned slightly. It seemed they had only just realized the reason for Rochelle’s sudden restlessness.

A naive young noblewoman who thought a little slip of paper solved everything.

“No.”

The expectant look she gave him was quite troubling. Yevgeny answered firmly. If Castiya had truly entered a period of perfect peace, he might have granted her wish.

But even this seemingly peaceful place was crawling with rebels and terrorist organizations from Brittany or other countries.

Even the Red Revolutionaries led by himself and Ivan weren’t based in Castiya.

If Brittany was in turmoil on the surface, Castiya was chaos beneath. This was all possible thanks to General Bledoneur, who would turn a blind eye to anything for the right price. An old man mad for money who would one day drag Castiya into ruin.

Of course, Rochelle, who knew nothing of this, wouldn’t understand. He slowly pointed to the empty chair across from him.

“Sit here.”

“…”

“Owen, bring some refreshments.”

Rochelle took careful steps forward. She almost said she wasn’t hungry since she’d just eaten, but closed her mouth instead.

She sat down slowly and stared blankly at Yevgeny. Surrounded by documents, he occasionally frowned or tapped the table with his finger, as if displeased.

After a brief review, he picked up his pen, signed, and stamped the document with a red seal. Rochelle awkwardly lifted her chin and silently studied the intricate seal.

“Rochelle.”

Suddenly, something sweet and juicy touched her lower lip. She instinctively took a bite and slowly chewed off a piece of apple. Yevgeny then speared another piece of the bright yellow apple with a fork and handed it to her.

As Rochelle took the fork from him, she glanced around.

‘When had it happened?’

The servant beside her was now quietly pouring black coffee into a teacup.

Yevgeny watched Rochelle stuff her mouth with apple, then gave a faint smile and gestured gracefully to the servant.

“You may go now.”

“Yes, sir.”

The man, eyes lowered, soon left. Now only Rochelle remained in Yevgeny’s gaze—a girl who seemed a little downcast but tried to hide it with a calm facade.

“Do you want to go out?”

“If I wanted to, could I?”

Rochelle asked back, her tone self-mocking but composed. She was naive, but not stupid—Yevgeny saw her that way.

“In time.”

“…”

“When that time comes, you’ll be able to, Rochelle. But for now, it’s not safe because Ivan and his revolutionaries are still in Castiya.”

“Then I’d like to pick up a hobby I can enjoy inside the mansion.”

“Tell me anything.”

“Driving. I know I can’t go far, but I’d like to practice at least within the grounds.”

At Rochelle’s calm reply, Yevgeny frowned. She really was an unpredictable woman.

“Can you really call driving a hobby?”

“…”

“Leave that to the chauffeurs, Rochelle. How about horseback riding instead? You can learn useful skills, and once you get good enough, you might even get to compete in amateur tournaments.”

It was a reasonable suggestion. And when the weather warmed, she could ride through the narrow forest paths in her riding clothes—if the opportunity arose.

“All right.”

When Rochelle answered brightly, Yevgeny leaned back in his chair, looking relieved, and gave a small laugh. Soon, a gentle breeze drifted in through the window. Sweeping his soft hair back, Yevgeny picked up a cigarette box.

He placed a cigarette between his index and middle fingers and leaned forward. Drawing a flame from the small lamp at the edge of the table, he exhaled a thin stream of smoke and spoke.

“This is another matter, but the engagement date has been set. It’s about two months from now.”