The man left those words behind, briefly glancing at Roselia before swiftly exiting the cabin. Suddenly, the group that had kidnapped her was being pushed back by the Lapelios knights led by the Marquis.

“Chase those fleeing!”

At Johannes’s command, some knights rushed outside the cabin. Johannes, who approached Roselia, quickly untied the restraints and removed the gag from her mouth.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

With a concerned expression, Johannes asked, and Roselia replied in a bewildered manner, “No, there’s no significant injury. Thank you for saving me.”

“Let’s get out of here first.”

Saying so, Johannes swiftly lifted Roselia. Despite being smaller than Klaus, Johannes had an agile physique. When he lifted Roselia so effortlessly, she let out a surprised scream.

“Just endure it for a moment.”

Johannes said with a somewhat serious expression, and Roselia silently nestled in his arms. Being bound all day made her hands and feet sore, making it difficult to move.

Before she knew it, Johannes, who led her to the carriage, carefully put her down inside. Looking at her affectionately, he suddenly spoke in a somewhat hurtful tone.

“It’s quite a sight.”

His words, sounding somewhat melancholic, weighed heavily on Roselia’s heart.

“I’m sorry…”

With a voice tinged with remorse, Johannes, who seemed solemn, sat across from her in the carriage.

“Roselia, what do you have to apologize for to me? I’m rather sorry for being late.”

Listening to his voice, which was calm despite the recent ordeal of being held captive, felt like meeting a reliable ally.

As Roselia seemed to be calming down, Johannes let out a relieved sigh and spoke with a bitter tone.

“I heard Duke Valtesar is also looking for you. First, let’s head to the Duke’s residence as a Duke…”

For a moment, Roselia’s expression stiffened.

“Is the Duke… alive?”

Upon Roselia’s words, Johannes, who had been wearing a puzzled expression, seemed to realize something belatedly.

“Oh… You haven’t heard the news yet.”

Anxiously meeting Roselia’s gaze, Johannes calmly continued.

“He was declared missing, but I heard he safely returned to the Duke’s residence yesterday. Although he suffered injuries, I heard it’s not life-threatening.”

Tears welled up in Roselia’s eyes in an instant.

In the sudden rush of emotions, she felt a complex mix of relief that he was alive, resentment and regret for choosing Prince Hugo over Klaus, who almost died, and fear of the twisted plot involving him…
Concerned about her condition, Johannes spoke in a bewildered tone, “Since you don’t seem to be in good condition, I’ll take you to the Duke’s residence right away.”

At that moment, Roselia, lifting her tear-stained face, opened her mouth with a resolute expression, “No… I won’t go back to the Duke’s residence.”

Startled by Roselia’s firm voice, Johannes froze with a surprised expression. Klaus’s return didn’t change anything. The danger he faced was still present, and there was no guarantee that a similar threat wouldn’t arise again.

As long as Klaus, who cherished Prince Hugo, didn’t change his heart…

Such situations, tormenting both Roselia and Klaus, would repeat over and over.

Facing such circumstances, and looking at Klaus in that way, became unbearable for Roselia.

She soon met Johannes’s gaze with a sorrowful expression.

“Please. I don’t want to go back to the Duke’s residence right now.”

Johannes, who silently stared at Roselia, without pushing or questioning, calmly spoke, “Let’s first find a place for you to rest.”