As if answering his question, the wind blew. The sound of leaves rustling against the wind echoed around them.

The water scales reflecting on the lake were too dazzling.

So Klaus closed his eyes.

A ticklish and soft sensation, like feathers touching the corners of his lips, washed over him as he lowered his head.

It felt as if time had stopped.

It was just a kiss that landed like a feather, with an indescribable attraction.

Even with that light touch, his fingertips and toes tingled with tension.

He was on the verge of forgetting what he had done.

He only unconsciously thought that the sound of the wind was pleasant and the sunlight was warm.

And soon, that surreal sensation was pulled back to reality by a familiar voice.

“Antonio!”

It was Closet’s voice.

Klaus, who had stiffened with a start, finally realized his actions and jumped up with a start.

His face, uncharacteristically tinged with embarrassment, turned red up to his ears.

And soon, feeling Closet’s presence approaching, he stood up abruptly.

“Klaus?”

Closet, who had suddenly come close, called his name upon discovering Klaus.

Klaus moved his steps silently, keeping his back turned.

Closet, who had been looking at Klaus curiously, found Roselia sleeping comfortably and shook her awake.

“Antonio! How can you be sleeping when we’re supposed to go on a picnic?”

“My lady…?”

Roselia, who had opened her eyes groggily, blinked and looked at Closet.

She seemed to have been having a really good dream just before, but she couldn’t remember it.

Closet, who was looking at Roselia as if she couldn’t be helped, muttered sulkily while looking somewhere.

“He’s leaving without even acknowledging us, how cold.”

“Who?”

When Roselia made a puzzled expression, Closet gestured with her chin towards somewhere.

Looking in the direction Closet pointed, Roselia saw Klaus’s retreating back in the distance.

He saw me but left without waking me up?

Thinking that he must be really angry, Roselia shook her head.

[This is the timeline separator]

After having a picnic with Closet in the morning, Roselia left the mansion in the afternoon to head to the Count’s house as usual.

It was a 30-minute walk to the Count’s house, so she usually walked for exercise.

At that moment, a carriage stopped beside her as she left the mansion.

Judging by its appearance, it was the Duke’s carriage. As she looked at the carriage curiously, Klaus stepped out, opening the carriage door.

“Your Grace?”

“I’ll take you there.”

Roselia’s eyes widened at his nonchalant words.

Weren’t you avoiding me?

Contrary to that thought, Klaus looked at her indifferently as if asking if she wasn’t going to get in, and Roselia quickly climbed into the carriage.

“Thank you.”

And so, they ended up traveling together without exchanging a word until they arrived at the Count’s house.

Feeling suffocated, Roselia hurriedly got off the carriage as soon as it arrived at the Count’s house, as if escaping.

But for some reason, the Duke also got off the carriage following her.

Looking at Klaus curiously at his uncharacteristic behavior, Roselia soon bowed her head slightly and turned towards the mansion.

For some reason, Count Bernas was out in the garden of the mansion.

Upon spotting Bernas, Roselia approached him with a bright smile.

“Grandfather! I’m here!”

Klaus, who had been staring at that scene, looked ahead curiously at the sudden feeling of being watched.

Count Bernas was staring intently at Klaus.

Klaus, startled, bowed his head, and the Count moved his hand as if beckoning him to come over.

Bewildered, Klaus ended up entering the Count’s mansion following Roselia and bowed politely to Count Bernas.

“Hello, Count Bernas.”

“Young Duke, have a cup of tea before you go.”

At the Count’s words, Roselia poked the Count’s side and whispered.

“Grandfather, he’s not a young duke, he’s the Duke now.”

“Sshh-!”

At the Count’s gesture, as if telling her not to interrupt, Roselia sighed as if giving up.

Somehow ending up sitting side by side having tea in the Count’s garden, Roselia awkwardly scratched her chin.

Then, the Count gruffly said one thing to Roselia.

“Antonio, go bring some cookies.”

Roselia narrowed her eyes at the Count’s words.

“Grandfather, where are there cookies in the Count’s mansion?”

At Roselia’s words, the Count cleared his throat and put on a stern expression as he continued.

“Just bring something that can be a snack.”

At the Count’s errand, Roselia got up grumbling.

As soon as Roselia entered the mansion, the Count, who had taken a sip of tea, slowly opened his mouth.

“Do you know that there are spies from the Grand Duke’s family around that child?”

“…”

Klaus, who didn’t know the Count had noticed that far, hardened his expression.

“There’s no need to worry. We are also fully prepared on our side.”

At Klaus’s stiff words, the Count stroked his beard and stared at the teacup quite seriously.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s become troublesome.”

“I plan to personally escort Antonio by carriage every time he comes and goes to the Count’s house from now on.”

Klaus calmly replied to the Count’s worried voice.

The Count nodded, seemingly a bit more trusting.

“Well, you should. I don’t know what Rubellio is plotting again, but it seems you or that child are the target, so be careful.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

The Count, who was now looking at the distant sky, let out a deep sigh and muttered something like a complaint.

“I’ve been keeping it buried because there’s no solid evidence… but you might be able to find out.”

“What do you mean…”

To Klaus’s question, the Count, who had been lost in thought for a moment, hardened his gaze sharply and continued.

“I have something to show you, so come back at this time tomorrow.”

“Can’t you show me now?”

“It’s not in the Count’s house right now.”

At the Count’s somewhat solemn words, Klaus nodded with a serious expression.

“I understand. I’ll drop by again tomorrow when I bring Antonio.”

Just then, Roselia, who was coming out of the mansion, approached between the two with a puzzled expression.

“What are you two talking about?”

“We were cursing because you were taking too long.”

At the Count’s mischievous words, Roselia protested, pouting her lips.

“No, what can I do if there’s nothing to eat in the Count’s house? There’s nothing, so I have to go out and buy something.”

At Roselia’s words about going out even in this situation, the Count gruffly said one thing.

“Never mind, just sit down.”

“What? You told me to bring something that could be a snack.”

“Did I say that?”

“…”

It seems like he’s pretending not to remember on purpose…

As Roselia glared at the Count suspiciously, the Count calmly sipped his tea as if he had never said such a thing.

Klaus, watching the two of them, was lost in thought about what the object the Count would hand over might be.

I’ll find out the details tomorrow anyway, so there’s no need to be hasty.

[This is the timeline separator]

In the carriage returning from the Count’s house, perhaps because they had spent half a day together at the Count’s house, it didn’t feel as awkward as when they were going.

Thinking of Klaus, who had been keeping the Count company, it seemed quite unexpected.

She always thought he was a person who built walls in his relationships, but it was an unexpected side of him.

As Roselia was thinking about that, Klaus spoke as if talking to himself.

“I heard he had dementia, but he seems better than I expected.”

“He’s on and off. Today he’s relatively lucid.”

“Did he become like that after the young Count’s death?”

At Klaus’s words, Roselia looked at him with a surprised expression.

“You knew?”

“Do you underestimate the Duke’s information network?”

At Klaus’s curt reply, Roselia shrugged and turned the topic to the Count.

“He doesn’t remember about the young Count. I thought it wouldn’t do any good to bring it up, so I’m just watching for now.”

“That’s probably better.”

With those words, silence fell in the carriage.

Roselia was tired, so she was looking out the window while leaning against the carriage door.

Klaus, who had been staring at Roselia like that, soon carefully broached a subject.

“By any chance…”

At Klaus’s somewhat hesitant demeanor, Roselia turned her head with a puzzled expression.

Klaus, who glanced at her like that, calmly looked ahead and continued speaking.

“What do you think about same-sex attraction?”

Roselia was momentarily dumbfounded by the unexpected question.

“For example, if a man and a man like each other…”

After pondering for a moment at Klaus’s words, whose intentions were unclear, Roselia soon continued speaking bluntly.

“Well, I think it could happen. There’s no condition or reason for liking someone, after all.”

At Roselia’s words, Klaus’s face brightened for a moment.

But at Roselia’s words that followed immediately after, his expression became deadpan again.

“But it seems like a different world to me. Ah, of course, I’m not disparaging homosexuals!”

“I see…”

Klaus, whose shoulders had drooped, turned his head towards the window as if disheartened.

Roselia, who had been looking at him curiously, soon turned her gaze to the opposite window as if unconcerned.

[This is the timeline separator]

As the sun was setting and the evening dusk was filling in.

Roselia was just about to leave the mansion at the request of the head butler, Jeffrey.

A servant had collapsed with abdominal pain, and coincidentally, the related medicine had just run out, so he asked her to get some.

As the Duke’s personal physician happened to be on vacation, Roselia hurried her steps to head to the nearest hospital.

Just as she was about to leave the entrance of the Duke’s residence, someone slowly walked out from the building opposite the mansion.

Thinking it might be a drunk, she was about to pass by him when she suddenly felt that the man wrapped in a robe was staring at her, and she stopped in her tracks.

Could it be… a shadow attached by the Grand Duke’s family?

Roselia, whose body had stiffened, was about to turn around and dash back to the Duke’s residence.

But at the voice she heard immediately after, she froze as if her ankles were caught by something.

“Hey… long time no see.”

At the familiar man’s voice, Roselia turned her head slowly with an unbelieving expression.

A man who was familiar yet somehow strange was looking at her with a grin.

“Roselia.”

Raising his empty arm, as if one hand had disappeared somewhere, he waved as if greeting her, and Roselia felt goosebumps rising from her toes to her spine.

Her lips, which seemed to be completely choked up, barely moved.

“Antonio…?”