Raoul sat cross-legged with a deeply troubled expression.

Looking at her made his heart heavy, like someone who had been given a difficult homework assignment.

‘Will I be able to help her escape?’

According to Ayla, the keys were split between the Duke and his aide.

Of all people, it had to be those two who were difficult to approach.

Fortunately, he had found a poorly repaired hole near the slave camp, but without the key, it would be useless.

Above all, he absolutely had to avoid revealing his identity during the escape process.

Ayla looked at his worried face and asked kindly about his recent situation, smiling gently.

“How have you been lately? It seems like we always talk about me.”

“Nothing special.”

“Really? Your expression looks dark for someone who says that.”

“…I guess it’s because I’m thinking about the escape.”

Ayla narrowed her eyes and smiled meaningfully, “Hmm.”

“If you have any worries, try sharing them. I might know more about the problem than you do!”

Raoul hesitated for a moment, then lowered his gaze and asked in a hushed voice.

“Then… have you ever had unrequited love?”

“What did you say?”

“I asked if you’ve ever liked someone… You heard me.”

Ayla chuckled and playfully rubbed her chin.

“Hmm. Well? I think I might be experiencing it right now?”

“You also have someone you like?”

“Yes. I do. Someone who seems cold but is actually very kind and gentle.”

Ayla turned her face slightly, blushing to the tips of her ears.

“Then, if you were upset because of that person, what would you want them to do?”

Ayla was about to speak excitedly but hesitated for a moment.

“…Who are you talking about?”

“…Do you really need to know that?”

“Could it be… that girl you mentioned before?”

“…”

“I guess it is.”

Ayla rolled her eyes dramatically, then paused for a moment before speaking.

“…If it were me, I’d just want to be given as much time as possible to think.”

“…You mean just leave her alone?”

“…Yes. If you try too hard to look good now, it might make her even angrier, wondering why you’re suddenly acting like this.”

Raoul nodded with a complicated expression.

Ayla felt a bit sorry for a moment, but soon smiled brightly and changed the subject.

“By the way, my leg has fully healed. The medicine you gave me last time worked really well.”

Ayla spent all day waiting for just one person in prison. She didn’t want to hear about anyone else if possible.

Diana was out enjoying fresh air for the first time in a while.

After being cooped up in her room for about a week, her whole body felt stiff, and her heart felt so gloomy it was hard to bear.

“It’s been so long since we’ve been out. Since we’re out, shall we look at some spare clothes for you, miss? There’s an incredibly cute cape that was released as a spring new arrival at that store over there.”

“Alright. Let’s stop by a cafe before we go. Maybe because it’s been so long since I’ve been out, I feel like sitting down for a bit.”

“Sounds good. Shall we sit over there?”

“Yes.”

Diana had just sat down in a quaint cafe chair as guided by Angela.

She was about to enjoy some warm tea and relax comfortably when she heard murmuring voices from somewhere behind her.

‘What’s that sound?’

Turning her head to follow the source of the voices, she saw three men gathered in a nearby alley, talking.

“Have you heard the rumor about a merchant from the borderlands wandering near the border every night?”

“I heard he’s as big as a mountain, with long white hair hanging down like some ghost?”

“Isn’t he dangerous? The atmosphere is already not good these days, what if he’s an elf? He could be someone who’s dissatisfied with the slave burning ceremony that happened recently!”

“Oh, come on. Don’t make such a fuss. I saw him passing by, and his ears were round. He looked mysterious in appearance and atmosphere, but he’s not an elf.”

“Anyway, I hope he leaves soon. Rich people bring in other races as slaves, and it’s always ordinary people like us who suffer!”

“I overheard someone say while drinking that he’s leaving Arnel territory tonight?”

“Tch, that’s a relief.”

Diana, who had been listening casually, suddenly shuddered.

‘White hair, huge like a mountain, and a noble atmosphere like an elf…’

Isn’t this talking about Eledore?

While she was lost in shock, unable to speak, Angela came running from inside the cafe after talking with her friend who was a waiter.

“Miss, they say this is the most popular ice cream these days. Hurry and try a bite.”

“Oh my…”

“What’s wrong?”

“…Eledore, you say.”

With that, the two of them hurriedly left their seats, barely touching the ice cream and bread, and returned straight to the castle.

Angela thought it was just a mishap due to Diana’s health not being fully recovered, but that wasn’t the case.

‘Eledore is leaving today?’

Diana paced anxiously around the room, biting her nails.

He was the master who was supposed to rescue Ayla and make her a hero of the rebellion.

But if he was leaving the territory tonight, it meant that today was the only day left for Ayla to attempt an escape.

“I wonder if Raoul is handling things well?”

Since there had been no recent communication, she hadn’t had a chance to check if the original story was progressing well.

‘I shouldn’t need to worry, right? They’ll manage to meet somehow, won’t they?’

Even though she tried to ignore it, she couldn’t fall asleep at all.

According to the original story, Raoul was supposed to get the key from his father’s office and set fire to the annex.

At first, she thought, ‘Surely not.’ Thinking it would naturally follow the original story, she just wanted to check… But even after pacing back and forth on the terrace for ten minutes, Raoul showed no sign of leaving his room.

‘Why is he so sluggish today of all days?’

Diana waited anxiously, but there was no sign of Raoul.

‘Did he leave when I wasn’t looking?’

She was contemplating this when…

Swish swish. She heard the sound of trees rustling and looked down to see Raoul jumping down to the first floor and dusting himself off.

‘Ah, of course…! It was needless worry…’

Diana quickly went back to her room and lay down on the bed before being caught. Now all she had to do was sleep peacefully.

However, even after 1 hour, 2 hours passed, the castle remained too quiet.

At first, she reassured herself that he probably hadn’t found the key yet. But as time passed, something felt off.

‘Still no news? W-what’s going on?’

Diana abruptly sat up, roughly throwing off her blanket.

She hurriedly walked out to the terrace wearing her slippers, but there was no fire, not even a thin wisp of smoke rising from the annex.

Why? Diana’s pupils began to shake violently.

She checked the clock with a shocked expression, and it was already just two hours before sunrise.

According to the original story, Eledore barely managed to rescue Ayla after searching around the Duke’s castle until just before dawn.

What if it’s delayed any further? It was obvious that they might not even meet, and the original story would be ruined.

‘Surely they’ll find a way to escape somehow even without my intervention? Would it be overkill for me to step in?’

Diana agonized, tugging at her hair.

But what if there was still no news an hour from now? By then, it would be too late to do anything.

Diana finally couldn’t resist and moved. She felt she needed to at least check.

As she was wrapping her face tightly with cloth and about to climb a tree, she heard a familiar sound from somewhere.

Swish swish. Swish swish.

It was none other than the previous rescue leaf!

‘You, you rascal!’

Diana’s eyes widened as she snatched the leaf.

‘What have you been doing all this time to show up now!’

As she shook it reproachfully, the annoying leaf trembled and escaped her hand, jumping onto the terrace railing.

Let’s go quickly! Somehow, it seemed to be saying that. Diana moved, relying on this single leaf.

There was no choice now. She had to rescue them first and figure things out later.

Dodging the sentries as she ran out, she could see the main building of the castle where her father’s office was located in the distance.

It was at the center of the U-shaped building.

Sneaking behind the building and looking up at the office window, she saw that the lights were off.

Diana measured the distance between the largest tree at the back of the forest and the mansion, and fortunately, one branch stretched all the way to the office terrace.

‘It’ll be troublesome if the window is closed… Will I be able to get in?’

There was no time for deep contemplation.

Unable to find another way, she began climbing the tall, towering tree.

Getting up was easy, but the branch was thinner than expected.

Diana took a deep breath and stood on the branch like an acrobat, her body swaying precariously.

‘I’m scared… No, I’m not scared. Scared? No, I’m not scared!’

She was moving forward, trying not to look down and hypnotizing herself as much as possible.

Suddenly, with an ominous cracking sound, the lower part of the branch began to break.

Crack.

‘Oh, no…!’

She hastily ran along the branch.

She thought she was going to die like this, but fortunately, as her body lurched forward, Diana managed to step onto the thin railing with her right foot.

‘Ugh… uuuugh…’

She somehow managed to land, but her arms and legs that hit during the fall hurt so much that a small groan escaped involuntarily.

Still, she was relieved that she didn’t fall to her death and was catching her breath when she heard guards running with torches in the distance.

“What’s that? Is someone there?”

“There’s a fallen branch here!”

An older soldier examined the broken marks closely, then gazed at the office terrace with sharp eyes.

“It could be signs of an intruder.”

“But isn’t the branch too thin for a person to have climbed?”

The two raised their torches high to illuminate the office, but there was no sign of the window being opened.

Meow, suddenly a cat poked its head out from the bushes.

“What? It was you?”

As the sound of conversation faded away, Diana finally managed to raise her body that had been lying flat against the surface.

The inside of the office was dark and quiet.

But how to get in…? Even after jiggling it slightly, the door remained firmly closed.