“There’s actually something I need to give you. Check if you’ve lost anything.”

After a brief glance at Ian, she began rummaging through her bag. Her initially leisurely movements quickened.

When Helena looked up, startled, a palm-sized painting was thrust in front of her.

“How did you get this……”

The thick paper, pieced together like a puzzle, held an image of two people, though somewhat disheveled due to being pieced together. The bright smiles of the siblings couldn’t be fragmented.

“Leaving today, aren’t you? Look at this when you miss me. Congratulations on your marriage, sis.”

A voice tinged with coughs echoed in her ears.

Helena, trembling, took the painting. Ian shrugged nonchalantly.

“Fishing it out was a bit of a hassle. Fortunately, it was painted in oil, so it didn’t smudge. Just the drying method was a bit tricky, so it got a bit warped. And the cracks…”

“I know. It was already torn.”

Helena stared blankly at the painting for a while, as if she had forgotten how to speak.

Ian waited silently. After a long while, Helena murmured softly,

“……Thank you.”

Her fingers trembled as they touched the worn edges of the painting.

The unforgettable voice of the man lingered in Helena like a lingering trace of energy.

It was a day with a lot of thunder.

“Is there anything left to report?”

Standing in front of a long beam of light stretching through the door, Helena suddenly stopped.
Eugene’s urging was followed by a hesitant voice from the butler, Gordon, as if he found it difficult to speak.

“Sir… Owen House has sent another bill. Despite the amount being absurd for just medicine, the madam willingly sent the money. It seems she solved it herself without informing you, by selling some of her jewelry.”

Eugene let out a long sigh. The twisted sound of his breath was palpable even outside the door.

Probably, he was either running his fingers through his hair or pressing his forehead. And he would be thinking this:

She’s still as foolish as ever.

As the footsteps drew closer, Helena quickly hid herself in the darkness.

Soon Gordon came out, and the door closed tightly, leaving not even a sliver of light. Gordon’s neatly combed white hair gradually receded and then disappeared.

Flashes of lightning flickered intermittently. The dark corridor momentarily lit up with a stark white glow. The ongoing storm made Helena worry about how it would further aggravate Eugene’s mood.

When the third flash of lightning passed, Helena, with a pounding heart, forced herself to calm down and knocked on the door. The sound was faint enough to be drowned out by the rain.

“……Come in.”

Did he know that she was the only one who would knock on his office door like that?

Eugene’s tone was distinct when calling for her, different from when he called for Gordon or Earl Argyll or the knights. Helena knew the subtle difference.

She cautiously opened the door and entered. Eugene, who had been pressing his forehead, lowered his hand and lifted his head. His expression was as if he had been expecting her, but he asked about her purpose.

“What is it, Helen?”

“That… not for anything else, but…”

Until the last return, the storm had not been this severe. Hence, she had never approached him about Basil during this period. Despite practicing in her mind dozens of times, Helena found it hard to start.

“I was wondering if I could go to my parents’ house for a few days. I’m worried about Basil because of the storm. If it’s like this in Evergail, then there…”

“Do you still have something to give away?”

Eugene suddenly stood up. Helena hesitated a bit and stopped speaking.

Eugene opened a drawer and pulled out a thick bundle of letters, throwing them onto the desk.

“These are what Owen House sent to me separately.”

Thud, thud, thud. The dry sound rhythmically fell. With each sound, Helena’s heart tightened.

“Just a week ago, I sent them money because they said your brother’s condition worsened. How long do I have to keep dancing to their tune?”

Normally, she would have retreated, apologizing for the intrusion. But the words Eugene spilled out were too significant to ignore.

“Basil is sick again? How much, I need to go right now……!”

“Helena! Snap out of it! How long are you going to be used like this!”

Eugene, having kicked away from the desk, grabbed her arms. Red marks appeared on her thin wrists, but Helena didn’t stop.

“I don’t care how much they use me. Even if I’m used for a lifetime, it’s okay. As long as Basil is alive, that’s all that matters. I have to go……!”

Her slightly swollen lips from biting trembled. Words spilled out like those of a person bewitched.

Eugene looked at her, seemingly unable to comprehend her at all.

His gaze suddenly shifted to her hand. The hand that held Basil’s painting.

Eugene burst into a sarcastic laugh.

“As long as ‘only’ Basil is alive, that’s enough. Then what about me?”