After making her quiet declaration, Natasha brushed the old butler’s shoulder a couple of times and stepped away from him.

Then, as if it were her own possession, she naturally handed the map over to Gordon.

“This is a gift. Even if you disagree, since we’re in the same boat, we might as well share the spoils.”

Though it felt extremely uncomfortable, as if he had swallowed sand, Gordon barely managed to open his lips.

This was all he could think of or say at the moment.

“The duchess will return. Without fail.”

And instead of arguing further, he put the map back in the treasure chest. Natasha didn’t particularly comment on it.

She simply bowed her head gracefully with a fluttering butterfly-like smile before retreating.

“Please take good care of Evergale in the future, my lord. I too will do my best as the lady of the house.”

Wooo-

The sound of a ship’s horn was heard in the distance, and waves rolled onto the sandy beach, creating small bubbles.

The port of Futua was peaceful today as well.

Except for one man screaming in front of the beautiful scenery.

“It’s over… I’m ruined now… sob…!”

As if to add insult to injury, even a passing bird seemed to sympathize with his despair.

A splash of thin bird droppings fell right by the man’s eye. An opaque liquid, whether tears or bird droppings, began to trickle down his cheek.

Dion, who believed without a doubt that he was the most unfortunate person in the world at this moment, lamented.

“Ah… it’s dark, so dark… I can’t see anything… Is this… my future?”

He slid down to his knees. Through his blurry vision, glimpses of the blue sea could be seen.

“Ha… what a disgustingly pretty color… Should I just jump in…”

As he resigned himself to despair, a strange impulse enveloped him. Come to think of it, there was no reason not to.

There was no master to scold him for such madness anyway.

He had to wash off the bird droppings anyway. He suddenly stood up and splashed into the water without hesitation.

“Where are you! Where on earth are you!! Where are you?!”

Dion cried out to the sky like a lost animal cub, then plunged his head into the rolling waves.

That’s when it happened.

“Gak, cough!”

Suddenly his throat was tightly gripped. Someone was firmly grasping his collar and pulling him. He tried to swing his arms with all his might, but there was no sign of stopping.

By the time he barely regained his senses, he was back on the sandy beach.

The man who had been dragging Dion by the scruff of his neck threw him down roughly.

“Cough, cough, gak! Huff, gasp…!”

After coughing up water, Dion raised his head to the man and burst out angrily.

“What are you doing?!”

“What do you mean, what?”

Then an unfamiliar voice dropped. It was an incredibly calm voice for someone who had just tried to suffocate a person.

“If this is the reward for saving a dying person, I should have just let you drown. Why don’t you remove the seaweed stuck to your head before speaking?”

The man who had saved Dion was none other than Eugene.

Eugene had reached the point of thoroughly searching even the deserted coast to find Helena.

At that moment, he discovered Dion. Before he could even recognize him, his body moved first.

Perhaps because he had been thinking only of Helena, including her finances, everyone splashing in the water looked like her.

By the time he reached arm’s length, he realized it wasn’t her, but he wasn’t heartless enough to leave someone about to die.

But Eugene soon regretted his hasty judgment.

The only reward for his kindness was an ear-piercing fit of nerves.

“What’s the big idea of suddenly attacking and choking me? Do you have some grudge against me? Even if you did, you should at least talk it out first, how am I supposed to speak if you choke me like this? More importantly, who are you anyway? I’ve never seen you before. If you’re trying to extort money or valuables for saving me-”

“Saved you from dying and this is the thanks I get. You have no shame.”

“W-what?”

“I don’t even expect gratitude, so stop squawking. It would be faster for you to remove your mouth than for me to cover my ears.”

“Huh, huh, really now. I’m at a loss for words. Who said I was trying to die? You just tried to kill me!”

Despite being a pea-hearted fellow who unconsciously covered his mouth, Dion’s attitude was quite bold. His upward gaze was tinged with considerable irritation.

Because of this, Eugene asked again in a somewhat subdued tone.

“…Didn’t you enter the sea to end your life?”

“No, does everyone who goes into the sea go to die? It was just a bird…!”

“A bird?”

“That… a bird…”

Dion, who had been talking back sharply, suddenly closed his mouth. He couldn’t bring himself to say he had been hit by bird droppings. Any excuse would be better than bird droppings.

He hurriedly attached any words he could think of.

“I, I just went in to wash my face.”

“…Are you saying you’re the kind of idiot who falls into the sea to wash his face?”

“It’s a preference, please respect it.”

Dion frowned as he brushed off the sand stuck to his clothes.

A faint glimmer appeared in Eugene’s eyes as he looked at him. Though Dion’s attire wasn’t particularly neat, glimpses of nobility could be seen in his accent and gestures.

‘This has become troublesome.’

Seeing how he was chattering away, it didn’t seem like he would just let it go. Not wanting to create unnecessary problems, Eugene took out a few gold coins and showed them.

“Is this enough compensation?”

Dion froze in the middle of wringing out his wet clothes.

‘What kind of person is he to so readily offer gold coins?’

His bearing had seemed extraordinary from the start, and now the amount was equally extraordinary. The gold coins clinked and spun in front of Dion’s eyes.

But no matter what, he had his pride. He sneered and snorted.

“Huh, really, huh! If you come at me like this, what am I supposed to, huh!”

Clank. The offered gold coins fell into Dion’s hand.

“I’ll accept it with great gratitude.”

He decided to set aside his pride for a moment. Having had his money pouch stolen, he didn’t want to go hungry out of misplaced stubbornness.

Dion cleared his throat unnecessarily and tucked the gold coins deep into his clothes. He couldn’t let them be stolen again like last time.

“Ahem, hem. Consider yourself lucky that I’m the type who values money. If I weren’t, fists would have flown first around here.”

“Do you know this area well?”

“I’ve been searching so much for someone that I can’t help but know it. Why, do you have someone you’re looking for too?”

“…”

The silence conveyed an affirmative meaning. Dion narrowed his eyes and folded his arms.

“Well, if you want, I could be your search companion. Shall we go together? Since it’s a district with trade routes, the scale is quite large, so you’ll have a hard time alone.”

It was a fairly considerate proposal in its own way, but Eugene was firm.

“No. I don’t have a hobby of abusing my ears. I’ll pass.”

Then he turned away without the slightest hesitation.

He heard grumbling from behind, but he moved away quickly. He didn’t have time to waste with an idiot who falls into the sea to wash his face when he needed to find Helena.

‘If I don’t find her after staying about two more weeks…’

It wouldn’t be difficult to organize a search party. A few simple official documents would mobilize the security forces of the entire Evergale region.

Nevertheless, Eugene found it hard to make a decision easily. He couldn’t let Evergale’s reputation be tarnished over something like this.

Rumors would spread in an instant that not only had his wife announced divorce, but she had also run away without a word.

But more than smearing his own face, which was secondary, he couldn’t so easily erase Helena’s place.

‘How hard we’ve worked to build up her position.’

Even if she returned willingly, it was clear things wouldn’t be the same as before.

She might have to start all over again to regain her current position as duchess. No matter how difficult, he had to bring her back himself.

Eugene gritted his teeth as he sent the knights out again, dividing the areas.

‘So appear before then, Helen. Before I really go mad.’

His usually steadfast golden eyes wavered with unusual anxiety.

Even footsteps echoed through the quiet street.

Helena glanced once at the man walking beside her at a moderate pace, then looked ahead again.

The place they arrived at by carriage was a bustling area with many high-class salons.

Unlike usual, the road beyond the lower town was clean without a single rough edge. Just like the clothes she was wearing now.

‘Has he been coming here alone all this time?’

The clothes Ian bought were simple in design, but the quality was by no means ordinary. The smooth fabric could rival the dresses she wore while staying at the grand duke’s residence.

The inns they stayed at were just outside the center, but they had the appearance of small villas. It felt like being on a short vacation rather than having left home.

As Helena regained her sense of reality while staying with him, she realized that he had been very considerate in many ways.

Along with that, she also realized that the source of that consideration wasn’t entirely clean.

“You have gold coins again.”

Helena frowned at the clinking sound coming from inside Ian’s clothes.

As he said there was nothing to worry about, he had immediately procured another pouch of gold coins from somewhere.

“You said you run a small merchant group, how do you have so much money?”

“Let me be a little boastful. Come to think of it, it’s not that small after all.”

Ian answered as he pulled on the silver-decorated door handle. Of course, Helena didn’t believe his words at face value.

It was hard to believe he was simply a good person just because he didn’t harm her.

‘Could the money also be… Ah!’

Just as she was harboring a bit of doubt in a corner of her mind. Her body was suddenly pushed forward.

Ian, who had been holding the door waiting for Helena to enter, abruptly hurried his movements.

He pushed Helena inside and quickly closed the door. Not satisfied with just that, he grabbed her wrist and hurriedly moved towards the back of the store.

“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“Excuse me for a moment.”

The large glass display window at the front of the store gradually receded.

Ian went deep inside until they were hidden from view by the clothes displayed in the window. All the while, he kept glancing outside.

A man was checking the faces of women wearing hats whenever he spotted them.

It was a man he knew. Someone he had personally sought out.

A faint look of dismay crossed Ian’s face.