Despite the late hour, the sky was noisy. The rain that had continued all afternoon poured down with enough force to tear the earth as midnight approached. Even the knights of the Grand Duke’s residence had withdrawn all external guards inside for today.

However, the third floor of the Evergale East Mansion was bustling with a different kind of commotion.

Classical music flowed from the gramophone, and milky white lighting brightly illuminated the bedroom. It was a completely different world from the pitch-black scene outside the window.

Natasha danced lightly, holding dresses against her body as if she were the only person living in that separate world. The needle scratching the outer edge of the disc on the turntable gradually moved towards the center.

As the music was nearing its end, muffled footsteps mixed in. Taking advantage of the darkness, a figure had swiftly opened the window and entered. Natasha scolded without looking back, as usual.

“I told you we should only meet at the villa.”

The uninvited guest of the night was, as before, a man dressed entirely in black. He shook the moisture from his hair and played innocent.

“Ah, on a night like this, no one would notice even if a wild boar broke in. Besides, the security here was the most lax.”

“Damn old man, he doesn’t care about my well-being at all.”

Natasha grumbled. However, contrary to her words, she didn’t seem particularly bothered.

Currently, deciding which of the crimson and yellow dresses in her hands would suit her better was far more important to her than the mansion’s old-fashioned butler.

How important it was, this deliberation had been going on for a full hour. Numerous dresses had already passed through her hands and were strewn across the bed.

By now, she should have made a decision. But Natasha still acted as if she hadn’t found one that satisfied her. She threw even the ones in her hands onto the bed and reached for the closet once again.

Meanwhile, the man roughly wiped the mud from his shoes and looked up. The scene that greeted him was the very essence of luxury. He clicked his tongue at the extravagance filling the room.

“My goodness, isn’t this too much? Didn’t you say you were annoyed by those misers picking fights every other day?”

Despite his astonished voice, Natasha let out a light, mocking laugh.

“Fool, don’t you understand how the world works even after seeing all this? You still have a long way to go.”

She approached the mirror with a new dress. She held it against her body, fluttering this way and that, as if unfolding the layers of chiffon. Now seemingly satisfied, a content smile spread across her face.

“I like crinolines and voluminous dresses. They can hide so much.”

Of course, it wasn’t just the dress she had to choose. Perfect preparation was essential for full-fledged social activities. Maintaining dignity as the new mistress of Evergale was a given. It wouldn’t hurt to catch a whiff of money while she was at it.

The chosen dress was hung on a hanger. Now Natasha’s interest turned to the dressing table. Various accessories were neatly arranged in open velvet cases.

“What would go well with this? Sapphire, perhaps? Or maybe opal?”

Her hand, clad in delicate lace gloves, moved over the cases like fingers on piano keys. Selecting one, Natasha gestured for the man to come closer.

As he stood right behind her, Natasha handed him the necklace and gathered her hair up with both hands. The man moved his hands with a faint sigh. Soon, a pearl necklace settled on her exposed nape.

Pleased with this as well, Natasha hummed along to the melody. She casually tossed the matching earrings. The man standing beside her caught them deftly.

“You keep them. Give them as a gift or sell them, do as you please.”

“Your kindness is as vast as the ocean, thank you.”

The lustrous pearls quickly disappeared into the man’s pocket. While he was examining other items, Natasha chose her perfume last.

Tilting her neck to spray the citrus scent, her now perfect appearance was reflected in the large arched mirror. Natasha turned and asked.

“How do I look now?”

“Ah, beautiful?”

The man answered hastily without even looking. An elephant-shaped ivory piece that was sneaking into his pocket dropped to the floor with a thud.

Instead of questioning the theft, Natasha twirled around once to show off.

“Then what do I look like I’m about to do?”

The dress swirled in elegant curves. The petticoat embroidered with ornate flowers made it even more voluminous. The man tilted his head as he put the ivory piece back in its place.

“Attending a ball?”

“What else could I do?”

“Having a chat at a tea party? Shopping? Playing poker? Ugh, how would I know what women do for fun?”

Natasha stretched her lips ambiguously, as if none of these were correct, or perhaps all of them were.

“You just said ‘fun.’ Looking at me now, you can only think of having fun.”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that…”

“That’s exactly what I want.”

“Pardon?”

The tension in the man’s hunched shoulders completely dissipated. He had expected to be scolded. Natasha smiled innocently like a naive noble lady.

“This way, they won’t suspect me as much. The more extravagant I am, the more I seek beautiful and precious jewels, the more they’ll see me as just a stupid blonde woman blinded by money. Could there be a better shield for me right now?”

The man’s mouth fell half-open as realization dawned. He clapped with a soft exclamation.

“I see. Now I understand why ‘that person’ has stayed with you all this time.”

“…Is that so?”

The smooth smile, unreadable as an icy surface, faltered for a moment. To hide it, Natasha turned away, pretending to fix her hair. It was a sentiment that must never be revealed.

‘…Sometimes, I wish it were for a different reason.’

Though she had barely dared to harbor this thought internally, unable to voice it aloud, a violent thunderclap struck at that very moment, as if it were a divine punishment for such a wish.

“Oh my!”

The man turned his gaze to the window, remarking on how noisy it was. The rain, which he had thought couldn’t get any heavier, now pounded against the window as if it might break it.

Looking at him, the man suddenly seemed to remember something and asked Natasha.

“By the way, what do you think that woman is doing now? She was originally the Grand Duchess. It can’t be easy to go back to a life of hardship after being accustomed to living like a flower in a greenhouse.”

A flower in a greenhouse. Natasha let out a soft chuckle.

“Does this place look like a greenhouse to you?”

The man looked around Natasha’s room, filled with glittering objects and warmth. He shrugged with his arms spread and asked back.

“Isn’t it?”

“Well… I suppose.”

When you first step into a greenhouse, the first thought is how suffocating it feels due to the temperature difference.

While she refrained from adding anything more, another thunderclap resounded. Natasha approached the window and stood there.

As she gazed into the pitch-black darkness, the man prepared to leave. After finishing his preparations, he continued his earlier question with a sour expression.

“Considering she hasn’t shown up until now… Could she be dead?”

“It’s the opposite. Whether she unexpectedly didn’t collapse, or she did but got back up again. She’s alive.”

Natasha answered without a moment’s hesitation. The man’s curiosity deepened.

“Why are you so certain?”

“That woman’s stubbornness might be called stupid, but I don’t want to underestimate her. Do you know what’s harder than dying?”

“Well, I’ve never even thought about dying, so I’m not sure.”

“It’s enduring. Continuing right up until the moment before death.”

She was saying incomprehensible things today. The man couldn’t understand even the last words Natasha muttered.

“That woman is strong. As stubborn as she is.”

“Final confirmation for numbers 4 and 5 completed! All clear!”

“The Delfin district is safe too!”

Thanks to everyone moving in an orderly fashion without confusion, the situation was steadily being restored.

Now all that remained was the Harian district. The lowest-lying area in Dailon, which Lord Garta didn’t even know existed.

Helena’s steps quickened, concerned about the direct impact of the typhoon’s damage.

“I’ll round up the injured and check if everyone has evacuated to the square. You go with Sakin and make sure nothing is blocking the drainage.”

Ian held back Helena as she turned away with a few workers.

He took off his coat and wrapped it around Helena. Then, brushing away the red hair stuck to her forehead from the rain, he said,

“Be careful. If anything were to happen to you, I don’t think I could bear it.”

“…That’s my line.”

“Are you worried about me?”

“Did you think I was such a witch that I wouldn’t worry about someone rushing into a more dangerous place without even a coat?”

“You know Lily was just joking.”

Helena bit her lower lip slightly. The resentment of the past few days, momentarily forgotten in the urgent situation, came back to her.

At the same time, she wanted to reconcile right then and get close again. Such feelings rose like smoke before it bursts out of a chimney.

But the fierce rain hitting her cheeks awakened her mind from its complacent state.

“Let’s move quickly! We’re almost out of oil!”

Already ten steps ahead, several lanterns in the group were seen flickering and going out. There was no time to be caught up in trivial emotions.

Helena pulled up the sleeves of the coat so her hands could come out. It was too big for her body, and she had to fold the collar. As she did so, she signaled to Ian with her eyes that they needed to part.

He reluctantly nodded briefly in agreement.

“You said it yourself. The storm doesn’t linger.”

“…”

“Let’s meet where the storm has passed.”

Ian turned away, following Sakin who was urging him from afar.

Helena didn’t leave immediately, sniffling once for no reason. The large coat carried his scent mixed with rainwater.

It was just ordinary fabric. Yet everything he left behind always felt reassuring. Whether it was the expression he made for her, the voice he conveyed, or the warmth of his touch.

Helena held the coat tightly as if it were a shield to protect her, and headed towards the square.