Ines, having forgotten that she was on a horse, removed her hands from the saddle and buried her face in them.

Startled momentarily by her reaction, Carson quickly moved behind her. He felt the first true emotion she had shown.

As he heard Ines sobbing, he guided the horse.

“You must know well that this mountain belongs to Swalden.”

Still sobbing, she nodded.

“There’s a gold mine in this mountain. And it’s an exceptionally rich one.”

Hearing this, it couldn’t have been a more trivial reason. Just for that?

“I thought about what Graham would lose if Swalden was taken away by Landhill. That led me to investigate this mountain.”

Even as her shoulders shook, Carson did not stop explaining. Ines thought that was a relief.

“If the Swalden family becomes completely subordinated to Landhill, this mountain will no longer belong to Lusonia. Even if Graham takes away your family’s rank, he gains nothing.”

Ines pressed herself deeper into the man holding her. If she could, she would leap off the horse and kiss his feet. If not for him, she might have never known the full story of all the incidents.

“Swalden has already been listed in Landhill’s noble registry.”

So now it was safe.

There was no longer any fear of losing her father, her mother, her family’s rank, or Ines’s own life, he said. But that didn’t mean all the wrongs she had committed in the past were erased.

“You’ve done well.”

Yet he praised her generously.

“Had you not asked me to make Swalden part of Landhill, I would have never known.”

As he continued speaking, Ines’s sobbing only intensified. She couldn’t hear the clopping of hooves or the chirping of crickets anymore. All that filled her world was the steady heartbeat of Carson.
Upon reaching a smooth road, there was Carston’s carriage, painted with horse patterns. Carston stepped down first and assisted Ines in alighting.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, Ines tried to distance herself from him, but Carston didn’t allow it. He moved towards the carriage, keeping Ines’s face buried in his chest.

He hadn’t paid close attention, but there were a few people around.

“My Lord?”

“Just go.”

“But what is this…?”

“Right now your face is saying, ‘I’ve cried.'”

Even so, this was excessive. Before she could object, they reached the carriage. Only after opening the carriage door did he release her face from his chest. Then, gripping her waist, he gently lifted her onto the carriage.

“I am not a child.”

“I don’t do this even to Louis.”

“Then why?”

“If anyone sees your face now, they’ll think I made you cry.”

“……”

“Ah, did I actually make you cry?”

Ines couldn’t say anything, merely fluttering her lips at his teasing smile.

“Your eyes, nose, lips, cheeks, and even your neck are all red right now. Who should see that?”

‘The quickest way to become an outlaw.’ He spoke cheerfully, genuinely looking pleased. His smiling face was so unfamiliar that Ines unnecessarily cast her gaze out the window.

As they traveled a road without a single light, a busy area gradually appeared. The residential area next to the market was well-lit, unlike near the mountain.

“The sun has set early, even though it’s summer.”

Noah’s words broke the silence within the carriage.

“It looks like it’s going to rain.”

Ines looked up at the sky outside the window. Just as Carston had said, the moon was obscured by thick clouds.

Ines began to worry slightly. A lot of time had already passed since she should have returned home.

“Um, my Lord?”

When she turned her head towards Carston, their eyes immediately met as if he had been watching her all along. He grinned as if asking why.

“Could you take me as far as the garden inside our estate?”

Carston, who looked perplexed for a moment, suddenly burst into hearty laughter. At the sound of that laughter, Ines’s heart thumped and sank.

“Did you come out without telling your mom?”

Ines bit her lower lip hard and blushed. Lately, her face had been flushing far too often, and she couldn’t understand why.

“Yes.”