It was around the time when Duke Joyce, riding a horse, and Chloe, alone in the carriage as before, were passing through Arne. Just as the carriage seemed to stop, the Duke opened the carriage door and said:

“Clyne, we should stay overnight at an inn in Arne.”

Chloe, who had been in a daze from motion sickness, was suddenly wide awake. If it was an inn in Arne, could he possibly be referring to The Dog and Cat’s Night?

“What time is it?”

“It’s past four in the afternoon. I think it would be better to stay overnight.”

There had been delays in meeting with Sir Joyce and setting out, and they had also stopped for a meal shortly after departing. But it was already four in the afternoon.

It was strange. She had thought it would be around two o’clock at the latest, no matter how much time had passed.

Usually, when returning from vacation, they would leave Buergen around noon the day before returning, stay overnight at ‘The Dog and Cat’s Night’ in Arne, and depart early the next morning for Royzen.

It was a long distance, and she needed time to rest alone and space to dress as a man before returning.

But that wasn’t all.

There had long been rumors of bandits appearing on one of the mountain passes between Arne and Royzen.

When going on vacation from Royzen to Buergen, it was fine to pass through that mountain pass during broad daylight, but when returning from Buergen to Royzen, if they didn’t stop in Arne and went straight through, it would start to get dark by the time they reached that area.

In winter, it got dark even earlier, so they definitely stayed at that inn.

If it was around four o’clock now, it would be past six when they reached that mountain pass. So staying in Arne was indeed a wise decision. Since her employer was traveling with her, it was fine if the return was delayed by a day.

The problem was precisely the fact that her employer was traveling with her.

“Do you have an inn in mind, sir?”

She asked, hoping that perhaps the inn the Duke intended to stay at wasn’t ‘The Dog and Cat’s Night’.

“There’s a place called The Dog and Cat’s Night.”

Of course, it was that place! That accursed inn! To think of staying there again with the Duke. And with Sir Joyce, who had been inquiring about her, as well. The mere thought sent chills down her spine.

Wouldn’t it be like confessing that she was a woman who had lied to get the job and taken the Duke’s virtue?

“We can’t!”

Chloe blurted out to the Duke.

“What?”

At the Duke’s question, Chloe suddenly came to her senses. How dare she say “we can’t” to the Duke’s decision? Now that the Duke had said he liked her, she would appear as an unruly servant who didn’t know her place.

But that wasn’t it. It was just her survival instinct kicking in at what felt like a matter of life and death.

“No, I mean, today is my last day of vacation. I should return to the Duke’s residence on time!”

“What do you mean return when I’m right here? Being by my side means you’ve already returned. It seems too late to go straight to Royzen. You look exhausted even now.”

“Not at all! I’m not tired in the least. How could I be tired sitting comfortably in the carriage? We should just keep going straight to Royzen and return immediately.”

“What about me?”

“Pardon?”

“You’re comfortable in the carriage, but I and Joyce are very tired from riding horses.”

“……”

She was at a loss for words.

That’s right. The issue wasn’t whether the servant was tired or not, but that the master was tired. The master had been riding a horse for over four hours now.

In fact, the Duke and Sir Joyce had made a round trip to Kinden in just one day, so compared to that, the one-way trip from Buergen to Royzen would be much less tiring.

But she couldn’t dare to argue about such things.

“Please ride in the carriage!”

“Then who will ride my horse?”

“……”

She was at a loss for words again. She couldn’t offer to ride it herself either.

“You said we couldn’t abandon it.”

“That’s true, but……”

It was she herself who had stopped the Duke from abandoning the horse this morning. Even now, she didn’t think they could abandon the horse.

But in this situation, she almost resented her past self for saying not to abandon the horse.

At this point, the Duke’s money wasn’t the issue.

“Abandon it.”

“……What?”

“You can always buy another horse. You have plenty of money, Your Grace. I could never abandon it, but you can. The horse will find freedom, and you can sit comfortably in the carriage.”

“You…… are quite fickle.”

“Yes! Anyway, I really want to return to Royzen today and rest in my room.”

It didn’t matter if he called her shameless or fickle. She really wanted to avoid encountering the innkeeper that much.

Even if she were to be caught, shouldn’t she avoid such a situation? To stay at the same inn with the Duke where they had spent that kind of night together. It was absolutely unacceptable.

“Is there any reason why we can’t stay in Arne?”

“No, of course not. I just want to return to Royzen quickly, that’s all. Could I at least…… go straight back?”

“……”

The Duke just stared at her without saying another word.

“Your Grace, you mentioned staying at that inn where you stayed before? I’ll go ahead and prepare the rooms.”

Sir Joyce approached and spoke.

“Joyce, you stay there alone. I’ll return directly to Royzen with Clyne.”

“Pardon?”

Sir Joyce asked, and Chloe’s eyes turned to the Duke.

He was really listening to her. Although she absolutely didn’t want to stay at ‘The Dog and Cat’s Night’, she was surprised when the Duke spoke like that.

“I’ll take the carriage with Clyne and return to Royzen. You stay at that inn and bring my horse along tomorrow.”

Chloe looked at the Duke with round eyes.

So it was possible to ride one horse while leading another!

It seemed that saying they had to abandon the horse was just to pressure her. But this wasn’t the time to dwell on such things. The Duke was now saying he would take the carriage back just to grant her request.

“If Your Grace intends to return to Royzen by carriage, I have no objection. I can lead the horse at the carriage’s pace.”

Sir Joyce, being the loyal and capable subordinate he was, immediately followed the Duke’s opinion.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“No, I insist.”

Sir Joyce replied firmly.

“Alright then, let’s all return to Royzen today.”

The Duke immediately climbed into the carriage, and Sir Joyce, still on his own horse, moved forward holding the reins of the Duke’s dismounted horse.

In the end, things went as Chloe wished, but she felt uneasy. Sir Joyce wouldn’t know that things had turned out this way because of her stubbornness. So in the end, she could only apologize in her heart.

“Don’t feel uncomfortable.”

The Duke said to her as soon as the carriage started moving.

“…?”

Chloe looked blankly at the Duke sitting next to her, not understanding what he meant.

“I mean, you don’t need to feel sorry for Joyce, and you don’t need to feel uncomfortable because I’m next to you.”

“Ah, yes.”

I feel even more sorry.

Contrary to her verbal response, her heart only felt more uneasy at the Duke’s words, which seemed to see through her feelings and were meant to put her at ease.

After stopping for dinner and resuming their journey, by the time they were crossing the infamous mountain pass, it had already gotten dark. As they crossed the dark mountain pass, Chloe felt even more guilty, even though it was an unavoidable situation.

The horses, the coachman, and Sir Joyce must all be tired.

Even feeling sleepy made her feel sorry. She finally moved a bit towards the window to shake off her drowsiness, opened it, and stuck her face out. The cold night air blowing in from outside seemed to wake her up a bit.

“Aren’t you cold?”

The Duke asked from behind her.

“Rather than being cold, the fresh air seems to clear my mind.”

“But you……”

The Duke’s hand suddenly grabbed her waist as he was speaking.

“Eek!”

She screamed as she was pulled back. And immediately after, her eyes widened in shock. An arrow had embedded itself in the carriage wall. It had come through the window too fast for her eyes to follow and was now stuck in the opposite wall of the carriage.

“Shh, be quiet.”

The Duke whispered in her ear. Having already pulled her down to the floor, the Duke was now leaning over her.

Looking at the arrow visible over the Duke’s shoulder, she could only nod without saying a word.

Thud. Thud. Clang. Crash.

Only then did she realize that arrows were raining down on the carriage walls and windows.

What on earth is happening!

Chloe’s body began to tremble. Her eyes met the Duke’s.

“Stay like this, stay down! Don’t move an inch.”

The Duke whispered to her. Again, she could only nod without saying a word. And at the same time, the Duke, who had been on top of her, got up and jumped out of the carriage through the opposite door.

Through the open door, she thought she saw something moving. Numerous glinting, sharp metal objects.

Chloe began to shiver so much her teeth chattered. Had the bandits she had only heard about really appeared! Although they had been cautious, she never thought they would actually encounter them.

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

Death cries began to be heard. She curled up on the floor, covering her ears with both hands.

An indescribable fear suddenly overwhelmed her mind.

The arrows that had killed her brother. The unknown assailants who had rushed at her fallen brother. The pain she had felt in her shoulder and the cruel scene that had unfolded before her eyes when she woke up.

The terror of that time engulfed her once again.