In response to Ann’s voice from somewhere, he suddenly came to his senses. Blinking his eyes, he saw the familiar ceiling.

“Huh? What did I just say?”

“What happened to make you like this?”

Oh, was that it?

While absentmindedly staring at the ceiling, it seemed that I unintentionally spoke aloud.

So, I’m at the Marquis’s residence, lying on my bed in my room…

“Miss, was there something wrong during the subjugation?”

There was something wrong. In fact, quite a lot.
So, even though I’ve returned home, am I lost in thought as if I left my mind there?

As I half-raised my body, Ann came close to the bedside. Then, like someone trying to gauge whether anything hurt, she meticulously examined my complexion.

“Ann, I’m fine.”

“They said you don’t have to go out with the Knights for a week, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

Upon returning to the capital, Gabriel declared that I would have a week of rest following the incident with Hwangmyeong.

It was more like forced rest since he declared that if I returned to the Knights before the week passed, I would be sent away.

“Just for a week, please stay at the mansion and rest…”

“Sister!”

“Miss, may I come in?”

As Ann’s scolding was about to begin, the savior appeared. Upon entering the room and discovering Vivian and Caden, I completely got up from the bed.

“Alright, come on in.”

Following Caden’s nod, a maid came in dragging a trolley. Inside, there was everything from a sliced cake to fruits, cookies, and even candies. It looked like a comprehensive dessert set.

“All of this is for you, Sister.”

“Huh? It seems like too much for me to eat?”

“Mark said you should eat a lot. He said your face became half of what it was.”

“Vivian, but why does it seem like you have a lot of desserts that you like?”

When Caden asked with one hand on his waist, Vivian, instead of being embarrassed, shouted loudly.

“Mark told me to eat together! So, there’s a bit of Vivian’s stuff too.”

“Yeah, Vivian, eat a lot. As for me…”

“Miss, please have some.”

I silently stared down at the cookie handed to me by Caden. I had become accustomed to roughly filling my meals while in the ‘Abandoned Mountain,’ so even looking at food didn’t make me hungry.

Still, Caden and Vivian went to such lengths to bring this here, so I should enjoy it, right?

Taking a bite of the cookie as if to demonstrate, this time, Caden handed me a cup filled with warm milk.

“It will be even more delicious if you have it with warm milk.”

I can’t figure out who is the older sister and who is the younger one.

“Thank you, Caden.”

“I’ll give this to Sister too!”

Observing Caden’s actions, Vivian, who seemed to be scrutinizing his behavior, instead, cheerfully handed me a handful of candies.

What is this cute gesture?

Is this what it feels like to not be hungry even when you’re not eating?

Seeing Vivian and Caden, who seemed determined to take care of me, a warm feeling flooded over me.

“Don’t just give it to me, you guys should eat too.”

“Miss!”

As if leaving to clean the room with cleaning tools, Ann urgently rushed in.

“Ann, what’s wrong?”

“The master is coming this way.”

Master?

The word I hadn’t expected made my thought processes screech to a halt.

So, if it’s the master… could it be… Herman?

“Why is Father here?”

“Uh, I don’t know either.”

“He’s probably passing by to go somewhere else.”
As if indifferent, Caden responded with a faint smile on his lips.

“That might not be the case, Miss.”

Not the case?

However, recalling Herman’s actions so far, I didn’t think he would visit my room just because he happened to move this way.

It was more plausible to assume that Herman was passing by this way coincidentally on his way to somewhere else.

Tilting my head halfway, I called Ann. But before I could warn her not to make a fuss, the door creaked open.

“Everyone’s here.”

Revealing himself through the wide-open door crack was Herman.