It took about three days by carriage from the capital to Phenomenon Village.

As the road got rougher and accommodations more uncomfortable on the way to Phenomenon Village, Lucienne’s nerves became increasingly frayed, even though she wasn’t used to traveling much.

“Why did Ruan come to this rural backwater when there are so many nice places near the capital?”

Lucienne got off the carriage to stay overnight at an inn.

“Really? Is he that handsome?”

“I’m telling you, he’s really handsome! Black hair, sculptured features, tall stature, and when you order a sandwich and tea, he comes over and pours the teapot with his long, slender fingers. It’s so cool!”

As Lucienne entered the inn, she overheard two women talking.

“Then why don’t you try seducing him?”

“Impossible. He seems to like the owner of that shop, Rosalyn or something? He moves like her right-hand man. I heard that a few days ago, a female customer blatantly tried to seduce him and offended that owner woman, so she told her to leave. They say he spoke so harshly that the woman was bedridden for days afterward. Hearing that, I’d rather just look than risk my life.”

The woman shook her head fearfully as she spoke.

Black hair and sculptured features? That sounds like Ruan.

But Rosalyn? What’s this about?

Could he have fallen for some country bumpkin?

No, that’s impossible. Yes, when he sees me who resembles Mer, he’ll surely choose me.

I don’t have time for this now.

Wait for me, Ruan. I’m coming.

Lucienne’s heart raced at the women’s words. She gave up on staying at the inn for the night and pressed on towards the village, braving the outdoors.

After two and a half days, she finally arrived at Phenomenon Village.

“Sigh, Ruan, no matter how much you want to forget Mer, how could you come to such a rural place, and with the shop so far away? And that wench dares to set her sights on Ruan. How annoying. Don’t worry, Ruan. I’ll soon rescue you from that cunning country girl.”

Lucienne looked around the unfamiliar Phenomenon Village, searching for the shop where Ruan was said to be.

After wandering for some time, she grew more irritated by a country woman who acted like she knew her.

It was bad enough to be mistaken for someone else. But to dare be so impertinent to a noble on top of that.

If this were the capital, she would have called the guards immediately. But there were no such guards to be seen in this rural area.

Ah, how annoying. I need to find Ruan quickly…

After wandering for a long while, Lucienne’s eyes finally fell upon a sandwich shop.

Found it.

Lucienne was irritated by her disheveled hair and dirty shoes and dress, but she quickly tidied her hair before slowly opening the door to the sandwich shop and entering.

“Welcome.”

Seeing Ruan smile at her, Lucienne ran to embrace him, saying:

“Ruan, you really were here.”

.

.

.

10 minutes earlier, at the sandwich shop.

“It’s always a desirable and charming smile.”

As Mercian looked up at Zelda’s words, she saw Ruan cleaning around the shop during the break after finishing the morning business.

Well, even with his cheekbones protruding from weight loss, he still had a handsome face. Now that he’s back to his original appearance, there’s no need to even mention it.

“But Rosalyn, don’t you think the shop’s atmosphere has been a bit strange lately?”

“The shop’s atmosphere?”

Mercian looked around the clean shop interior at Zelda’s words and said:

“It looks spotlessly clean. What’s strange about it?”

“No, I’m not talking about the cleanliness. I mean, don’t you think there are hardly any women sitting around all day observing him compared to before?”

Oh? Come to think of it, I haven’t seen those women who used to come every morning when the shop opened and spend all day staring at Ruan’s face.

“Oh, you’re right. Now that you mention it, our sales are about the same, but there seem to be almost no customers lingering in the shop for long periods.”

“Not almost none, but completely none. I heard a rumor when I went to the neighboring village yesterday.”

“A rumor?”

“Yes, a rumor about him. If I tell you this, it might shake your resolve not to forgive him a little…”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Apparently, he’s the one who chased away that woman who used to come here every morning and sit all day.”

“Ruan did?”

Mercian glanced at Ruan, who was moving back and forth in the shop, at Zelda’s words.

“Yes, when you had stepped out for a moment, that woman asked if he had time after work, and he told her to get lost.”

“He told her to get lost?”

“Yes, he said he didn’t mind her staring at him all day, but he couldn’t stand seeing you upset because of it, so he told her to get lost. They say he spoke so harshly that the woman went home and was bedridden for days.”

“No way. As if I’d care about that woman. I never even noticed…”

“Is that so? Well, it could be, but honestly, when I heard that story, I thought he seemed pretty cool. It’s quite tough to work in the shop all day, isn’t it? Coming out at dawn to clean, kneading flour, preparing sandwich ingredients. To be able to notice your feelings while doing all that work… Most men can’t do that, you know? Besides, when women throw themselves at them, they usually try to deceive them and meet secretly. They don’t cut them off so decisively. Anyway, it seems Rosalyn has found herself a decent man.”

“Zelda, I haven’t found anyone.”

Mercian shook her head firmly at Zelda’s words, as if to say absolutely not.

“Ah, yes, of course. He’s the one who’s allowed himself to be caught by Rosalyn. Well, he’s quite handsome, but our Rosalyn is no pushover either. So lovable and cute. Oh, that reminds me, on my way here earlier, I saw a strange young lady who looked similar to you… No, at first I thought so, but thinking about it now, only her image was slightly similar, not at all alike. Anyway, I saw a strange young lady, you know?”

“A young lady who looks similar to me?”

“I said not similar. She was quite pretty, but judging by her dress, she seemed to be a noble young lady. So haughty, her manner of speech was really unpleasant. She seemed to be looking for him. But has the rumor spread that far? From her speech and appearance, she seemed to be from the capital.”

“Similar to me, pretty, a noble from the capital?”

Could it be Lucy? No, it couldn’t be.

There’s no way Lucy would come to this rural area. And to look for Ruan at that.

Mercian thought of Lucienne at Zelda’s words, but soon shook her head.

“I know. What business would a noble young lady have coming to such a rural area…”

Just as Mercian was responding to Zelda, the door opened and someone came in, rushing towards Ruan to embrace him, but ended up sprawled on the floor.

“What… What’s with that woman? Oh? Rosalyn, that’s the woman I was talking about. But she’s got some nerve. To rush at him without any fear. Tsk tsk, does she think he’ll embrace just anyone? Right, Rosalyn?”

I… I wouldn’t know, I’ve never been embraced… No, this isn’t the time for such thoughts.

Mercian looked at the woman who had fallen to the floor and was now staring at Ruan with a bewildered expression.

The woman wearing her usual hairstyle from when she was at the viscount’s house, with somewhat rustic makeup and the dress Mercian had given to Lucienne as a gift, was none other than Lucienne herself.

Lucienne? Is it really Lucienne?

But why is Lucienne here?

While Mercian wore a puzzled expression, Ruan glared at the fallen Lucienne with murderous eyes and said:

“Who are you? I don’t recall knowing anyone who would dare to touch me so familiarly.”

“Wa… Wait a moment. Ruan, I mean, Your Grace. Don’t you remember me?”

Ruan? Did she just call him Ruan?

Is Lucy on such familiar terms with Ruan?

Mercian looked curiously at Lucienne, who was addressing Ruan so familiarly.

Ruan, who had been frowning at Mercian, glanced at her briefly before turning back to Lucienne, his cold demeanor unchanged, and asked:

“Your Grace? Do you know me?”

“Ru… I mean, Your Grace. It’s me. Mer’s sister, who you’ve been longing to see…”

Lucienne, frightened by Ruan’s murderous aura contrary to her expectations, deliberately trailed off her words.

“Mer’s?”

“I mean, I’m Lucienne Beaumont, Mer’s elder sister. We met at the wedding ceremony last time, and recently at the crown prince’s coronation ceremony. Don’t you remember?”

Ruan looked at Mercian as if asking if this was true.

Why is she suddenly bringing me up?

“You say you’re Mer’s sister?”

At Ruan’s puzzled question, Lucienne spoke with a voice thick with unshed tears, as if about to cry at any moment.

“Mer is my one and only sister, so precious and lovable to me. When we heard that Your Grace had passed away, mother and I went to the duke’s residence, worried that Mer might have been driven out. But she had already left. Of course, even though we had severed ties due to a slight misunderstanding, she’s still my only sister, so I waited in case Mer might return to the viscount’s house with nowhere else to go, but she never came back.”

She went to the duke’s residence to look for me?

My sister and mother?

Mercian looked at Lucienne in disbelief.

Unaware that Mercian was watching her, Lucienne continued speaking to Ruan with a pitiful expression.

“It seems Mer has abandoned not only Your Grace but us as well. She always said she wanted to live alone somewhere no one knew, but I never thought she’d leave without a word like that. Sob sob.”

Lucienne began to cry as she spoke.

What’s with this familiar scene?

That expression of seeming piteousness, speaking as if she were the victim.

It’s just like how Lucy used to act when she wanted something from mother when we were young.

What does she want from Ruan that she’s making that expression and telling this story?

And ‘precious and lovable’? Does Lucy have another sister named Mer that I don’t know about?

Mercian looked incredulously at Lucienne, who was spouting nonsense as if she had been desperately searching for her for a long time, when Zelda whispered in Mercian’s ear:

“Rosalyn, that woman… surely not?”

“Yes, Zelda. That’s the person who used to be my sister.”

“Really? That crazy woman who used to torment you? I thought she looked unpleasant from the moment I saw her. And what’s pretty about her? In my eyes, you’re much prettier, Rosalyn.”

“That’s just how you see it, Zelda. But what’s with that rustic makeup and outfit? My sister’s tastes couldn’t have changed while I was gone.”

Wait a minute, rustic? Now that you mention it, something’s been bothering me… That hairstyle and makeup look similar to how I used to look when I was at the viscount’s house.

Surely Lucy didn’t dress up like that to look like me?

Mercian looked at Lucienne, who had dressed up to look as similar to her as possible and appeared before Ruan, with a dumbfounded expression.

No, that can’t be. No matter how out of her mind she might be, she couldn’t have feelings for a man who was once her sister’s husband.

No. No, it shouldn’t be.

“But what brings you all the way here? Surely you’re not looking for Mer?”

As Ruan asked this while looking at Mercian, Lucienne replied with an even sadder expression:

“No. After searching everywhere for Mer to no avail, I was grieving when mother suggested I attend the crown prince’s coronation celebration banquet. There, I saw Your Grace, whom I thought had passed away. Seeing you made me think of Mer again. Mother is also struggling, so I thought I should try to find Mer myself. While traveling here and there, I happened to hear that Your Grace was here. So, I came to see you on my way through, hoping to share memories of Mer together.”

On her way through? Memories with Mer?

Were Rosalyn and my sister that close?

But why isn’t Rosalyn acknowledging her sister who’s come to visit, just standing there like that?

Wait a minute, if she’s Mer’s sister…

Could it be from that time?