Benjamin soon realized the reason. It was because he remembered that he had been the same until Jacqueline came.

No matter how many cicada shells there were, it wasn’t allowed to pick them up. That wasn’t the kind of behavior befitting a child of a noble family.

“Miss Somerset, thank you.”

Benjamin gave her a sincere greeting. “Hm?” Jacqueline tilted her head and then smiled kindly.

Then she leaned forward and whispered softly.

“It’s fortunate to protect the ship with just one cicada shell, right?”

That wasn’t what he meant, but Benjamin nodded silently this time too. The child liked Jacqueline. He didn’t want to see her disappointed.

“Yes, Miss Somerset.”

At that moment, Oakley approached with an awkward expression.

Benjamin clenched his fists silently with a tense expression. Promising that if he disrespected Miss Somerset one more time, he wouldn’t hold back this time.

I’ll punch him in the jaw!

Not knowing what Benjamin was thinking, Oakley hesitated for a while and then said gruffly.

“Hey, is your tutor alright?”

“It’s Miss Somerset.”

Benjamin answered, straightening his shoulders. The child boasted as if he had a treasure more precious than cicada shells.

A realistic girl with cheeks bulging with candy approached.

“I’m Olivia. You can call me Olli.”

“Nice to meet you, Olli. I’m Benjamin.”

“Can I come play again next time?”

“Of course, Olli.”

Benjamin nodded maturely. Hearing this, the children nearby shouted, “Me too! I want to come play too!”

Olivia, as if now getting to the real point, took a step closer to Benjamin and lowered her voice.

“Can we go collect cicada shells together then?”

“Of course, Olli. Miss Somerset and I often go on explorations. You’re welcome to be our companion.”

“I want to be a companion too, Benjamin!”

“Include me too!”

The children flocked to Benjamin’s side, vying with each other. Suddenly surrounded by children, Benjamin looked flustered, but he smiled shyly, seeming not to dislike the situation at all.

And Jacqueline watched the scene with quite pleased eyes.

“The children were begging their parents to come play at the Preston mansion again as they left, so nothing really happened, did it?”

Windsor’s question was not serious, but Jacqueline, feeling like a guilty thief, avoided his gaze with a startled expression.

“Well, it wasn’t anything that grand. I just made some friends for Benjamin.”

She calmly put down her teacup. A small clink lingered between the two of them.

A faint voice tinged with laughter flowed from between Jacqueline’s teeth.

“Perhaps just cicada shells might be able to protect Benjamin when he becomes Marquis Preston someday.”

Windsor’s brow furrowed slightly at the sudden mention of cicada shells. He brought the whiskey glass to his lips, staring intently at her.

Conversations with Jacqueline were still like popcorn.

Pop, pop.

Maybe it was his imagination, but he heard the sound of corn kernels popping like fireworks in the pan.

“Olivia is the granddaughter of the Grand Duchess Chamberlain. Don’t forget that the Grand Duchess Chamberlain was once called the queen of high society. Her connections rival those of the royal family. Olivia will be a good friend to Benjamin.”

“Cicada shells, huh.”

Windsor raised an eyebrow slightly. This caused three thick wrinkles to form on his forehead. Jacqueline stared at him blankly.

Even the man’s wrinkles were sensual. Especially at night, which revealed his true nature even more starkly. Not polite and formulaic, but rather rougher and unrefined.

So she couldn’t easily take her eyes off him. The two of them stared at each other without anyone needing to go first, and the heavy silence made their entangled gazes even more solid.

The pitch-black darkness rippled. The oil lamp on the table couldn’t even clearly illuminate their faces.

Deep shadows fell on Windsor’s face. His long eyelashes cast shadows under his eyes, and the shadow of his nose bridge stretched across his cheeks.

The atmosphere, which had been comfortable until just now, suddenly tightened. There were times like this occasionally. Moments when Windsor, who had been conversing comfortably, suddenly felt like a different person.

“……”

Jacqueline unconsciously held her breath. She clenched her fists without realizing it. Her nightgown crumpled messily in her palms.

The silence was sharp, and the darkness was heavy.

A strange sensation flowed down her spine, causing goosebumps. Windsor’s gaze seemed to have a physical form. She couldn’t move an inch, like a butterfly caught in a spider’s web.

Her heart sank. If she looked at him any longer, she felt she would turn to ashes and disappear right there. An eternal obliteration with not even a soul remaining.

Her entire existence shook. Just as Jacqueline was about to turn her head away with a fearful expression.

“Evan Knox.”

The name of her former fiancé flowed from his lips. She turned back to Windsor, her eyes slightly widened. The gaze she had tried so hard to avoid returned to its place.

“Why Mr. Evan Knox?”

Windsor hesitated for a moment. It wasn’t intentional. The name had just popped out before he could even think.

Windsor fell into brief contemplation as he looked at the green eyes staring intently at him. The refreshing face of Evan Knox appeared in his mind.

What did I want to say? That Evan Knox is a naive youngster who doesn’t know the ways of the world? Or that he’s so oblivious he doesn’t even realize her rejection is a rejection?

Pushing away the criticisms of Evan Knox that came to mind, Windsor slowly shook his head.

“It’s nothing.”

Jacqueline, who had been looking at him with a puzzled expression for a moment, brought her teacup to her mouth again. And she swallowed the saliva that had pooled in her mouth, pretending to drink the tea.

Only then did the tense atmosphere seem to relax slightly. The strength slowly left her shoulders, which had been stiffly rigid.

Jacqueline quietly lowered her eyes. Through this party, broken connections were reconnected. Both good connections and bad ones.

It was impossible to know what kind of storm this might bring. After all, life is unpredictable.

Well. No one expected me to become a penniless lady overnight.

But then.

Drip, drop.

“Huh?”

Lost in thought, Jacqueline slowly raised her head at the unfamiliar sound penetrating her ears. Raindrops were already hitting the window.

The faint and intermittent sound quickly changed to a loud and regular one. Thinking that the sound of rain was like music, she whispered softly.

“It’s fortunate. That it rained after the party ended. We almost ruined Benjamin’s birthday.”

Windsor cast an indifferent glance at her murmur tinged with relief.

“Wasn’t it Miss Somerset who saved the party that was about to be ruined?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m talking about the piano performance.”

“Ah……”

Jacqueline, finally realizing what he meant, quietly lowered her head. The shadow of her eyelashes stretched long on her cheeks.

A faint smile curved Jacqueline’s lips.

“I’m really glad. That we didn’t ruin Benjamin’s birthday.”

The next moment, she stood up, holding an oil lamp in one hand, and looked down at Windsor.

“I think I’ll retire now, what about you, Lord Preston?”

“I’ll retire as well.”

Windsor slowly rose. Suddenly he felt a sense of regret, but he couldn’t tell what he was regretting.

The two of them left the living room in turn. And they walked side by side down the corridor.

The corridor engulfed in darkness had no visible end, and the lamp in her hand barely illuminated a step ahead.

Jacqueline didn’t particularly hurry, but Windsor’s pace matched hers.

Gruff kindness.

Looking at him, Jacqueline realized that there are types of kindness. There’s kindness that’s warm from beginning to end like early summer sunshine, and there’s kindness that melts within coolness like early spring sunshine.

Of course, Windsor was the latter. Just as she unconsciously pulled up the corners of her mouth to smile.

Flash.

“!”

Everything suddenly brightened. For a moment, Jacqueline’s eyes widened. The light that illuminated the world extinguished as suddenly as its abrupt birth.

The corridor was once again plunged into deep darkness. Barely swallowing a scream, she silently clutched her chest.

Windsor, a step ahead, turned to look at her. He silently stared at Jacqueline, showing no sign of surprise. As if asking why she had suddenly stopped walking.

“It’s nothing.”

Jacqueline slightly lifted her chin and took another step. At that moment.

Rumble, boom.

Thunder shook heaven and earth. It was a sound loud enough to burst eardrums. Reflexively, a scream erupted.

“Eek, ah!”

Windsor hurriedly covered her mouth.

Jacqueline brought the oil lamp close to his face with trembling hands. Windsor, frowning slightly, leaned his upper body back as much as the approaching lamp.

However, she persistently pushed the lamp forward. Windsor removed his hand from her lips.

The soft sensation of her lips lingered on his palm, refusing to leave. It felt like holding pudding in his hand.

A soft, warm feeling.

Windsor spoke even more gruffly, trying to hide his bewilderment.

“This isn’t a good time to scream.”

“…Hah.”

Hearing the familiar voice, Jacqueline finally let out a sigh of relief. But the lamp hovering near his face still refused to retreat.

“Lord Preston?”

“I’ll escort you to your room.”

“Um…, thank you.”

Jacqueline nodded with an embarrassed expression. The moment Windsor turned his back, thunder struck again.

Rumble boom.

Lightning flashed, illuminating everything before plunging back into darkness.

“!”

Jacqueline, shaking like someone having a fit, quickly moved close to the man’s side. Whoosh, rain poured down as if a hole had opened in the sky.

Windsor lowered his gaze slightly at the sensation of someone tugging on his robe. Even in the darkness, he could clearly see white fingers clutching his robe. Very desperately and urgently.

His eyes turned to Jacqueline. She was glaring ahead with her shoulders tensed. With a resolute expression as if she wouldn’t be surprised no matter what jumped out from there.

“……”

But for all that, the fingers gripping Windsor’s robe were trembling weakly. He let out a light chuckle and took a step forward.

Jacqueline hurriedly matched his pace, lest he leave her behind. Every now and then, she brought the lamp to Windsor’s face with suspicious eyes.

“Lord Preston?”

Each time, she called his name. As if he might not be Windsor Preston but something else.

“What is it?”

“Nothing.”

Jacqueline, who had been casting tense glances, would finally let out a sigh of relief when the familiar voice fell from above her head.

Windsor found her amusing. Or pitiful. He was also curious about what could be so frightening. It was just thunder after all.

But at that moment.

“Ah!”