The time spent with her mother passed faster than an arrow flying.
When Margaret, Grace Benjamin’s new caregiver, kindly informed that visiting hours were over, Lily put on her coat.

“Sister, are you leaving?”

Grace asked, clutching Lily’s collar tightly, seemingly reluctant to let her go. Seeing that face, a wave of pity surged like a tide. Lily held Grace’s hand tightly and said:

“I’ll come again next time, so listen well to the doctor and caregiver. You must eat well too.”

“You’ll really come?”

“Of course. I came last time, and I came today, so I’ll definitely come next time.”

Don’t worry, I’ll never leave you alone, Mom. Lily swallowed the words she desperately wanted to say but absolutely couldn’t, and soothed her whining mother who didn’t want her to go.

“Hmph!”

Unable to get the answer she wanted, Grace made a sulky face and hugged the monkey doll tightly. Lily felt puzzled by the unfamiliar doll.

Grace, whose mental age had regressed, was strangely obsessed with dolls, and Lily often spent what little money she had to gift her mother pretty dolls.

“What’s that doll?”

I’ve never gifted such an ugly doll, where did it come from? As Lily asked curiously, Grace hugged the doll even tighter to her chest and snapped:

“It’s mine! I won’t give it to you even if you’re my sister!”

“I’m not trying to take it, I’m just curious who gave it to you. Just tell me that.”

“……”

Grace stubbornly kept her lips sealed. Usually when asked something, she would readily answer even if she didn’t know, but this sudden change was worrying. Surely she hadn’t stolen it from somewhere. As Lily stared intently at the ugly monkey doll, Grace hid it under her blanket.

“It’s mine!”

The excessively strong reaction and wariness seemed odd no matter how you looked at it. Though she didn’t want to press her mother, Lily felt she should check on this and was about to ask when there was a knock.

“Ma’am, you need to leave now!”

“……”

At Margaret’s urging, Lily left the room without being able to ask anything. Hearing Grace shouting even from outside, Margaret asked worriedly:

“Did something happen, by any chance…?”

Should I ask Margaret about the unidentified monkey doll?

“Ah, Mom was just throwing a little tantrum because she was sad to see me go.”

Lily pondered for a moment, but thinking that bothering the new caregiver might make her mother look bad, she turned away without asking anything.

The meeting place with Herald was near the inn where Lily had been tricked by the innkeeper and drank heavily. It was a place with bad memories, but she couldn’t think of anywhere else to meet that man without catching the nobles’ eyes. After all, most nobles wouldn’t dream of setting foot in that shopping district. If Lily’s pocket had been in better shape that day, she wouldn’t have gone there either.

But then why did that man come there that day? And how did he know to send a letter to me at Count Stacy’s residence?

While she had no clue about the former, she had a guess about the latter. Kennedy Stacy. Lily was certain she had informed that man.

Then… did he know I was married?

If so, he wouldn’t have sent the letter, so he might not know yet. Lily felt relief at that fact, but also bitterly laughed at how foolish she was being.

“If he doesn’t know, I should tell him.”

I can’t keep it a secret forever anyway. I don’t want to live in fear of being found out either.

Not by that man, nor by my husband.

Even as she resolved to definitely tell him today, she wondered if she’d actually be able to.

“Haah.”

Lily sighed deeply and looked out the window. The streets were as complicated as her mind. The carriage that had been diligently running suddenly seemed to have no intention of moving.

What if I’m late for the appointment at this rate? She was even more worried since it wasn’t a pleasant conversation they were meeting for. Lily wished the carriage would please move, but no matter how long she waited, it didn’t budge.

“I’ll get off here.”

Thinking it would be faster to walk than ride the carriage, she got off, but soon another problem arose. There were far too many people on the street. It was a perfect situation for someone of Lily’s petite build to get swept away.

“J-just a moment…!”

Indeed swept up by the crowd, Lily began to be moved in a direction other than her meeting place. She waved her arms trying to move forward, but her strength was no match. Jostled this way and that by people, her bonnet came off and her dress was terribly wrinkled.

If I’d known it would be like this, I should have just stayed in the carriage! As she regretted belatedly while trying her best to get to the meeting place, a large hand suddenly emerged through the people surrounding her like tall walls and wrapped around her waist.

“…!”

Lily was pulled into someone’s arms without even being able to scream, let alone resist. She was about to scream belatedly when the familiar scent that touched her nose made her look up instead.

The first thing she saw was a small scar under the chin. Looking further up, thin red lips curved in a pleasant arc, a sharp nose bridge, and deep golden eyes like honey captured her gaze.

“You……”

“This way.”

Still in Herald’s arms, Lily moved as he led. There were still many people on the street, but thanks to Herald protecting her and clearing the way, it was much easier to move.

Herald, who had been moving busily while protecting Lily, only stopped after entering a relatively less crowded alleyway. After placing Lily inside the alley, he surveyed outside with sharp eyes.

Meanwhile, Lily, who had fixed her disheveled hair and put her bonnet back on properly, asked:

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

Herald changed his gaze to a gentle one as if nothing had happened and turned to Lily.

“Did you walk here instead of taking a carriage?”

“I took a carriage until nearby, but there were so many people the carriage couldn’t move, so I got off. I thought walking would be faster.”

But it turned out to be the wrong choice as she was helplessly swept away by the crowd. Moreover, feeling a bit embarrassed about receiving Herald’s help, Lily scratched her cheek and asked him:

“What about you? This isn’t the meeting place, why are you here?”

“I was on my way to the meeting place. But then I saw you being pushed down by people.”

“There were so many people, you could see me?”

If Lily were tall or big-built she might have stood out, but she wasn’t. She had been buried in the densely packed crowd with no room to even set foot, so it was surprising and amazing that Herald had found her.

“Yes. I saw you right away.”

Herald, who had arrived at the meeting place an hour early, was walking around to pass the time until Lily arrived.

He was sightseeing the streets, entering newly opened shops that weren’t there when he was away from the capital, when he spotted Lily struggling to make her way through the crowds. He found it amazing that she had entered his field of vision so clearly even though he hadn’t been trying to find her.

At the same time, he felt displeased because he noticed someone was tailing Lily. Judging by how they skillfully hid in the crowd while secretly following her, it wasn’t amateur work.

‘Did Fredrick Benjamin set this up again?’

It didn’t seem like he was trying to divorce her, so Herald was curious why he was having Lily followed. It could be related to the Second Prince, so it seemed good to find out the reason.

Of course, that was something to look into later. For now, he had to rescue her as she was being helplessly swept away by the crowd like a log carried by waves.

After rescuing Lily like that, Herald hid in the alley under the pretext of avoiding the crowd. When he looked outside, the ones tailing her were nowhere to be seen, as if he had shaken them off.

“Do you have something on your mind?”

Seeing Herald’s expression growing more serious, Lily asked worriedly. Herald answered nonchalantly:

“I was just pondering how to deal with you looking so beautiful today.”

“…Pardon?”

Lily’s eyes widened at the outrageous statement. In contrast, Herald’s eyes curved prettily like crescent moons.

“I especially love your braided hair. It suits you well.”

Lily touched her hair awkwardly when Herald complimented the hairstyle she had been most concerned about.

His words were sweet like chocolate. Happy in the moment of eating, but leaving a sticky, unpleasant feeling in the mouth after finishing. So she wondered if she should keep consuming them.

After confirming once again that there were no ruffians chasing Lily, Herald asked:

“We should have dinner. Do you have a restaurant in mind?”

“No.”

“Then would it be alright if we go to a place I know?”

“I don’t mind… but it’s not somewhere many nobles go, is it?”

She had deliberately set the meeting place near that inn to avoid catching nobles’ eyes, but if they went to a restaurant frequented by nobles, it would all be for naught. When Lily asked worriedly, Herald smiled.

“You won’t have to meet other guests while dining, so don’t worry.”

Hearing that, it seemed they were going to a restaurant with private rooms, but she wondered if it was okay to just go without a reservation. Most such places required reservations.

And most restaurants with private rooms were high-class establishments frequented by nobles, so that part also concerned her.

“Let’s go then.”

The chain of worries and concerns that had been linking together vanished without a trace the moment the man took her hand. Lily followed Herald’s lead without asking anything.