“Why are you here……”

“Shh.”

As Lily belatedly came to her senses and tried to ask a question, Herald put his index finger to her lips. Lily closed her mouth and rolled her green eyes, watching his reaction.

“I’ll explain everything later, but for now……”

Herald trailed off mid-sentence and looked towards the central garden. His golden eyes flashed fiercely like a predator eyeing its prey.

What is he looking at like that?

Wondering, Lily looked in the same direction as Herald and discovered someone behind a large tree trunk. The glimpse of clothing looked like the uniform worn by caregivers.

Could it be Margaret? Wanting to confirm, she stretched her neck out like a deer, when a low chuckle sounded above her head. Realizing she had shown a ridiculous appearance, Lily’s earlobes turned red as radishes.

“D-don’t laugh.”

At the request that was close to pleading, Herald burst into silent laughter and firmly grasped Lily’s hand. Though startled by the cold touch enveloping her hand, Lily didn’t pull away.

“Shh.”

Herald put his index finger to his lips in a gesture to be quiet, then grasped Lily’s hand tightly and walked slowly. Immediately understanding what he was trying to do, Lily walked on tiptoe, carefully to avoid making any sound.

“…Will it really be alright?”

As the distance grew closer, a woman’s voice filled with worry and concern was heard. As suspected, the person behind the tree was Margaret.

“It will be fine, so don’t worry.”

When a man’s voice followed, Lily stopped abruptly. That male voice, where have I heard it before?

-Lily?

Herald, who had stopped with her, called her name silently, mouthing the words with a puzzled look.

-Just a moment.

Lily replied likewise, silently mouthing the words, then hid herself in nearby bushes and listened intently to the man’s words.

“Since I said I’d take full responsibility if any problems arise, you don’t need to worry about anything and just do as the boss instructs.”

When she had only heard the voice, no particular person came to mind, but upon hearing the word “boss,” someone’s image immediately appeared.

It was Robert, Fredrick’s assistant. He had worked with Fredrick since the founding of the guild, and was a loyal figure who would not hesitate even to kill someone if it was Fredrick’s order.

It was suspicious enough that such a person was having a secret conversation with Margaret, her mother’s new caregiver, but even more suspicious was the content of their conversation.

“Then I’ll continue to trust the boss and do as instructed, but if any problems arise, you must resolve them. Understood?”

“Of course. And this is from the boss as a token of appreciation for your future efforts.”

“Oh my, there’s no need to give so much……”

Margaret’s voice, now free of worry, was filled with happiness and joy.

“Well then, I’ll be going now. It’s almost time for visiting hours to end… I should return before the lady starts looking for me.”

“Don’t forget that you must report everything you discussed with the lady to the boss.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll report every last detail, down to the last period.”

Margaret left first, and after waiting a moment, Robert departed as well. Even after that, Lily remained hidden behind the bushes for a while, holding her breath. Finally exhaling deeply, she clasped her hands tightly.

To think the new caregiver would be Fredrick’s person. It was completely unexpected and perplexing, raising all sorts of suspicions.

So the “her” Fredrick mentioned then was indeed referring to Mother? Then why is Fredrick monitoring Mother…? What is it that must absolutely not be discovered by Mother? Back then, it was Megan, not Margaret, who was in charge of Mother… Could Megan have been Fredrick’s person as well?

As her thoughts branched out that far, the color drained from Lily’s face. Seeing her precarious state, as if she might collapse at the slightest touch, Herald grasped her shoulders.

“Are you alright?”

“…I’m fine.”

Contrary to her answer, her complexion remained pale. Her mind was also in turmoil with unresolved questions. The most shocking was that the caregiver she should trust to care for her ill mother was Fredrick’s person. It was also despairing to know she had to leave her mother in such care.

The only silver lining, if it could be called that, was that there didn’t seem to be any immediate plans to harm her mother. Well, if that had been the intention, it would have happened long ago. Lily gave a bitter laugh and rubbed her face dry, finding it too wretched that she had to feel relieved about such a thing.

‘It would be good if I could meet Megan.’

If Megan really was Fredrick’s person, she might be able to find out for what purpose he had placed surveillance on her mother. Even if not, it wouldn’t be bad to have one question resolved.

The problem was that she didn’t know where Megan was… Wait a minute.

Suddenly struck by a thought, Lily took out the note she had kept in her inner pocket. Now that she realized it, this handwriting was quite similar to Megan’s handwriting she had seen before.

‘Could the person who left this note be Megan?’

If so, it meant that Megan also wanted to meet Lily. Given how secretly it was left, she had a strong feeling that it was related to Fredrick.

Lily wanted to go to the place written in the address right away, but the problem was that she didn’t know where this place was. Moreover, there was a very high possibility that Fredrick was monitoring her, so she couldn’t move carelessly.

‘I need someone who can look into this for me.’

She needed someone who wasn’t under Fredrick’s surveillance, who could move freely, and who was trustworthy.

Who could such a person be? As Lily pondered, she suddenly turned her head and froze when she met golden eyes filled with worry and questions. Herald was the ideal person who met all the conditions she wanted.

But what made her hesitate to ask was because it was Herald. Lily wasn’t brazen enough to make such a request after telling him to stop, to let her go.

She also didn’t want to get involved with Herald anymore. She had pushed him away with great difficulty, enduring the pain of her heart being torn to shreds. If she became entangled with him again, she had an ominous feeling that it would truly be irreversible this time, which frightened her.

The irony was that it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. As much as she felt anxious and afraid, there was also a fluttering in her heart. To feel excited over something like this, I’m really such a fool. Lily clasped her stiff hands tightly together.

It also seemed difficult to find someone who fit the conditions as perfectly as Herald, so she couldn’t easily give up. If it were any other matter, she might have endured, but it was hard to change her mind when it concerned the well-being of her beloved mother.

“If you have something you want to say to me, feel free to speak.”

Meanwhile, Herald, who had uncannily sensed her feelings, spoke in a low voice, almost whispering. At those words, the precariously balanced scales of her heart tipped to one side, and Lily slowly opened her mouth.

“Then… may I ask one favor?”

“Of course.”

Herald answered readily, but his action only made her feel more uncomfortable. Lily couldn’t look him directly in the eyes and focused her gaze on his chin area as she held out the note.

“I’d like you to find out if a woman named Megan lives at the address written on this note, and if so, why she left it for me.”

“Certainly.”

It would have been troublesome if he had asked who Megan was, why she wasn’t looking into it herself, and who the man and woman they had just seen were, but fortunately, Herald didn’t ask anything. Just as Lily was about to feel relieved about that fact, a question came.

“Aren’t you curious about why I came here?”

“……”

Puzzled by the unexpected question, Lily finally looked him directly in the eyes. Seeing the green eyes now free of worry or concern, Herald smiled slightly.

“You can find out the reason by asking the counter staff in the hospital lobby.”

After Herald left, Lily immediately headed to the counter in the hospital lobby. The counter staff handed her a box as soon as they saw her.

“A young gentleman named Dillon Oppenheimer asked us to give this to you, my lady.”

Dillon Oppenheimer, not Herald Braiden. Lily understood why Herald had left an alias instead of his real name, but still felt a bit bitter about it.

After receiving the box, Lily left the hospital without meeting Margaret. She had considered confronting Margaret, but doubted she would tell the truth even if asked. Above all, she wasn’t confident in her ability to control her expressions, so she chose not to meet her.

If Margaret later asked why she had come, she would make up an excuse about wanting to ask something about her mother.

Before that, she hoped her mother’s caregiver would be changed to someone else, but that was an unlikely wish. Fredrick wouldn’t allow it. Although Lily was the guardian, Fredrick was the one paying, so his permission was needed.

And even if the caregiver was changed, that person would surely be Fredrick’s person too, so she didn’t want to waste unnecessary effort.

“……”

Lily set aside thoughts of Margaret for a moment and opened the box Herald had left. Inside were a single shoe and a letter. It was the shoe she had lost on the night of Herald’s title conferment celebration party.

She hadn’t expected Herald to have it.

Staring at the shoe with bewildered eyes, Lily set the box aside and took out the letter. On the envelope’s surface was written [Herald Braiden].

What could be written inside? Curious yet afraid to read the letter, Lily fiddled with the envelope for a long time. She had handled it so much that fingerprints were left on the envelope. And of all places, they were on top of the name Herald Braiden.

“……”

Staring blankly at the unintentional trace she had left, Lily ultimately put the letter back in the box without reading it.

She couldn’t read it yet.