Hearing the loyal statement, Herald shrugged and sat leaning against the window frame. A red sunset, as if dyed with watercolors, shone behind his back.

“There’s no need for that. The reason I’m assigning you to her is not to monitor her every move.”

“Pardon?”

Thinking that was obviously the case, but it wasn’t? Both Emily and the boy looked at Herald in bewilderment.

“You just faithfully stay by the baroness’s side. And if other guys try to tempt or threaten you with money or strange things, pretend to take their side and let me know.”

“Really… Is that all I need to do?”

He was asking if that was enough, when he’d been tasked with being a double agent that even adults find difficult. Herald nodded with an amused smile.

“Yes. If you follow what I just said well, I’ll take care of your parents.”

“My parents… Please kill them.”

This was the condition the boy from Maple Street alley had presented to Herald. Asking to kill his parents. It was an unfilial request, but Herald wasn’t surprised at all. Perhaps because he had seen much worse cases while staying in Kardin, this level was almost cute.

What was a bit strange was that he asked someone else instead of doing it himself. Usually, people make such requests when their parents are too strong to dare touch…

“You, you’re the illegitimate child of a noble.”

He had thought it might be the case since seeing the blue eyes rarely found among commoners, and it seemed he hit the mark as the boy nodded.

“This doesn’t seem like a conversation to have here, let’s move somewhere else.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m 10 years old.”

For a 10-year-old child to be this mature. It clearly wouldn’t be for a good reason, so Herald felt sympathy rather than admiration.

Herald took the boy and got into a carriage. He chose this place because it would be quieter and less visible to people’s eyes than anywhere else. The boy seemed to have the same thought, as he immediately began to unfold his story.

As expected, the boy was an illegitimate child of a noble. Moreover, he was born through a prostitute, and his mother kept using her son to extort money from his biological father. Afraid that rumors of having an illegitimate child might spread, the biological father was now trying to kill not only the boy but also his half-sister, according to the boy’s story.

“But why do you want your mother killed too?”

“That woman… She’s trying to make my sister end up like her. She keeps forcing it even though my sister says no.”

Is he saying she’s trying to make her a prostitute? In that world, it was common for daughters to follow their mother’s path.

“I don’t need such parents. So… Please kill both of them.”

Trash parents exist in Kardin and the capital alike. Having finished his thoughts, Herald smiled bitterly and took out a cigar, but realizing there were children in front of him, he put it back in the box.

I wonder how Fredrick will react.

Lily was curious but also scared. Although this incident was clearly his fault, so he wouldn’t openly get angry, you never know. Fredrick was a person who defied common sense.

Thinking about it, she regretted provoking Robert unnecessarily, but even if she could turn back time, she would have made the same choice. She needed to confirm for certain if Robert was the real culprit. She didn’t trust Brian’s words even a tiny bit.

Lily couldn’t guess how Fredrick would react, but she was certain he would come to see her today. Given his personality, he wouldn’t leave any loose ends. So she expected him to come to make sure, but once again her prediction was completely off. Fredrick didn’t show his face at all.

‘What is he really thinking?’

This made her anxious in its own way, and Lily kept glancing at the bedroom door while preparing to go out. Due to the rising anxiety, Fredrick’s angry face kept flashing before her eyes. Even knowing it was a hallucination, her heart sank every time she saw it.

Feeling like she might die from her blood drying up if she stayed like this, Lily went out earlier than planned. Her anxious heart, which couldn’t even drink water let alone eat, calmed down as if by magic as soon as she left the Benjamin baronial residence.

By the time she arrived at the restaurant where she had promised to exchange letters with Herald, her anxiety had been completely replaced by excitement and anticipation. Lily was about to open the restaurant door right away when she flinched at her reflection in the window. Her face, clearly that of someone in love, looked unsightly. It wasn’t an appropriate expression for a married woman meeting another man.

This is why Eric misunderstood. Lily forcibly lowered the corners of her mouth that had risen without realizing. Thinking of the letter she was going to give Herald made it easier to control her emotions.

Today, I’ll just give him the letter without dawdling. If Herald has a letter for me, I’ll take that too.

“…”

That resolution crumbled the moment she saw Herald sitting at the table closest to the restaurant entrance. Startled, Lily unconsciously took a step back.

“Why is the count here…?”

“As you can see, I came to have lunch.”

Only then noticing the food laid out on the table, Lily realized she had asked a foolish question and let out a short exclamation. Herald’s eyes curved like crescent moons as he looked at her cheeks tinged with a shy peach color.

“I was just thinking the portion was too much to eat alone, this works out well. Let’s eat together.”

“No, I’m fine.”

Lily refused, feeling that if she sat across from him and had lunch, the excitement that had just subsided would swell up again.

“You must be busy then.”

Herald smiled bitterly while fiddling with his water glass.

“Can’t be helped. I’ll have to eat alone sadly.”

“…”

If he had insisted that she eat and go, she could have kept refusing firmly, but she couldn’t when he evoked sympathy like this.

The thought that she hadn’t properly repaid Herald for all the help he had given her so far was also one of the reasons for her hesitation. She had hugged him in the carriage, but that was ambiguous as repayment.

Since she had extra time thanks to coming out early, Lily sat down across from Herald.

Eric, who had been quietly observing the situation as if invisible in the corner, quickly set up the tableware. Herald personally served a delicious-looking sandwich onto her plate.

“Eat a lot.”

“…You too, count.”

“You keep calling me count.”

When Herald pointed it out as if mumbling to himself, Lily flinched and clenched her hands neatly placed on her knees. Calling him count instead of Herald was for the same reason she had refused lunch.

Because she felt she should keep some distance from him, because she felt she would be helplessly drawn in if things went on like this.

…Because she felt she might end up allowing herself to become his mistress.

That’s why Lily wrote her reply briefly as well. When she first saw his carefully written letter, she thought she should write the same way, but as time passed, her thoughts changed.

When she realized Fredrick had read Herald’s letter, she decided she had to.

It was ridiculous that she had been so excited coming to the restaurant despite that, but she couldn’t help it. It was her true feelings. She couldn’t stop her unconscious true feelings from leaking out.

There was only one way to stop that – not meeting Herald. She had to stop exchanging letters as well.

“Have you found Mrs. Megan’s husband?”

Lily asked bluntly, thinking she could stop once Megan’s problem was solved. Herald put down his fork with a bitter smile.

“This doesn’t seem like appropriate mealtime conversation.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was just so eager to find the culprit quickly…”

“It’s alright.”

Herald rinsed his mouth with a drink before continuing.

“To answer your question first, I have found her husband.”

“Then…”

“Let’s focus on the meal for now.”

Herald cut off Lily’s words and spoke firmly.

“I’ll tell you everything as soon as the meal is over, so just eat for now.”

Lily’s meeting with Herald was not by chance. It was all his plan. Expecting that she would leave a letter before visiting her sick mother, Herald had come to the restaurant early in the morning to wait for her.

His prediction was accurate this time as well, but he wasn’t happy about it. Because Lily’s reaction wasn’t good. He didn’t like that she was trying to keep her distance by calling him count instead of his name.

So when Lily asked about Megan’s matter during the meal, Herald made an excuse about the meal and didn’t tell her. Because he felt she would run away immediately if he told her. He couldn’t let her go like this when he was seeing her face after several days.

Lily, who had no way of knowing his feelings, ate her food somewhat aggressively. Her desire to quickly finish the meal and hear the story was clearly evident in her actions.

What if she chokes eating like that?

“Seeing that you came alone again today, it seems you haven’t hired a dedicated maid yet.”

Herald deliberately spoke to slow down Lily’s eating pace. He also wanted to know the reason why she was trying to hire Emily as her dedicated maid. He had a guess, but it was just that, a guess. He wanted to hear the exact reason.

After rinsing her mouth of food remnants with water, Lily answered.

“Yes. It’s taking some time since I’m hiring anew. I have an interview scheduled for tomorrow, at least.”

“It seems the existing maids aren’t to your liking.”

“Well… That’s right.”

“May I ask why?”

What should I do? Should I tell the truth? Lily pondered while fiddling with the concave part of the cup, then shook her head.

“No. I can’t say.”

“I see.”

He could have pressed on asking why she couldn’t tell, but Herald simply respected her wishes. That fact stuck in her throat like a thorn. Lily tried to swallow the thorn by drinking water repeatedly, but it seemed deeply lodged and wouldn’t come out easily.