How much time had passed?

As the sky outside the window was gradually darkening, Riena, who had been diligently writing with her nose buried in the desk, handed over the ledger.

“I’m done, madam.”

Riena looked quite proud, but Schmidt felt completely the opposite. She had done very well in transcribing the certificates into the ledger, but the calculations were completely off.

“Um, young lady?”

“Yes, madam.”

She pondered how to broach the subject. Then she concluded that it was better to be clear rather than beat around the bush.

“All the calculations here are wrong.”

“Oh, really?”

The girl’s pale face turned red. Fidgeting with her hands in embarrassment, she carefully opened her mouth.

“Can I… do it again?”

Schmidt turned her head to look outside. It was too late to continue this work.

“It’s late today, so you should go back now. Can you come again tomorrow?”

“Yes. I will.”

“You worked hard, young lady.”

Riena lifted her dress and curtsied properly. Then she left the office with her head bowed low.

‘Hmm…’

She worried if the young lady might lose her confidence because of this. She intended to make her work hard as Duke Teravita had requested, but she had no intention of damaging her self-esteem or giving her a sense of despair.

‘Will she be alright?’

The image of Riena’s dejected figure slowly walking away came to mind. A corner of her heart ached unnecessarily.

Returning to her room alone, Riena buried her face deep in her pillow and didn’t move. She felt beyond embarrassed, she felt ashamed.

Although there were many digits, it was really basic arithmetic, and she had gotten it all wrong.

‘If I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have dozed off during class.’

The girl kicked her feet while lying face down. The maid who had followed her in asked if she needed anything.

“I need an enormously large mouse hole.”

“Pardon? A mouse hole?”

Riena turned her head to look at the maid. Would this maid know about what had happened in the office?

She knew the duchess wasn’t the type to gossip about others’ flaws, but she still felt uneasy.

“Yes, big enough for me to sit in.”

The maid tilted her head, unable to distinguish whether it was a joke or not. Riena let out a deep sigh.

“Hey. Is tomorrow’s schedule the same as today’s?”

Riena asked, wiggling her toes that had become comfortable from lying down. The maid shook her head and replied.

“I believe today’s schedule was arranged with consideration for you, young lady. Probably from tomorrow, you’ll follow the original schedule that the young master used to have.”

She felt dizzy. Even today was hard enough to make her want to give up, and this was supposed to be a relaxed schedule.

Riena pouted her lips and asked again.

“Then would it be better if I go to sleep right now to conserve some energy? Or should I play a little before going to bed?”

The maid thought seriously for a moment before speaking.

“Have your meal and go to bed early, young lady. You need to get through tomorrow’s schedule splendidly too.”

Riena whined with a ‘pueeng’ sound before burying her face in the pillow again. The romance and freedom she had dreamed of when leaving Teravita seemed to have already slipped away.

After dinner. A maid came to visit Rublion, who was reading in the study. She was the same maid who had been with Riena earlier.

Recalling Riena who had looked weak, nibbling at her food throughout the meal, Rublion asked.

“The young lady’s face looked gloomy, did something happen?”

The maid answered sincerely with her hands politely clasped.

“She seemed to lose her spirit after returning from the madam’s office. She even told me she needed a mouse hole.”

“The young lady said she needed a mouse hole?”

“Yes. I don’t think she really needed one, but it seemed like something had upset her.”

“Is that so? You don’t know any more details?”

“I’m sorry, young master.”

“Hmm…”

After pondering for a moment, Rublion closed the book as it was. Then he got up and grabbed his coat.

“Where is the young lady now?”

“She said she was going for a walk in the garden. The main garden, sir.”

The boy strode towards the door with his long legs. Then he said to the maid.

“When the young lady returns, tell her I’m waiting for her in the greenhouse in the main garden.”

“Yes, young master.”

The boy’s hot heart pounded with urgency. At this moment, it should be him who gently comforts Riena.

As Rublion was heading towards the greenhouse with such a clear goal, he discovered Riena crouched down tightly in the grass under a dim garden lamppost.

‘As I thought, she would be here.’

Rublion chuckled as he saw Riena, whose childhood habit remained unchanged. Her round forehead, shining in the lamplight, seemed cute.

“Riena.”

Surprised by the boy’s call, the girl’s brown eyes widened like her own forehead.

“What are you doing here?”

Rublion pretended not to know. At Riena’s feet, math formulas were written in dense letters, and she was holding a small twig in her hand.

“Oh? I, I was getting some fresh air.”

She answered and then frantically scratched the ground with the twig to erase it. The sharp-eyed Rublion had already seen everything, but he didn’t bother to ask about the formulas she had written down.

“You’ll catch a cold if you stay like this.”

Rublion draped the coat he had brought over Riena’s shoulders. The girl’s cheeks turned slightly red.

“There’s a greenhouse just a short walk away. Let’s go there.”

“A greenhouse?”

“Yes, let’s warm up there and look at the stars too.”

Riena stood up and dusted off her skirt. With every movement of her arms, Rublion’s scent wafted from her shoulders.

The two opened the door of the large glass greenhouse. There was a table for having tea in the center of the greenhouse, and stoves for plants from hot regions were placed here and there.

Due to all the fires being lit, the interior was rising with quite hot air.

“Wow, it’s warm.”

Riena exclaimed as soon as she stepped into the greenhouse. The dry yet hot air reminded her of Teravita.

“Usually it’s cooler than this, but I’ve been raising the temperature since yesterday afternoon.”

Rublion said as he looked around. Then he pointed to a clean chair. Riena understood perfectly and went to sit down.

“This temperature is just right for me.”

“Yes. I thought so.”

Rublion replied as he approached the stove and put a kettle on it. On the wall opposite the entrance of the greenhouse were various tea leaves and tea sets, and the boy prepared tea with familiar movements.

‘If he’s been raising it since yesterday… for me?’

Riena, who had been sitting comfortably, tensed up and adjusted her posture. It was a strange feeling, her nose tickling.

Meanwhile, Rublion, who had finished brewing the tea, placed a cup in front of the girl and said.

“It’s tea leaves imported from Teravita. I think it will suit your taste well, how is it?”

Riena took a sip. It was the perfect taste of home.

“It’s delicious. Thank you.”

Rublion seemed relieved at last and pulled up a chair to sit close to the girl. Then he pointed above with his finger and said.

“This is a good spot to see the stars.”

When the girl looked up at the boy’s words, there really were so many stars that they seemed about to pour into the greenhouse. Riena unconsciously gaped as she looked at the sky.

“It’s beautiful…”

The greenhouse that wasn’t too bright inside.

The beautiful stars adorning the sky.

The conditions reminiscent of Teravita.

Riena felt like she might cry for no reason. She had run away with fantasies and excitement, but in front of the girl was only reality.

“Riena, you don’t look happy. Did something happen?”

At Rublion’s question, Riena kept her mouth shut for a moment. Then she carefully began.

“It’s not that something happened… I realized that I have many shortcomings.”

Riena stopped looking at the sky and stared at her teacup. Rublion’s golden eyes were a bit burdensome.

“I’m getting older, but I was still a child.”

“…”

Rublion didn’t say anything. He just quietly emptied his teacup.

“I just realized that. So I feel a bit down.”

When she voiced her thoughts, she realized that leaving home impulsively was really a childish act. She had believed she could live alone defiantly, but the world wasn’t so easy.

If it weren’t for the family knight that elder sister Rieta had secretly planted, she might have become penniless and wandering the streets in no time.

“Riena, sometimes it’s good to live like a child.”

Rublion carefully opened his mouth.

“You and I are not adults yet. So isn’t it okay to act like children? We only have a few years left where everything can be forgiven because we’re young.”

Riena quietly gazed at Rublion, who was pouring out words gently. She was grateful and fond of him for telling her it was okay, and before she knew it, she started to pour out her inner feelings.

“I know I have obligations equal to what I enjoy… But I hated my brother for always forcing a predetermined life on me.”

The warmth of the greenhouse made her think more of her elder brother in Teravita. She missed elder sister Rieta too, and even the foolish Rambermon.

On the second day of her bold runaway.

Riena’s eyes, having realized too much, welled up with tears.

“It’s okay to cry, Riena. There’s only me here.”

Rublion wiped away the tears from Riena’s eyes as she pouted her lips, trying to hold back her urge to cry. Then, as if a button had been pressed, tears gushed out.

The girl sent all her sad and upset feelings down with her tears. After crying her heart out like that, she felt a little better.

“Are you done crying?”

Rublion offered a handkerchief with a gentle smile. Riena poured a little hot water on the handkerchief he gave her and wiped her face, which had become a mess of tears and snot.

“Rublion.”

“Yes?”

“You saw me cry, so now you have to take responsibility for me.”

“Just with words?”

The boy grinned. Then he pulled his chair closer and sat right next to Riena. And then he slowly drew closer.

Smooch.

Riena was surprised by the sensation on her lips and gaped. Rublion chuckled and used his finger to close her lowered jaw.

“Now you have to take responsibility for me too.”

She didn’t quite understand why she had to take responsibility when she was the one who got kissed.

Above all, what was important in Riena’s mind right now was not the standard of responsibility.

She just liked everything. She liked Rublion, she liked Teravita, she liked everything.