“So, you mean His Grace’s late father.”

“…”

“I suppose that would be impolite…”

Summer hung her head dejectedly. The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, as if nothing had happened.

Ian was the one who broke the silence.

“No. Go ahead and ask.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

If anything, it was Summer who was taken aback. Is it okay to allow this so easily?

“I wanted to know the name of Your Grace’s mother.”

“My mother’s name?”

“Yes.”

“Could it have been Selena Lancaster?”

Summer looked up at Ian with an extremely tense expression.

Seeing Summer so tense, Ian felt his own tension dissipate.

Why was she asking such a well-known fact with clenched fists as if it were some grave matter? It was irritating.

Ian opened his mouth calmly as he gently unclenched Summer’s fists one by one.

“I’m more surprised you didn’t know that until now.”

“Ah.”

“You could have found out just by looking at a noble family tree.”

Summer averted her gaze this way and that, cooling her flushed cheeks with the back of her hand.

She hadn’t even thought of the family tree. It was similar to not looking up someone’s family register when curious about their name in South Korea.

It was a mistake unbefitting of a character in a novel.

Summer chided herself, then took comfort in the fact that she wasn’t actually a character on a page, so it was understandable she didn’t know.

“I suppose I might not have thought of that…”

“Right. That’s entirely possible for you. So, Summer.”

“Yes?”

“If I were to win the hunting competition, would you give me one of your days?”

Summer was a bit surprised. To think Ian was telling her he would make her the Lady of the Year.

What was he doing, with Julieta around? She wanted to smack him on the forehead.

“I don’t particularly enjoy killing living things.”

“But didn’t you say earlier you were participating in the hunt?”

“Last place. If you can bear the shame of coming in last in this competition, I’ll gladly give you one of my days.”

Ian twitched his eyebrow with an incredulous expression. His face clearly showed his thoughts of what to do with this brazen young lady.

“Alright. Be sure to keep your promise.”

“Absolutely.”

Summer smiled and held out her pinky finger. Ian tilted his head once with a look that said ‘what are you doing now?’

“Like this.”

Summer’s pinky finger intertwined with Ian’s finger, then separated.

“What is this?”

“It means we made a promise. Well then, I’ll be going now.”

Summer gave a slight bow and left the place. If she didn’t leave quickly, she might have ended up rolling on the dirt ground a few more times under the guise of horseback riding practice.

Upon arriving at the Lindsey family tent, Summer quickly locked the door and waited. Soon there was a knock.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Mary.”

“Mary! You brought it.”

Summer quickly opened the door and took the box cradled in Mary’s arms.

Mary, who followed her in, quietly observed her mistress as if watching a very strange animal.

“What are you doing?”

“Um, disguising myself?”

Summer smiled as she put on the wig. The wavy, pale sky blue hair was reminiscent of Julieta.

Next, she attached the Dudley family crest that Mary had barely managed to obtain onto her uniform.

“I’ll be back, Mary.”

“You do plan on coming back, right?”

“Well, I don’t plan to, but I’ll try my best.”

Summer surveyed her surroundings.

The emperor’s speech continued, perhaps signaling the start of the hunting competition. Fortunately, this world’s emperor was not one for long speeches.

‘We will now begin!’

At the signal, the sound of hooves thundered so loudly it seemed to shake the ground.

Summer patiently waited for everyone to depart for the hunt or head to the tea tables. After a short wait, silence fell.

Only then did Summer carefully emerge and discreetly mount a horse. Summer’s plan for today was simple.

She intended to steal Julieta’s tumbling narrative.

“To think I’d live to fall off a cliff.”

Summer’s predictions were spot on. As she leisurely rode her horse into the forest, she soon felt a prickling sensation on the back of her neck.

Even though she knew exactly what would happen, her palms quickly became damp with sweat as she gripped the reins.

“…!”

Finally. The assassins who had been hiding behind trees revealed themselves.

They seemed to have completely mistaken Summer for Julieta. Summer continued to ride her horse as is. But the speed wasn’t much faster. She wondered if it might be better to just run on foot.

It seemed like there was still quite a way to go before reaching the cliff. Would it be okay to die now already?

The horse let out a cry and reared up on its hind legs as a knife thrown by an assassin struck it. Perhaps due to her sweat-soaked palms, Summer lost her grip on the reins and fell.

It hurt terribly, but nothing seemed to be seriously injured. Ian had been helpful at times.

Summer ran as fast as she could.

To take on Julieta’s ill-fated destiny herself. This was a thoroughly selfish choice.

To return home. She was merely stealing a plausible crisis situation.

In the distance, she could faintly hear the sound of water. Summer ran with all her might towards the source of the sound. But it wasn’t enough to shake off the strong men.

Soon, people dressed in black surrounded Summer.

Summer deliberately lowered her gaze and squeezed her eyes shut to avoid revealing her eye color, which differed from Julieta’s.

Her only worry was whether it would be okay even if it wasn’t a cliff. That was the only concern in her mind.

“Agh!”

This scream was not Summer’s. Summer slowly opened her eyes and looked ahead, feeling no pain.

“Summer. Run without looking back.”

“Lord Russell…?”

His appearance wielding a sword was so beautiful and elegant that he hardly looked capable of facing assassins.

As the assassins rushed in all at once, Russell placed Summer on his horse and swiftly cut them down one by one.

Everything felt surreal. From Russell being here instead of Ian from the original story.

The hand more suited to holding a pen now gripped a sword, and red droplets of blood fell on the blue hair that had once seemed like it would be covered in dew.

“Russell!”

“If you don’t want to die, ha, no I misspoke. At least don’t die like this.”

“…”

“Hurry and go.”

As Russell slapped the horse’s rear, it galloped away with Summer on its back.

Summer was confused. Russell shouldn’t appear now. Russell absolutely cannot handle those people.

The only one in the empire capable of taking on that many opponents at once was Ian Lancaster.

Her heart sank with a thud. Her mind went cold and her hands began to tremble.

What if Russell dies? Russell, surely not. Would the world kill off the female lead’s helper, who was practically a main character?

But Summer had already seen it. Julieta, lying with closed eyes like a marionette with cut strings in the midst of ruins.

Should she go back? But Summer didn’t know how to control a horse.

Confusion like a massive tidal wave crashed over Summer, to the point where she couldn’t distinguish what was more terrifying.

Having lost her judgment, Summer just tightly gripped the reins. And finally, the horse stopped its gallop.

As Summer slowly raised her head, what she saw was a sheer cliff.

If this had been a vacation, it would have been a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

“Give up already.”

Summer slowly turned her body as she heard a voice from behind.

Something red was dragged along by the hand of the assassin at the front and thrown before Summer.

Summer quickly dismounted and approached.

“Ah, no…”

Russell. Russell Bertrand. You’re not an extra. Summer embraced Russell while making strange crying sounds instead of words.

Was it wrong to try to change the original story? Should she not have been so greedy? But without gaining plausibility, she couldn’t return to her original world.

“Ah, aah, Russell, please… please tell me it’s not my fault…”

Warm blood stained her hands. Russell was as still as if he were sleeping.

What happens now? In the chaotic, crumbling world, Summer had no idea what she could do.

“Save this person.”

The soul-drained Summer prayed. Creator, if you’re watching, please. Don’t kill this person you love.

“That man will die anyway.”

The assassin drew his sword and approached one step at a time.

Each time, Summer desperately backed away while dragging Russell. Finally, they reached the edge of the cliff.

“Stop!”

“You fools.”

Summer laughed bitterly as she sneered at the assassins with a wide smile. Her face, covered in Russell’s blood, was exceptionally red under the sunlight.

And Summer and Russell fell. The assassins, seemingly bewildered, all gathered at the edge of the cliff and looked down.

As if nothing had happened, only the sound of water roared.

“The competition has ended! Everyone please gather in front!”

At the words of the troupe leader favored by the emperor, the nobles gathered one by one.

On a large board placed next to the platform, the types and numbers of game caught by each family were listed.

The nobles who checked the list caused a great stir.

“My goodness, the Duke… didn’t catch even a single one.”

“I wonder what happened?”

“How would I know what’s going on in that monster’s head.”

“Wouldn’t he be closer to a demon than a monster?”

“Hey now. Aren’t you someone who regularly attends the temple?”

“That’s why I’m saying this. If you look carefully, the Duke seems to possess all the evil in the world. Murder, loss, revenge.”

“…”

Ian, having heard such talk to the point of nausea, let it go in one ear and out the other. Then he examined the gathered nobles one by one.

Summer was nowhere to be seen. It was strange. An ominous feeling brushed Ian’s chest.

“Has anyone seen Lady Lindsey?”

At Ian’s question, the troupe leader who was about to announce the results shut his mouth and looked around nervously.

The nobles looked at each other’s faces with puzzled expressions.

“…Damn it.”

Ian pushed through the crowd and mounted his tethered horse.

“Mobilize the search party. Lady Lindsey has gone missing.”

At Ian’s words, the gathered people stirred greatly. A noble lady going missing – this was a big incident.

The knights immediately began to thoroughly search the forest.

The nobles gathered in chaos, whispering among themselves about Summer’s disappearance.

It was extremely rare for a noble to go missing.

“Surely, she’s not dead…”

A young noble who rashly spoke up quickly closed his mouth with a “hup” after meeting Ian’s piercing gaze.

“Everyone return to your tents. Unless you want to go missing as well.”

The nobles who had been fond of gossiping scattered at Ian’s single word. The cowardly emperor had long since left his seat.

Ian’s gaze fell on the forest that was the hunting ground.

Please, Summer.

Just be alive.