“Miss.”

That evening, Mary came in holding a letter.

“What is it?”

“It’s a letter. It’s from Duke Bertrand.”

“Give it to me.”

Summer quickly took the letter and tore open the envelope.

It was truly a letter like him. Summer read the contents over and over again. A smile kept escaping her lips.

Thinking of the expressionless administrative official writing this letter made the bizarre world seem a bit amusing.

“Alright. Let’s have a good farewell.”

“Farewell…? Don’t tell me you’ve been secretly dating the Duke without my knowledge…”

“No, Mary. It’s not like that. I’m going to visit Duke Bertrand’s residence, so help me prepare tomorrow morning.”

“Understood. Light or elaborate?”

“Of course, light. It’s not a party.”

“Hmm. I see.”

Mary bowed and left the room.

Summer read Russell’s letter thoroughly one more time and put it in the top drawer.

“Ah. I should prepare for Summer too.”

Summer quickly grabbed a notebook and sat down at the desk.

To Summer, from Summer.

“Hic, sob…”

Though she tried to hold it in by taking a deep breath, it only resulted in a strange sound. Summer quickly put the letter in the envelope to prevent it from getting wet.

“…Summer, Summer.”

Summer quietly rolled the name Summer in her mouth. It was a name she had been avoiding since falling into this world.

There was a time when she was terrified of having to live under the name Summer, losing her original name from her world.

“Summer… hic…”

A tear rolled down Summer’s cheek. Summer closed her eyes. Even covering her eyes with both hands couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

It wasn’t just painful.

It wasn’t just unhappy.

There were definitely moments, even if fleeting, when I smiled.

Summer kept making hiccuping sounds as she tried to force back her tears. But in the end, clear tears streamed down her wrists.

It was the relief and regret of an athlete nearing the finish line after a long and tedious race.

Though it was so hard that her throat tasted of blood and her heart felt like it would burst,

now that the finish line was in sight, it wasn’t just suffering.

As soon as the morning sun rose, Summer hurried to prepare for her outing.

With little time left, she naturally became anxious. Mary also helped with the preparations at an impressive speed to match Summer’s pace.

“Thank you, Mary. I’m off!”

“…Yes. Have a safe trip.”

“Miss, me too!”

“Right. Daisy too! I’ll be back.”

Summer cheerfully waved her arms in greeting and got into the carriage.

“Hello. Good morning.”

“Good morning, miss.”

When Summer greeted brightly, the coachman turned around, took off his hat, and placed it on his chest in greeting.

“Please take me to Duke Bertrand’s residence.”

“Yes. It seems you have something joyful today.”

“Rather than joyful… well, I guess it is joyful.”

“Seeing you smile makes me happy too, miss.”

The carriage rode smoothly down the road.

Before long, Duke Bertrand’s residence came into view. As befitting a family that produced the Prime Minister, it was close to the Imperial Palace.

The mansion looked exactly like a huge library. It had a clean yet somewhat historic atmosphere of a long-standing family.

The carriage stopped, and Summer opened the door and hopped out.

“Thank you!”

Summer tucked her windblown hair behind her ear and greeted the coachman.

“Summer. You’ve come.”

Summer turned around at the voice she heard.

It was a perfect uniform attire without a trace of dishevelment.

“Did you wait long?”

“Not at all. Have you had breakfast?”

“Um, actually I didn’t eat before coming.”

“How about we have a light breakfast together, and then take a tour of the mansion?”

“I’d like that.”

Summer walked over to Russell’s side with a bright smile. Russell stared at Summer’s seemingly happy face for a moment.

“…You seem excited about going back.”

“A little. I’ve been waiting for so long, you know. Just enough to make my breath catch.”

Russell’s voice cracked dryly, but Summer didn’t notice much as she was busy looking around the mansion.

The Bertrand family was certainly frugal for nobles. But the cuisine was the best. Even better than the Lancaster family.

“Oh my. It’s delicious.”

“Eat plenty. You won’t be able to eat this anymore.”

Russell said jokingly and rested his chin on his hand. He had already put down his fork and was watching Summer eat.

“Russell!”

Summer barely swallowed the meat in her mouth and exclaimed.

“You keep talking about our parting so heartlessly, but you’re upset when I mention it?”

“I feel too guilty about this part to say anything.”

The initial flare of indignation gone, Summer slowly picked up her fork again and poked at the salad.

It was quite a hearty meal for breakfast.

“Summer. Shall we start with the garden?”

“Let’s tour the building first. If we go outside now, I feel like we’ll end up sitting on a bench for half the day.”

Russell quietly called her name as he listened to Summer’s joke.

“Summer.”

“Yes?”

“I didn’t know you could smile like this. Like this.”

“How did I smile?”

Embarrassed by the sudden remark, Summer covered her mouth with her hand. A wave of shyness came over her. Maybe she hadn’t hidden her excitement well enough.

Russell stared at Summer for a moment, then turned his gaze to the window. Summer followed Russell’s gaze and looked out the window as well.

The garden revealed in the rising sun was beautiful.

“Sunlight.”

“…Pardon?”

“You’re smiling like that sunlight.”

“…”

“It’s a precious smile.”

Russell strode ahead of Summer. Summer followed behind him in a daze.

“This is my office.”

“Hmm. It’s incredibly neat.”

“If it’s not organized, it feels cluttered.”

“Of course.”

Summer kept turning her head to look around the office. Honestly, Russell’s office was exactly like the room Summer had dreamed of.

Just add a bed and it would be perfect.

“It’s really nice.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Let’s see other places too.”

Russell showed her around various places like the reception room, banquet hall, and guest rooms.

“And this is the library.”

“Wow… it’s like a temple.”

The mansion was so vast that even just touring the interior took until lunchtime, when they had a grand lunch together.

Again, Russell barely touched his utensils. Summer thought Russell must be full.

I guess if you eat such delicious food every day, you might not feel like picking up your utensils even if it’s this good.

When they finally reached the library, it was afternoon.

As the yellow, warm sun was gradually turning red, the library bathed in orange light felt somewhat sacred.

“It’s because everyone in the family loves books. It’s our family’s only pride, being larger than the Imperial library.”

“That’s amazing. I also dreamed of being an administrative official…”

Summer looked around the library with a dreamy expression. Her sparkling blue eyes were more brilliant than sapphires.

“How many years did you prepare?”

“I’m ashamed to say… 5 years.”

“Here, it usually takes 3 to 6 years to prepare to enter the palace as an Imperial administrative official.”

“Wow, it’s even harder here.”

Russell’s voice was calm and clear. It had just the right pitch and speed to naturally calm one’s heart.

Maybe that’s why.

Summer wanted to tell Russell her story somehow, even participating in the lying game.

Russell naturally guided Summer outside while adding an explanation.

“But the hiring process for administrative officials employed by noble families is different.”

“How is it? Tests? Interviews? Or maybe essays?”

“It’s up to the head of the family.”

“Wow, unfair.”

Summer blurted out with her mouth wide open. Russell seemed to find it amusing and pressed his lips together tightly. It was an expressionless face that anyone could see was trying to hold back laughter.

Summer walked alongside Russell, slowly looking around the garden.

The garden was neat and delicate. There were flower beds here and there, and the scent of flowers wafted over whenever the wind blew.

“It’s amazing.”

“Do you like it?”

“Very, very much!”

“Then may I make a somewhat impolite request?”

“Well, you’re free to make requests. And I’m free to refuse.”

When Summer retorted, Russell lowered his head and let out a faint laugh.

When Summer leaned in slightly to see his smiling face, Russell had already returned to his indifferent and solemn expression as if he had never smiled.

“That’s sneaky.”

“How about staying at the mansion for a day? Actually, the Bertrand mansion was built in the most beautiful spot for night views.”

Summer’s eyes sparkled, immediately forgetting her complaint about sneakiness.

“Wow. Can you see stars too?”

“They’re breathtakingly beautiful.”

“Why would someone leaving in four days care about appearances? Of course I’d love to.”

Summer agreed without hesitation. Russell made an ambiguous expression, neither pleased nor displeased, and stepped closer to Summer.

“…You’re too unguarded.”

“Huh? What do you,”

“Even if you only have four days to see me, shouldn’t you be a little more tense?”

As Summer became flustered, Russell slowly brushed back her windblown hair and then plainly stepped back again.

“Ru-Russell, you mean…”

“I know. That’s why I’m keeping my distance.”

Those words sounded just like saying he wasn’t crossing the line he wanted to cross for Summer’s sake.