Before the flames could engulf Number 5, I quickly pushed him away. Thanks to that, Number 5 wasn’t seriously injured, but due to the flames blocking the exit, there was no way to get out of the carriage.

“Lady! The carriage is collapsing!”

“Ant, don’t worry about us and go quickly!”

The mixed voices of the stable hands calling from behind and the Madlen Pa people echoed. The entire carriage was now engulfed in flames.

“We are really okay!”

“It was an honor to be the last to see you, Ant!”

The Madlen Pa people hugged each other with tearful eyes, like the final scene of an emotional movie.

“In the next life, we will definitely be your subordinates, Ant!”

Even the clever Number 5 shouted with a determined expression, but I blocked my ears.

“Ugh, it’s too noisy.”

Then, I took out the protective barrier spell from my pocket.

“Everyone, touch your foreheads.”
I sequentially attached spells to the foreheads of the organization members, infusing them with magical power.

“Now, everyone get out.”

Afterward, I threw them out of the carriage one by one.

The organization members, who had closed their eyes tightly while passing through the flames, began to cheer when they safely landed outside the carriage without any injuries.

“As expected, Ant!”

“Amazing!”

“We’ll serve you for a lifetime!”

However, unlike the organization members who were jumping and making a fuss, the Duke’s stable hands were running towards me.

“Lady! Be careful!”

“The carriage is[hyphen]!”

Only now did I notice the collapsing ceiling of the carriage.

“Don’t come close! I’m fine.”

Without a moment to stop the stable hands, with a crashing sound and thunder, the carriage collapsed.

Although I wouldn’t be injured thanks to the protective barrier, I reflexively closed my eyes in front of the debris covering me.

But no matter how long I waited, I felt nothing.

“I should be careful, sister.”

As I took a breath, a familiar scent of peppermint tickled my nose.

“Kiryian?”

When I opened my eyes, Kiryian was in front of me. He wiped away the ashes on my cheek with his thumb, wearing a complicated expression.

Behind him was the carriage, which had collapsed miserably. The flames were still devouring it. Kiryian had come through that to bring me out.

“Are you, are you okay?”

Surprised, I began to examine Kiryian.

I was untouched by the flames thanks to the protective barrier spell, but Kiryian wasn’t. Even if he was from the Esteela Duchy, it was hard to believe he would be unharmed after going through such a fierce fire.

Sure enough, Kiryian’s shirt was scorched here and there, almost like a sieve. It had holes as if it had been directly eaten by the flames.

Suddenly, fear gripped me.

“C-Cold water.”

With trembling hands, I explored the burnt area to touch my skin. It was redder than usual.

“Oops.”

My breath was involuntarily cut off. Fear became a reality. Kiryian was hurt because of me. If I hadn’t dawdled inside the carriage and had quickly jumped out, such a thing wouldn’t have happened.

“Quick, quickly get some cold water. Everything will be fine.”

Mumbling words that I didn’t know if I was saying to Kiryian or myself, I searched for the wound, trying to avoid touching it by taking off his shirt. However, my hands kept missing.

“It’s okay, sister.”

With a calm attitude, Kiryian tried to comfort me, but I poured out tears.

“What’s okay.”

My vision became blurry with tears.

“I-I hurt you, and what’s okay.”

Kiryian stiffened. Although it wasn’t clear because of the vision blurred by tears, he seemed to be writhing in pain.

“K-Kiryian!”

In an instant, my body felt weak. The scent of peppermint intensified as a strong arm pulled me in deeper.

“I’m fine.”

Kiryian whispered in my ear.

“Touch it.”

Kiryian took hold of my hand. The area touched by the fingertips was smooth.

“Uh, uh…?”
I sniffled.

“Clearly, there should be severe burn marks.”

At the ambiguous end of silence, Kirian let out a short sigh.

“Because you were fumbling like that, sister.”

Looking up with tears in my eyes, Kirian didn’t seem to be writhing in pain or heavily stained with burns.

Instead, Kirian, with a slightly reddened ear, was stroking the tip of his earlobe with a vague smile.

Suddenly, not only smooth skin but also firm muscles and a strange warmth began to be felt on his fingertips.

“Eek!”

I recoiled in shock.

Kiryian lightly caught me before I fell backward.

Suddenly, the holes in Kirian’s shirt became vividly visible. The shirt, eaten away by flames, now barely covered Kirian’s upper body.

“Let’s go back.”

Kiryian, knowing or unknowingly aware of my distressed eyes, pulled me even closer.

I deliberately ignored the laundry visible through the threateningly close holes in Kirian’s shirt and nodded my head.

At least, as long as we were sitting side by side in the carriage, there shouldn’t be any unpleasant moments involving Kirian’s shirt invading my sight.

“Isn’t it too uncomfortable?”

As I expected, there was no need to worry about the troublesome shirt obscuring my vision now that I was inside the carriage.

“Mm.”

But I encountered a more significant problem.

No matter how straight I kept my back, the clear contours I saw through the holes, due to Kirian embracing me from behind, were now felt on my back.

“Hmm. It doesn’t seem so great.”

Kiryian hummed lightly, resting his chin on my shoulder. His voice was excessively cheerful for someone expressing concern.

Each time Kirian’s words tickled my neck, I barely managed to suppress the involuntary shivering.

“Sorry, sister. I said I didn’t want you sitting on my lap, and now it turned out like this.”