The atmosphere of Roskoff village at night was completely different from the day. If musical instruments and songs could be heard everywhere during the day, a silence and calm descended at night.

Still, almost no houses were dark.

But Bacchus Manor was different. Upon arrival, I ran to the manor’s front gate and looked intently at the windows. There was no sign of life or movement.

“Is this where Roger lives?”

Swell, who was beside me, squinted his eyes toward the manor.

“Hmm. Seems like nobody’s home?”

If Swell, with his excellent vision, says so, then it must be true. After sizing up the closed front gate and the height of the fence, I reached out my hand.

“That’s weird. I can’t even see any servants or employees… Hey, Lise, what are you doing?”

“I need a closer look.”

“What if someone mistakes you for a thief!”

Swell looked around at the illuminated houses nearby and tried to stop me. Rodney, who had been in the carriage, suddenly appeared and grabbed my waist.

“Let go, Rodney!”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m lifting you so you can see better.”

Rodney lifted me up with a swift motion.

“Ah, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Voices of brothers scolding Rodney came from behind.

Ignoring them, I jumped over the front gate and ran toward the manor. As expected, no one was there. Not Roger, his father, the servants, nor the employees.

Even the windows at the back of the manor were the same. I roamed around here and there trying to capture any movement, but it was in vain.

“Lise!”

Mother’s voice was heard from beyond the front gate.

“Come now! We should go to the fountain, the designated meeting place!”

Only then did I lift my feet. With Rodney’s help, I safely got out of the front gate and headed for the fountain.

The fountain was on the opposite side of Bacchus Manor. Throughout the carriage ride, Felicia had to forcibly hold my hand as I anxiously bit my lips.

“……Ah.”

There was no one at the fountain. The surroundings were desolate without a single person.

“……”

Sitting in front of the fountain, I blankly stared at the ground. My brothers kept me company next to me.

“Lise……”

“Why, why did I forget. Why.”

Covering my face with my hands out of guilt, I thought: Where could Roger be right now?

What is he doing alone? Did he skip his meal? The last time I saw him, he was completely soaked from the rain. What if he’s suffering from a fever or a cold now?

“Roger will be fine. He’s a strong kid.”

Mother consoled me.

“……No, he’s not. He’s fragile, gets easily hurt, sensitive…… Ah, I shouldn’t have left him then.”

“I know you’re worried about Roger. But it’s not right to blame yourself.”

“But I broke the promise, didn’t I? I was the one who promised first, and I abandoned him.”
“It wasn’t neglect. We had to look after Grandfather’s last moments and hold the funeral. There was no choice. It was simply bad luck. Even if you remembered the promise in your sorrow, you couldn’t have come here.”

Mother bent her knees to meet my eye level.

“Lise, I had someone look for Roger that day. Someone saw him getting on a carriage. He probably went to look for Father. If Father is far away, he might have gone to a relative’s mansion. In any case, Roger won’t be alone now.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Roger is a brilliant and talented boy, isn’t he? Who would leave such a sorrowful child alone?”

From the side, Silke said, “That’s right, Roger is handsome too.” Felicia, startled, grabbed her lips.

My brothers who were familiar with Roger also believed he was doing well, which tilted my heart in that direction too.

“But I still broke a promise, so I want to send a letter of apology.”

As I spoke softly, Mother nodded, approving the idea.

“Yes, it would be good to visit the Bacchus mansion again.”

After that, I wrote to Roger every day.

I personally took the carriage to the Bacchus mansion and slipped the letters through the front gate. The letters accumulated one by one, each sealed untouched with wax.

Even after the monsoon ended and the heat came, it remained the same. The tower of letters simply grew taller.

“Lise.”

Yurik, who had come to the Bacchus mansion with me, approached.

“Thank you for coming. Let’s go now.”

“Lise. Where on Earth could that guy be that he…”

“It’s fine. We’ll meet soon.”

I felt Yurik’s gaze asking, how?

“I’m going to the Duke of Boren’s residence.”

“The Duke of Boren’s residence?”

“Yes, Roger is having a concert there. I heard it last time.”

It was an important concert venue. Moreover, Roger had not sent word to the Duke’s residence that he would cancel the concert. It was a great relief to me who had been worried for days that Roger would unilaterally cancel the concert.

Since he didn’t cancel, Roger will be at the Duke of Boren’s residence. I had been waiting and waiting just for this day.

“Then I’ll go too. I’ve met him a few times, so I can be of help.”

“Thank you, Yurik.”

If Yurik steps in, things will certainly be easier. When I smiled, Yurik smiled back but couldn’t hide his gloomy expression.