A year has passed. The end of winter was approaching.

It had been over a month since I returned to Hoxha Village.

The once bustling entrance was now tidy. The comfort found after renovating everything, down to the wallpaper, was refreshing.

Father also found comfort in the organized entrance. Sometimes, he would sit on the sofa, sipping tea or reading the newspaper. Whenever that happened, Stiana couldn’t stand it and would enter her room.

“…….,”

I stared intently at her back. Conflicting emotions of pity and satisfaction arose.

Just when I thought I should avoid contact with Stiana in the future, a horse’s neigh was heard outside the window.

“Seems like someone’s here, Father.”

Upon my words, Father, who had been reading the newspaper, silently put it down. Judging by his composed expression, the guest who suddenly arrived didn’t seem to be of high status.

Father glanced at me before instructing a maid to prepare tea and the newspaper, then led the way to the study. In the meantime, Theos approached me.

“Have you met Marquis Raul well?”

He spoke quietly, only for me to hear. I sensed that Theos was aware of my relationship with Roger and had orchestrated this meeting.

“How is Roger’s health?”

There were many things I wanted to say, but I held back.

The most important thing was Roger’s health. After spending a night in the hospital, I visited him the next day, but he had already returned to the mansion. The doctor said he didn’t sleep and returned the previous evening with his aching body.

With his painful body.

“I’m sorry, but Miss, I don’t know a man named Roger.”

“Bold until the end…!”

I closed my mouth under the discernible gaze in front. Father was waiting for Theos’s conversation to end.

“We’ll talk properly later.”

“Well… I’m a bit busy these days.”

“Then let’s skip everything and get to the point. I want to meet Roger again.”

“If you mean a man named Roger, I don’t know him, but if you’re talking about Marquis Raul, I’ll pass on the message.”

Theos shrugged and said with a smile. I wanted to pour out curses on his snake-like face.

“You… You’ll get what’s coming to you. Really.”

“Is that so?”

The snake-like guy…

I waited for Theos to come out in front of the study. As evening approached, he came out of the study, rejecting my request for a conversation, citing busyness.

I wondered if such people even existed.

In the end, I couldn’t find out where Roger was. The only thing I found was that he was one of the members of Ignora, a business guild run by Theos. He held an important position among the guild members.

“…Should I go to the guild in person?”

Visiting Ignora guild wouldn’t be difficult. It was a well-known guild, and guild houses were usually gathered near the Label River south of Hoxha Village.

“…Miss.”

Lying on the bed and tossing and turning, I heard Damian’s voice at the door. I quickly stood up and opened the door. In thin sleepwear, Damian was trembling, holding his hands together.

“Damian?”

“I keep hearing strange sounds…”

“What?”

“I, I shouldn’t be here, right?”

Damian seemed anxious.

“Of course, come in.”

“Thank you.”
Damian slightly smiled at my response.

Before closing the door, I checked the hallway to see if there was really a strange sound. The dark corridor, with the lights turned off, had an eerie feeling. However, it was just a feeling; I couldn’t hear any sound.

“Miss?”

“Oh, I’ll close the door.”

Closing the door, I went to Damian, who was already lying on the bed.

He clutched his pillow to his chest and hunched over. It seemed he was worried that he might sleep tightly and make me uncomfortable.

“The bed is spacious. So, you can comfortably stretch your legs.”

“……. ”

“If you sleep at the edge, you’ll fall off, Damian.”

“…… Can I stick close to you?”

“Sure.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Damian wriggled his body and clung to my arm. Then, he looked up at me with a tender and adorable expression, making me burst into laughter.

“Since there’s only one blanket, let’s not fall off.”

Damian nodded his head.

Despite the age difference and having different mothers, I thought Damian might find it difficult to get along with me. Especially since I had stayed at a boarding school for several years, I had little time to talk with Damian. Nevertheless, he still considered me as his older sister.

“Damian, can you tell me what sound you’re hearing?”

But I had to tread carefully. That sound might interfere with Damian’s future and happiness.

“……. ”

Damian didn’t answer my question. He seemed frightened, and his eyes turned red, as if he might burst into tears. Realizing that I might have asked too suddenly, I regretted it.

“Damian, if it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to say anything.”

“……. ”

“But promise me you’ll tell me later, okay?”

“I’m… sleepy now.”

“Okay, Damian.”

Since then, Damian often came to my room to sleep.

Now, Damian would already be lying on the bed before I entered the room. Damian slept as if dead.