I glanced at the ground as I stepped down from the carriage.

Footprints faintly remained on the soil, still wet from recent rain. I needed to move before the rainwater completely washed them away.

Roger took the lead in place of Yurik, who was originally at the front. He bent down, scrutinizing the ground closely.

“See, you can barely make out anything!”

“Will it be okay, Roger?”

“What could go wrong?”

Roger shifted his steps after confirming the grip on my hand. We walked for about ten minutes through the drizzling rain. The dirt path ended, and a gravel road took its place. The ground was so wet that the footprints were long gone. We had no choice but to rely solely on our senses.

They couldn’t have gone far since the accident happened.

“Lise, look there!”

Yurik, who was behind us, stopped. Following his gaze, I squinted and saw a large birch tree ahead.

It was the largest and most imposing tree I had seen so far. Thanks to that, it stood almost unshaken despite the strong wind.

I thought we might find refuge from the storm there when I spotted a human figure beneath the tree. It was hard to see, but something kept moving.

“…It seems like someone is there.”

“What did you say?”

Instead of responding to Roger’s question, I moved towards the tree. Without warning, I pulled them along, and both boys followed without resistance.

The closer we got, the more certain I became that the person ahead was part of the Countess’s party. Roger, who had been skeptical until now, seemed convinced as well, sticking by my side.

“Mother! Yune!”

“…Yurik?”

As soon as the Countess’s face came into view, Yurik let go of my hand and dashed forward, causing Roger and me to stumble slightly.

“What the, letting go of the hand without saying anything?”

Roger grumbled. Yurik had gone ahead unharmed and safely entered the space beneath the tree. Roger gave me a fleeting glance, hindered by the wind, and brushed back my messy hair.

“Lise, let’s go.”

“Okay!”

Thanks to Roger pushing my back, we safely reached the tree.

Inside the tree that shielded us from the rainstorm was safer and more comfortable than outside.

Turning my head, I saw Yune wrapped in a blanket, evidently in pain. The concern on both Yurik and the Countess’s faces was palpable.

“Why did you come here, Lise, Roger? What would you have done if you got hurt?”

The Countess scolded us upon discovering we had come here with Yurik.

“More importantly, your leg, Countess…”

I spotted a wound on the Countess’s leg. Whether scratched or cut, the wound was large and deep, revealing the flesh beneath. Her shoe had also become soaked with blood.

“I’m fine. We need to get to the hospital as soon as possible…”

“We can’t go to the hospital in this weather, Mother.”

“Then what do we do? Yune is suffering.”

Yurik touched Yune’s forehead. After a moment’s consideration, he spoke.

“Let’s go back to the villa. We don’t know when the storm will worsen. This place isn’t safe either, and Yune’s body is abnormally trembling.”

“But…”

The Countess looked at the coachman sitting leaned against the tree, his leg apparently broken. She herself could not move freely due to her injury.

“Yurik, Roger, I’ll support the Countess. You two help the coachman.”

As Yurik said, given the worsening weather, we couldn’t trust this place.

The villa wasn’t too far, and we needed to go back before Yune’s condition deteriorated further. Considering the Countess’s injury and the coachman’s broken leg, it was the only choice.

Somewhere in the villa, there would be a first aid kit. We needed it to treat the injured.

“…Fine, we’ll go to the villa.”

The Countess handed Yune over to a maid after looking up at the sky, seemingly making her decision. She then stood up with my support.

“Lise, I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m just doing what’s expected.”

Roger and Yurik each grabbed one arm of the coachman and began walking slowly.
Returning along a oncetraveled road was somewhat easier. We passed by a fallen carriage and some trees shaking noisily in the wind.

Even though the road was familiar, it wasn’t entirely comfortable. Several times, the coachman winced in pain from stepping awkwardly. Whenever we stopped in concern, he would say he was fine and to continue on.

“I, I am fine. Please proceed without worrying.”

His face was soaked in what could be either rain or sweat, making it difficult to distinguish. He couldn’t put weight on his injured leg. If the foot even grazed the ground, he would wince or swallow a moan.

It was so painful to watch that you could tell how much the coachman was enduring.

“We’re almost there! Hang in there a bit longer!”

As Yurik said, the villa we had left appeared in the distance. The maids, who were walking fastest, entered the villa first carrying Yune. Then in order, my wife and I followed, and lastly the coachman.

“Ah.”

As soon as the door closed, everyone let out a sigh of relief and removed their wet outerwear.

“Where’s Yune?”

My wife asked a maid who had come downstairs.

“She’s lying in bed. We’ll have to keep an eye on her.”