Being afraid and sleeping with them was my fault.

I tidied up the bed roughly and left the room to wash up. Then, I heard light footsteps crossing the hallway.

“Sister!”

It was Yune. She ran up to me with open arms and hugged me.

“Yune?”

“Sister, hello! Did you sleep well?”

“Are you feeling better now?”

Yune nuzzled into my chest. Just yesterday, I was terrified that something would happen to the real Yune. But now, she looked perfectly fine, beaming with joy.

“I’m fine! Thanks to the doctor’s good treatment. Although that strange liquid tasted awful.”

That strange liquid must have been tea made from willow bark.

“I’m so relieved.”

“Yes. If it weren’t for the doctor, it would have been difficult.”

I wonder if Yune knows that Roger treated her with folk remedies yesterday.

“It’s not just the doctor. Roger helped you recover too.”

“……Eh? Who?”

Upon mentioning Roger, Yune’s smile vanished.

“I’m talking about Roger. One of his parents is a doctor, so he seemed to know some folk remedies. Maybe you should thank him later?”

Maybe I’m meddling, but Yune has been awkward around Roger, so I mentioned it.

Yune licked her lips. She’s been tightlipped about Roger from the start. At first, I thought it was because he was unfamiliar, but even as time passed, her guard never dropped. That’s been bugging me.

“Is Roger making you uncomfortable?”

Yune hesitated before nodding.

“He may be a bit sensitive, but he’s not a bad person.”

“……I know.”

“He wouldn’t mistreat you despite his temper.”

“……Yes.”

“He has his straightforward moments, but sometimes he can be helpful. ……Maybe.”

I found myself defending Roger unintentionally. Even as I spoke, I felt a bit guilty.

“Yes, I know.”

Yune simply said she knew, without adding any conditions.

“But why are you avoiding Roger?”

“……He’s handsome.”

“Huh?”

“He’s handsome.”

“Who?”

“That……brother.”

“Yurik? Yurik is handsome, true.”

“No, not brother.”

“……Then me?”

“Not you either.”

If it’s neither Yurik nor me, then… could it be Roger Backus?

Yune blushed shyly.

Stunned, my lips gradually parted. If you judge by his face alone, Roger Backus did look sharp and clearcut, making him handsome.

If only he kept his mouth shut. If he just stayed still, looking dead.

Thinking back, even I thought Roger was handsome when I first saw him. But that was before I knew his true colors.

Yune was well aware of Roger’s true nature. He had clashed with Yurik in front of her, and Roger had revealed his sarcastic tone and temperament before her as well.

But why? Why would an angelic, dolllike Yune?

“If you find him handsome, Yurik is handsome too, isn’t he?”
“My brother? What’s so handsome about my brother?”

Yune blurted out nonsense again. She tilted her head as if she truly had no idea.

“Well… he’s not ugly, is he?”

“He’s ugly! Brother Roger is the handsome one!”

What a unique taste.

Just then, a scream from Roger, who was desperately running to avoid Yurik, was heard. Far from being surprised by the weird noise, Yune’s eyes sparkled as she looked down at Roger below the railing.

…What a situation.

“Hey, kids!”

A woman appeared from outside the villa.

“We’re leaving soon, so get ready!”

The weather was clear and clean after the storm had passed.

‘…Yurik and Roger must be good at lying.’

Two hours had passed since I’d gotten on the carriage. The familiar distance signaled that the village was close by.

The decisive moment had arrived.

What could Isabelle be doing now that she’d discovered I hadn’t gone to camp? She was most likely sending maids to search the entire village in her anger.

Or, conversely, she might lock the mansion’s door without looking for me.

Both were the worst scenarios.

As the carriage neared the village, my legs shook from anxiety and nervousness. I had explained the situation to Lady Fenton, but my heavy heart did not improve.

“We’ve arrived at the village.”

Lady Fenton spoke. The village we first arrived at was none other than the artist village of Roskopf, where the Bakers’ mansion was.

In front of the Bakers’ mansion, a familiar figure appeared.

“Mother?”

Roger, who had gotten up, hit his head on the ceiling. Pain wasn’t the priority right now.

Next to Lady Bakers stood Isabelle. They stared at our arriving carriage with unsettling eyes.

The carriage door opened as we arrived in front of the ladies. Roger and I lowered our heads and carefully stepped out.

“Mo, Mother.”

“Uh, um, we’re back.”

We clasped our hands as if we were guilty. Both were silent, merely scanning us. The silence was uncomfortable. It would have been easier if they had screamed or cursed.

“Hello, Mrs. Marsen, Mrs. Bakers. I’ve heard the kids’ situation.”

Lady Fenton, who had followed us out of the carriage, continued speaking.

“I’m really sorry for meeting you under these circumstances. I should have contacted you first… We were originally planning to go to the mansion yesterday, but something came up.”

“It’s been a while, Lady Fenton. You’re quite lucky. Mrs. Bakers and I were about to go to the station to file a missing persons report.”

Isabelle’s tone was sharper than I’d imagined. She looked down at me.

“Mrs. Bakers cried all night, her eyes are swollen. The maids postponed all their duties and searched the nearby villages until their legs broke. They even rummaged through the bag of a man who came to deliver mail.”

“…”

“Is that all? They even threatened the camp manager. I visited the professor’s mansion after a long time and raised my voice, but it turned out to be pointless.”

“Mo, Mother! That’s because—”

Before I could make up a useless lie out of guilt, Isabelle’s hand was faster. She snatched my bag and emptied its contents on the ground.

“No camprelated items, I see.”

This was bad.

“My lady, please calm down. This is all my—”

“Lady Fenton. I don’t think this is your business.”

Isabelle sharply cut off Lady Fenton and grabbed my arm.

“Surely you’ve had your share of troubles because of Lise. Therefore, you won’t have to see Lise’s face from now on.”

“Mother! Wait, just wait!”

This was the first time I’d seen Isabelle so angry. She forcibly dragged me into the Marsen family carriage.

Without a word, I found myself locked in the carriage, making eye contact with Yurik. It was brief, as Isabelle drew the curtain across the window.

The carriage departed.