Tick-tock.

The sound of the clock in the entryway shattered the stillness.

Tick-tock.

The atmosphere of the villa sank. Outside, even thunder raged. The howling wind and rain showed no signs of abating, clamoring noisily. Yurik, who had lost his spirit, looked utterly miserable.

After some time passed, even the unsteadily flickering candlelight went out. The interior of the room became gloomy. As my vision dulled, my heightened hearing picked up the sounds coming from outside the villa.

Yurik sat on the bed where Yune had been lying. Roger and I stood guard beside it. Lightly touching the bedsheet, it felt damp and clammy.

“The more you worry, the more your heart will suffer,” Roger said, staring straight ahead. It was meant to be comforting, but it came out clumsily. Since I was close with Roger, I knew how much he must have struggled to say those words. Even if his words and actions seem that way, Roger is sincerely worried about Yurik.

“At times like this, it’s better to not think about anything.”

Roger got up and brought back a broom from the hallway. With no maids around, the meaning was to clean the room that had gotten dirty while waiting for the Duchess to arrive. Roger handed me a mop that appeared from somewhere, and to Yurik, he handed a trash bin.

“We should clean up so your sister can use this room again.”

“……”

“You handle the bedsheets. Can you do it?”

Roger spoke while looking at the unresponsive Yurik.

“Have you really turned to stone? Why are you so quiet?”

Yurik’s gaze finally turned to Roger at that. Noticing the chilly look in his eyes, I sensed it was a bad sign and timidly put down the mop I had been using to clean the floor.

“Roger…!”

“Hey, I’m telling you nothing will really happen, right?”

Before I could continue, Roger spoke to Yurik. That tactless fool!

“You…”

“Huh? What was that?”

“…Who are you to assure that?”

Finally realizing the mood, Roger closed his mouth. Yurik slowly stood up with a stiff expression and approached Roger. Roger was visibly flustered by Yurik’s looming figure drawing closer. Yurik, who was more than a hand span taller than Roger, looked down at him.

“The wind is blowing too hard. Do you know how dangerous it is to ride in a carriage in this weather? You know the carriage almost tipped over too.”

“No, I was just trying to comfort you…”

“Who are you to do that?”

Yurik’s tone was already sharp with anger. Roger, who had been hesitant at first, narrowed his eyes coldly at Yurik who had disregarded his attempt at comfort.

“Hey, are you done talking?”

“You two, I think it’s best if you calm down a bit.”

I interjected between the two. Despite my words, the two did not take their eyes off each other.

“Lize, step aside. This guy is the one who messed up first.”

“Messed up? What did I do wrong?”

How long would I have to get in the middle and try to stop them? Even if their interests clashed slightly, they growled at each other, making me the only one suffering by their side.

“I kindly said something to you, but you’re acting all mighty about it.”

“You were out of line from the start.”

Now it was no use even if I tried to stop them. These two would try to vent their own feelings first, regardless of whether I was in the middle or not. I shouldn’t have brought Roger to the Penton estate. I shouldn’t have assumed they would get along well because they were the same gender and around the same age.

This was all my fault.

For introducing Yurik to Roger. For taking Roger on the sea trip. For wishing to go to the sea.

“This really sucks.”

“…?”

“…Lize?”

The two stopped fighting and looked at me with rounded eyes. Surprised or not, I was exhausted.

“I’m tired of trying to stop you now. Fight or do whatever you want, but please get out of my sight. I don’t even want to look at you.”

My tone was quite thorny. Even I was surprised that I was this angry. But how much more shocking must it have been for those two men? They stood there dumbly, looking at me who was completely upset because of them.

“No. I should be the one to leave now. I’ll be out in the hallway, so you two can hit and fight each other as much as you want.”

“Lize!”

As I tried to leave, the two simultaneously blocked my way. Then you should have done better from the beginning.

“Hey, I’m sorry.”

“No. It’s my fault. I’m sorry, Lize. I’m really sorry.”

They fought over whose fault it was, but now they were apologizing to each other. Their efforts were full of sincerity.

What should I do? Should I leave them alone like this to reflect a bit?

Or should I say something meaner to make sure those two don’t fight in the future?

-BOOM!

That plan didn’t last long. At the sound of the sky collapsing, everyone turned their heads to look out the window. The wind had gotten stronger. The force of the wind seemed strong enough to shatter the windows, stronger than when we first arrived here.

This was bad.

The carriage that had left not long ago would not have reached the village yet. Moreover, the carriage that the Duchess and Yune rode in had just been repaired and was in an unstable condition. If even the floor of the villa was trembling slightly, the carriage couldn’t possibly be fine.

“Fortunately, it’s not raining.”

I approached the window and looked outside.

“Since they left not long ago, they couldn’t have gone far. So let’s go.”

Having assessed the situation, I headed for the door. If they had an accident in this deserted area, there would be no one to ask for help. If they were injured from the accident, the situation would be serious. So we needed to go and check for ourselves.

“No, Lize. It’s dangerous.”

Yurik’s voice caught my ankle.

“The blockhead is right. You can barely steady yourself, so how can you go all the way to the carriage?”

“Yesterday, we couldn’t see properly because of the rain. That’s why I’m saying we should go before it rains.”

“Just because it’s not raining doesn’t mean it’s safe.”

“It’s safer than when it’s raining.”

When I answered firmly, Roger frowned. Meanwhile, Yurik, who had been observing the situation outside, seemed to have made up his mind as his expression changed.

“Lize, you’re right. But I’ll go alone.”

“It’s dangerous for you to go alone. Yurik.”

“Then I can go with that fool. Lize, you stay and guard this villa.”

Yurik pointed to Roger.

“That would be better.”

Roger also nodded in agreement. While it may be the wise choice for me, who is physically weaker than those two, to guard the villa, I didn’t want to do that.

“Even if I’m weaker than you, I’m quicker at assessing situations and making decisions. So…”

It wasn’t like I would only be a hindrance.

“I’m going too.”

If they refused, I was planning to secretly follow them.

It might be a bit dangerous, but I didn’t want to guard the villa alone like this. So while I was making plans in my head, Yurik held out his hand to me.

“Then let’s go together. But since it’s dangerous, we have to hold hands tightly.”

“…Hands?”

“Yes, hold my left hand and… hold Roger’s hand with your right.”

Roger also reached out his hand to me.

“Even if you don’t want to hold it, you have to.”

Roger put his foot down. Ah, I had vowed to never stand between these two again, but now I was about to not only stand between them but also hold their hands.

“That’s right, Lize. Never let go.”

“Ah, should we tie you up with a rope instead?”

“You fool, that’s too much.”

Yurik and Roger bickered, having made up not long ago. They must have realized their mistake as they immediately checked my reaction.

“Sigh, okay. I’ll hold them.”

It can’t be helped. I gave up on escaping from between those two. As soon as I gave them my hands, Roger and Yurik grabbed them tightly.

There was no need to hold them so firmly right now.

“Don’t ever let go. Lize.”

“Okay. Never.”

After confirming my answer once more, Yurik went down the stairs and opened the front door. The strong wind slapped our faces.

“Let’s go.”

Taking the lead, Yurik stepped out the door.

* * *

“Lize! Can you manage?”

“Yeah! Thanks, Roger!”

Although the wind was strong, fortunately it wasn’t raining, so it was easy to keep our balance. We knew the route of the carriage from the wheel tracks left on the wet ground. We just needed to keep going straight.

After walking quite a bit, a street lined densely with trees came into view. The branches swayed side to side due to the wind. The trees had sturdy trunks, so they wouldn’t break, but it was still worrisome.

Yurik must have felt the same as he stopped walking before entering the street.

“Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up and go!”

Unable to stand it, Roger not only pushed my back but also pushed Yurik’s. Yurik, carried forward by the force, walked as fast as he could.

“Lize, let me know if I’m walking too fast!”

“It’s fine, so keep going straight!”

Yurik walked almost at a run. Even after getting through the street, Yurik’s pace did not slow down. After walking for a while, a large shape appeared up ahead. Squinting slightly, I realized what that shape was.

“It’s the carriage!”

It was the Penton family’s carriage. Unfortunately, the carriage had toppled over with its wheel detached.

“Mother! Yune!”

Upon spotting the carriage, Yurik ran frantically. Because of that, we almost lost our balance, but Roger supported my back from behind.

At that moment, rain poured from the sky that had been quiet. In a matter of seconds, heavy rain fell, and our vision quickly became blurry.

“Yurik! Watch out in front!”

Despite my words, Yurik, heedless of anything else, quickly reached the carriage and examined the inside.

“Mother! Mother!”

Looking inside the carriage with a pale face, Yurik stopped gesturing.

Seeing his shocked face, I also peered inside the carriage. The shattered windows and the wrecked interior were completely empty, without a single person.

More than that, blood smeared on the ground caught my eye. It wasn’t much, but it was definitely a bloodstain. Someone was certainly injured.

“Yurik!”

Having lost his reason, Yurik did not think or act at all. Especially after discovering that blood, Yurik’s mind seemed to have completely shut down, his eyes unfocused.

The wind blew even harder. Lightning struck, causing a flash in front of us.

“Yurik! I’m sure they took shelter somewhere! Right?”

“……”

“Snap out of it! Please!”

“Move aside, Lize.”

When my words didn’t get through, Roger approached Yurik.

“Get a grip! You fool!”

“……”

“Argh, really, you’re asking for it! Snap out of it!”

“Roger!”

Without hesitation, Roger clenched his fist and punched Yurik hard in the face. At his sudden punch, I hastily grabbed his arm. Thanks to that, Yurik’s body didn’t fall backward, but his cheek instantly reddened.

“How can you hit him like that?”

“This will be faster. Look.”

Focus started to return to Yurik’s eyes.

“Hey, blockhead! Like Lize said, the Duchess must have taken shelter somewhere safe. So let’s go look for them!”

Roger didn’t miss this chance and dragged Yurik by the arm. Yurik looked at him and parted his lips.

“…You, someday you’ll have to pay back for hitting me like this.”

“Whatever!”

Roger answered with a smirk.

Fortunately, it seemed to have ended well.