Suddenly, Johnny, who had gone to Alpern to find the disappeared Alejandro, stopped by the merchant guild for a moment and spoke with a pale face.

“Sir, you abandoned me. What could I, who only knows how to follow you around, do without you?”

The moment they heard the trembling voice, Anjer felt nauseous, Colton erased his expression, and Grace didn’t believe it.

“Even a passing dog in Orland would laugh at such a lie.”

Alejandro Rosa pretending to be weak?

Johnny’s chuckling laughter faded in an instant.

“I saw it. With my own eyes!”

So that’s why.

Watching the unbelievable scene unfolding before her eyes, Grace muttered blankly.

“He’s gone mad. Alejandro.”

.

.

.

At that moment, Nerea was thinking the same thing.

“You’re just like a puppy.”

Oh dear.

As Nerea regretted her overly direct words, Alejandro smiled brightly.

“You mean I’m cute, right?”

His natural positive interpretation was cute too. Nerea chuckled.

“I mean you’re excited like a puppy.”

“I can’t help but be excited. I’m so happy right now.”

What’s the point of wearing shabby clothes and flipping up the hood to avoid standing out? When the person himself is sparkling like that.

After Brianna left, the decision to go to the islands was quite sudden. But once she decided to go back, she couldn’t just stay in Alpern.

To avoid suspicion, they had to travel through several regions for a week on a journey that could take as little as two days.

The problem was Alejandro. Even with a large hood flipped over, perhaps due to his tall stature and somehow elegant atmosphere, people kept staring at him.

“The same goes for you, sir.”

“I can’t help it since I’m much taller than the average Castarty woman.”

She could hide her hair color and eye color with a hat, but she couldn’t hide her height that towered over other women her age. When Nerea stated the obvious reason, Alejandro made a strange face for a moment.

“Do you really think that’s why… No. Let’s go separately then. That’s much better than attracting attention,”

Throughout the journey, Alejandro stayed at different inns. Maintaining an appropriate distance, sometimes pretending not to know each other.

In contrast to his whining in Alpern, Nerea was about to joke that he had finally grown up. But she couldn’t bring herself to laugh at his next words.

“I’ve always imagined bringing you to the mansion, sir.”

Under the setting sun that seemed to be burning. Alejandro’s eyes glistened. His low voice wavered with the sunset.

“But today it’s real.”

It was strange. Feeling as if a corner of her heart was churning, Nerea averted his gaze for a moment. And pretending to look at the mansion, she slowly blinked.

You’re certainly out of it, Nerea Esteban. To only now notice such stringent security.

There were so many soldiers standing guard inside the high and solid walls. Alejandro doesn’t even have a knight’s title, so how are these soldiers here?

“Sightseeing the mansion is important, but first rest from your journey today. Heather looks like she’ll collapse if she doesn’t get to bed right now.”

Ah, right, Heather.

At the voice cutting through her thoughts, Nerea hurriedly turned around. Heather, who had gotten out of the carriage with the coachman’s help, smiled with a pale face.

“I, I’m fine… Ah, I’m worried about making this kind of first impression.”

Seeing Heather who had suffered from motion sickness throughout the carriage journey, Nerea immediately headed for the entrance. There were two people lined up in front of it. A butler with graying hair and a warm-looking head maid.

“Glory to the victory of Castarty. It is an honor to meet you, Countess Esteban. I am Kenneth Dolan, the butler of the Rosa County residence.”

“May you always be filled with happiness. I am Martha Glynn, the head maid.”

About to say it was nice to meet them, Nerea paused for a moment.

They were clearly people she was seeing for the first time, but their eyes were strangely moist. Noticing Nerea’s gaze, Martha turned her head first.

“I, I apologize. It seems I’ve developed a flower allergy with age that wasn’t there before, so I’m like this every spring.”

Her voice seemed to tremble somewhere, but Nerea thought that must be it.

“I’ll show the Countess to her room, so please guide Miss Heather to her room.”

“Yes, Countess.”

As Kenneth bowed his head, Martha supported Heather. Heather smiled weakly and bowed briefly to Nerea.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing, Miss Wilkinson. This way, please.”

Wilkinson? Once again, Nerea looked at Martha. Martha, supporting the stumbling Heather, gradually moved away.

“Don’t worry about Heather. The mansion has many good remedies for motion sickness.”

Alejandro smiled at Nerea. Had he already told them about Heather?

The walk to the room was long. She hadn’t noticed from outside the high walls, but it was an elegant and beautiful mansion.

Was it her imagination that it somehow had the warm feeling unique to Baron Jenax’s house? Nerea reflexively counted the number of servants.

One in the long corridor, and another on the stairs.

It was strange that there were so few servants compared to the large size. Noticing Nerea’s gaze, Alejandro said,

“We’ve kept only those who can keep their mouths shut as much as possible. It’s still a secret that you’ve entered the islands, sir.”

Sensitive fellow.

Nerea swallowed a bitter smile.

The word “secret” was laughable. In reality, it was because she hadn’t yet found a solution for how to take control of the countship.

The articles she had read on the way to the islands once again swirled in her head.

−Love of the century. The hidden good deeds of the Crown Prince and Princess. From visiting orphanages to donations

−Acting Count Gabe Esteban. Large support in favor of the Crown Princess’s good deeds

−His Majesty the Emperor. Personal letter of encouragement to the border Grand Duchy of Valere. Concern for the suffering people.

While she had let ten years slip by, her father, though only Acting Count in name, had built a perfect support base as a nobleman. And Brianna had established herself as the beloved Crown Princess of Castarty.

In this situation, even if she claimed her body was fine, it was clear that her father, Helen, and even Brianna would accuse her of lying.

The Emperor was also unlikely to take her side. Nerea clearly remembered the look in the Emperor’s eyes when he saw her at the victory banquet.

The Emperor’s eyes, which she thought would at least weigh between her and her father, were more ruthless than ever.

Even after that, countless requests for an audience from the fallen knight Nerea Esteban were never granted.

As if a card that had lost its sweetness had served its purpose.

How could she regain the countship in this situation? How could she reclaim what was taken from her? And how far should she consider her enemies?

As these complicated thoughts rippled and slowly began to consume Nerea.

“This is your room, sir,”

Alejandro, who had been quiet while walking down the corridor, stopped in front of a room and slowly opened the door.

No matter how it was decorated, she would like it. But…

The moment she saw the room, Nerea unconsciously held her breath.

She stared at the room for a long time, unable to believe it. Then she blurted out one word.

“…It’s my room.”

The room of the heir to the Esteban County.

It felt like if she took even one step onto the plush rug, a bubble-like membrane would burst and instantly transport her to that place in the past. Not just the bed and curtains, but even the delicate patterns on the bedding of the Esteban County. Everything was similar.

It was then.

“Countess. Have you arrived?”

Startled by the sudden voice, Nerea looked to the side with slight surprise.

It was Johnny.

“I apologize. I should have greeted you at the entrance, but something came up for a moment.”

Then he hurriedly whispered to Alejandro, unable to hide his flustered face. For a moment, irritation flashed across Alejandro’s face as he listened quietly.

“Would you like to go in first? I’ll be back soon.”

Entering the room was thus unintentional. Alone in the room after closing the door, Nerea unconsciously approached the bed and checked underneath. And she smiled a little.

If there had been only hair under the bed, she would have really thought it was her room.

Ah. Have they cleaned it up now?

Once she approached, she gained courage. Nerea gently stroked the bedding. She could feel the delicate texture of the embroidery at her fingertips. All of this was really her room.

Knock knock−. There was a knocking sound.

“Come in.”

She naturally thought it would be Alejandro, but the one who opened the door was a woman she had never seen before.

“Glory to the victory of Castarty.”

The woman entered the room with graceful movements as if sliding and paid her respects. Her waxy blonde hair poured down like a waterfall below her shoulders.

After pondering for a long time, the woman who had casually set foot in the place Nerea had entered, raised herself slowly after paying her respects.

The gorgeously beautiful face smiled brightly and introduced herself.

“I am Grace Lancaster of the Lancaster Baronial family. As the vice guild master of the Rosa Merchant Guild, I came to see Alejandro, no, the guild master, and heard that the hero had arrived.”

To call him by name. They must be close, Nerea thought as she said her own name.

“I am Nerea Esteban.”