She hadn’t heard anything from Count Dyke.

‘Not only that, but he didn’t even reply. That’s not like Father.’

Not asking for Riena’s opinion and responding with silence? That didn’t match the personality of the father she knew.

If it were Count Dyke, he would have asked for Riena’s opinion first. If she had agreed to accept the proposal, he would have seriously considered it, and if she had refused, he would have sent a polite refusal to the Belliard family.

But he did nothing?

‘It’s strange.’

Something was subtly off. That’s why Riena couldn’t simply accept Johannes’s kindness at face value.

She wasn’t doubting him. She just felt uncomfortable about accepting the proposal outright for some reason.

‘I guess there’s no other way.’

After swallowing the bread she had been chewing, Riena headed to the dressing room. Then she pulled out a luggage bag she had hidden deep in the closet.

As she packed only the bare essentials, carefully selecting and sorting, Joanna’s lips quivered.

“My lady, surely you’re not planning to run away…!”

“Shh.”

As Joanna’s voice grew louder towards the end, Riena quickly put her index finger to her lips. Joanna’s eyes widened as she covered her mouth with both hands and unnecessarily looked around the empty room.

“I can’t just sit here and marry Baron Rothman.”

Joanna hesitated before whispering.

“Then why don’t you accept Lord Belliard’s proposal?”

She continued, studying Riena’s expression.

“Even I, a maid living at the southern edge of the empire, know how famous Lord Belliard is. I’ve heard he’s handsome, kind-hearted, and admired by many young ladies. Also, the Belliard Viscount family is said to be prestigious and quite wealthy.”

“So?”

“So, are you really going to run away when such a person has come all this way to propose to you, saying he likes you? I don’t understand why you’re doing this, my lady.”

“Joanna.”

Riena interrupted Joanna’s words as she placed the luggage bag on the bed.

“Marriage is a serious matter. Aside from not knowing much about Lord Belliard, I can’t choose him just to avoid Baron Rothman.”

“But he proposed to you knowing everything, didn’t he?”

“I know. That’s why it can’t be done. I can’t use such a kind person. And…”

Riena started to speak without realizing it, then quickly closed her mouth. Joanna asked curiously.

“And what?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

She couldn’t bring herself to say that Johannes Belliard seemed somewhat suspicious. He was a man loved by everyone, and if she doubted his character, she would likely be the one criticized instead.

But still…

“Anyway, don’t involve Lord Belliard in this matter.”

Joanna sighed, “Eh.”

“Then where are you planning to go? You don’t have anywhere to stay.”

“Raoul is currently in the Berna territory. I’ll go to the Berna estate first and seek Raoul’s help to find my aunt in the capital.”

“But you couldn’t send a letter.”

Riena replied resolutely as she closed the luggage bag.

“That’s why I’m going to the Berna estate in person. I’ll meet Raoul there and ask for help. Raoul will listen to me, so don’t worry.”

Riena never once thought that Raoul would refuse her request. They had been that kind of friends since childhood. A relationship where they helped each other like siblings.

However, Joanna still looked doubtful.

“But it takes a day by carriage from here to the Berna estate. How are you going to get there alone…”

Riena lowered her voice as if whispering a secret.

“Uncle Ben will help me.”

Ben was a long-time stable keeper and coachman for the Dyke family.

He had always been friendly to Riena, saying she resembled his deceased niece, and even after Count Dyke’s death, he still cared for her. Seeing that his attitude hadn’t changed, Riena was convinced that she could trust him.

She would take a carriage driven by coachman Ben to get to the village first, then switch to another carriage in the village. The people of the estate were favorable towards Riena, so they would all work together to hide her.

If she could just get to the Berna estate and meet Raoul, things should go smoothly from there.

But can I really do this well? Contrary to her confident words, Riena was overwhelmed by an inexplicable anxiety. She didn’t know if Ben would really help her, and even if he did, she might be caught by people sent by her stepmother before that.

Suddenly feeling a chill, Riena rubbed her arms and looked out the window. The sky, which had been dark since morning, was filled with black clouds that looked ready to pour rain at any moment.

There were such dark clouds on the day Father passed away too. To suppress the anxiety creeping up from the depths of her heart, Riena decided to focus on positive thoughts as much as possible.

The vast fields where she used to ride horses in spring, the comfortable meal times with her father, her mother’s portrait that she would secretly look at whenever she felt down.

Thinking about the things she liked made her feel a little better. Riena forced a smile, lifting the corners of her mouth that kept trying to droop.

“It will be fine.”

She kept repeating those words to herself.

“It will be fine. When the morning sun rises, all your worries will disappear, Ria.”

Those were the words her father would always say like a spell to her whenever she was afraid of the rain.

Fortunately, coachman Ben sided with Riena. At dawn, he quietly prepared a two-horse carriage and helped Riena sneak out of the mansion.

“My lady, I will personally drive you to the Baron Berna’s mansion.”

Riena shook her head as she handed him the luggage.

“We’ll be caught if you do that. It takes two days to go to and from Baron Berna’s mansion, and you can’t leave the estate empty for that long.”

Ben expressed his difficulty as he loaded the luggage.

“But I can’t send you alone.”

“Joanna is with me. And the people of the estate will help, so don’t worry too much.”

“But…”

“Instead of standing here like this, we need to leave quickly. Understood?”

Ben still looked unconvinced, but he obediently took Riena’s hand as she climbed into the carriage. Joanna, with her hood pulled up, looked around anxiously before following into the carriage.

Soon, the carriage departed. Riena gazed wistfully at the receding Dyke mansion.

‘When will I be able to come back?’

She had always known it was a place she would eventually leave. She had already been an adult for quite some time, and if she got married, she would naturally have to leave the estate.

However, she hadn’t expected to leave the mansion so suddenly, almost like running away. Since her relationship with her stepmother had completely soured, it might be a homeland she could never return to.

She had left many things there. All the memories she had made with her family since birth were there. If she had known this would happen, she would have cherished those memories more.

But Riena soon shook off her lingering attachment and closed the window. What she needed now was not to reminisce about the past, but to prepare for the future ahead.