The butler smiled lightly, as if telling Retin not to worry.

Upon this, the servant reluctantly stepped back. Although he was usually stubborn, when it came to matters concerning the young lady, there was no bending in his will. Trying to dissuade him was pointless, especially when it involved the young lady.

After the servant left with the broom, Retin continued to gaze at the main gate. He had been feeling strangely uneasy since earlier.

His heart kept pounding, and it seemed that seeing Miss Etienne would ease his mind.

Continuing to watch the main gate, something that Retin had hoped for happened. As the gate opened, a carriage entered.

He eagerly watched as the carriage approached, but at some point, he let out a sigh of disappointment.

The shape of the carriage was not what he had expected. At that moment when he confirmed that it belonged to another family, his attention turned back towards the main gate.
The carriage stopped in front of Butler Retin, and someone descended. She glanced around lightly and then directed her gaze towards the butler. Retin greeted her by bowing his waist.

“I am Claire’s butler, Retin.”

“I’ve come to meet Etienne.”

At Hanna’s straightforward words, Butler Retin was momentarily at a loss for words. Whether Hanna knew or not, he had only one answer he could give.

“The young lady has not arrived yet.”

“Still?”

Hanna asked with a puzzled expression, then fell into thought for a moment. Her plans to meet Etienne had gone awry.

“Could it be because of the explosion earlier?”

Hanna, hearing that Etienne had not yet arrived, naturally connected it to Fernand. Earlier at the gathering, Etienne had come with Fernand. She had thought they would return together.

“Did Sir Fernand bring Etienne?”

“Yes.”

This meant that Fernand might also be entangled in the earlier incident, unaware of the danger. Hanna’s expression turned serious.

Without hesitation, she got back into the carriage. As the coachman wielded the reins, the carriage quickly moved away. Watching the scene, the butler let out a long sigh.

He couldn’t ask why Joshua’s beloved came here. But now, he, too, was in a position of eagerly waiting for Etienne.

“Where on earth are you?”

Please come back safely.

The man who met eyes with Etienne knelt down on one knee and examined her. Since there didn’t seem to be any major injuries, it appeared that whatever he held in his hand might be the cause of her collapse.

“You’re not planning to stay here, are you?”

In response to his question, Etienne sighed and lowered her head. Naturally, she had no intention of staying here.

However, she couldn’t move. It was difficult even to utter a single word. Instead of a response, Etienne exhaled a labored breath.

“I’ll take that as a sign you want to leave.”

The man stood up again. He seemed like he might be calling someone, but instead, he took off his outer coat. Covering her body as if to conceal Etienne, he draped her with the coat.

“Even if it’s frustrating, endure it.”

Saying so, the man lifted her in his arms. Wrapped tightly in the coat, including the flowing red hair under his arm, he left for the opposite side of the alley where he had come from.

“You’re probably curious why I’m hiding you like this.”

To Etienne’s ears, it was a nonchalant voice, as usual. However, for some reason, it felt like he hesitated with each word he uttered.

“While searching for you, I saw others getting angry. So, I’m trying my best to hide you.”

Nevertheless, if the other party recognizes her, there’s nothing they can do, but the man wanted to hide Etienne as much as possible.

“If their interest in you deepens more than it is now, I don’t know what might happen.”
The man who emerged from the alley entered a building not far away. He climbed the stairs for quite some time. Due to the outer coat, Etienne couldn’t see anything and could only speculate about the outside situation.

He didn’t board the carriage but seemed to have entered somewhere. There was no way to block him.

Where on earth had he come to?

“But why did you do that?”

The door opened, and the creaking sound of an old latch was heard. Soon, a soft sensation was felt on the buttocks. Feeling like a bed, Etienne lay there.

When she sank into the soft bed, touching her back and shoulders, the outer coat that had obscured her vision disappeared.

“You said you would restore it later…”

The person who discovered her, covered her with the outer coat, and brought her here. Leharth leaned towards Etienne and tidied up the hair that had fallen forward.

“It’s not a house, and what if you stayed in that alley like that?”

The man chuckled.

“What would you do if I hadn’t picked you up?”

Picking up… At the absurd words, Etienne sighed, and Leharth pulled a blanket over her.

“We’ll discuss things later, so go to sleep for now.”

Leharth patted her on the blanket, seeming to know Etienne’s current condition.

“Sleep tight.”

Although chaos was outside right now, why was this man acting like this? That thought crossed her mind, but now… her eyes gently closed.