The fight between Reinhardt and Fernando continued fiercely in the room. Without using swords, they didn’t hesitate to throw punches at each other’s faces, disregarding each other’s status.

“Stop it!”

Etienne’s attempt to intervene seemed unheard by the two men. The fight showed no signs of stopping as it escalated.

Fernando’s foot flew towards Reinhardt’s side. While calmly avoiding his threatening move, Reinhardt accidentally kicked a flower vase, sending it crashing into pieces against the wall. The sharp sound startled Etienne, who instinctively covered her head and crouched down. Although the vase didn’t fly in her direction, the sharp noise frightened her.

“Please, stop, stop!”

Despite Etienne’s terrified plea, Reinhardt and Fernando continued exchanging punches and kicks. The sturdy curtain fell, and the sofa overturned.

“This can’t go on.”

Lowering the hand that covered her head, Etienne murmured. The room had been in chaos as if someone should have intervened long ago. Moreover, the relentless punches and kicks from the two men were threatening and intense.

Uncertain if she could stop them, but with no other option, determined Etienne tightly clenched her fist and rushed towards them.

She might get hit by someone’s fist, but she hoped that even if it was just one blow from her, the fight would come to an end.
Despite the chaos, Etienne has not been harmed at all until now. Whenever it seemed that Reinhardt and Fernando would get close while fighting, they would, ironically, move away as if it were a lie.

So, it’s not as if they completely disregard her. Considering that one of their punches could knock her unconscious, Etienne quickly rushed in, arms wide open, towards them.

“Fernando, please stop… Aah!”

It happened when Etienne, with Reinhardt at her back, shouted towards Fernando. The sudden rush of wind towards her back caused her words to break, and a short scream followed.

There was no need to question who the owner of the arms embracing her waist was. Reinhardt was clear about it. However, the events leading up to it were unclear. It truly happened in an instant.

Fernando did not complete his punch towards Reinhardt, and Reinhardt, with Etienne in his arms, unexpectedly leaned backward.

Suddenly, a dull sound echoed, and the identity of that sound remained unknown.

“…Ugh.”

Letting out a muffled groan, Etienne, with her eyes tightly closed, rolled with her body as it went along.

The dizzying sensation, as if the world were spinning, abruptly stopped, like a lie.

Slowly opening her eyes, Etienne looked at the now indistinct face of Fernando in front of her. Only now did she realize that it wasn’t darkness due to closed eyes but an absolute darkness as if someone had turned off the lights.

“Fernan…”

“Hush.”
Fernando raised his index finger to his lips, and Etienne obediently closed her mouth.

“But still, I want to know what happened.”

The room that was bright and spacious until just now, the prince’s room, now seemed to be in an unknown and cramped place. It was even dark. Etienne wondered where such a place could exist.

Fernando, leaning against the wall with his legs bent, had his knees touching Etienne’s. Although she wanted to adjust her position a bit to give him more space, it was not feasible.

Etienne, too, sat uncomfortably, barely placing her buttocks in the confined space.

At that moment, Reinhardt, who was behind them, whispered into Etienne’s ear.

“A secret passage connected to my room.”

Come to think of it, he had been embracing her all this time. Etienne turned her head to look at Reinhardt. Although his face was not clearly visible due to the darkness, he seemed to be smiling.

“Are you scared because it’s dark?”

It wasn’t scary, but the darkness wasn’t pleasant. Etienne hesitated about how to respond when she noticed Fernando searching through his embrace.

Then, with a tap, a small light emerged. Etienne looked curiously at the candle.

“So, Fernando took out a candle.”

Compared to the sunlight outside, it was a tiny and insignificant light, but it was sufficient to illuminate the cramped space.

Thanks to that, the surroundings began to look clearer than before.
The place where the three of them were crouching was a hemispherical space with nothing in it.

“It’s similar to the entrance of the secret passage. If we open the passage next to it, we can be more comfortable, but I don’t think there’s a need to do that.”

Reinhardt’s words implied that opening the passage was more complicated than not opening it.

“Let’s wait here for a moment and then leave.”

“What… What happened here?”

The immediate concern was not the location. The two men who had just been fighting seemed to have come here as if it were planned.

I couldn’t even be sure if I was dragged along between them or if the two of them had planned to bring me here.

“What happened is…”

Reinhardt paused, looking at Fernando. Etienne also turned her head along with him.

“Did Fernando and I understand each other?”

“Understand each other?”