I reflexively hid quickly behind the largest nearby tree.

Then I carefully peeked out from behind the tree, making sure not to be seen, to observe the visitor who had arrived.

‘There shouldn’t be anyone coming to visit.’

Since I had awakened, no one had ever visited the mansion.

Cedar seemed more serious than me about maintaining my “dead” status, so unless I was really sick like this time, he would never call an outsider.

‘Then who could it be?’

Could it just be a passing carriage? Or someone who came to the wrong house?

Contrary to my guess, the carriage stopped precisely in front of the main gate. Since the garden was very small and the distance between the gate and the entrance was not far, I could clearly see the carriage that stopped in front of the house.

I frowned when I saw the seal depicting a huge roaring dragon.

‘House Granite?’

That seal definitely belonged to the Duke of Granite. In other words, Cedar’s family.

‘Did they come to bring Cedar’s belongings? Then I should probably go out to greet them.’

Cedar is the eldest son of the Duke of Granite.

As the future Duke of Granite, it was natural for someone to keep taking care of him even while he was staying in this small mansion.

In fact, the current situation where Cedar was taking care of all the cleaning and meals was strange.

‘But how many people can be told about the fact that I’ve woken up?’

Isn’t it okay to tell the family members? But last time, Cedar seemed displeased even just informing Jack, his subordinate, about the fact that I had awakened.

While I was confused, the servant who got out of the carriage shook the main gate.

At the rattling sound, I instinctively hunched my shoulders.

Fortunately, the gate was tightly locked, perhaps Hail had secured it well before leaving. A sigh of relief escaped involuntarily.

The servant approached the carriage and said,

“Madam, the gate is locked.”

‘Madam?’

Is there someone in the Granite ducal family who would be addressed as “Madam”?

While I was wondering, the carriage door opened and a woman slowly got out, holding the servant’s hand. I opened my eyes wide.

‘Wow, she’s beautiful.’

She was a beautiful noblewoman with shimmering, bright silver hair like clear water, and a face as white as snow.

Usually married women tie their hair up, but this person had her hair hanging long, so it was difficult to guess her age at first glance.

With plump lips and eyelashes so long that raindrops would probably collect on her eyebrows if it rained.

She wore a bright dress that accentuated her voluptuous figure, exposing her shoulders, and the sky-blue dress looked like waves, making her appear like a mermaid that had come up to land.

‘So this is what they mean by pure beauty.’

She was an extremely beautiful woman. Even my eyes, which usually weren’t very interested in others’ appearances, were wide open.

This beautiful woman, who looked like she could only appear in dreams, gracefully walked over and…

“Then break it down! Has this mansion’s gate been locked for just a day or two?”

She kicked the gate with a bang.

The gate rattled with a tremendous noise. I was startled and quickly hid behind the tree again. My heart was pounding.

‘Oh my, she’s fierce.’

Kicking like that with such high heels. Isn’t she afraid of breaking her ankle?

Still not satisfied, the woman kicked the gate several more times.

If I caught her eye, I felt like I might become the target of those kicks.

I crouched behind the tree, holding on tightly so that not even a thread would be visible.

Suddenly, I remembered what Cedar had said when we first set the rules for living together.

[If by any chance a guest comes, hide behind a curtain or something. They definitely won’t be welcome visitors.]

‘Right. Cedar did say something like that.’

But there are no curtains around here. Ah, hiding behind a tree is similar, right?

Clang! Clang!

“Eek!”

The sound of trying to break down the gate continued.

Fortunately, unlike before, they weren’t directly kicking it anymore, as the sound had changed to something a bit duller and heavier.

The woman’s shrill voice continued.

“Break it down quickly! Can’t you even do that properly?”

Cedar’s house really only gets scary visitors.

While I was thinking that, the sound of abusing the gate changed slightly.

Screech!

The sound became sharper and stranger.

Unable to resist, I peeked out from behind the tree to check, and saw that the servant who had been trying to physically do something to the gate until now was now poking at the door handle with a long iron rod.

I gaped at the sight that was no different from a thief’s actions.

‘But why are they trying to open someone else’s door so boldly? What will they do after they get in?’

A normal person would try to open the door and come in. So the conclusion was that they were not visitors.

There was no way they would do anything favorable to Cedar after breaking in or picking the lock of a locked door like that.

‘That can’t be allowed.’

While Cedar and I maintained our contract marriage, this house was my home too.

It was also the place where I would hide until the inheritance from my distant ancestor Periway was safely delivered to me.

‘Saying it’s my home means I have a duty to protect this house too.’

Fortunately, I had enough magic power gathered to use one or two small spells.

I glared at the lock and chanted a spell in a small voice.

“Melt away.”

It was a very small spell that wouldn’t have been anything special normally, but not now.

Feeling all the magic power in my body draining away, I felt dizzy and had to steady myself against the ground.

I could tell the spell had activated properly from the scream that rang out behind me.

“Ah, hot!”

The servant who had been trying to pick the lock with the iron rod screamed as his hand was burned.

‘Oh no! I didn’t think about the person.’

I wonder if he’s badly hurt. I nervously peeked at them with worried eyes.

Even though the servant had been injured while following her orders to open the gate, instead of worrying, the woman yelled and kicked the servant.

“You can’t even break one lock! You all need to be severely punished to come to your senses!”

While the woman was scolding the servant, the coachman who had quietly approached the lock cried out with a pale face.

“Madam! Something’s strange with the lock. It looks like it’s been melted and fused from the inside? There’s no keyhole at all.”

“What?”

The woman examined the lock while fuming. Of course there was no hole. I had melted it so it couldn’t be opened at all.

But it was natural to be suspicious since they had seen the iron rod poking into it until just now.

After rattling the lock herself, the woman brushed back her long hair and frowned.

“Ha! Cedar Granite, you madman. You think you can hide your wife like this?”

Those words pierced my ears like arrows.

‘Wife!’

Until now, I had thought their purpose for coming was to meet Cedar. But now she clearly said…

That he had hidden his wife like this.

It means I am their target.

‘They came to meet me? Why?’

Realizing that I was the target made goosebumps rise all over my body and my dizziness worsen.

‘Could it be someone sent by Diana?’

Even if not to kill me, she could have instigated someone else to send them to check if I was awake.

She’s the type who would do that and more.

If I had thought about it calmly, I would have realized it had nothing to do with Diana, but I was too mentally intimidated, so my thinking was narrowed.

‘What should I do? Should I open the door and pretend to have collapsed, or should I prevent them from entering altogether? But if I don’t let them in now, it seems they might try to climb over the wall next time.’

If they came in that way, I, being so dull, would have no way to notice their presence.

‘Ah, I feel like I’m going to be sick.’

My stomach churned and my head felt fuzzy. As I was biting my lips anxiously, a familiar voice resonated heavily.

“What are you doing here?”

Cedar had returned.

[This is the timeline separator]

Grisha could not forget the moment he first saw Nelly.

“Hello? Pretty one.”

Nelly Periway was a unique woman.

Perhaps due to lack of sleep, there were always dark circles under her eyes, and her wrists were so thin they could be mistaken for a child’s, likely from not eating properly.

Her golden hair was a noteworthy color, but because Nelly neglected it so much, it looked like a broom.

As the woman, wearing an oversized gown like a cloak that went far past her shoulders, waved her hand, the cuffs fluttered lifelessly.

Grisha frowned.

“Pretty one?”

“Because you are pretty.”

“……”

The House of Granite was a proud family of warriors.

In such a family, the word “pretty” was sometimes used as a negative jibe, contrary to its original meaning.

However, Nelly called Grisha “pretty one” without hesitation.

There was not a hint of negativity in her tone. She seemed to have no intention of mocking him.

‘Strange woman.’

Even magicians who had little interest in worldly affairs knew well about the House of Granite.

And who the second son was, who had been pushed out of the duke succession and entered the academy.

“My name is Grisha.”

“Grisha? That’s a pretty name too. I’m Nelly Periway.”

“……”

Even after he said his name, the reaction was the same.

It seemed that the various circumstances he carried did not reach the ears of this small woman before him.

Judging by her indifferent expression, it’s highly likely she heard but forgot.

With a face showing no interest, Nelly continued.

“Call me senior. No, is ‘elder sister’ more familiar for someone your age? Come to me whenever you’re in trouble.”

“When I’m in trouble?”

“When you’re lonely and feel like crying, or when you want to go home. At least I can be there for you.”

The woman looked tired. She was very small and seemed weak.

But she was kind.

Nelly was the first person to offer her company to Grisha without asking for anything in return.

“Gladly, elder sister.”

Grisha took her hand without hesitation.