At those words, I opened my eyes wide.

‘That’s right! Those people think I’m in a coma!’

They felt warmth on the bed, but with no one there, they naturally thought someone had moved me.

‘That’s the logical conclusion.’

But there was one blind spot.

“Nonsense. The opponent is a Sword Master. If he had sensed our presence, do you think he would have let us into the house like this?”

The fact that Cedar was not just any swordsman.

‘Right. Cedar would surely have sensed our presence. He’s someone who can clearly read even my tossing and turning in sleep inside the house.’

Then why couldn’t he sense these two people?

‘Could it be that he sensed them but didn’t move?’

As I said earlier, because it would be more beneficial for him if I died?

‘No way! That can’t be.’

I was praising Cedar as a good person just a moment ago, what terrible thoughts am I having now?

I shook my head to shake off the suspicion.

Just then, my long hair brushed against the drawer, making a tiny sound like a butterfly’s wing flap.

It was a small sound that an ordinary person wouldn’t even notice, but the assassins about to leave my room immediately turned their heads at the sound.

“…!”

Their sharp gazes focused on me without wavering.

They had accurately pinpointed my location just from that presence.

‘My hair, I should have cut it like Cedar said!’

To think that long hair would become such a hindrance.

Watching the assassins approach me, I bit my lip.

There was only one thing I could do now.

‘Magic!’

Just like I melted the lock earlier today, even a tiny spark would be enough to startle the assassins and create an opening.

But the moment I concentrated to use magic, a terrible pain gripped my heart.

“Ugh!”

My mana-depleted heart was screaming. I pressed both hands hard against my chest.

‘No! Because I used magic earlier…’

I had used up all the mana I thought I had gathered for so long to melt the lock!

Heat suddenly rose in my body, and sweat beaded on my forehead.

Groaning in pain, I lifted my eyes to look at the assassins approaching me.

Both had their faces covered up to their mouths with black cloth, with only their eyes exposed, still looking more like ghosts than humans.

But real ghosts wouldn’t have killing intent in their eyes.

“The duchess was right. She’s really alive.”

‘The duchess!’

My eyes flew open at those words. There was only one person who could be called the duchess.

Cedar’s mother.

‘Is she trying to kill me?’

I decided to maintain the contract marriage with Cedar because I didn’t want to die, but now I’m dying because of that?

My vision seemed to turn white. Watching me, the assassin raised his dagger.

“Then farewell.”

Now I don’t even have mana to use time-reversal magic!

As I clutched my aching heart and stared at the silver blade aimed at me, it happened.

Like heavy fog settling over a swamp, a weighty voice sounded from behind.

“How dare a rat enter my house.”

The assassin wasn’t even given time to turn around.

A large hand seemed to grab the assassin’s nape, dragging him into the darkness.

There were a few crunching sounds of something breaking, then the door slammed shut.

All of this happened in an instant.

Blinking my eyes, I awkwardly got up.

“Cedar?”

That voice just now was Cedar’s, right?

‘If it’s not Cedar…’

Could the assassins be acting to lure me out of the room?

Given the situation, all sorts of thoughts were running through my mind, but the room was so dark that I couldn’t make out my surroundings at all.

‘Even a tiny light would be good.’

Creating fire isn’t actually a difficult magic. When studying in the library, I always floated flames around at will.

That is, until now.

“Argh!”

Trying to use magic, I curled up like a pillbug at the surging pain.

Tears welled up. But what hurt me more than the heart pain was the sense of loss.

‘To think that I can’t even use this level of magic now.’

Tears suddenly flooded my eyes. Even though I knew this wasn’t the time to just sit and cry, I couldn’t endure the overwhelming emotions.

Just then, as familiar footsteps approached, a large hand gently caressed my face.

“Are you alright? Were you cut anywhere?”

At the familiar voice, even more tears flowed. I called his name in a choked voice.

“Cedar…”

At my call, the hand touching my face trembled slightly.

I couldn’t even see his face right in front of me due to the darkness, but it didn’t seem to hinder him at all as he picked me up just like before.

The hand patting my hunched back filled my chest with a sense of relief.

“I’m sorry for being late.”

“…Sob.”

Tears welled up without the strength to answer.

I tightly hugged Cedar’s shoulders and squeezed my eyes shut.

I couldn’t explain in one word why I was crying.

It was partly relief at escaping danger, and partly an explosion of the resentment that had built up now that someone I could rely on even a little had appeared.

Cedar didn’t find me annoying at all, gently soothing me as he carefully laid me down on the bed.

A little later, a warm shawl was wrapped around my shoulders, and with a click, the door closed and a small lamp was lit.

As if there had never been any assassins, Cedar sat down naturally in the chair next to the bed as always, placing the lamp on the side table and reaching out to me.

“Let me see.”

True to his impatient nature, his hand moved with his words. A warm hand grasped my foot.

It seemed he thought I had been sitting there earlier not to hide, but because I was hurt or something.

This was the first time someone else’s hands had held my feet, and my embarrassment instantly dried my tears and flushed my face to my ears. I tried to pull my foot away as I answered.

“I-I’m fine. Nothing happened.”

“If nothing happened, why were you crying so sadly?”

“Th-that was because I was scared, but seeing you made me relax.”

Even though I said I was fine, Cedar didn’t believe me and carefully examined both my hands and forehead.

Thanks to that, he came so close that I could hear his heartbeat.

Instead of the usual sharp forest scent, his chest carried a fresh yet savory smell like the earth after rain.

‘The scent of soil.’

Cedar must have been surprised too, as his heart was pounding.

But contrary to that, smelling his scent, my heart quickly regained stability.

I finally felt truly safe.

‘Come to think of it, my heart doesn’t hurt anymore.’

The heart that had been constantly aching like being pricked with needles since I tried to use magic no longer hurt.

‘Nothing has changed about the situation, so why has the pain in my heart subsided?’

I blinked in confusion. What was different from when I was being chased by the assassins earlier?

But my thoughts couldn’t continue for long.

Because Cedar discovered that my lower lip was split.

I had been biting it so much that a small wound had formed, but since it was on my lip, it bled a lot and looked like a big injury.

Cedar, who was already on edge, naturally made a fuss.

“Bear with the pain. Let me wipe the blood first… I’m not sure if we can put medicine on your lips.”

Since it’s medicine, wouldn’t it be okay to lick a little? I didn’t know either, so I couldn’t answer.

Cedar first took out a folded handkerchief and pressed it to my lip.

I didn’t even know I was bleeding, but a red spot instantly appeared on the handkerchief.

Even after wiping several times, it kept bleeding, so Cedar decided to press firmly on my lip to stop the bleeding.

But given the location, it was clearly difficult to apply pressure, and he looked troubled.

After fidgeting around a few times, he let out a long sigh and nagged.

“You could have used magic even if the house exploded. Aren’t you a great magician? How could you just take it? You’re too nice.”

Even if the house exploded? Hearing those words, I couldn’t stop the bitter smile that escaped.

Right, a great magician should be able to blow up a whole house with one spell.

That is, if I were a great magician in normal condition.

“It’s not because I’m nice.”

“What?”

“It’s not that I wanted to just take it…”

A sense of injustice welled up. In the past, I was certainly a great magician capable of using such grand magic.

Although offensive magic wasn’t my specialty, so I had never actually cast a spell to blow up a house.

‘All the magic spells are in my head!’

Dozens of magic incantations came to mind one after another.

So clearly that I could activate them simultaneously just by uttering short trigger words.

But I had no mana to activate that magic.

“Ugh!”

Once again, my heart twisted and a groan escaped my lips. Pain surged to the point of dizziness.

Was I sitting on the bed now? Or lying down?

‘My vision is swaying.’

No. It must be my body that’s swaying.

I slowly collapsed to the side.

Just before I could tumble to the floor, Cedar tightly embraced my shoulders.

“Nelly!”

What’s with that face?

‘It doesn’t suit you.’

Why does he look so urgent? What kind of relationship do we have? Actually, there’s no need to feel sorry.

No, since Cedar’s mother is the culprit, it’s this man’s fault when you think about it.

‘But I don’t hate him. It’s strange.’

A man who has never seemed normal since the first time we met.

Whether he embraced me or not, the scent of sharp forest mixed with the earthy smell I’d often smelled recently flowed into my nose.

‘It’s refreshing.’

His hands were much hotter than mine, but strangely, being in his arms brought a cool freshness like having a mouthful of mint.

The pain disappeared, and I simply fell into a peaceful sleep.