‘Where on earth did he go in the middle of this night?’

Melly returned to her quarters, tilting her head.

Oz happened to be there. As she was tidying up the bedding, she noticed Melly and asked.

“Where have you been?”

“Oh, just briefly to see Edric.”

“Oh my.”

Oz said with an apologetic face, as if she should have told her earlier.

“He’s not here right now. He went out night hunting. With Wilson.”

Wilson was a page two years younger than Melly, who Edric often used as an errand boy because he was diligent and had good stamina.

Anyway, night hunting. Night hunting meant…

“It seems like he has something complicated on his mind.”

Oz said.

Yes. Edric usually went night hunting when he had something complex or troubling on his mind.

When he returned, his face would be much brighter,

‘It’s all resolved, Melly. I’m fine now.’

…he would say with a smile.

Suddenly, Melly’s expression darkened drastically.

She worried that she too might be neatly sorted out through night hunting.

“Um…”

Oz cautiously began, temporarily breaking Melly’s reverie.

“Rena overheard in Madam’s room earlier today.”

“…?”

“His Grace the Duke, well, he broke off the engagement.”

“Ah…”

Melly smiled bitterly.

Seeing that Melly wasn’t very surprised, Oz nodded as if she had expected it and said.

“So you already knew. Did His Grace tell you?”

“…Yes.”

“Well, of course. You two are the closest of friends, so it’s natural there are no secrets between you.”

The closest of friends.

Melly sighed without realizing it.

‘That’s over now. Like many friends who become awkward after sharing their bodies, we’ll end up the same way.’

“Then you must know that Madam left the house because of it?”

“She… left the house?”

That was news to her.

As Melly’s eyes widened, Oz asked with a surprised face.

“Oh, you didn’t know?”

“…”

“She was furious that the Duke broke off the engagement on his own, so she packed her bags and left right away. To her younger brother’s house in the Loren region.”

“…”

Melly had completely forgotten about Lady Pelton, being so preoccupied with the matter of Edric.

‘I even persuaded my mother to marry you.’

He hadn’t persuaded his mother, he had just made her give up.

The Dowager Duchess must have been livid.

Even if she had loved Melly like her own daughter, she would have been reluctant about her marrying her own son, let alone Melly being in the position of an unwanted outsider. How shocked she must have been.

Melly felt the courage she had barely mustered up dissipating again.

Eida Pelton had always been a difficult person for Melly.

She thought it was because of the walls in her own heart that she found her difficult, but looking back now, the door that the lady had closed also played a part.

No, her door was even more solid and cold.

Like a massive glacier that one wouldn’t even dare to touch.

Melly’s heart grew so heavy that she almost thought it might be better in many ways if Edric sorted out his feelings at the hunting grounds.

“Are you not feeling well? Shall I bring you a glass of wine?”

Oz offered, seeing Melly’s darkened expression.

She didn’t refuse.

“Please do.”

Though Melly was better than anyone at waiting patiently, right now she felt she couldn’t endure without the aid of alcohol.

Lightning split the sky, illuminating the room as bright as day.

The following thunder was tremendous, as if it would split the world in half.

It seemed as if nature was angry.

Melly had been particularly afraid of thunder and lightning since childhood. It was because her good-for-nothing father would return home heavily drunk on such nights.

‘Go to your room.’

Her mother would command with dignity every time. Melly would obey and stay in her room until her father left again.

The escalating voices of her parents and the sound of things breaking made young Melly tremble in fear.

But even after her father passed away and there was no longer any reason for her parents to fight, Melly would still cower in fear on days when there was thunder and lightning.

Her trauma seemed likely to repeat until thunder and lightning disappeared from this world. However.

“Why hasn’t he come back yet?”

At this moment, worry took precedence over trauma.

Edric, who had gone hunting, had not yet returned.

Melly had been standing by the window, staring blankly beyond the forest swaying in the wind and rain, but she hadn’t seen even a glimpse of Edric’s clothes.

‘Could something have happened?’

…she thought, but.

‘No, that’s impossible.’

Edric was a hunting prodigy.

He was the man who monopolized the wins at the annual royal hunting competition.

No one ever returned with more game than him.

So, surely now he must be waiting out the rain in some tavern, having a drink.

But the ominous thoughts that kept creeping in continued to torment Melly.

Her nails were crushed and torn between her teeth.

‘This won’t do.’

She thought it might be better to go downstairs and wait. She would be able to see Edric return first that way.

As she was pacing between the living room and the entrance for a while, Oz, who was a light sleeper, came out rubbing her eyes. She asked.

“Oh, Miss. Why are you still up and what are you doing here?”

“Oh, Edric hasn’t come back yet.”

“Miss, you’re too devoted in your friendship. I’m sure he’ll come back just fine on his own.”

Oz was viewing this situation quite innocently.

“Do you have something you want to tell him? If so, tell me. I’ll pass it on.”

Oz approached with sparkling eyes, as if she would relay any message exactly.

Melly, of course, had no intention of using her as a messenger.

“No, it’s… it’s fine. I’ll tell him myself later…”

She spoke awkwardly and was about to turn away. At that moment, a sudden splashing sound came from the entrance.

Melly and Oz’s gazes simultaneously turned in that direction. Without a lamp, only a silhouette was visible, not the face.

It wasn’t Edric. The figure was much smaller and slimmer.

“Wilson?”

Oz called out to him. But Melly had recognized him before Oz called. He was the page boy Edric had taken with him.

As he came closer, his appearance became a bit clearer than when he was far away.

He was soaked with rainwater.

“Oh dear, Wilson. You’re drenched. Didn’t you take an umbrella?”

“No…”

Wilson was shivering, probably from the cold. Feeling sorry for him, Oz forgot about more important matters and headed towards the laundry room.

“Wait a moment. I’ll quickly fetch you a towel.”

But Melly wasn’t Oz. Melly didn’t forget the important thing.

“Did you come alone? Where’s Edric?”

“Well, about that…”

At that moment, another lightning bolt split the sky, illuminating the lobby brighter than any lamp.

And so Melly could clearly see.

That one sleeve of his shirt was stained red.

“Are you hurt?”

“Ah, yes. A little…”

But something felt off.

Melly approached Wilson.

Then, before he could say anything, she rolled up his rain-soaked sleeve.

There was no wound. So it wasn’t his blood.

“What happened? Whose blood is this?”

His hesitation to answer immediately made Melly even more anxious.

“Where is Edric? Tell me quickly, Wilson.”

Wilson flinched at the usually timid lady’s pressing tone.

“Well, actually…”

He hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“His Grace is at the hospital.”

“…Hospital?”

“He was injured a bit.”

Melly felt her mind going blank. It felt like blood was rapidly draining from her head. As she staggered momentarily from dizziness, Wilson caught her.

“I’m fine.”

Melly pushed him away. She didn’t want to rely on anyone right now.

Wilson furrowed his brows in concern and said,

“We had incredibly good luck and caught a lot of game, but at the very end… Right when it started pouring rain, of all things a wild boar appeared and His Grace…”

“Which hospital?”

Melly interrupted Wilson’s explanation to ask.

Wilson looked at her in disbelief and asked back,

“Are you… planning to go now? In this heavy rain? Please don’t, wait until tomorrow and I’ll…”

“I asked which hospital!”

Melly’s eyes flashed as if she might devour her opponent.

Faced with her rarely seen fierce and desperate look, Wilson couldn’t help but answer.

“Pelton General Hospital. But…”

Wilson continued, trying to stop Melly as she was about to leave her spot.

“The stables are closed now, and the coachman will be asleep. Besides, His Grace said not to tell anyone…”

“Let go.”

Wilson hadn’t realized he was holding Melly’s wrist until she said those words.

“I’m… I’m sorry.”

He jumped back in surprise.

“Thank you for telling me, Wilson. I’ll handle it from here.”

Melly simply said that and started walking.

She knew well that at this late hour, no one would be willing to drive a carriage at her request.

But she couldn’t just sit still.

If no one would provide her with a carriage, she planned to ride a horse.

She never thought she’d use the horseback riding skills Edric had taught her from time to time like this, but Melly felt greatly comforted by the fact that the situation wasn’t entirely hopeless.

Fortunately, the horse Wilson had ridden was still awake, and Melly saddled and bridled it herself before stepping into the stirrup and mounting.

Rainwater plastered her bangs to her forehead.

Her white blouse became flesh-colored, and her skirt kept tangling around her feet.

It was a bitterly cold autumn rain.

Yet the rain trailing down her cheeks felt uniquely warm.

Perhaps because it wasn’t just rainwater…