Chapter – 27
“The errand runners hired by Baron Adrian have been surveying this area.”
“Yes. And not long ago, high-ranking priests from the temple visited the Earth Foundation.”
“…The temple’s involvement must be part of the young lady’s plan. Do not interfere.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Bihan was keeping watch over the slums. If the baron’s men were investigating the eastern slums, it would be because of Eclat—and if things went wrong, it could affect Rosemary or the Earth Foundation, both of which were deeply involved there.
“What I can do is….”
So little. All he could do was make sure no harm came to her.
To Bihan, Eclat Adrian was someone he had to help. Ever since the moment at the debutante ball when Eclat had stood in front of him, he had carried a weight in his heart whose heaviness he couldn’t quite measure. Eclat never hesitated to accept his help. He would apologize, but he never refused it. In fact, that made things easier for Bihan.
But Rosemary was different. More than anyone, he wanted to help her—wanted to stand by her side. But without her permission, he couldn’t help her recklessly, nor could he even stand behind her.
“Your Grace.”
Bihan turned his head toward Kael, his brow furrowing.
“Didn’t I tell you to keep an eye on Eclat, Kael?”
“I left a subordinate with him. I came to report urgently. Sir Eclat left the estate after being summoned by His Highness the Crown Prince.”
That wasn’t unusual. The commander of Delua’s knight order often came personally to see Eclat, and the Crown Prince disliked the Kaisers Estate, preferring to summon Eclat outside instead.
“Then he must have found something unusual, Kael.”
“Yes. He summoned Sir Eclat to the Temple of Light.”
“…That is certainly strange.”
No one suited the temple more than the Crown Prince—but just as much, there was no one who avoided the temple more than he did.
“And more importantly… this truly was a coincidence. I only learned because our paths happened to overlap. Ever since your last order, I have not been watching Lady Liotium.”
“…”
“Lady Liotium is also at the Temple of Light.”
Bihan narrowed his eyes, then nodded slowly.
‘Rosemary, the Crown Prince, and Eclat—all at the temple. Is that really a coincidence?’
“…Keep watch until Eclat meets the Crown Prince.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Eclat Adrian had a tendency to become entangled in incidents. If he ended up in the same place as Rosemary, she might get dragged in as well.
Some time later, as Bihan stood atop a two-story house whose stone frame was all that remained, his gaze finally caught the group he had been searching for.
“Found them.”
Thanks to Rosemary, he had learned this while watching the slums—but the slums were one of the quietest places in the capital. That was why movements like this stood out so clearly. Did those fools even realize that?
“Michel. Those are Baron Adrian’s errand runners. Follow them.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
If he couldn’t help her directly, then he would simply crush the danger before it could reach her.
And so Bihan headed toward the abandoned house the baron’s men had entered—without knowing what kind of house it was.
*
“…Why are you here?”
“That’s what I’d like to ask. You were supposed to be—”
Bihan stopped mid-sentence, pressing his lips together.
According to the original story, the person who should be here was Eclat. In this incident, Bihan Kaisers’ role was to arrive only after Eclat had vanished in terror, desperately searching for him while refusing to believe in his death—not to save him.
“…”
“…”
An odd silence lingered between them. He couldn’t know how I had chosen this one house among so many, and I couldn’t understand why he had deviated from his assigned role—why he was here instead of Eclat.
Was the fire incident not today? Had my judgment been hasty?
“Rosemary.”
“…For now, this place isn’t safe. Let’s go back.”
“You knew?”
“Knew what?”
“That Baron Adrian was watching the slums.”
“…The baron’s errand runners were sloppy enough that even an ordinary foundation noticed. That’s all.”
“Do you also know why the baron is interested in this place?”
I pressed my lips shut. The Crown Prince had learned that there was something between Eclat and me. Had he shared that with Bihan? Could this be a trap set by the protagonists? From their perspective, I was more than suspicious enough.
“…Baron Adrian’s eldest son—Eclat Adrian.”
“…”
“I know he’s from here.”
“How did you—”
“I know many people in the slums. And since I run charitable work here, it would be stranger if I didn’t know.”
“Then this house is—”
“Did you come here without knowing?”
“I followed the baron’s errand runners here.”
“According to the information I have, this is the house where Eclat Adrian lived.”
“May I ask how you know that?”
“…This land also belongs to the foundation. Wouldn’t it be natural for me to know the story tied to this house?”
In the original story, Bihan Kaisers had little interest in the eastern slums before this incident. But because of the Earth Foundation—and me—points of contact formed between Bihan and the eastern slums. That was why he had arrived here earlier than he was supposed to.
Then what happens if Bihan is already here, before the stage of the incident is set? What if Eclat gets abducted somewhere else instead? Then the place where the fire breaks out would also—
“Rosemary?”
“Do you know what the errand runners were doing here?”
“My subordinates are chasing them now. They ran off before they could do anything—”
“…Then what about Eclat?”
“The reason you rushed here… was it to find Eclat, Rosemary?”
“Eclat is in danger.”
“…”
“There might be a fire. And if that happens, the slums—”
“Lady Marie!”
“Miss!”
Before I could finish, voices calling for me came from outside. Stepping through the wide-open door, I saw lanterns lighting up the slums as darkness began to fall.
Not a fire—but lanterns—
“…Miss!”
“Rodel.”
“What were you thinking, being alone—”
Rodel froze when he spotted Bihan behind me.
“D-Duke…?”
I shook my head to reassure him, and once relieved, Rodel burst into a stream of anxious scolding.
“Miss, everyone was frantic looking for you. I told Mr. Lennon and rushed back, only to find the carriage empty, the coachman saying you’d tied your hair and run off, His Highness the Crown Prince searching for you, and over there we almost had a fire—”
“What did you just say?”
“Ah—His Highness and a young lord were urgently looking for you, saying you might be in danger and to head this way immediately—”
“No, not that. You said there was almost a fire?”
“Yes? Oh—while searching, we found a house that had caught fire. Luckily we found it before it spread, put it out quickly. It was abandoned, so there were no casualties.”
“…”
“You were nearby, Miss. If we’d been any later, it could’ve been a disaster. On a windy day like today, fires spread fast.”
The fire that would have swallowed the eastern slums, driven Eclat into despair, and forced him to flee.
“Ah—Miss, His Highness the Crown Prince is coming.”
The fire incident in the eastern slums—the one I had struggled so desperately to prevent—
“…”
The Crown Prince approached from a distance. And behind him walked another figure.
Eclat Adrian—who, in the original story, would have been sitting alone amid the burning slums, only to vanish from the capital when darkness fully fell.
“…Rosemary.”
I turned at the voice behind me. My eyes met Bihan’s, and beyond him lay the intact slums.
“…I protected it.”
“…”
“…I changed it.”
The wind blew. The knot of the scarf I’d hastily tied came undone, my hair scattering. As if he’d heard my murmur, Eclat slowly opened his mouth.
“…Lady Rosemary.”
“…Eclat.”
As we called each other’s names, I saw the Crown Prince frown behind Eclat, and heard Bihan clear his throat behind me.
I met Eclat’s eyes again. He looked different from the way he’d drawn a clear line at the masquerade ball. Which of these was his true self?
“I’m fine. And this place too… everything’s intact.”
His deep violet eyes shimmered with moisture. This was bad. It felt far too late now to draw a line and run away, pretending we wouldn’t get entangled again.
“…Are you okay?”
“…”
The question held many meanings. Was it fear that he could have changed things—but chose not to? That was the only thing that truly scared me.
An apology for changing the story despite his warning. Relief that everyone was safe. Concern over any wounds he might have suffered. All of it was packed into that single question.
After a long silence, Eclat stepped closer. The distance between us shrank to barely a single step. Only then did I notice the red scrape on his cheek.
“You changed it.”
“…If you hadn’t wanted it—”
“No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t change it. Not once. Not after all those times.”
“…”
“…As I thought, you really are—”
Eclat, who had been staring at me blankly, gave a faint smile and lowered his head.
“You really did protect everything.”
His voice was exhausted. Without thinking, I reached out. Just as my hand was about to touch the scrape on his pale cheek—
“Rosemary.”
“My lady.”
Bihan gently caught my hand and lowered it, while the Crown Prince stepped between Eclat and me. I blinked, finally realizing the situation.
Ah. I’d lost my mind.
“S-Sorry.”
“Sorry?”
“For what are you apologizing?”
“Well….”
…For almost touching your Eclat?
