TNKBP~17

Chapter 17

The maids carrying baskets of laundry and the servants tending to the manor all went about their business as usual. No one seemed to notice that I was, quite literally, running away from home. Not a single person tried to stop me.

I hurried across the main hall, pushed open the front doors, and ran toward Bill, who was inspecting the carriage in the distance.

“Bill! Bill!”

“Miss…? Aren’t you supposed to be resting? And what on earth are you wearing…?”

Bill rubbed his eyes repeatedly, staring at me as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Ignoring his bewilderment, I rushed over and pulled open the carriage door.

“Take me to Martin’s estate. Quickly!”

“Why all of a sudden…? Well… all right. Please get in first.”

Patter. Pat.

Rain began to fall without warning.

Bill immediately opened the carriage door wider, shielding me from the rain as I climbed inside.

Even after taking his seat, he kept glancing at me through the rearview mirror, still looking utterly dumbfounded.

Fortunately, Marquis Rittberg hadn’t come charging out after me.

He was probably trying to give me time to think.

Though he likely hadn’t expected me to leave the estate altogether.

Once the engine started, Bill guided the carriage forward at a steady pace.

“Miss, I don’t know what happened, but even so… how could a young lady go out dressed like that?”

“It’s not pajamas. Though… I suppose it isn’t exactly proper outdoor attire either.”

After waking up that morning, I’d felt sticky and uncomfortable, so I had taken a shower and changed into a light dress I usually wore around the manor.

It wasn’t flimsy like sleepwear, and I had remembered to bring a coat. What was the problem?

Bill shook his head and shrugged.

“I’ll take you to Young Master Martin’s estate, but if His Lordship asks where you are, I will tell him.”

“That’s fine. Since he didn’t come after me immediately, I think Father wants to give me some time to think as well.”

“Did something happen?”

Meeting my gaze through the mirror, Bill asked carefully.

I turned toward the rain-speckled window and muttered,

“…I think Father is being too selfish. Sure, I agreed to it, but first he suddenly sent me here, then he told me to stay away from Martin. And now he wants us to return to the capital. So…”

I pressed my lips together.

Bill’s brows drooped sympathetically.

“You’re hurt.”

“I am. I thought Father would always be on my side, no matter what.”

Marquis Rittberg wasn’t my real father.

Yet from the moment we met, he had filled the empty place in my life where a father should have been.

The fact that I felt so disappointed in him was proof enough. It meant I genuinely considered him family.

As though he could read my troubled thoughts, Bill smiled gently.

“His Lordship was terribly worried. When he saw you collapsed in the back seat, his face turned even paler than usual.”

“…His face can get paler?”

“That’s how shocked he was. And if a daughter who normally returns home clean and cheerful suddenly comes back covered in wounds and dirt, what parent in the world wouldn’t worry?”

I nodded slowly.

I wanted to keep talking, but this was something that had to be resolved between Marquis Rittberg, Martin, and me.

Why was he so wary of Martin?

Why…?

I had always known Martin was full of secrets.

An unknown family name. A grand estate far larger than necessary. Impeccable shirts and an expensive fragrance that always lingered around him.

And then there was the strange contrast—his battered car and his stutter.

What is he, some abandoned crown prince?

The thought was so absurd that I let out a short laugh.

Because one of the few things I remembered from the novel suddenly surfaced in my mind.

The male lead of this story—the First Prince of the Empire—was a ruthless tyrant who tore apart anyone he found inconvenient.

Martin and that tyrant? Absolutely not. No way. Never.

When I thought of my Martin, I pictured someone entirely different.

Someone with a smile as warm as sunlight.

Someone calm and intelligent.

Someone whose ears turned red whenever our eyes happened to meet, before giving me an awkward, adorable smile.

He’s just a boy with a lot of secrets. I’ll wait until he’s ready to tell me himself.

Someday, when the time was right, he would explain everything.

Lost in thought, I soon found the familiar road unfolding outside the rain-streaked window.

Perhaps noticing how intently I was staring outside, Bill increased the carriage’s speed slightly.

The same gatekeeper who had greeted us before welcomed us once again.

The moment he saw the Rittberg crest, he opened the gates without asking a single question.

After driving all the way to the entrance, Bill stepped out first and opened my door, holding an umbrella over me.

“Miss, shall I wait here? Or…?”

“No, Bill. Please go back and tell Father where I am. He might… be worried.”

Bill lowered his head respectfully.

“Understood. At the moment, I’m the only one who knows your whereabouts. I’ll inform His Lordship immediately. When you’re ready to return, contact me. I’ll come at once.”

“All right. Thank you for indulging my selfishness.”

Bill retrieved a spare umbrella from the back of the carriage and handed it to me.

Then he stood outside, waving until I disappeared into the estate.

After returning his farewell, I hurried up the stairs and rang the bell beside the door.

The chime echoed faintly inside.

Moments later, Louis, the estate’s butler, appeared.

“Oh my… Miss, are you all right?”

“I’m sorry for visiting so suddenly.”

“My goodness. I don’t know whether someone as insignificant as myself is worthy of receiving an apology from someone so precious. Please, come inside. The master will be delighted.”

Louis welcomed me warmly.

As soon as he saw that I was safely inside, Bill drove away.

Louis led me into the mansion, and just as before, we climbed to the second floor together.

“Is… Martin doing okay?”

“Thanks to you, Miss. Truly, I don’t know how to express my gratitude.”

“N-No, really! I wasn’t expecting anything in return. It’s just… we’re friends, aren’t we? Of course I’d do that for him.”

A gentle smile appeared on Louis’s face.

“I’m grateful that someone like you is by his side, Miss. Thank you, for everything.”

His repeated expressions of gratitude left me fidgeting awkwardly with my hands.

Eventually, Louis guided me into a reception room.

“Please wait here. I’ll bring the master at once. Ah!”

After showing me to a seat, he walked over to a small cabinet and retrieved a soft blanket.

“This should help warm you up. It may be late summer, but since the estate is near the mountains, rainy days can be rather chilly.”

“Thank you, Louis. This will make waiting much more comfortable.”

Louis inclined his head politely and left the room.

As I looked around the reception room while waiting for Martin, a strange noise suddenly echoed through the walls.

“Huh?”

The sound didn’t come from the hallway.

Instead, the walls themselves seemed to tremble with heavy thuds, growing louder by the second.

For one ridiculous moment, I wondered if the entire mansion was about to collapse.

Then—

“L-Lindsay! It’s really… Lindsay!”

Martin burst through a hidden door concealed within the wall—the same door Louis had used earlier.

Bruises darkened his cheeks.

His lip was split.

The neatly combed golden hair that had once been swept back now hung loose across his face from running.

“Martin!”

“Lindsay…! How did you…? Ah…”

He stared at me, looking completely at a loss.

Then, without warning, he strode forward and wrapped me tightly in his arms.

“Ah…”

“The last time I saw you… y-you were lying unconscious in that bed… I was so worried. No one would tell me anything about your condition…”

Realizing he was rambling, Martin abruptly fell silent.

Instead, he tightened his arms around me even more.

“M-Martin… I can’t breathe…”

“I’m just glad you’re safe. Truly.”

His soft voice brushed against my ear.

Ah.

Maybe it was a good thing he was hugging me right now.

Because if he wasn’t, he would have seen my face—

red as a blooming rose.