When I pulled with all my might to open the twisted door, someone from behind wrapped their arm around mine.

“Be careful, you’ll hurt your hands.”

It was Lord Glentino.

The man effortlessly tore off the carriage door. Surprised by his strength, I hastily searched inside the carriage but found no one.

‘…Why is there no one here?’

My mind was foggy. Perhaps I had used up all my energy on the way here, and I couldn’t think straight.

Meanwhile, the man casually tossed aside the door he had removed. Then, taking out a handkerchief from somewhere — and I was a bit surprised in my daze that he had such a delicate touch — he grabbed my wrist and cleaned my hands, saying,

“Your sister must have known there was an assassination attempt against her.”

“Yes?”

My voice sounded incredibly stupid, even to my own ears. The man explained.

“She must have known the ambush would be around this path and sent a decoy carriage in her stead. Your sister is probably taking an alternate route to the palace by now.”

“Ah…”

I chuckled dryly and nodded. Then, after walking a few steps, my legs gave out, and I sat down.

I couldn’t quite describe how I felt. Leonie must have avoided assassination in the same way before my return as if she knew when and how the assassination attempts would occur.

…This also meant that she didn’t believe me.

Despite hearing my confession at dinner, she chose to avoid this path because of the warning from her close aide about an assassination attempt that was clearly commissioned by me.

Did Leonie ever hesitate? Did she still believe in me, in her sister, who claimed to have changed?

“….”

Unlikely.

What hurt more was the realization that her choice not to believe me was the right one. I had become a sister who even lied about her sincerity.

‘So foolish.’

At least before my return, I wasn’t a sister who lied to her sibling. We never hid our animosity, confronted and fought each other, poisoned each other, and hired assassins against each other, but we never lied. I thought that was our own way of dueling, our own code of honor.

So, I murmured absentmindedly,

“I… have become a coward, Lord Glentino.”

“Coward or not, if you’re done here, let’s go home.”

My tears receded in an instant.

“Yes?!”

I turned my head quickly while still sitting, but I saw no one. Then, suddenly, I was lifted up again. The man had come back behind me and helped me up. I found my footing on the ground, but a sharp pain shot through one foot.

The man must have noticed my grimace because he clicked his tongue.

“I should have known. Who sprints through the mountains in house slippers?”

Before I could respond, he lifted me up again. It wasn’t like I was bragging that he was strong, but he carried me as if I were a small dog…

He set me on his horse.

It looked like a racehorse, large and with glossy black fur. Of course, there was a saddle on the horse. The next moment, he handed me the reins while holding my slippers in his other hand—the slippers, which I had taken off at some point.

“It’s temperamental and doesn’t take well to strangers riding it.”

I realized he was talking about the horse I was on. But…

“It seems calm to me?”

The horse seemed rather docile, actually. I knew from my previous life experiences that horses could be quite challenging with their riders. That was how I knew the moment I got on it.

This horse was calm!

Proof of this was when I gently stroked its mane and nose, and the horse responded by sticking out its tongue to lick my hand.

“Hoo, look at that…”

Ignoring the man muttering about betrayal beside me, I sat up straight and continued to pet the horse.

“Let’s get going, Clippity-Clop.”

“What kind of weird name is that?”

“It’s just what I feel like calling it.”

As I was about to set off, the man silently sat behind me.

“Let’s go.”

…What?

“You’re riding with me?!”

I could feel the man’s chest against my back, his voice vibrating through me when he spoke. Despite his sardonic attitude, his voice was actually quite pleasant to listen to. With a shamelessly calm manner, he wrapped his arms around me and took hold of the reins.

“So, you want me to walk while the Lady rides the horse?”

“You could ride Thunderoot!”

“You mean Thunderbolt, and riding without a saddle is hard for me as well. You’re going to take my horse and leave me like this?”

After he had so casually put me onto the horse!

Glancing back, I saw Thunderoot looking somewhat miserable. It was like it was accusing me of abandoning it after bringing it all this way.

“Thunderoot… will it be able to follow?”

“If it wants to live, it’ll follow.”

Well… that was true.

“We’ll go slowly.”

The man reassured me. Speed wasn’t really my concern, but somehow, this little adventure seemed okay, so I quietly nodded in agreement.

* * *

Clippity-Clop really did walk slowly, and Thunderoot was following well from behind.

I could feel the man’s breath on the top of my head. Holding hands with my fiancé Arnold was always oddly unpleasant, yet being this close to his brother didn’t bother me at all. In fact, it made my heart flutter just the right amount.

The posture, with the man’s chest against my back, gave a sense of stability.

As we both held the reins and the horse swayed slightly, we bumped into each other, but it wasn’t unpleasant except for the increasing awareness of something long and hard pressing against my buttocks.

‘Arnold never showed much even in tight pants, but this man, what, does it extend down to his thigh?!

I resisted the urge to fan my face. Focusing on it would only be my loss.

To distract myself, I began observing the black horse we were riding. Hanging on Clippity-Clop’s saddle was the paper bag I had seen earlier, with my slippers and the extinguished torch carelessly stuffed inside. I remembered what I was curious about before and asked.

“Where were you heading, Lord? In the middle of the night, perhaps to a secret lover?”

“There’s no such person.”

For such a man to have no lover seemed a loss for the empire.

Regardless, the man didn’t tell me his destination, leaving me to speculate on my own. The items in the bag suggested he stopped in the capital’s shopping district. Why would a man of his status, capable of sending servants, personally go out at such a suspiciously late hour?

I tried to sneak a peek inside the bag without appearing too interested but was quickly stopped.

“It’s dangerous to move around on the horse.”

Sheesh.

But I did see it. My slippers, a torch, a cube toy suitable for children, a fountain pen for kids, and a colorful notebook.

‘…Huh?’

All items seemed meant for a child. However, as far as I knew, the Duchy had only three grown brothers. And considering the age appropriate for such items, no one fitted the profile: the eldest son was unmarried, my fiancé was the second son, and the youngest had just married… so who in the Duchy would use these items?

‘Forget it. Let’s not delve too deeply into someone else’s business.’

Especially about someone I had no dealings with before my return.

I quickly shelved the thought.

* * *

Soon, Clippity-Clop had traversed the mountainous area. Seeing the familiar streets I had grown up with, I finally felt a bit of tension release.

Nothing was really resolved, but… on one side, there was nothing bad about it either.

Even though my sister might feel a greater sense of betrayal towards me now than before my return, at least she was alive.

In addition, having returned young and healthy, I’ve gained another chance to start over. I got to see Popo again, and I was riding home on the horse of the eldest son of the Duchy, a man I had no particular connection with before my return.

“It’s nice.”

The words slipped out without thinking.

“Excuse me?”

“Just being alive.”

“You don’t seem to value your life much for someone who says that.”

The man’s tone was still tinged with sarcasm. Just when I was getting a bit sentimental, I was aware that it was reckless of me to try crossing the mountainous terrain on horseback without any preparation. Maybe I got a little too excited after I returned.

I mumbled, then added as if to justify.

“It was… an emergency. My sister could have died.”

“….”

If this man knew, if he knew how many times I’ve sent assassins after Leonie, he’d probably be shocked. He might even accuse me of hypocrisy. Still, at this point, it hardly mattered. And strangely, I had a feeling he wouldn’t care much about such things.

The man remained silent for a long while.

I was getting sleepy.

Thinking about it, I had overexerted myself today. Riding a horse without any muscle strength left my thighs aching and my buttocks sore, and the weather was a bit chilly.

Blink, blink.

While I struggled to keep my head up as sleep threatened to take over, a low voice from behind me spoke.

“Instead of worrying about your sister, who’s surrounded by layers of guards, maybe take some care of yourself.”

“I have… one too, Howie.”

Ah. I shouldn’t have said that, but my sleep-soaked brain betrayed my better judgment.

“Who?”

__