The moment their blades collided, Andy felt the shock reverberate through his wrist.

He clicked his tongue and muttered.

‘I’m lacking in strength.’

Andy used the recoil of the impact to flip backward in midair.

As the world turned upside down, he caught sight of something.

‘Huh?’

Landing on the ground, Andy looked up.

At the same time, Russell lifted his gaze and met Cecilia’s eyes.

His expression wavered.

For a brief moment, he wondered if he was seeing things.

A quick glance around confirmed that Harrison was standing in the distance.

Harrison gave him a small nod.

Russell looked up again.

In that short moment, she had disappeared.

Without hesitation, he turned toward Harrison and walked over.

 

❖ ❖ ❖

 

Cecilia was left alone in the room the hunter had guided her to.

It wasn’t quite a drawing room—there wasn’t even a sofa, just a table and a few chairs.

‘I should thank him.’

She paced the room, thinking about what she should say when she saw him.

‘Should I apologize first?’

What exactly did she need to apologize for?

For avoiding him?

For snapping at him when he brought her medicine?

The sound of the door opening startled her, and she turned her head.

Her eyes met Russell’s as he stepped inside.

Russell walked toward her slowly.

“Are you mad at me?”

The words that suddenly escaped her lips were neither thanks nor an apology.

She silently berated herself.

‘Why am I like this?’

Russell smiled.

“Not at all.”

He took a bold step forward, reached out, and pulled her into his arms.

Then, he kissed her.

As he pulled away, he asked,

“Are you mad at me?”

Cecilia stared at him for a moment before shaking her head.

Then, she reached out and embraced him.

“Not at all.”

She liked the firm pressure of his arms around her.

Even though they weren’t looking at each other’s faces, it felt like this was the first time today she was truly facing him.

“I have this… odd habit. Instead of expressing my emotions properly, I just lash out.”

The older she got, the more she became aware of how alone she was.

Even when people flattered her, she never accepted their words as genuine deep down. And so, she had become defensive, shielding herself from others.

Her emotional volatility, born from anxiety, was something she could never change.

Because she had been anxious her entire life.

“One day, you’ll get angry at me.”

“That goes both ways. One day, you’ll get angry at me too.”

Cecilia loosened her arms and looked up at him.

“Why would I?”

“Because, unless you’re a stranger, it’s impossible to never get angry at someone for an entire lifetime.”

She blinked.

It sounded like nonsense, but somehow, it made sense.

“Cecilia, if you’re ever angry with me, just tell me. That’s all I ask.”

Cecilia gazed at him silently before slowly nodding.

—What do you want to do with this man?

That voice from her heart echoed again.

She still didn’t know.

But for the first time, she had the thought—

I want to do something.

 

❖ ❖ ❖

 

Late at night, a woman hurried down the dimly lit corridors of Lagos Castle.

She stopped in front of a door near the entrance to the first floor of the west wing and knocked.

A moment later, the door opened.

Richard, a knight of the Jericho Grand Duchy, greeted her with a sweet smile.

“Sera, my love.”

Sera smiled happily and threw herself into Richard’s embrace.

As they stepped inside, the door shut behind them.

But in the darkness of the corridor, unseen eyes had been watching.

.

.

“Sera?”

“Yes, Sir Hoffman. It seems they’ve been involved for some time.”

“Hmm.”

Hoffman rubbed his chin and gestured for the informant to leave.

Hoffman had memorized the identities of everyone residing in Lagos Castle.

However, unless they were particularly noteworthy, he didn’t know every detail about them.

He began searching through his documents.

“Sera, Sera… Here she is.”

Hoffman pulled out Sera’s personnel file.

 

—Sera. Hometown: Badgerwood Village. Age: 25. Arrived at Lagos Castle at 16.

 

She had volunteered to come when recruitment notices for castle servants were sent out to various villages.

A note in the record mentioned that she had twice caused disturbances due to engaging in relationships with multiple men at once.

The last such incident had been just last year.