It was not Etienne who bowed his head before her. Feeling both relief and disappointment, Shioana slowly began to speak.
"Viscount Conrad. I am fine."
"I will escort you safely to your home."
The market fell silent at the appearance of the Bernhard family soldiers led by Viscount Conrad.
Most people pretended not to know, fearing the fallout, and the man who had threatened Shioana was also begging with his hands clasped together.
"I made a mistake because I drank too much. Sir, if you forgive me just this once, this will never happen again."
"I know nothing about that. I just did as this person told me to."
The man, afraid of being dragged into an underground prison, insisted on his innocence even at the cost of betraying his friendship.
A faint smile appeared on Cedric's face as he looked down at the man who seemed to be remorseful. Seeing this, one of the men crawled forward on his knees.
"Sir, please have mercy."
"Very well. By order of His Excellency Duke Bernhard, I will show you mercy."
"Thank you. Thank you."
The men, who had been bowing so hard that their foreheads hit the ground, repeatedly expressed their gratitude.
As Cedric moved his hand after watching for a while, a soldier came and bound them.
"Why are you doing this? Please?"
"Take them away and put them in prison."
"Sir, aren't you wrong?"
As the man bound by ropes let out a cry, the Viscount replied as if annoyed.
"It is an act of mercy from His Excellency not to behead you scoundrels, right here."
"Sir! Sir!"
As the two men reeking of alcohol were dragged away, the Viscount reached out his hand.
"Duchess, let's go now."
"..."
"I will escort this person separately."
The Viscount had prepared two carriages, and Shioana said goodbye to Zero at the entrance of the market.
"I will prepare some medicinal herbs separately and send the medicine to your home. You must have been very shaken today, so please get plenty of rest."
"Please be careful on your way in."
All she had to do now was take the carriage Viscount Conrad had prepared and return home. However, Shioana could not easily take a step.
"I told you to quit, but did you keep someone watching over me?"
If it hadn't been for that, she would have been helplessly humiliated on a day like today, but she didn't feel very good.
“I’m sorry.”
When the Viscount bowed his head to apologize, Shioana shook her head.
"No, not at all. I survived thanks to you. I should be the one thanking you. However..."
She didn't know what to say about these complicated feelings. She really wanted to live completely unrelated to the Bernhard family.
'But at that moment, I thought of Etienne.'
It was an undeniable fact.
As always, she believed that the person who would save her would be the man with red eyes.
"Where is His Excellency?"
For the first time, he was unable to answer Shiosna's question. He merely swallowed a groan and avoided her gaze.
"Right, I don't need to know."
She scanned the surroundings as if looking for Etienne, who might be standing somewhere watching her. But she could not find the man with red eyes anywhere.
'It's a waste of time.'
Shioana got into the carriage as is, leaned back against the backrest, and closed her eyes tightly.
"...I was surprised."
Shioana gently rubbed her stomach, trying to soothe her still wildly beating heart. She had tried so hard to act composed earlier, but she had no idea how scared she was.
"But there are more wonderful things in the world."
Shioana's voice trembled slightly.
From the moment she had a child, Shioana was not given a normal and quiet life. An accident happened right away, and she went through all sorts of hardships trying to detoxify.
The familiar scenery of District 8 sped past outside the rattling carriage.
‘Are you familiar with it?'
It’s been quite a while since she left Regbell.
A bitter smile played on the corners of her mouth.
***
Raul looked up at the Bernhard mansion with a very displeased expression.
"Please let me see His Excellency the Duke."
He sat and waited in the drawing room, guided by the old butler, but instead of Duke Bernhard, Viscount Conrad appeared.
"What brings you here?"
"I would like to see His Excellency."
"...That is."
The Viscount knew that the Duke was reluctant to meet Raul.
"If it is not a critical matter, you may consult me. I am currently handling the affairs of the Bernhard family on his behalf."
"It is the Duchess's business."
Raul visited the Bernhard mansion to convey her situation a little more clearly.
'Boss, although the young lady is being stubborn, I think it would be best to see His Excellency and announce the news of the baby. Oh, there is still a bit of a gap, but since the two of them love each other, what could be the problem?'
Although there was a request from Martha, Raul also thought that he had to do this for Shioana.
There was a limit to how much he could help Shioana as her friend.
Raul was shocked to hear from Zero about the riot in the market not long ago. Shioana needed the Duke's protection.
'Because Shioana loves His Excellency.'
That was the reason Raul came this far. It was when he was nursing Shioana, who was feverish from illness.
'E, Etienne. Don't go.'
Instead of resenting the Duke, Shioana kept calling his name.
After appearing to hesitate for a moment, the Viscount spoke.
"Please wait a moment."
In this way, Raul was able to meet and talk with the Duke alone.
Much later, the Viscount saw Raul off as he came out of the Duke's office.
"May I ask you something? Why are you so actively helping with the Bernhard family's affairs?"
Raul, who was adjusting his turban before getting into the carriage, spoke up.
"It is not a matter of the Bernhard family, but of my friend. I would not hesitate to sacrifice my life for my friend."
These were Raul's true feelings.
It is enough for a mother to be unhappy while longing for a father who will not come.
Since Shioana was a precious person to him, like a younger sister, he only wished for her to be happy in the future.
"Isn't that what love is?"
Raul, in fact, has never experienced true love, though. At his words, Viscount Conrad gave an awkward smile.
***
It took great courage to enter the market again, but Shioana mustered up the strength.
Fortunately, there were hardly any people showing negative interest in her after the previous disturbance.
'I guess it's because the Bernhard family is scary.'
No soldiers of the Bernhard family were to be seen anywhere in the market.
And the man with red eyes, too.
'It really is the end now.'
It was a farewell she had said, yet a sense of inexplicable loneliness lingered.
"You have arrived?"
As she entered the market in District 8, there were people welcoming Shioana.
A merchant running a large business paid a large sum of money to an office in District 8 to handle the bookkeeping. Shioana, who was looking for work, decided to do what she was best at.
'I will handle that for half the price.'
At first, no one believed Shioana. However, someone who found out that she had worked at Raul's office gave her a job, taking a chance.
'It looks great because you organized it so neatly.'
As she handled her assigned work thoroughly, it was only natural that more and more people began seeking out Shioana from all over. Today, she was on her way back after meeting several merchants and helping them organize their ledgers.
"Isn't it funny? Because the work I did because my family didn't care is helping me now."
It was practically forced for Shioana to take on the management of the estate at such a young age. This was because her father, who was always wandering the capital, and her older brother, who was only plotting to leave Regbell, did not look after Regbell at all.
"...My leg hurts a bit."
After wandering around the market for a while, she was thirsty and tired.
“A cup of tea, please.”
Shioana, sitting at a roadside cafe, quenched her thirst while carefully organizing the work she had done today.
Her daily life slowly began to find peace.
Aside from the occasional gifts from the Bernhard family, there was no contact, and the income came in steadily. As everything became excessively smooth, she became anxious in its own way.
'Did Count Noah return to Highbell?'
After becoming pregnant, she found it difficult to get a deep sleep every night. She was afraid that a man like a hunter might come looking for her.
'Shioana! Shioana!'
She did not forget meeting Count Noah at the place where she went to get Harriet's medicine.
Furthermore, he even stopped by Raul's office to commission the task of finding her.
'...I'm scared.'
Startled by fear, Shioana put down the tea she was drinking and looked around. She checked to see if Count Noah was chasing her and searched for traces of others.
At some point, looking for someone like this became a habit wherever she went.
'I told you not to come, so what on earth are you doing?'
She felt sad or angry when she met Etienne.
However, not seeing him did not make her happy or joyful.
"...Phew."
She clutched her considerably heavy belly, stood up from her seat, and left the teahouse.
As Shioana turned the corner completely, someone appeared and gently stroked the teacup before it had cooled down.
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