“So, um, the Duke's late father.”
“…….”
“That must be rude, right….”
Summer dropped her head slightly. The atmosphere grew heavy as if asking when that had happened.
It was Ian who broke the silence.
“No. Go ahead and ask.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
It was Summer who was taken aback instead. Was it really okay to grant permission so easily?
“I wanted to know your mother's name, Duke.”
“My mother’s name?”
“Yes.”
“Was it Selena Langerster, by any chance?”
Summer looked up at Ian with a face full of tension.
Seeing Summer so tense, Ian felt his own tension ease.
Why was she asking such a serious question with her fists clenched, when everyone else already knew? It was annoying, anyway.
Ian began to unfold Summer's clenched fists one by one and spoke calmly.
“It's more surprising that you just found that out.”
“Ah.”
“Even if you just glanced at the noble lineage, you would have known.”
Summer cooled her flushed cheeks with the back of her hand and avoided his gaze.
She hadn’t even thought about checking the lineage. It was similar to not looking up someone's name in the family tree in South Korea.
It was a mistake uncharacteristic of a character in a novel.
Summer consoled herself, thinking that she was not a line of text in a novel, so it was understandable not to know.
“Maybe I just didn’t think of it…”
“Right. For you, that’s entirely possible. So, Summer.”
“Yes?”
“If I win the hunting competition, can you give me a day of yours?”
Summer was a bit surprised. Ian was saying he would make her the Lady of the Year.
What was he doing, leaving Julian aside? She felt like slapping him on the forehead.
“I don’t find killing living things very pleasant.”
“Didn’t you say you were going to participate in the hunting competition?”
“Last place. If you can endure the shame of coming in last in this competition, I’ll gladly give you my day.”
Ian raised his eyebrows in disbelief. The thought of how to deal with that brazen young lady was clearly reflected on his face.
“Fine. I will definitely keep that promise.”
“Definitely.”
Summer smiled and extended her pinky. Ian tilted his head as if to ask what she was doing.
“Like this.”
Summer's pinky intertwined with Ian's finger, then they separated.
“What is this?”
“It means we made a promise. Well then, I’ll take my leave now.”
Summer gave a slight bow and left the scene. If she didn’t hurry away, she might have rolled on the dirt ground a few more times, claiming she was practicing falling off a horse.
Upon arriving at the Count Lindy’s tent, Summer quickly locked the door and waited. Soon, there was a knock.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Mary.”
“Mary! You brought it!”
Summer quickly opened the door and moved the box that Mary was holding into her arms.
Mary, who followed in, quietly observed her lady as if she were watching a very curious animal.
“What are you doing?”
“Um, disguising?”
Summer smiled as she put a wig on her head. The flowing light sky-blue hair reminded her of Julian.
Then Mary attached the Dudley family emblem she had barely managed to obtain onto the uniform.
“I’ll be off now, Mary.”
“You do plan to come back, right?”
“Um, I don’t have any plans, but I’ll try.”
Summer looked around.
The hunting competition seemed to have started, as the Emperor's speech continued. Fortunately, the Emperor of this world was rather taciturn.
“I will begin!”
At the signal, the sound of hooves thundered, shaking the ground.
Summer patiently waited for everyone to leave for the hunt or to the tea table. After a short wait, the surroundings quickly fell silent.
Only then did Summer cautiously come out and secretly mount her horse. Her plan for today was simple.
She intended to take away Julian's rolling narrative.
“I never thought I would fall off a cliff in my life.”
* * *
Summer's prediction was spot on. As she leisurely guided her horse into the forest, she soon felt a sharp pain at the back of her head.
Even though she knew what would happen, her hands gripping the reins were soon damp with sweat.
“……!”
Finally. The assassins who had been hiding among the trees revealed themselves.
They seemed to have completely mistaken her for Julian. Summer continued to ride her horse. But the speed was not much. She wondered if it would be better to run instead.
It felt like there was still a long way to the cliff, but would it be okay to die now?
The horse screamed as a knife thrown by an assassin struck it, raising its front legs. Perhaps due to the damp sweat, Summer lost her grip on the reins and fell.
It hurt like hell, but it didn’t seem like anything was broken. There were times when Ian would help.
Summer ran with all her might.
To take on Julian's tragic fate. This was a thoroughly selfish choice.
To go back. She had only taken away a plausible crisis situation.
From afar, she could faintly hear the sound of water. Summer ran toward the sound with all her strength. But it was not enough to shake off the men.
Soon, people dressed in dark clothes surrounded Summer.
To avoid revealing her different eyes from Julian's, Summer deliberately lowered her gaze and tightly closed her eyes.
Would it be okay if it wasn’t a cliff? That was the only worry in her mind.
“Ah!”
That scream was not Summer's. Slowly opening her eyes to the sensation of pain, she looked ahead.
“Summer. Don’t look back, just run.”
“Russell…?”
His figure holding a sword was beautiful and elegant, making it hard to believe he was facing assassins.
As the assassins rushed in, Russell mounted Summer on his horse and swiftly cut down one after another.
Everything felt surreal. It was Russell, not the original Ian, standing right in front of her.
In his hand, a sword suited for a pen, and droplets of red blood fell onto his blue hair that seemed like it would glisten with dew.
“Russell!”
“If you don’t want to die, ah, no, I misspoke. At least don’t die like this.”
“…….”
“Go quickly.”
As Russell slapped the horse's rear, it galloped away with Summer on it.
Summer was confused. Russell shouldn’t be appearing now. He absolutely couldn’t handle them.
The only one capable of facing that many at once was Ian Langerster, the only one in the Empire.
Her heart sank. Her mind went cold, and her hands began to tremble.
What if Russell dies? Russell, no way. Would the world really kill a supporting character of the protagonist, who is almost like the main character?
But Summer had already seen it. Julian, a marionette with its strings cut, lying still in the midst of ruins.
Should she go back? But Summer didn’t know how to handle a horse.
A confusion so overwhelming that she couldn’t distinguish what was more terrifying engulfed Summer like a massive wave.
Losing her judgment, Summer clutched the reins tightly. And finally, the horse came to a halt.
As Summer slowly lifted her head, she saw a sheer cliff.
If it were a trip, it would be a breathtakingly beautiful sight that could bring tears to one’s eyes.
“Give up already.”
At the voice coming from behind, Summer slowly raised her upper body and turned around.
In the hand of the assassin standing at the front, something red was being dragged and thrown in front of Summer.
Summer quickly dismounted and approached.
“Ah, no….”
Russell. Russell Bertrand. You’re not an extra. Summer embraced Russell, letting out a strange sound instead of a horse.
Shouldn’t she have changed the original story? Shouldn’t she have been greedy? But if she couldn’t gain plausibility, she wouldn’t be able to return to the original world.
“Ah, ah, Russell, please… please tell me it’s not my fault…”
Warm blood stained her hands. Russell lay still as if he were sleeping.
What would happen now? In a world that was falling apart, Summer had no idea what she could do.
“Save this person.”
In a daze, Summer prayed. Creator, if you are watching, please. Don’t let the one you love die.
“Anyway, that person will die.”
The assassin stepped forward, drawing his sword, one step at a time.
With each step, Summer struggled to drag Russell back, stepping backward with difficulty. Finally, she reached the edge of the cliff.
“Stop!”
“You foolish ones.”
Summer laughed mockingly at the assassins, her face bright with a smile. Russell’s blood-stained face was particularly red under the sunlight.
And then, Summer and Russell fell together. The assassins, seemingly taken aback, gathered at the edge of the cliff and looked down.
As if asking what had happened, only the sound of water roared.
* * *
“The competition has ended! Everyone, please gather forward.”
At the words of the Emperor's favored director, the nobles began to gather one by one.
On a large board next to the podium, the types and numbers of game caught by each family were listed.
The nobles, checking the list, buzzed loudly.
“Wow, the Duke… didn’t catch a single one.”
“What could have happened?”
“How would I know what goes on in that monster’s head?”
“Isn’t it closer to a devil than a monster?”
“Hey. Aren’t you the one who claims to visit the temple regularly?”
“That’s why I’m saying this. If you look closely, the Duke has all the evils of the world. Murder, loss, revenge.”
“…….”
Ian had heard such talk so often that he let it go in one ear and out the other. He then began to scan the gathered nobles one by one.
There was no sign of Summer anywhere. It was strange. A sudden chill ran through Ian's chest.
“Has anyone seen Lady Lindy?”
At Ian's question, the director, who had been about to announce the results, shut his mouth and looked around.
The nobles exchanged puzzled glances.
“……Damn it.”
Ian pushed through the crowd and mounted the horse he had tied up.
“Mobilize a search party. Lady Lindy is missing.”
At Ian's words, the gathered people buzzed loudly. For a noble lady to go missing was a serious matter.
Immediately, knights began to search the forest thoroughly.
The nobles were in an uproar, whispering about Summer's disappearance.
It was extremely rare for a noble to go missing.
“Could it be that she’s dead…?”
One nobleman began to speak carelessly but quickly shut his mouth, meeting Ian's piercing gaze.
“Everyone, return to the tents. Unless you want to go missing too.”
The nobles, who loved to chatter, scattered at Ian's single word. The cowardly Emperor had long since left the scene.
Ian's gaze fell on the hunting grounds in the forest.
Please, Summer.
Just stay alive.