A cave located beneath a cliff.
Summer barely saved her life.
“Get a grip, Russell...”
“......”
“It should have been Julian, it could have been saved if it were Julian...”
Summer sobbed as she pressed a cloth against Russell's wounds.
She took off her uniform coat, laid it on the ground, and after laying Russell down, she tore her shirt to use as a bandage for his wounds.
Summer was trembling like a reed in her thin underwear.
It was cold. Terribly cold, and she was terrified. So cold that her teeth chattered.
The protagonist usually doesn’t die. Was it because Russell wasn’t the main character that it turned out like this? She couldn’t find her bearings between self-blame and fear.
“Russell, please tell me it’s not my fault...”
“......”
“Just say it once! That I didn’t kill you! Please, I never meant to get you caught up in this!”
Summer’s attempts to save Russell felt like a desperate struggle. A frantic effort to keep him alive.
But the fear that he might die was already growing in her heart.
“Why did this happen...?”
“......”
“Why did you do that! Answer me, answer me!”
Her mind was spinning, feeling like it would break. Summer collapsed beside Russell, screaming in despair.
It felt more painful than when she climbed the spire, more than when she fell into the lake. More than when she raised her sword.
When she threw herself off the cliff while holding Russell, she thought it was all over. That she would surely die.
Every time she hit a branch, a dull pain shot through her back as if it would break.
Yet, this sense of liberation was indescribable.
Finally, she was going back. She had taken one of Julian's incidents and secured a semblance of logic, and as long as she held Russell, he would live.
At least, the thought that Russell wouldn’t die because of her reckless meddling reassured Summer.
Now was less frightening than all those moments when she had tried to end her own life.
Perhaps it was thanks to the warmth of the person she held in her arms.
It was then that Summer gently closed her eyes.
“Don’t...”
Russell’s hand seemed to wrap around the back of Summer’s head, and before she knew it, she was in his embrace.
They fell into the blue water together, with Russell holding Summer tightly.
“Russell, you shouldn’t have done that. You should have left me alone.”
“......”
It was agonizing, but she couldn’t stop.
Summer quickly changed the damp cloth for a clean one and continued to care for Russell.
Not being the heroine, she had no magical powers, and since she wasn’t particularly knowledgeable in reality, her mind was a mess about what to do.
Fortunately, until nightfall, Russell did not lose his life.
Summer built a fire in the cave and hung his belongings and clothes, which she had washed by the water, to dry.
Then, she stayed close to Russell, frequently pressing her ear to his chest to hear the sound of his heartbeat.
Hearing that sound was the only thing that calmed her.
“Russell. Why did this happen? Did you receive some kind of divine order? To save me?”
“......”
“Don’t do that. I have a place to go back to. I can’t live in this world.”
Summer’s voice echoed softly in the cave. Perhaps it was because she was next to the warm fire. Or perhaps it was because Russell was there, breathing steadily.
Words she hadn’t intended to say slipped out.
“I’m so lonely in this world. Everyone else is busy living their lives, each playing their roles, while I feel like an actor without a part.”
“......”
Summer curled up, hugging her knees.
Suddenly feeling anxious, she placed her finger under Russell’s nose again. After confirming his faint breath, she let out a sigh of relief and continued speaking.
“I lived as an extra in that world for a long time. Like an unknown actor who auditions hundreds of times just to land a role. The moment I finally got a part, I fell here.”
“......”
“Do you know how that feels, Russell? You, who probably receive all the love from the world, wouldn’t understand.”
“......”
“I don’t know if I’m scared or angry.”
Summer briefly recalled her life in the original world. She couldn’t remember her name, nor the faces or voices of her family.
All she remembered were the emotions. There were days when it was so hard that she wished to return to a day when it was okay to be pure without any worries.
When did she lose the feeling of liking someone?
She ate to avoid dying. It was always cup rice.
At some point, she stopped feeling hungry. She just felt empty. It was a feeling slightly different from hunger.
What was she thinking back then?
As Summer quietly rummaged through her memories of the original world, she slowly opened her mouth.
“Actually, Russell,”
“......”
“I’m angry. I’m frustrated to be an extra again this time. It feels like God is mocking me, telling me to live a life as a mere bystander without a role.”
“......”
“I’m angry, but where should I direct that anger? So far, I’ve been angry at myself. To try harder, to do better.”
“......”
“Actually, I wanted to become someone like an administrator in this world, so I studied for a long time. I think I mentioned it before.”
“......”
“What purpose did I have to be born in that world and fall into this one?”
“......”
“That was pointless talk. But still... I just wanted to say it once. To someone.”
Russell still didn’t open his eyes. He wouldn’t recover and open them today.
Summer pulled the cloth she had covered him with a little tighter and quietly lay down beside him.
“Good night, Russell.”
Summer gently stroked Russell’s blue hair. Then she too soon drifted off to sleep.
* * *
“Search everywhere!”
“Lady Lindsay is missing!”
“Investigate hunting ground number three!”
The hunting competition was in chaos.
Noble ladies entered their family tents, each speculating, while the young men who could ride were all mobilized to search for Summer Lindsay.
In this chaotic situation, only Ian, who had ordered the search, remained calm as he began to inquire.
At the end of Summer’s trail was a maid named Mary.
“Please, save our lady...”
“You must tell me everything you know to save her.”
“Ugh, sob! The lady asked to retrieve the Dudley family’s emblem. I thought it wouldn’t be a dangerous weapon, so I was relieved...”
“Was there anything else?”
“There was nothing else! Please...! The lady must not die! Absolutely not!”
The maid Mary was wailing as if her own parents had died.
Her skirts were getting dirty, but she didn’t care, lying flat at Ian’s feet, revealing her blind devotion to Summer.
What could make a maid react so strongly to her lady’s disappearance?
In any case, she was a peculiar lady. Even her name was like Summer.
Ian quietly looked down at the maid before abruptly turning and heading toward the opposite tent.
“Please find Summer!”
Here too. Ian thought as he saw Julian, who was sobbing and clutching his sleeves.
How well had someone who wanted to die maintained their relationships?
“Understood, Lady Dudley. Did Lady Lindsay say anything strange?”
“No. From the start, it was strange that Summer participated in the hunting competition.”
Ian agreed with that. She must have had some reason for deliberately participating.
Especially since Summer Lindsay was someone who would have a reason.
Could it be again? Ian gritted his teeth, a vein bulging on his jaw.
“Understood. Please wait in the tent for now.”
“Um, Ian.”
“Yes.”
“It’s not about Summer, but I think it might be a clue.”
Julian, as if having made a decision, took a note from his pocket and handed it to Ian.
<I know your secret. If you want to negotiate, go to hunting ground number three.>
“This was left in my tent.”
“......Hunting ground number three.”
Ian stared blankly at the note. The maid’s words suddenly came to mind.
She asked to retrieve the Dudley family’s emblem.
If it were Summer Lindsay’s personality...
Strangely, everyone seemed to have distorted memories, but Ian clearly remembered what happened at the Legacy family mansion.
Summer had knocked the glass Julian was holding to break it and drank the poison that had stained her hand to clarify the suspicion of poisoning against Perotia.
If all of that was an act for her friend Julian...
If this time, just like back then, Summer knew about Julian’s note alone...
Ian mounted his horse and shouted.
“Search all of hunting ground number three!”
Now Ian was confused between the selfish Summer, who was trying to end her life while turning her back on all those who loved her, and the altruistic Summer, who was sacrificing herself to save Julian.
What was her true self?
No. Could her actions even be labeled as selfish or selfless?
Julian, who was staring blankly at Ian’s retreating figure, tilted his head.
It could have been a threat from someone who knew that Julian had magical powers. That’s why he was trying to take the risk and go to the hunting ground.
“Why didn’t I go to the hunting ground?”
Something felt off. It was a dirty sensation, as if someone was manipulating his memories to their liking.
* * *
The horse quickly entered hunting ground number three.
The sound of hooves echoed through the ground. It was unclear whether this vibration came from the hooves or from his own heart.
Ian’s gray eyes gleamed like a beast. He would definitely save her. He couldn’t let this slip away again.
“Duke! You need to come here!”
At a knight’s shout, Ian dismounted and hurried over.
What the knight pointed to was a dead horse. A brown horse.
The world felt infinitely distant. Ian stood still, not blinking, taking in the sight of the dead horse.
It was the horse Summer had been riding just hours ago.
“Duke. I think something unfortunate has happened.”
Ian pulled the sword embedded in the horse’s body. The blade was too light for a thick-skinned beast.
It was a form of sword developed strictly for use against humans, typically used to subdue fleeing targets.
Ian slowly closed his eyes and opened them again.
“Someone attacked Lady Lindsay. Find the traces.”
Ian’s gray eyes froze coldly, filled with a chilling intent.
At the same time, a sense of unease settled somewhere in his chest.
At least it meant that Summer didn’t want it all to end.
“......Summer.”
All he had to do was save her. As long as she was alive.
A signal flare was shot off in the distance. It meant they had found a trace of Summer.