“Coco?”

Ren murmured her name blankly.

There was no way Coco would come here.

Before he realized it, Ren had taken one step forward. When Charles tried to stop him, Luman, who had been watching, blocked Charles instead. Only then did Charles finally notice the reactions of the people around them.

“That’s cruel!”

Charles shouted, his face flushed, blaming them for letting him misunderstand. But Luman was not paying him any attention. Ordinarily, he might have offered a few soothing words, but not now. Luman was watching Ren’s expression. He looked startled, almost dazed.

“Ren---!”

But the moment Coco’s voice rang out, that changed.

Ren started in surprise and waved at her.

At first, he seemed bewildered, but before long, Ren was waving his arm with all his might.

His face bloomed into a bright smile.

***

Ren was thoroughly nagged by Coco, who berated him and demanded that he apologize for making her worry.

“Apologize!”

At the force of her sudden shout, Ren ended up apologizing in a daze.

“You idiot! What exactly happened? I told you to be careful, didn’t I? And then you get into trouble the moment you set out?!” 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Then he worked just as hard to soothe Coco when she teared up.

“......You don’t even know what you did wrong. Do you know how worried I was?”

Even as she scolded him and he let himself be scolded, neither of them let go of the hands they had grabbed in their happiness at seeing each other again. Coco’s maid, who had been hovering nearby, gently warned them that no matter how happy they were, it was improper to hold hands with a man.

“This is a man?”

At Coco’s scoff, Ren started bickering with her again. Coco, who had been squabbling back and forth with Ren, noticed a clean-cut young man pacing around nearby and asked,

“Who is that?”

“Who?”

Ren followed Coco’s little jerk of the chin and blinked. The one pacing behind him was Charles. At Coco’s arrival, Charles had been forced to stuff back down the courage he had barely managed to muster—half-forced or not.

“Ah, um.......”

Ren hesitated for a moment. He could not reveal anything about the Hero, so he could not think of a good way to introduce him. Charles was Geloman’s subordinate, but if he said that, Coco would obviously ask who Geloman was. When Ren hesitated, Coco shook her head as if to say forget it.

“Why is he pacing around like that?”

“Thaaat.......”

It was exactly the kind of reckless tone one would expect from a duke’s daughter! Charles mumbled and failed to answer properly.

“Coco! Don’t yell at just anyone.”

“‘Just anyone’? Then is this person important?”

Coco frowned. In the time since he had last seen her, her manner of speaking had become even more imperious.

Charles realized that the courage he had barely managed to scrape together earlier was not going to come out so easily now, either. He had only wanted to sincerely apologize to Ren, but now it had become difficult. To be struck speechless by the force of a young duke’s daughter! Could he even call himself a knight like this?

No. In truth, the duke’s daughter’s force was just an excuse. She and Ren seemed close, and he simply did not want to earn her dislike for no reason.

Horror flashed through Charles’s eyes as he realized what he was thinking.

What the hell is wrong with me! I’m supposed to apologize and give up on my feelings, not sit here casually worrying about whether she’ll dislike me!

Charles’s face went white, then red, then white again, but Coco paid him no attention.

“Ren.”

Apparently done with their greetings, the group approached.

The one who called Ren was Hugh. His gentle smile was full of gladness.

What was he supposed to say when greeting someone after a long time?

Seeing Ren stiffen awkwardly, Coco burst into laughter.

Yes! If this was his reaction, she could forgive him! Who knew his reaction earlier had been unbelievably good!

“You’re happy to see him, aren’t you? Just say you’re happy!”

Coco poked Ren repeatedly in the side. Ren made an unwilling face, but since he could not think of any better greeting, he said it as it was.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

Hugh seemed to agree with his words, and Seton nodded as well.

“My lady lost her temper. I apologize on her behalf.”

Seton dipped his head slightly.

“No! You don’t need to apologize!”

Ren cried out in surprise. Coco seemed displeased too.

Seton gave a quiet laugh.

“But you have no idea how worried she was.”

“.......”

The apology had been for that. In place of the stubbornly dishonest duke’s daughter, the knight had conveyed her true feelings. At the sudden words, Ren’s cheeks warmed.

I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with worry this honest!

But Ren now knew that days like these were precious moments, too precious to let slip by under the excuse that he did not know.

Especially when, for someone who had begun to want to live a little longer, this time was worth more than a fortune.

So Ren did not pretend not to notice.

“Coco.”

“......What.”

Coco, who had been looking away, answered curtly.

“Thank you for worrying about me.”

It was a kind of honesty he had never shown before.

Coco was stunned.

Ren seemed to have changed a great deal in a short time. At a glance, he seemed softer, as if he had accepted her advice. Or perhaps he had simply suffered so much that he had temporarily become strange. But one thing was certain: he was very different from the day they had first met.

His eyes curved faintly, catching Coco’s gaze. It was as beautiful as the jewels she collected—no, more beautiful than that. When a smile touched those shining green eyes, he looked as if spring flowers had bloomed all around him. That gentle face, softened so warmly, was something Coco could swear she had never seen before!

She stared at Ren for a long while, feeling as if she had been slapped across the cheek.

“Coco?”

Ren called to her when she did not react. His face was still shining with happiness at seeing her. At first, he had seemed like just the same kind of child as her! But now, now why did he look like some noble young lord?

Coco’s face flushed scarlet. Her maid worried over her and said she would fetch Priest Kirky if Coco had a fever.

“Forget it! Kirky talks too much. He’ll only make my head hurt more.”

“Are you okay?”

“Do you think I’m a weakling like you?”

Ren glared sideways at Coco. She was clearly being mean on purpose.

“A beautiful young lady and a beautiful boy together. Why, it is like a painting.”

At that moment, a smooth voice, slick as oil, cut between the two of them.

It was Peruan, dressed in rare jewels and noble purple clothes. For some ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ reason, his eyes seemed to shine even brighter today.

Coco frowned when she saw him. Just looking at how slippery he seemed was enough to make her dislike him.

“Who is he?”

Coco asked without even looking at him.

“Ren, I would also like to be introduced to this young lady. I do believe this is the first time I’ve seen you face a girl with such a relaxed expression. Would you be so kind as to introduce the two of us?”

“Tch.”

Because Peruan spoke even more carefully than usual, he quickly won Coco’s favor.

In other words, wasn’t he saying that Ren looked more comfortable talking to Coco than anyone else?

“You may introduce us!”

Coco’s words meant that she wanted an introduction.

Ren looked at Peruan as if he found him unbelievable, but the shameless man merely shrugged. The embarrassment belonged entirely to Tom, the attendant who had followed him.

“This is...... my friend, Lady Coco. This person is.......”

“Ren, it pains me terribly to be called this person. It feels as if you are keeping your distance from me.”

“I’m Ren’s ‘friend.’ Yes, Ren. You seem close with him, so say something nicer.”

Pleased by the word friend, Coco spoke as though doing him a favor. She seemed to have liked what Peruan had said earlier very much.

“He helped me.”

“He helped you?”

Coco seemed to chew over Ren’s words, and then her expression changed.

“Thank you for helping Ren. That is no different from the ducal house owing you a debt, so we will repay you.”

“My lady!”

Her maid started in alarm and tried to stop Coco, but Coco did not listen. Peruan was just as startled. Only then did he realize the identity of the girl before him. Looking at the flag attached to the carriage and the armored people standing beside her, it was strange he had not recognized her immediately. Probably because his attention had been entirely taken by the boy before his eyes.

She was Lady Coco of Duke Gannion’s house.

The unfortunate girl who had recently lost her father.

A serious light settled in Peruan’s eyes after they had sunk for a moment.

“I only did what I ought to have done, so I do not wish for repayment. My name is Peruan.”

Peruan seemed to have no intention of revealing his identity, but at the sound of his name, Coco appeared to guess roughly who he was. She pulled Ren’s hand toward her and whispered into his ear. But her voice was so loud that everyone gathered nearby could hear it.

“That man is famous in the capital for being a libertine. Married women, unmarried ladies, it doesn’t matter—he steals every heart! Ren! Be careful. How did you get entangled with someone like that? As a benefactor, he deserves deep gratitude, but as a friend, he is terrible!”

She slandered Peruan without the slightest hesitation. Ren, at a loss, looked at Peruan with an apologetic gaze.

Peruan, who had been seriously considering his own reputation, felt his chest tighten when Ren looked at him as if taking his side. The heavy feeling that had settled in him once again urged him forward. His face heated, and an unconscious laugh slipped out. His unguarded, softened expression was innocent and bright, like a child who had received an unexpected gift, and Ren turned his head away, feeling as if he had seen something he was not supposed to see.

Tom, who had watched the entire thing from beside Peruan, muttered gloomily.

“They say lovesickness has no cure. It seems my lord has caught a severe case.......”

The Hero’s party, having finished their preparations, decided to leave in an hour.

Since all the tents had already been taken down, Ren decided to spend some time with Coco in her carriage.

Coco had brought only one maid, but the three of them could not talk together. Just as it would be awkward to leave a girl alone by herself, Charles, who had been watching for a chance, stepped forward.

“I will keep her company!”

He had a clean appearance and an honest air, so it seemed acceptable for the two of them to be together.

Coco’s maid did not look displeased either.

“Stay near the carriage. If you get cold, go sit by the fire. If you ask Hugh, he’ll give you a thick coat.”

“My lady, do you think I’m a child?”

The maid’s face reddened, as if she had been touched by Coco’s concern.

“What? Where did that man from just now go?”

Coco looked for Charles. Charles, who had shouted so bravely, was standing far away in front of Geloman. It looked as if he was being scolded. Geloman had not exchanged separate greetings with Coco. Instead, Seton stepped forward on her behalf and greeted everyone evenly. Ren knew Seton was a warm person, but he still felt that his impression was cold, so seeing him step forward to greet people was rather unexpected. Hugh, meanwhile, quietly watched from near the duke’s daughter as if protecting her.

The same was true of Luman, Peruan, and Temar. Only, because Luman and Temar’s abilities were far superior, they kept more distance. Luman swallowed a bitter smile as he looked at Temar’s complicated expression. He was glad that he and Ren were close, but it bothered him that the bond between the two brothers had grown strained. He had seen everything, from that little shack in a distant country village, how much Ren loved Temar, and how desperately he had needed him. Luman wanted to protect everything Ren held dear.