✦ ✦ ✦
I heard a long sigh, but Lord Simeon only let himself relax for a brief moment. He swung around, leaping up to dodge an attack, and then kicked the soldier.
“Don’t let him get away!” My husband’s sharp voice shot through the air. Tons of other footsteps stomped across the floor. I wanted to see what was happening, but I still couldn’t move. And what happened to the blade that was going to decapitate me?!
“Mrs. Marielle!” The princess hurried over. So she was released too.
She tried to undo the cuffs around my hands, but Lord Simeon stopped her. “Don’t touch her yet. It’s dangerous.”
“Please hurry and save her!” Her Highness was desperate.
“Of course, Your Highness. Be calm.”
One of the knights came to aid Lord Simeon. I could hear the blade hanging above me being pulled up once more, and the shackles binding me were removed. Once I was free, my husband scooped me up and untied the rope around my wrists.
“Are you all right, Marielle?”
Ah... The person I thought I’d never get to see again is right in front of me. Even though I’ve gotten used to his face, it’s still so beautiful... I will never tire of looking at it. He’s gazing at me worriedly. The light blue eyes behind his glasses are so lovely that I can’t stand it.
I nuzzled into his neck. “Lord Simeon...!”
“It’s all right... It’s all right now.” He held me close and gently stroked my hair. The feeling of his large hand made me want to cry.
“Ugh...” I sniffled and let out a quiet “Wah...”
“I’m sorry you had to go through something so horrible. Everything’s fine now.”
“Lord Simeooon... You’re...cold?” I was nudging him with my cheek as usual, but his shoulder was freezing.
“Ah... That’s because I got wet.” He released me from his arms.
Huh? Why’d you let go? I raised my head, disappointed, but looking at him again, he really was drenched from head to toe. There wasn’t a single spot on his body that wasn’t covered in water. His golden hair was sticking to his forehead.
“No way... Did you swim over to this island?”
It couldn’t have been the rain—the briny smell of the ocean clung to him. Lord Simeon was wet with seawater.
“They would’ve noticed an approach by boat.”
He stood and picked up something that was resting on the guillotine: his saber, which was still sheathed. I see... So he used that to stop the blade. The thought made me break out into a cold sweat once more, but the fear of death had already passed.
There were more knights in the room, several of whom had captured Mr. Meyer and the soldier. I then noticed something. “They’re not wet, though?”
All of the knights seemed the same as usual—only Lord Simeon was drenched. How was that possible?
A new set of footsteps approached, and Sir Alain entered the room. “We’ve finished suppressing the enemy, sir.”
Lord Simeon’s glasses flashed. “Any casualties?”
“A few light injuries, but no other issues.”
My husband nodded and hooked his saber back onto his belt.
I’d been watching idly, but I rushed to my feet when I remembered something important. “What about His Highness?! Are he and Lord Nigel all right?!”
Sir Alain moved his gaze over to me, and his usual bright smile floated up onto his face. “They’re fine. Spry as always, those two.”
Th-Thank goodneeeeess! I almost sank to my knees again. My sigh of relief could’ve expelled my very soul. I then locked eyes with Princess Mira, who was in a similar state. We exchanged teary smiles.
Mr. Meyer whined within his restraints. “Just where did you all come from...? Damn it. Don’t tell me you knew all along! Did you hide your underlings on this island beforehand?”
Lord Simeon shot him a cold glare. “I suppose I had the same idea as you.” He wasn’t bragging, merely stating a fact. “It wasn’t that strange of an idea.”
“You saw through our plan?”
“I began monitoring your movements before we departed. I knew which of the soldiers were your accomplices.”
I couldn’t help but react to that. “Before our departure? Then, when we were still in Sans-Terre? But how?”
My husband softened his voice and explained. “The carriage incident was the indicator. Do you recall that he came running from atop the hill a bit later than the rest of us?”
“Oh. Yes...?” He’d noticed from that early on? Mr. Meyer had told us that he’d been watching over the princess in secret, but had something been strange about that? I’d accepted it without question.
Her Highness evidently felt the same as I did since she asked Lord Simeon about it. He explained that it wasn’t about Mr. Meyer’s claim. “It was the timing at which he arrived. He’d known that the carriage had gone out of control, hadn’t stopped, and even that Sir Kessel had driven it to the left; that would mean that he’d been watching from atop the hill. However, he arrived too late to have rushed over from that short of a distance away. He should have arrived earlier.”
I-Is that so? I tried recalling that time, but I still didn’t understand. Hmm... Lord Simeon prevented the carriage from flipping over, somehow got it to stop, then was surprised that we were inside of it. The knights helped Mr. Mace, who’d been thrown off. They checked to make sure Her Highness was safe, then the horse. That’s right... We didn’t return to the road straightaway. We stayed in that spot for a while. Mr. Meyer had appeared right when we’d tried going back up, and that might indeed have been too late. He and his companions had ridden horses, so they should have arrived earlier if they’d really been hurrying. No one would have taken their time in a situation like that.