At this time, only one person came to her mind.

“Shall I go to the Duke?”

Thinking of Ethan’s face, her irregularly beating heart calmed a little. If he looked at her and told her with that silent face that it was okay and that it would be okay, she would really think so.

‘Because he’s kind, the Duke is.’

Sarah’s steps, moving forward, gradually accelerated. So when she came to Ethan’s office, Jade was just coming out of it. May, Ronda, and Veron were whispering something while facing each other in front of her. As Sarah approached, Ronda, who noticed her first, opened her eyes wide and looked at her.

“Ah, Ronda.”

“Countess Millen……”

Ronda’s face looking at Sarah was distorted as if she was crying. Her face changed as soon as their eyes met, and Sarah, who was raising her hand to wave happily, stiffened in puzzlement.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“It’s, it’s nothing. Is Young Master Claude sleeping?”

“Yes, I put him to sleep. What happened……”

“I should go see him.”

Ronda hurriedly left the room with an awkward creaking gesture. May, who looked at Sarah for a moment, quickly followed her. Looking back, she could see both of them raising their hands, covering their mouths, and running at full speed. Sarah, bewildered by their appearances of broken hearts, looked at Veron and asked.

“Veron, what happened to Ronda?”

“Cough. Ehem. We are all fine.”

At Sarah’s words, Veron avoided her gaze, covering his mouth with his fist as if he was emotional.

“……?”

“You don’t even have to worry about us. Already……, I’m sure you’re overwhelmed enough.”

“What do you mean?”

“No, it’s nothing!”

Veron shook his head, stared at nothing, and blinked his eyes violently.

What no.

She looked at Jade for the last time at the strange behavior that anyone could see.

“Sir Harper?”

“……Countess Millen.” 

“Yes.”

“I really……, respect you.”

“All of a sudden?”

Jade nodded violently then slowly knelt down on one knee and spoke in a reverent voice.

“Countess Millen is really the goddess who descended on this Ambrosia……”

“Sir Harper. If you’re going to say nonsense, please come with me for a while.”

“Uh, uh! Wait!”

Veron snatched Jade’s neck and dragged him somewhere. Jade, who could not finish speaking, struggled in embarrassment. However, from where such superhuman strength came from, Veron quickly suppressed Jade’s rebellion.

“……What was that?”

In the end, Sarah, who was left alone, muttered, unable to hide her absurdity. She wondered what the hell happened while she was putting Claude to sleep for a while. Blinking and tilting her head, Sarah finally knocked on the door of Ethan’s office, unable to figure out the reason.

“Duke, may I come in?”

There was no answer in the office for a while. As she was about to knock on the door again, wondering if he had not heard her voice because he was busy, the door snapped open.

“Ah……”

Obviously, she came because she wanted to see Ethan’s face, but when she met his heavy, sunken face, Sarah was enchanted and looked at him without realizing it.

“Duke……!”

As soon as Sarah was about to call him blankly, Ethan grabbed her shoulder. Then he gently dragged her inside and naturally locked her in his arms.

“……!”

In an instant, Sarah was held in Ethan’s tight arms and stiffened. The door to the office closed behind her. Little by little, as she stepped back, she felt the wall touching her back. Trapped between the wall and Ethan, Sarah blinked for a moment, contemplating what the situation was. Ethan’s body was trembling weakly as he embraced her.

“What’s wrong? Everyone……”

Sarah carefully raised her hand and patted Ethan’s back, asking in a soft voice. The firm and wide back could not be wrapped even if she stretched out her arm to the fullest.

“Sarah.”

“Yes, Duke.”

“Did you take the medicine?”

“Yes, I took it.”

“How is your body?”

“It’s very good.”

She could feel Ethan’s stiff body loosen a little at her answer. It seemed that something had happened. And that was bad for Sarah. Was there anything else she should be surprised about other than that Oliven was studying black magic? Whatever Ethan said, she was confident that she would not be surprised.

“Now, tell me. What did you all talk about here?”

“……”

At Sarah’s words, Ethan slowly released her from his arms. As the warm body temperature that had enveloped her disappeared, Sarah felt secretly disappointed. Wasn’t it a bit short?

“Aren’t you going to tell me? That’s disappointing.”

She said that and tried to express her disappointment. Ethan stared at her with his still shaky eyes.

“……Sarah.”

“Yes.”

When he met Sarah’s clear, straight eyes looking straight at him, his whole heart was shaken.

‘I know you’re dying every time you deal with Ambrosia’s power.’

He was afraid that it would be true if he spit it out, and he knew that even if he didn’t, it would rot inside him. Unfortunately, the disappointing side was Ambrosia. And it was Ethan who would desperately lose in this relationship. The feeling that bloomed alone for the first time was not as clean and pretty as others, so he couldn’t say it out.

“One day when I open my eyes, I’m afraid you won’t be there.”

“……?”

“Just as you suddenly came to me and Claude one day, I’m afraid you’ll suddenly leave one day.”

It was like a miracle. It was a miracle that he thought would never exist in his lifetime. She appeared silently and without realizing it, she penetrated deeply into him and Claude. Perhaps from the time she first collapsed in front of his eyes, or from the time when she calmed his raging power inside with her cool magic, he might have known vaguely. That it would be irreversible.

“I’m afraid of that.”

“I will always be here. I made an oath with Young Master Claude.”

“……”

A bitter smile formed on Ethan’s lips at Sarah’s words. If there wasn’t such an obligation, if there wasn’t such an excuse, then would she have any reasons to stay here?

“This is the first time since that day that I have seen the Duke’s weak appearance.”

“Ah.”

Ethan’s face, sitting alone in the kitchen after a nightmare at dawn, flashed into Sarah’s mind.

“You had a face like this that day, too. Like today.”

At that time, his mother, who remained as a nightmare, made him look like that. If she could, she wanted to go back to the past and protect Ethan from his mother who had hurt him like that. It was the face that shook her heart.

“But today, I think I was the one who made you have this face. Am I right?”

Seeing Ethan’s hands and feet, who had just shown strange behavior, and May, who was quietly looking at her, she could vaguely see what was going on. Sarah had a good sense in that way. If Ethan had summoned Claude’s handmaiden, May, to the office to ask her something, it would certainly have to do with her. Even so, after seeing her recently vomiting blood, he had been extremely concerned about her health. She didn’t know what kind of imagination was unfolding in his head, but if he heard it through May’s mouth, that imagination would have been certain.

“How far did May tell the Duke?”

Sarah’s secret and sweet voice penetrated into his ear like a whisper.