I had the servant politely decline.

But unexpectedly, he returned, saying Russ would come later to fetch me.

With no choice, I had to agree.

I waited in the courtyard for a long time, but he never appeared. Rising, I went to the guest room in search of him, only to find him drinking under the moon with Cadence.

He watched her with gentle eyes, a depth of intoxicating affection hidden in his gaze.

I left silently, alone, and watched The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate by myself.

When I returned to my room, my maid told me Russ had been by, leaving a message. He asked me not to take offense and promised he would make up for missing tonight.

As I packed my things, I murmured softly, "It's alright. Please tell him I understand. He doesn't owe me anything. I owe him more than I could ever repay."

In my past life, even if he had hated me, he would still have protected me. No one could treat me with disrespect under his watch, and he had even died to save me.

His debt to me was too great; whatever he asked, I would never refuse.

Then, the servant burst in. "Miss! Something's wrong! The Young Master seems to have offended someone from the Bree family and is being pursued!"

I didn't hesitate. I grabbed my guards and rushed out.

My heart burned with panic. 'Russ, you absolutely cannot be hurt!'

When I arrived, I saw a man dressed in black, sword raised, aiming for him.

"Russ! Watch out!"

I instinctively pushed him aside to block the fatal blow, and my arm was slashed deeply in the process.

Russ stared at me, stunned.

After the attackers were all defeated, he hurried to my side, bandaging my wound. In his eyes, I saw a depth of meaning I could not immediately understand.

"Thank you for today. But never put yourself in danger to save me again. Your safety matters more. And… as long as you don't trouble Cadence, I'll continue to protect you, just like before."

I stared at him, astonished. The words I had longed to hear for years finally came to me today.

My eyes glistened, but I smiled.

"Thank you, Russ."

The doctor said we had only suffered superficial wounds; the wedding would go on as planned.

I breathed a sigh of relief and instructed my maid to take care of him.

But with my own injury, I couldn't travel immediately, so my plan was delayed a few days.

On the eve of the wedding, Russ did not come to see me. As the groom, he could not see his bride before the ceremony. Instead, Gordon and Linda had my maid deliver gifts—jewelry and pastries—all chosen by him.

I understood their subtle encouragement: that he still had a place in his heart for me.

But I knew even more clearly that these were leftovers from Cadence. The finest golden hairpins had long been pinned into her hair.

I smiled. On his wedding day, I formally bade farewell to Gordon and Linda and boarded my carriage southward to Socalli City early.

…

At the wedding hall, seeing that the bride was nowhere in sight, Russ felt an unexpected pang of panic.

"Kathy isn't ready yet? Everyone's waiting. She's usually the one most eager to marry me—why is she suddenly slow?"

Gordon and Linda were about to respond when a breathless guard burst in.

"Sir! Miss Olson's carriage heading northwest has been ambushed by highwaymen. Everyone on the road… has been slaughtered—"