MLHBMH 33

Chapter 33

Time spent with her mother passed faster than an arrow in flight. When Margaret, Grace Benjamin’s new caregiver, kindly informed her that visiting hours were over, Lily put on her coat.

“Are you leaving, sister?”
Grace clutched her coat tightly, reluctant to let her go. Seeing her like that, a wave of pity surged through Lily.

Holding Grace’s hand firmly, Lily spoke:
“I’ll come again next time, so listen well to the doctor and the caregiver. And make sure you eat properly.”
“You really will come?”
“Of course. I came last time, I came today, so I’ll definitely come next time too.”

Don’t worry—she would never leave her mother alone. Lily swallowed the words she wanted to say but absolutely shouldn’t: telling her mother not to whine.

“Hmph!”
Grace, unable to get the answer she wanted, hugged a monkey doll tightly, her face full of sulkiness. Lily was puzzled by the doll, seeing it for the first time.

Since Grace’s mental age had regressed, she was unusually obsessed with dolls, and Lily had spent her own money buying her pretty dolls as gifts.

“What’s that doll?”
She had never gifted such an ugly doll—where did it come from? Lily asked curiously, and Grace hugged it even tighter, shouting stubbornly:

“It’s mine! I won’t give it to you either!”
“I’m not trying to take it. I just want to know who gave it to you. Just tell me that.”
“……”
Grace pressed her lips together stubbornly. Usually, she would just say she didn’t know, but this sudden secrecy worried Lily. She hoped it wasn’t stolen.

As Lily stared at the ugly monkey doll, Grace hid it under the blanket.

“It’s mine!”
Her over-the-top reaction and defensiveness seemed strange. Lily didn’t want to press her mother, but she felt she needed to check. Just as she was about to ask, a knock sounded at the door.

“Ma’am, it’s time to leave now!”
“……”
Prompted by Margaret, Lily left the room without asking anything. Margaret seemed concerned, probably having heard Grace shouting from inside:

“Is something wrong?”
Should she ask Margaret about the mysterious monkey doll?

“Oh, my mother was just a little upset that I was leaving.”
Lily hesitated, but thinking it might make her mother appear difficult to the new caregiver, she decided not to ask and turned away.

The meeting place with Herald was near the inn where Lily had been tricked into drinking heavily by the innkeeper. Though it held bad memories, it was the only place she could meet him without being noticed by the nobility. Most nobles never even entered that shopping district. If her finances had been better that day, Lily would never have gone there.

But then, why did he go there that day? And how did he know I was at Countess Stacy’s house and send a letter?

She couldn’t figure out the first, but she suspected the second. Kennedy Stacy—it had to be her who informed him.

Then… does he know that I’m married? If he did, he wouldn’t have sent a letter, but since he did, maybe he still doesn’t know. Lily smiled wryly at her own foolishness for worrying.

“If he doesn’t know, I should tell him.”
She couldn’t keep it a secret forever. She didn’t want to tremble with fear of being found out, neither to him nor her husband. So, she resolved that today, she must tell him—but wondered if she really could.

Sighing deeply, Lily gazed out the window. The streets were as chaotic as her thoughts. The carriage she had been riding had stopped moving for no reason.

What if I’m late for our meeting? It’s not like we’re meeting to talk about something pleasant, so I’m even more worried.

Hoping the carriage would start moving, she waited, but it didn’t.

“I’ll get off here.”
She thought walking might be faster. But soon, another problem arose—there were too many people in the streets. For someone small like Lily, it was easy to be swept away.

“W-wait a moment…!”
Caught in the crowd, she was pushed in the wrong direction. She waved her arms, trying to move forward, but it was hopeless. Her bonnet was knocked off, and her dress became terribly wrinkled.

If I had known, I should’ve just stayed in the carriage!

Just as she struggled to reach the meeting place, a large hand suddenly wrapped around her waist from between the people, pulling her into someone’s arms.

“…!”
She couldn’t even scream and was lifted into a familiar scent. Raising her head, she saw a small scar under the chin first. Looking up, her eyes were drawn to the thin, red lips curved in a cheerful smile, the sharp nose, and the deep golden eyes that seemed to hold honey.

“You…”
“This way.”

Held in Herald’s arms, Lily moved as he guided her. The streets were still crowded, but he cleared the way, making it easier for her to move.

Once they entered a relatively empty alley, Herald stopped. Placing Lily safely inside, he glanced sharply outside.

Fixing her disheveled hair and bonnet, Lily asked,
“Why do you look like that?”
“Nothing.”
His eyes softened as he looked at her.

“And the carriage? Why did you walk here?”
“I rode the carriage nearby, but there were too many people, so it wouldn’t move. Walking seemed faster.”

But it turned out to be the wrong choice, as she was swept away by the crowd. Feeling a bit embarrassed to have received his help, she scratched her cheek and asked,
“And you? This isn’t the meeting place—why are you here?”

“I was on my way to the meeting place. But I saw you being pushed by the crowd.”
“There were so many people… and you saw me?”

Lily was small and easy to miss, yet he had spotted her.

“Yes. I saw you immediately.”

Herald had arrived at the meeting place an hour early and was wandering around to pass the time. He saw Lily struggling through the crowd—not even trying to find her, yet she appeared right in his line of sight, which amazed him.

At the same time, he noticed someone following her—cleverly hidden in the crowd, clearly not inexperienced.

“Another Predic Benjamin, perhaps.”
He wondered why someone was tailing Lily, since she didn’t seem to be planning a divorce. It might relate to the second prince, and he decided to investigate later.

For now, he needed to save her from being swept away like a log in the tide. Herald whisked her away into an alley, avoiding the crowd. Looking outside, he saw no one following them.

“Is something troubling you?”
Noticing Herald’s increasingly serious expression, Lily asked worriedly.

“I was just thinking about how beautiful you look today and didn’t know what to do about it.”
“…Excuse me?”
Lily’s eyes widened at the absurdity. Herald’s eyes curved like a crescent moon.

“I particularly like your braided hair. It suits you very well.”

Lily blushed, touching the hairstyle she had worried about the most. His words were sweet, like chocolate—delightful in the moment, but leaving a lingering, clinging sensation afterward.

After confirming that no one was following her, Herald asked,
“It’s about time for dinner. Do you have a restaurant in mind?”
“No.”
“Then may I take you to one I know?”
“Sure… but it’s not a place many nobles go, right?”

She had chosen a nearby inn as the meeting spot to avoid noble eyes, so she worried about going somewhere popular.

“Don’t worry. There won’t be other customers to meet while we eat.”
It seemed like a restaurant with private rooms, but she wondered if they could go without a reservation—most such places required one.

“Then let’s go.”
All her worries vanished the moment he took her hand. Lily followed him without asking anything further.