The man was practically face down on the ground, so his face couldn't be seen properly. The coachman hurried over and bowed, responding to my mutterings.
"Me too, it's my first time encountering this."
I chuckled and squinted, looking at the man from a distance. At first glance, he didn't seem to be bleeding, and his clothes were clean. It didn't look like he had been trampled or hit by someone. But why was he lying here?
"…Is he pretending to be unconscious?"
I pointed at the man with my chin, unable to shake off my suspicion. Rebecca, who had stepped down from the carriage, covered her mouth with her palm and said in surprise.
"Ah! Surely not! Who would pretend to be unconscious in such a place! This is a restricted area for outsiders!"
Is that so? Still, the situation seemed suspicious. After inspecting the fallen man, I turned to the coachman and said,
"No, I think it's best to call the guards. We should help him get home safely and then leave for today."
I didn't want to get involved in unnecessary trouble. I'm already swamped with my own affairs. I signaled to the coachman to turn back and was about to get back into the carriage when—
"Ugh…"
A muffled groan escaped the man's lips, as if pleading not to be left behind. I was startled and looked at him skeptically for a while, but he only groaned and showed no signs of moving.
'Something's definitely off.'
It's better to leave quickly before getting entangled in a troublesome situation.
"I think we should turn the carriage around and go back. And on the way, we'll report to the guards that someone is lying here."
After giving the coachman a brief instruction, I was about to get into the carriage again. However, the coachman hurriedly followed me, looking flustered.
"Your Highness, the Dowager Duchess…"
What's wrong?
"This is a one-way street for the procession, so we can't turn the carriage around."
"What?"
"To go back, we have to make a large circle and move forward."
What? What are you saying!
"The carriage can only move forward, not backward… so we have to move this person out of the way."
So, we either had to step over him or move him ourselves. I couldn't do it myself or have Rebecca do it. Sorry, but the coachman would have to do it. As I looked at the coachman with pity, Rebecca, standing behind, asked hesitantly,
"Y-You're just going to leave him on the road?"
"Hmm… do you want me to run him over with the carriage?"
"No! Absolutely not! That would be murder!"
Rebecca shook her head frantically in response to my question. I said, "Then we have no choice but to move him," and nodded at the coachman.
"Y-Yes, I understand."
The coachman, reluctantly, walked slowly toward the blond man. Heaving a sigh, the coachman lifted the man's ankles and dragged him. *Swoosh.* A small cloud of sand rose, and the man's trail was clearly etched in the dirt road. As his body moved, his face, which had been almost buried in the ground, became visible. He was quite a handsome man. His delicate features made him even more suspicious. A handsome man like him lying on the road? My suspicion grew.
"Now that the road is clear, let's get going."
As I urged the coachman to start, he carefully put the man's feet down. At that moment, the man's eyes, which had been closed, suddenly opened.
"Aaaah!"
His eyes, clear like a lake and deep like the ocean, made the coachman scream and fall backward.
"Wh-Where am I…?"
The man, who had been lying there, sat up and looked around. Then he smiled charmingly at me.
"You saved me."
No, I was just going to leave you on the side of the road. The way he started barking as soon as he got up made him seem crazy.
"I was clearly lying in the middle of the road."
Do you know how much trouble you caused?
"You moved me to the side so I wouldn't get hurt."
No, I just threw you to the side.
"You're such a kind person."
The blond handsome man stood up, looking completely fine despite having been lying there. He brushed off the dirt from his clothes and stopped in front of me, passing the coachman who had fallen on his butt.
"As you can see, I have nothing to offer right now. If you tell me your name, I will definitely repay you."
From the way he spoke and dressed, he didn't seem to be a commoner. He was too polite to be a merchant.
'A noble?'
But I had never seen his face before. As I didn't respond, the blond handsome man smiled and asked again,
"May I ask your name?"
"I didn't save you, so there's no need to repay me."
So, there's no need to tell me your name. I smiled to draw a line and turned to the coachman, who was still sitting on the ground in shock.
"Let's get going. We're not planning to spend the night here, are we?"
The coachman, who looked as if he had seen a ghost, quickly brushed off his bottom and stood up. He ran over to calm the horse, which had been startled by the sudden stop, and checked the carriage. After confirming that the coachman was fixing the carriage, I turned around. Rebecca, who had stiffened when the coachman screamed, caught my eye.
"Are you okay? Did you get scared?"
"A-A little."
Rebecca took a deep breath and let it out, patting her chest. Lately, Rebecca has been experiencing a lot of surprises because of me. I felt a bit guilty.
"Let's get in the carriage and rest."
As I was about to help Rebecca into the carriage, the blond handsome man moved faster than the wind, blocking my path.
"I can't let you go like this."
His quick movement was not ordinary, even at a glance. He must have been trained.
"Even if you leave, at least tell me your name…"
"Move out of the way now."
Because of you, Rebecca is scared!
"I have no intention of harming my savior. I just want to repay you…"
"Are you repaying me by blocking my way?"
My sharp voice made the man clench his lips, but he didn't move.
"Should I report to the guards that an outsider has entered a restricted area and is blocking my path?"
"Is this a place where outsiders can't enter? That's surprising."
Despite his words, the blond handsome man still wore a calm smile. His reaction made me frown.
"This is the procession route. There should have been guards at the front, right?"
"No. There was no one guarding when I came in. If there were, I wouldn't have been able to enter."
Now that I think about it, he's right. How did he get in here? As I glared at the man and pondered, Rebecca, who had relaxed, added,
"Maybe he got in during the guard shift change."
Lucky? I laughed in disbelief at Rebecca's words.
"Is this luck or bad luck? ……Anyway, Rebecca, are you okay now? You seemed really scared earlier."
"Yes, yes. I'm fine now. I'm sorry for scaring you."
The moment I called Rebecca's name, the man, who had been smiling at me, turned his gaze to her.
"Rebecca?"
The man called Rebecca's name.
"Rebecca Knights?"
The blond handsome man knew her family name, which made Rebecca shiver.
"Do you know me?"
"I've been wondering… it's you. Don't you recognize me?"
Rebecca shook her head, looking at me for cues, as if she didn't know him.
"You don't remember me? It's been a long time. I was abroad for my studies for too long."
"Me?"
"It's me, Aedus Fortun."
Rebecca blinked and awkwardly repeated the blond handsome man's name.
"A-Aedus… Fortun?"
"Right. Don't you remember?"
Aedus, the blond handsome man, smiled gently and charmingly.