Chapter 4

It was the day of the garden party, which could hardly be said to have been greeted with a cheerful mood.

I prepared a dress and parasol for the afternoon and attended.

The giant maze garden made of hedges taller than a person.

The participants first let out exclamations of wonder at its grand appearance.

Among them, Nicholas seemed almost uninterested.

I secretly checked his hand, but the bandage had long been removed.

To avoid saying anything unnecessary or unpleasant, I kept my distance from Nicholas, hiding behind the parasol, but it wasn't really necessary.

The Duke of Audel seemed to be paying particular attention to Nicholas under the pretext of the opening ceremony, so he seemed busy responding.

Perhaps he was trying to keep Nicholas away from Martina.

The Duke of Audel, after all, was part of the crown prince's faction. It wouldn't be unnatural for him to dislike Martina Orbrant, who had been forced upon him by the queen. I felt a bit dejected.

More importantly, I should try to find Lilia Auria.

I forced myself to focus on other things and tried to regain my composure.

She was supposed to be a foster daughter taken in from a distant relative of the Viscount Adel family.

I looked for a group of people of the same status, but there were unexpectedly many young women, and I couldn't find her right away. Without a network of connections, I couldn't ask anyone.

Pretending to be casual, I wandered around, gradually putting some distance between myself and the center of the venue where Nicholas was.

While doing this, it seemed that the opening ceremony of the maze garden had ended, and the gathered children were rushing in one after another.

If I stuck to the entrance of the maze garden, I could probably find Lilia Auria, but would that be visually appropriate?

I couldn't remember where in the maze Lilia Auria had been injured and couldn't move.

Perhaps I should go into the maze first and wait in ambush.

No, before that, how should I deal with Nicholas, who wasn't enthusiastic about it—

"Ah."

That's right, I remembered.

At this rate, Nicholas might not even enter the maze garden.

The inefficient Nicholas was unenthusiastic about such games, and it was Martina who had dragged him into the giant maze.

I had only been simulating the scene of coming out of the maze, not the scene of going in.

I see. Do I have to be the one to lure Nicholas into the maze garden?

I have to—

"..."

If I don't take him, Nicholas won't enter the maze garden?

—If I don't guide him, Nicholas won't meet the heroine?

The potent drug of temptation pulsed in my veins.

Even though I had no right to hesitate, I couldn't easily shake it off.

Perhaps out of guilt, I found myself unconsciously looking back in Nicholas's direction.

"Eh?"

Nicholas, surrounded by a few people and chatting, was walking towards me.

I instinctively hid in the parasol. But we would run into each other soon.

My disheveled mind was searching for a place to hide, and my feet were moving.

Eventually, the entrance to the maze garden appeared before me.

I dove into the entrance of the maze garden, carried away by the momentum.

Closing the parasol that would get in the way, I hurried along the tall hedges.

After a while, I crouched down, hiding in a corner of the maze.

What am I doing, running away for?

I have something to do. I need to guide Nicholas into the maze.

I repeated this to myself, trying to muster my courage.

When I stood up and casually glanced at a break in the path, a figure passed through a gap in the hedge.

It disappeared from my sight immediately, but it was unmistakably Nicholas's back.

...Oh, good.

Even without me, Nicholas entered the maze garden.

It's as if meeting the heroine was his destiny.

No, is it destiny?

I felt a bit self-important and laughed at myself.

From now on, I could return to the entrance and wait for things to happen.

However, I was still concerned that I hadn't seen Lilia Auria, who should have been there.

In my memory from my previous life, Lilia Auria was supposed to injure her foot somewhere in the maze garden and rest on a bench.

There were apparently about ten rest areas set up throughout the maze.

...The entertainment has just begun. Should I go in a bit deeper?

If I'm lucky, I might be able to spot Lilia Auria from a distance.

As I started to tackle the maze again, I soon realized something.

There seems to be a right-hand rule for mazes, but that's for reaching the goal. Is it effective for finding people or rest areas?

I didn't have time to think about it.

I walked tirelessly, looking around.

Along the way, I inevitably ran into other participants, but I tried to avoid them as much as possible. A considerable amount of time passed.

"...What should I do?"

I was lost.

Embarrassingly, I had lost my sense of direction.

I tried to start over by going outside, but for some reason, I couldn't, and I was completely lost.

Moreover, the place was getting deserted. It must be close to the end of the event.

There should be regular patrols by a few servants, but I didn't run into any.

How unlucky. Or had I been forgotten?

While I was hesitating and becoming suspicious, I noticed footsteps approaching.

Should I swallow my pride and ask for help?

But I hadn't yet witnessed Nicholas and Lilia Auria's meeting.

Or had they already met?

If so, I should go out to confirm.

Nodding to myself, I approached the approaching footsteps.

I peeked out from a gap in the hedge.

No one was there.

"...Eh?"

I had just heard the sound of footsteps on the ground, but no one was there.

Was it just my imagination?

Feeling a bit uneasy, I started walking again.

But I soon realized it. A chill ran through my body.

Someone was following me.

It wasn't just my imagination. The footsteps that had been in front of me earlier were now behind me, coming at regular intervals as if gauging the distance.

I turned around several times at the sound of the footsteps, but no one was there.

Was it just a coincidence that we were walking in the same direction?

If so, why the intervals and why no one was visible when I turned around?

My hands and feet trembled uncontrollably.

An attacker, a pervert, or a ghost.

I didn't want to think that there was a troublemaker among the Duke of Audel's guests, but it could be a villain who had sneaked in the night before.

Fear for my life and fear of the unknown welled up inside me.

My feet started to run on their own.

I had no stamina, so running would only lead to my own destruction. Still, I couldn't resist the urge to escape from this situation.

The silent confrontation with the pursuer continued for a while, and when I was about to call out, I suddenly came to an open area.

It was one of the rest areas in the maze.

I knew it was one because a certain person was there.

A delicate girl sitting on a bench, as if she had injured her foot.

Lilia Auria.

I found her, at this moment.

The sudden change in the situation left my head spinning, and I couldn't find the words.

I hadn't planned to appear in front of her.

Probably because I had rushed in, Lilia Auria was also looking at me with a surprised expression.

Her long pink hair and green eyes. A cute girl with a spring-like aura.

Right. I'll just pass by here.

Fortunately, I had no acquaintance with her. There should be no problem if I didn't exchange greetings.

I took a few steps as if nothing had happened, but I stopped on my own.

That's right. Until a moment ago, I was being chased by a suspicious person.

If I just passed by, she might run into the same person.

It might be safer to be here with her.

If necessary, I have the parasol. I could swing it around and maybe scare them off.

However, while I was hesitating, an ominous figure appeared at the edge of my vision.

I stiffened and turned around, but my eyelids blinked rapidly as I recognized the face.

It was Nicholas standing there.

A mix of relief and disappointment washed over me.

But the moment his gaze turned to Lilia Auria, my heart turned cold.

The event I had been waiting for was about to unfold.

But I shouldn't be here.

If everything went according to plan, Martina would be outraged by the two of them helping each other out of the maze and would sever ties with them.

I was ruining the scenario I had been imagining for a month.

—No, not yet.

If I leave this place now, the event might still turn around.

I turned around and headed for a different exit from the one I came in.

I dashed into a different path without being stopped by anyone, pretended to turn right, and circled around to the back of the hedge.

Leaning against the hedge and listening, I could hear someone, probably Nicholas, slowly walking.

It seemed like a long distance, but Lilia Auria's voice rang out.

"Um, I've injured my foot and can't walk. Could you help me?"

"—...Are you?"

"Yes, I'm Lilia Auria, a foster daughter of Viscount Adel of Trent."

"I see. I'll go get someone."

"Ah!"

My voice overlapped with Lilia Auria's.

I quickly covered my mouth. It wasn't that loud. Surely he didn't hear it.

As proof, Lilia Auria pleaded.

"No, please wait. I can't impose such a trouble. If you could just lend me a hand, I can walk."

After a moment—quite a long moment—I heard Lilia Auria say, "Thank you."

I pretended not to hear the creaking sound in my heart and listened to the slow footsteps of two people. I tried not to imagine them holding hands and walking away, and focused on the sound of them moving further away.

Good. Despite the unexpected situation, the scenario is back on track.

I let out a breath, as if releasing the tension in my shoulders.

It was almost a sigh, but I didn't mind.

"...Huh?"

Wait. I'm still lost in the maze.

"...Huh?"

My eyes slowly welled up with tears.

No matter how well the two of them get along and escape, if I, who was supposed to criticize them, don't get out of the maze first, it's all for nothing.

Nicholas spoke (´；ω；｀)