Reyna’s trip to the temple got hindered in the middle. Of course, it wasn’t because of someone’s intention. It was just purely because of her dirty luck.

 

Rumble

 

The carriage shook violently.

 

However, none of her employees or Reyna herself were surprised.

 

“Did the wheel get broken again?”

 

“It looks like that. But we have extra wheel-…”

 

“I apologize, but everyone should go down.”

 

Before the maid could finish her words, the coachman’s voice rang out.

 

As if everything had been expected, Reyna pressed her wide-brimmed hat firmly on. The maid opened the carriage door and got off first. Reyna took her hand and followingly got off the carriage.

 

She then turned to the coachman.

 

“What about the extra wheel?”

 

“It’s also broken.”

 

“Yeah, that must be it. Anyway, I’m glad that at least the horse is okay. Bring the wagon back.”

 

After all, the carriage was doomed to be wrecked.

 

At least this time, she was glad that the horse was fine. Without a single exception, every carriage she was riding would always get ruined. Since it was a Bolshik’s carriage, it didn’t get damaged to the point its shape couldn’t be recognized. Still and all, there were countless instances of the wheel or the horse connector getting broken like this.

 

Whether it’s Reyna, the driver who drives the carriage she rides, or the maids who accompany her, they already get used to this unfortunate situation.

 

“Excuse me, Lady.”

 

The coachman carefully opened his mouth.

 

He had been with her for a long time. He was still working with her because he had done his job without a single mistake, but he still couldn’t lose the string of tension whenever dealing with Reyna.

 

She wasn’t a ruthless being who treated her subordinates as she pleased. However, she disliked subordinates who spoke out without being asked in such a situation.

 

“What.”

 

“It takes at least 30 minutes to walk to the temple. I’ll get the horse ready, so please could the Lady mind waiting a little bit? I understand that the Lady is more used to riding a wagon, but it would be better than walking.”

 

Reyna looked at the nervous coachman. He seemed to couldn’t even think of wiping the sweat on his cold hands.

 

Even though the coachman and the maid who stood next to him looked to be hardly swallowing their dry saliva, Reyna unexpectedly nodded her head.

 

“It’s okay. Hurry, prepare for it.”

 

“Yes-… Yes!”

 

The coachman moved quickly with all his heart and soul, and the maid also helped him.

 

After a while, the horse was ready. Reyna hurriedly climbed onto it then called the maid, who was not sure what to do.

 

“You.”

 

“Yes? Yes. Lady, I’m very sorry. I don’t know how to ride a horse. I’m really sorry.”

 

“You’ll break your neck(1). Stop it. Get on.”

 

“Yes!”

 

The maid instantly responded to Reyna’s words with a frozen body. It was because she was just beckoning her to sit in her back seat. At the maid’s silence, she spoke again.

 

“Get on. Oh, you can’t do it by yourself? Help her then.”

 

The coachman didn’t even have the power to rebut, and only helped the maid to get on Reyna’s horse.

 

“Hold on tight, or you’ll break your neck.”

 

It sounded like a cruel warning for her rather than a piece of advice.

 

If she rode a horse with Reyna, who had no luck, something that was about to happen was clear. The maid didn’t realize it, but she clung to Reyna like a cicada to faithfully follow her order to sit on her back seat.

 

Khiiiik

 

Reyna immediately flanked the horse without even giving a signal that she was about to depart.

 

***

 

“We have arrived safely.”

 

The maid, who had her forehead nailed to Reyna’s back, was startled by her blunt words and almost fell backward. Reyna grabbed her arm and then clicked her tongue.

 

“We have really arrived. It was a joke when I said you’ll break your neck.”

 

“I am sorry.”

 

Reyna got off the horse then walked to the temple. The servant, who had barely crawled down from the horse, hurriedly followed her. Instead of the main gate of the temple, they were walking at the hidden passage. It was only known to those who knew.

 

Reyna suddenly muttered, “Come to think of it, I went all the way to the imperial palace safely.”

 

She looked fixedly at the leviathan figure of the imperial palace for a while and then turned her head.

 

After all, there would be no need to go to the Imperial Palace again for her now.

 

Even when she recalled Smith’s stupid face, there were no emotions such sadness or disappointment felt. He just annoyed her. She wanted a breakup, but there was no way that Smith would let it happen. He will keep holding onto her until Jane arrives to take her place.

 

‘When did Jane come to the Duke’s house?’

 

Walking with her focus blurred in thought, Reyna suddenly stopped at the shadow that overcast her front.

 

She stopped right before she collided with it. What was visible to her peripheral field was a solid chest that was already so close to her.

 

Reyna raised her head and checked her opponent.

 

It was a man whose back debarred the pouring afternoon sunlight to reach her.

 

“Your Highness, the Second Prince.”

 

“Lady Bolshik.”

 

They gave offhand greetings to one another, showing only minimal courtesy.

 

After that, Einar the Second Prince and herself soon started to walk again without paying any more attention to each other.

 

The two seemed to be heading towards the same place. It was the center of the temple. Nevertheless, while maintaining a distance, they looked mutually indifferent, the same as when they greeted each other a while ago.

 

Not long after that, when they were on a few steps before reaching the center of the temple, he suddenly stopped walking.

 

She tried to pass him, but when she had already taken a step ahead of him, she also suddenly did the same thing.

 

She felt like she heard a cracking sound from the wall a second ago.

 

Accidents always happen quickly.

 

‘Did I hear it wrong?’

 

So, the moment Reyna turned her head to look at the wall with that thought-

 

Crack. Crack

 

Boom!

 

The installed heavy statue on the wall collapsed precisely on Einar’s head. It was such a big accident that the marble floor, where the statue fell, was split and crumbled. Dust clouds were everywhere.

 

“Oh! Lady! Lady!”

 

“Oh my God, what is this!”

 

“Call the people!”

 

Despite that, a miracle happened.

 

That’s right, it was truly something that can only be described as a miracle.

 

The priest, who had been screaming to summon people, came silent and stared blankly at Einar and Reyna out of a sudden. Seeing that, someone then approached him.

 

“What are you staring at-…”

 

The man also failed to finish his words.

 

It was because he saw something uncanny happen after the dust fog started to fade.

 

As the huge stone statue collapsed, the robust marble floor was even mercilessly foundered, but Reyna and Einar didn’t get any scratch at all. If you try to look for damage caused by the accident, it was only the hem of Reyna’s skirt that is slightly torn.

 

With his nonchalant expression, Einar ordered the people that gathered around them, “Put it away.”

 

“Yes? Oh, yes!”

 

“Hey, help here!”

 

People started surrounding the two men to help them move the heavy stone fragment of the statue.

 

On the other side, Reyna alternately observed Einar’s sharp jawline and his strong arms that wrapped around her waist.

 

It wasn’t like she caught feelings for him all of a sudden or something. She was just immensely confused.

 

The statue obviously fell exactly on Einar’s head, not hers.

 

A normal person would have jumped themselves towards her so that both of them would have completely escaped from the collapsing statue. However, he instead pulled her into his arms.

 

Why?

 

Why did he pull her into his arms, the very point at which the statue collapsed?

 

There’s no way if he did that so they can die together, right? They even rarely met like this, and including this one, she only had once or twice conversations with him.

 

Did he have such a huge grudge that he wants to kill the one and only daughter of Duke Bolshik in such a public place even though he needs to kill himself like this?

 

She couldn’t understand this situation at all, but eventually still bowed her head politely to him.

 

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

 

Without asking or checking if she had any injuries, he asked her something completely different. Einar nodded indifferently as an answer for the thanks, and then looked at the torn part of her skirt.

 

“That.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Did it just rip?”

 

“Yes, only just now.”

 

“Hm, is it really just because of the incident?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Isn’t there a possibility that it got torn before that?”

 

“Not at all.”

 

After that, a very uncomfortable silence aired.

 

Not at Reyna, he instead was watching her ripped skirt too meticulously. His doing was strange to everyone there but Reyna. She didn’t feel uncomfortable or puzzled by his gaze. She noted that he deliberately mentioned the word ‘just’ twice.

 

Even so, she was very suspicious of his odd behavior in the accident that just happened. Regardless, if she also theorized that he was just trying to kill her, it actually will sound nothing but weirder.

 

Plus, for some reason, how he asked her sounded like it was natural to didn’t get injured if such an accident occurred. Did he in disbelief that her skirt was ripped because he thought there was no way it was going to be ripped?

 

At the moment when rib-like veins formed on her forehead, he asked.

 

“Lady, perhaps today is the most unlucky day in your life?”