Although Judith isn’t particularly short, my eyes only came up to his chest.

I only felt awkward, but from his perspective, it seemed like I was terrified of him.

He stopped and kept his distance.

He focused his eyes on me.

The luxury to live like a victor was fairly evident in his intense glare.

‘H-How awkward…’

As I was trying to break my bone dry lips open, he began to talk.

“We meet again like this.”

How in the world was a person so good-looking, tall, and had such a nice voice?

Distracted with admiring Rüdiger’s appearance, which God most certainly crafted with the utmost care, I finally understood his words a beat later.

“…Huh?”

We meet again, he says. If I saw a man like him even once, I would have never forgotten.

Rüdiger continued in a calm manner while looking at my eyes filled with suspicion.

“Back then, on the street.”

“Oh, a-ah….”

I finally realized where I met him.

At the village plaza where I crashed into him, with that pleasant voice, it was him.

His deep, echoing and hair-raising voice seemed familiar.

Of course, there couldn’t have been 2 people with that kind of voice.

I gazed at him.

How can I get involved with someone like this under such unfortunate circumstances?

Rüdiger offered his hand towards me.

The last attempt was to help me up to my feet, this time was for a handshake.

“I am Rumgart’s Royal Army Central Division Colonel and Saxon Viscount, Rüdiger Winterwald.

Are you the owner of this residence?”

“Yes, I am. What brings you to my humble abode, esteemed Viscount of Winterwald?”

As if uninformed, I simply shook his large gloved hand.

“Have you heard anything about Jonas Winterwald?”

“Jonas?”

Of course, I knew.

But that’s not what ‘Judith’ would know.

Wearing an air of innocence, like hearing something for the first time, I looked at him with wide eyes.

“I do not know of this Jonas you speak of… Perhaps you came to the wrong house.”

“That is not the case. If this is the Maybaum residence, then I have come to the correct place.”

Rüdiger was certain.

It felt as if he already made the ruling.

My shoulders shrugged as I gingerly replied.

“Well… You have indeed found the Maybaum residence… For now, let us go inside. Our conversation may carry on too long.”

To be frank, as I kept on listening to Rüdiger’s voice, there was no way I could stand without my legs trembling.

It felt as if his voice was grazing my ear with a plush feather…

It was that kind of voice women would eagerly die for but men loathed as it exuded masculinity.

For now, I invited Rüdiger inside the house, but there wasn’t an appropriate place for him to sit.

Instead of the living room, I proceeded to ask him to sit in one of the chairs in the dining room.

He sharply raised his eyes at this seemingly awkward situation, but he held his tongue.

“There’s a child at home, but he’s quite sick. May I give him his medicine first?”

“Yes, of course.”

Rüdiger without hesitation permitted me to do so.

I anticipated that he would agree.

With that, I walked up the stairs to the second floor with the medicine I brought from the apothecary and a spoonful of honey.

“Luca.”

The frail Luca turned his head towards my direction as the door creaked open. He barely lifted his red blood-shot eyes.

What a sorrowful sight it was, tsk, tsk.

Thankfully, this will be the last time he suffers so horribly since he will soon leave for Winterwald.

As if leaving something on the table, I tried to remain cheerful as I spoke.

“Alright, let’s take the medicine.”

His face scrunched at the bitter medicine, but he managed to gulp it down.

“Aw, our Luca was able to hold down his medicine so well.”

“…Big deal. Since when was I a kid?”

Well, you are a child.

Instead of arguing, I just fed him the spoonful of honey to which Luca disapproved of even more.

“Let’s eat some Pot-au-feu.”

“…With what money.”

“Since we have enough money for that.”