"No, the children left first, so Maria was the only one left there. Unless someone told her to stop, even if it started raining spears, she would stay there. She wouldn't even take out an umbrella. I let my emotions get the better of me and actually did something like that."
As her mother, Rosa Ushiromiya clearly knew better than anyone how obedient Maria was, yet she had let her emotions get the better of her and done something so excessive.
"Maria—"
Rosa Ushiromiya shoved past Genji's shoulder and ran toward the hallway.
Outside the guesthouse.
Rain was pouring down outside, looking every bit like a typhoon. Perhaps due to the terrain, the wind had not reached typhoon strength. It did not seem strong enough to make umbrellas impossible to hold. Even so, the wind and rain were fierce enough to be called a storm. There would be no leisurely admiring rain-soaked roses today.
"Maria is what worries me most right now. She wouldn't stubbornly stay behind after we left, still looking for that rose, would she?"
"With rain this heavy, probably not. But Maria can be really stubborn sometimes, with a silly streak to her."
Lin Yan and the others had assumed Rosa had taken her to the mansion and had not thought much about it. But when Kanon came from the mansion to call them to dinner, he assumed Maria was with the younger generation here. That made everyone deeply worried.
"I didn't see Miss Maria at the mansion, so I always thought she was here. Miss Rosa was taking a nap at the time..."
"You didn't see her on your way here either?"
"My deepest apologies. I ran here with an umbrella, so I did not pay attention to my surroundings."
If one took the shortest route