# 23
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“My father hated this place so much, so it was left abandoned, but it is used like this now.”
The abandoned pavilion was cleaned periodically once a month, and no one except the cleaners entered it.
It was the perfect place to hide the presence of Elinor and the child from the inhabitants of the palace.
"The baby's mother will certainly be curious about many things. Where she is, what's going on outside. No matter what she asks, stay silent."
"present."
“Make sure she never leaves the building. Although it is unlikely, but if she resists too much, you can use a tranquilizer.”
"concept."
"But do not touch the child. Follow Miss Elinor's wishes in all matters relating to the child."
Matthias remembered clearly.
The woman who first asked about the child's safety in the middle of the burning hostel.
Her red eyes shone brighter than the flames.
Although her breathing was difficult due to the thick smoke, she grabbed his wrist with such force that it made his hand pale.
'Now that I think about it, the kid was like that too.'
When Matthias was about to leave Elinor in the fire, the child cried loudly as if he sensed his intentions, as if demanding that he save Elinor.
These actions reminded him of him and his family.
“If Miss Elinor had only been taking advantage of her nephew, she would not have given her any facilities.”
Why did he give the child so much attention?
Although he is small and cute, he is someone else's child.
He would leave the care of the child to his followers and focus on luring out the hiding Charlotte.
But in the village he took care of the child himf.
He responded to Elinor's wishes as long as they were not excessive.
As if he was starting to have good feelings for her.
Matthias was frustrated by this sudden realization.
This was the first time he felt these feelings towards someone who was not part of his family.
He always separated work and personal life.
He only showed mercy to his family or the inhabitants of his emirate.
Elinor was the first exception.
“…the child’s mother is a useful paper.”
Because it will help find the missing Charlotte, right?
In fact, the information I provided was borne out by constant reporting.
Matthias looked at the child in his subordinate's arms.
“Boa.”
The child extended his hand towards Matthias.
Matthias caressed the child's fat hand and said:
“Make sure that the mother and the child do not feel any discomfort.”
"present."
“Notify me immediately if anything unusual happens.”
After giving instructions to his subordinate, Matthias turned towards the main palace.
His steps were hurried, as if he was running away from something.
* * *
Elinor felt tired the first day after regaining consciousness, but recovered quickly after that.
After a week, I made a decision.
'I have to find Charlotte as soon as possible.'
Until now, she had hoped that Charlotte would come looking for the child, so she had not actively searched for her sister.
But after experiencing the accident that almost claimed her life, her thoughts changed.
She first had to reunite the child with his mother.
Charlotte could regret leaving the baby at any time, but if she died, there was nothing she could do.
“I want to look for my sister myf.”
“Yes, I have recovered now.”
Elinor told Matthias, who visited her three days later, of her thoughts.
'Naturally he would welcome that.'
To reclaim his tainted principality day by day, he too must rush to find Charlotte.
But Matthias showed an unexpected reaction.
“It can't be. The baby's mother still needs rest.”
"What?"
Elinor's eyes widened.
She has already recovered, so what is he talking about?
“I'm not sick.”
“After you were unconscious for ten days?”
“The doctor said it was a psychological problem. Maybe I was shocked by the sudden fire.”
In fact, the trauma of her previous life might have been the reason for her late awakening.
Matthias frowned.
“Even if it was, if your body was weak to begin with, your mind wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
“I am in normal condition.”
“I didn't feel it when I carried you. There was no flesh on your bones... Don't look at me like that. When you fainted, I had to jump from the second floor while carrying you.”
“I know. Thanks.”
“Anyway, leave the search for your sister to me. Based on the information you provided, my followers are tracking her now.”
Elinor's proposal was rejected. His attitude was decisive, as if he did not want to hear any more.
“If I searched myf, I might find it faster.”
“Really? You said your sister has the sacred piece, right? If she wanted to, she could easily hide. How would you change things if you went yourf?”
Even after several other suggestions, the answer was the same.
As the matter repeated itf, Elinor couldn't help but doubt.
“Looks like I'm in detention now.”
She had doubts from the beginning.
Whenever she wanted to go out, the maid who served her would prevent her on the pretext that she needed to rest.
She would answer “I don’t know” to any question.
She had to wait for Matthias to visit her to meet him.
“Is this place really Lovela?”
Matthias said this was his villa in the countryside, but it didn't look like it.
Carpets, a Northwest Empire custom, decorated every room.
More importantly, her instinct as an incarnate was telling her that this was the Principality of Hilliard.
“Moreover, this place appeared in the original story once.”
A scene where the Duke kidnaps the heroine and holds her in a secluded wing of the Duke's palace.
Elinor got up and went to the window.
When I opened the unlocked window, a fresh wind carried the scent of trees.
Tall cedar trees surrounding the building blocked the view.
It was somehow similar to what she remembered from the original story.
In the story, the place where Charlotte was held was surrounded by trees, making it invisible from the outside and difficult to get out of.
There was a scene where Charlotte got lost in a forest-like garden while trying to escape.
Boom.
Elinor sat in a chair by the window.
"detention…"
Several reasons could have been deduced for Matthias' detention of her.
First, it was a way to find Charlotte, so he didn't want to lose her, and he wanted to manage her easily.
Even after finding Charlotte, she was still useful.
His goal was not only to find Charlotte, but to use her to purify the polluted Earth.
If Charlotte refused to purify the Earth, the child and his sister being held captive would be an excellent threat.
Matthias was that kind of character.
A cruel villain who does not hesitate to use any means to achieve his goals.
This was well known and not surprising.
“But I feel a little…”
Elinor pressed her chest. It wasn't just a bad feeling about being detained.
After thinking for a long time, she realized that she was disappointed.
She didn't want to believe that the man who had rescued her from the burning building and suffered burns had held her captive.
“Recover consciousness.”
Elinor slapped her cheek audibly.
She was the one who took the baby out of the Winstons' home.
Therefore, it was her responsibility to protect the child until he was reunited with Charlotte.
“I must prepare to escape if necessary.”
As an incarnate, Elinor knew the way.