The Duke received a strange report and was on his way to the Duchy much earlier than planned. Originally, he had intended to spend about three days away, leaving Rachel behind, but he returned within a day.
Is this correct?
asked the Duke, leaning on the carriage with his arms crossed.
“Yes, there have been reports that bandits have invaded the vicinity of the duchy,” his assistant replied.
“Is this possible?”
The Duke's Castle has been intricately designed to prevent any interference.
The Duke touched his chin and continued: “It will not be easy for anyone to get in without help from within.”
Alexander was hesitant to speak, but finally continued: “Maybe it has to do with the disappearance of the Duchess.”
“It cannot be ruled out,” said the Duke.
The Duke couldn't help but keep an eye on Psyche, whom he had left behind in the dukedom. Recently, her mood had been slightly different. He tried to figure out how to lighten her spirits, but he had no experience understanding another person's emotions, and he didn't know how to do it.
He didn't want to pretend that they were a loving couple, but he didn't want to get into any unnecessary rumors or problems.
“Is it because of Rachel?” asked the Duke.
“That's not something I can rule out,” his assistant replied.
The assistant offered advice, “Anyway, wouldn’t it be more convenient for you if you made an effort to improve your wife’s mood?”
“….”
After hearing that, the Duke raised his eyebrows and finally replied: “Maybe you are right.”
Then speak again.
“No. Would she be satisfied if she arrived empty-handed? Buy some flowers and give them to her.”
He heard his words again. Good things were good after all.
He had never bought such things himself before, so he carelessly chose the more expensive flowers.
The soul loved even the smallest things.
After imagining her happy face, he headed to the duchy.
He wasn't worried about the bandits, there were skilled knights guarding the place.
But lately, he couldn't help but notice Saiki's strange behavior.
Moreover, Rachel's behavior became strange, which caused him some discomfort.
Suddenly, the conversation was back to them.
“Why on earth would my wife want to go so far as to push you away?”
“I have no idea.”
“My wife is usually very kind. If she gets angry, it must be your fault.”
Rachel sat in front of him inside the carriage, her arms crossed tightly, and the corners of her mouth raised awkwardly.
"You'll find out later. When you do, you'll thank me, right?"
"Don't say silly things. And don't come at me in that rude way again."
“Disappointed?”
When Clint drew a firm line, Rachel's expression hardened.
“Well, aren’t you obsessed with a woman now? You’ll regret it.”
I laughed.
“You'll be the one to regret it.”
Her tone was very cold. It was a warning. But Rachel didn't care and responded.
"Oh, are you trying to be scary? That's why I suggested we get married in a strategic way. You brought a strange girl into this."
“Don’t talk bad about my wife, she is much better than you.”
"Oh, really? Do you really believe that?"
They had a heated argument throughout the trip.
Clint couldn't count the number of times he'd suppressed his rising anger in front of her. He found himself admiring her patience.
The reason he continued the conversation with her, despite her bored disposition, was because he wanted to know what Rachel said to Saeki.
She must have said something completely unreasonable. Otherwise Saiki would never have left like that.
Clint was thinking about checking on his wife when he arrived and yet, something kept worrying him.
He continued to push his recurring doubts away and asked Alejandro.
“So quickly, when will we arrive?”
Well, at this rate, we should be arriving late at night.
“Hmm, so my wife will be asleep, I guess.”
“Yes, that's right. How the Duchess must hate to see you.”
“Alejandro.”
Clint's low voice caused Alejandro to shiver, avoiding eye contact.
"I'm sorry."
However, silence reigned inside the carriage.
Clint felt strangely uncomfortable.
There shouldn't be any problems. Even if the bandits came, the knights would protect Psyche. It must be safe. However, he couldn't help but feel extremely anxious.
No longer able to contain the feeling of worry, Clint broke the silence.
“But who informed us of the bandits’ presence? So quickly?”
“Oh, after we set off, one of the knights seemed to sense something was wrong and followed us closely. Fortunately, right?”
“Hmm.”
It was strange.
As if they wanted to tell us on purpose. Clint couldn't get rid of this strange feeling.
Alejandro looked at him and asked, “Why are you like this? Are you worried?”
“Simply, isn't that strange?”
“Well, even if it was a trap, I'm sure everything has been dealt with. There's no need to worry. As a joke, they say that the knights of the Duke's estate can even defeat the Imperial Guard.”
“I see...”
Clint nodded vaguely and returned to his thoughts. It wasn't that kind of worry… it was something different, and he couldn't put his finger on why.
Today, of all days, the cart's speed was unusually slow
It seems that the road to the Duke's estate is very long.
“Tell the driver to go faster,” Clint ordered.
This made Alejandro widen his eyes. “We're already running at full speed... okay.”
He quickly sensed Clint's discomfort and urged the driver to speed up the drive.
An indefinable feeling of anxiety gripped Clint. As they approached the duke's estate, the feeling of anxiety increased.
The atmosphere around the Duke's house was different from usual, and it was ominous. It was past midnight, yet the lamps were brightly lit, and the fires were burning in the hearths. It didn't make sense to light up the area just to catch bandits.
Normally, they would safely handle any problems with the Duke's estate without Saiki's knowledge.
So, it was a different kind of problem, and Clint had an intuitive sense that something was wrong.
He hastened to the Duke's house as soon as he got off the carriage.
As he walked towards the mansion, Clint saw the house staff walking around carrying lamps. There was something strange.
As soon as they arrived at the palace, the servant appeared in disarray. He was sweaty and messy, and didn't look as fit as usual.
The house staff hurriedly passing by Clint looked busier than usual.
Clint decided that he should see Saiki first, given the situation with Rachel.
When he rushed inside, the servant was the first to greet him.
“Where is my wife now?” Clint asked hurriedly.
“That…that…”
The host's face paled in response to Clint's question.
“Is she in the bedroom?”
Clint asked again. The host's anxious gaze seemed to be searching the air for an answer.
Despite his impatience, Clint quickened his steps as if responding to the nonverbal answer.
How did Saiki's room get so far away?
Clint was living in the illusion that he was walking forever. As he walked, he felt regretful because it felt like it took a whole day to reach his destination.
As he walked quickly, the servant and servants who were following him had no choice but to follow him.
When they finally reached Saiki's bedroom, Clint rushed to the door, opened it and entered.
It was strange.
Quiet...
And silent.
The room had an atmosphere that Saiki could not feel; It was filled with a strange feeling, as if no one had ever been there, like a frozen lake after a snowfall.
The room was not cold, like a frozen lake after a snowfall, but there was no trace of her.
No matter how he searched the room, he couldn't find her. The growing anxiety began to press down on him, until it became so massive that it almost swallowed him up.
“It's my fault! Sir!”
Mary was the first to speak, her eyes widening when she noticed Clint and she quickly bowed.
“What…”
It was hard to find the words.
“What in the world...”
Psyche was nowhere to be found.
No matter how much he looked, it wasn't there. Suddenly the increasing anxiety that was haunting him consumed him, weighing him down.
“Sir, forgive me!”
Mary was the first to speak, and, trembling, she knelt down and pressed her forehead to the ground.
“Your Highness...”
The exhausted servant spoke.
“This evening, the Duchess...”
But he could not complete his sentence, and after closing his eyes tightly, he continued speaking.
“The Duchess... is gone.”
"What did you say?"
Clint's terrifying voice trembled, making him lower his body in fear.
“Your Highness… The Duchess has left the Duke’s estate.”
The host lowered his head, unable to meet Clint's gaze.
Clint's cold voice turned into a whisper. "When...? Since when?"
“About three hours ago.”
After hearing that, Clint gave an order as he left the room without looking back.
“Chase her immediately.”