Karina arrived at the Grand Duke's mansion. Karina was surprised as she got out of the carriage. Jeremiah was waiting in front of the mansion as if he was there to greet her.
'No. Jeremiah wouldn't have waited for me.'
Karina frowned at him, then quickly cleared her expression. She was about to ignore him and pass by when Jeremiah spoke to her.
"Did you have a nice time meeting people?"
"..."
He spoke as if he had been waiting for her. Karina looked bewildered and tried to find the right words to reply.
"Yes."
It was a short answer that felt harsh.
"..."
The awkward atmosphere settled. Mikhail, who had just gotten out of the carriage, stood next to Karina. Jeremiah's eyebrows furrowed slightly. But soon he asked Karina again.
"Have you eaten?"
"..."
Karina couldn't answer right away this time either. It wasn't because she hadn't eaten. Karina had joined the group and eaten while Mikhail sent Selena away. Even so, the reason she couldn't answer easily was because this situation of Jeremiah's interest in her was so unfamiliar.
"I ate."
Still, the answer came more easily than the first question. Jeremiah had been coming to Karina's room every mealtime to check if she had eaten, saying that he would make sure she was taking her medicine. It was funny how she felt a little familiar with him after just a few days. A slight self-mockery appeared on Karina's lips, but it quickly disappeared.
"I see. Then the medicine..."
"I took some medicine too."
"I see."
Even though it seemed like he had nothing more to say, Jeremiah did not leave.
'Yeah. That's perfect timing.'
Karina decided to think positively. In fact, she was planning to find Jeremiah when she had the chance and bring up the topic of Croana Poison. She was planning to show him the 'letter written by the maid just before she died' that she had received from Selena and inform him that the maid had been killed unjustly. She was also planning to demand that he investigate the person behind the maid's murder, assuming that the real culprit who killed Genon was the one who killed her.
"Do you remember? The poison that the maid named Jen said had to be antidote within three days."
Karina opened her mouth. The rest of the words flowed out of Jeremiah's mouth.
"Are you talking about CroanaPoison?"
"...!You figured it out already?"
Karina's eyes widened.
'This information in just one day?'
Although she had thought it wouldn't take him long to find out about Croana, Karina was surprised at how much faster he was at finding out information than she had expected.
"They say it's a new poison that's been circulating around the capital. Just like you said."
The afterword was powerful.
"Really? I was just saying that, and it turns out it was true."
Karina pretended not to know.
"Now that you know that there is such a poison, reveal the truth behind this incident as I said."
From Jeremiah's perspective, he was responsible for the murder of Lord Genon in the Grand Duke's prison. Even if that wasn't the case, the prestige of the Grand Duke's family could be restored if the arrogant criminal who had caused the Incident within the Grand Duke's prison was caught and punished.
Additionally, if the mastermind behind the incident was found out, Caroline's charges could also be reduced. The reasons for finding the mastermind were different, but the goal was the same. Karina thought that Jeremiah would naturally grant her request.
"Why are you so obsessed with the person behind this incident? Is there anyone you suspect?"
Karina was naturally suspicious of Revels, who was doing nothing even though Caroline was cornered. But she couldn't tell Jeremiah that. If she told him, he would have to tell him why she was suspicious, and apart from that, she couldn't trust Jeremiah.
Karina told him the reason she had thought of in advance.
"The people behind the killing of Lord Genon and the maid might be after me next. They were the ones who conspired to frame me using Lord Genon in the first place. I want to eliminate that danger in advance."
"As long as I am here, no one can harm you, Grand Duchess."
Jeremiah spoke firmly. Karina snorted Inwardly after hearing his words. On the surface, it would be so. On the surface, the Grand Duchess was under the protection of the Grand Duke's family. And if Karina, who had married into the Grand Duke's family, died or was injured, the Marquis of Milliner would make a strong protest and hold her accountable.
'On the contrary, if it weren't for that situation, he would have abandoned me without mercy.'
It was the same during this hostage crisis. She was able to save her life because Mikhail saved her.
'If Mikhail hadn't saved me, I might have died as soon as they found out I was worthless as a hostage there.'
Karina's shoulders trembled once. Mistaking Karina's trembling shoulders for the cold, Mikhail quickly intervened.
"Karina, it's cold so go to your room quickly. You haven't fully recovered yet."
Karina nodded.
"Anyway, please proceed with the reinvestigation as is. Then, I'll take my leave."
Mikhail gently wrapped his arms around Karina's shoulders as she tried to walk. Jeremiah's eyebrows twitched at the sight.
Thump.
Jeremiah immediately shook Mikhail's hand off Karina's shoulder. And he supported Karina's arm as if he was escorting her.
"!?"
Karina looked at him with surprised eyes, but Jeremiah's face was indifferent as if nothing had happened.
"Your body has not fully recovered yet, so I will support you."
"That..."
"There is no need for that."
Mikhail's words were faster than Karina's.
'Huh..?'
Karina opened her mouth to refuse but was momentarily taken aback by Mikhail's actions, who refused Jeremiah's words even faster than she did.
"Because I can help her."
"She never asked you."
The voice was as cold as frost. The war of nerves that she thought she had become accustomed to recently broke out again.
'Why all of a sudden...? Why here and now?'
I was skeptical, but I thought, why bother looking into it?
"That's enough. I want to go to my room quickly and rest."
Karina crossed her arms alone, avoiding the two people's hands. Honestly, she wanted to take Mikhail's side, but many eyes were watching her. She didn't want Mikhail to hear unnecessary things because of her and get into unnecessary gossip. She even knew what was on his mind, so she didn't want to make him misunderstand. Jeremiah didn't even have to say anything.
"If you're going to fight, do it when I'm not around."
As if annoyed, Karina left the two and went up to her room alone. The two people followed her. Before closing the door, Karina turned around and said.
"I'm going to bed early today because I'm tired, so both of you are not allowed in my room."
The door closed with a bang.
"..."
"..."
It was a moment when Jeremiah and Mikhail, who had followed Karina, were turned away without being able to say a word.
***
As the sun set, the sky turned orange. The day was already drawing to a close. The carriage, which had been running without stopping for a while, stopped.
"Everyone get down!"
A man with a fierce expression and a plump woman made all the children who were riding in the carriage get off. Dino was among them. As soon as he got off, Dino looked for Philip. When he saw Philip in the arms of the plump woman, Dino ran to him.
"Philip!"
Philip was rubbing his eyes as if he had just woken up. As soon as the woman put Philip down, Dino quickly hugged Philip. He didn't forget to be very wary of the woman, in case Philip was taken away again. The woman laughed as if it was funny and said.
"Don't worry. I won't take him away. This child is too young to be of much use. A child your age would be just right. If you just listen to me, I'll give you bread and cookies."
"I don't need it. Please send it back."
"If you do as you are told and do your job well, there is no reason why you can't be sent back."
"Really?"
Dino's eyes widened at the small hope. The plump woman smiled and sent Dino and Philip to where the other children were gathered. Dino and the children were taken to a rock mountain surrounded by hard rocks on all sides. They entered a dark passageway under the rock mountain. After going inside for a while, a large pupil appeared. There were passageways centered around the pupil and connected here and there. The children entered one of the passageways. The further they went in, the narrower the passageway became. When they got a little further inside, the man with a fierce look who had been leading the children opened his mouth.
"Now you just have to take the stones out from inside."
Dino looked ahead of him, where the man was pointing with his fingertip. There was a very narrow hole that looked to be only about half the size of the path he had come from. It was obviously too small for an adult to fit through, and only small children like him could barely get through.
"Okay, let's start right now."
The man instructed threateningly.
***
"They're not back yet?"
"Yes..."
Dino and Philip did not return until late evening.
"It won't work. I'll go look for them and come back."
Aiden quickly left the orphanage.
"Brother, let's go together."
"We'll look for them too."
Naina and the others followed, but Aiden shook his head.
"It's getting dark. What if you guys go out and get lost? Dino and Philip might come back on their own, so you guys stay home."
"Yes."
Aiden ran straight to Uncle Roberto's workshop. However, all he heard when he got there was that they had already finished their errand and returned. Aiden left the workshop without any results.
'Where the hell are you?'
Then suddenly, he remembered what happened yesterday.
'I warned you so much, but you wouldn't have gone back to get more food, would you?'
Aiden shook his head, saying that it couldn't be true. But his suspicions still persisted. Aiden went around asking the merchants around him about this and that.
"I heard you distributed food to the children."
"Oh, you're talking about the volunteer work at Lamberda?"
"Yes."
"That's over already. Come back tomorrow. It seems like it's been going on for the past few days."
"No. It's not that I want to receive it, I'm just looking for the children who received the bread."
Aiden described Dino and Phillip's impressions.
"Well, I've seen a lot of kids, so even if you say that, I still can't tell who's who."
"Ah..."
"First, go to where the stall was."
"Thank you."
Aiden went to the place the merchant told him about. But there was nothing left there. Aiden searched the area thoroughly. And in a nearby alley, he found a street child with a paper bag.
"Have you seen any kids around here who got bread? There are two of them, one of them is about this tall and has brown hair..."
As Aiden was explaining earnestly, a street child spoke.
"Oh, you're talking about those kids who always walk down the street holding each other's hands?"
Aiden's expression brightened at the words of the child who seemed to know Dino and Phillip.
"That's right. Did you see where they went?"
"I saw them, but..."
The street child hesitated and trailed off.
"It's okay, just tell me exactly what you saw."
At Aiden's request, the child pointed somewhere with his finger.
"He said he would help organize the stalls and went to the big carriage that was standing in the second alley over there."
"A big carriage?"
"It was a huge wagon covered in black cloth, and they took off in that wagon. But the kids probably won't come back."
"What...?"
Shocked by those words, Aiden urged the street child to tell him more.
"They used to share food with street children like us, and later they took us in, offering us a place to stay. I had a cold at the time and was coughing so I couldn't ride in the carriage."
The street child told Aiden what he had seen while he was there.
"There are two carriages carrying children. All the children who ride in the carriage with the green cloth return, but none of the children who ride in the carriage with the black cloth return."
"...!"
Children who had guardians or adults around them to look after them were put in the green carriage, and children who were orphans or wandering the streets without guardians were put in the black carriage, either voluntarily or by force. And the children who were in the black carriage did not return even after several days.
Aiden's face became pale as he listened to the child's story. Aiden ran straight to the flower shop.
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