“Angie.”
This time, Martin took the lead and stood up straight before Bryn.
“That won’t happen. Nothing will happen to you. You and Noah.”
“Tomorrow afternoon, we will send our men to Lorsha Village. We will instruct them to keep a close watch on the village, especially Catherine Beckett and Angie’s residence, and to protect them from any suspicious activity. So don’t worry about the child, and think of it as a short break in the countryside.”
“Thank you, Uncle Willem.”
“I’ll take a leave from the police department and follow you to Revan.”
“Oh, then me too...”
“You have to take care of Noah and Patty here. You’ll be more noticeable if you come too.”
“Yes. But you have to wake me up before you go! You can’t go without saying goodbye.”
Angie nodded. The discussion was over. Now all she had to do was pack up and get ready to leave at dawn. She thanked everyone again for their help and headed to Noah in the crib. The baby was sleeping soundly, oblivious to anything.
The sight of her holding his hands together like a small, cute animal and resting his rosy cheek on the pillow was so adorable. Patricia, his always-close younger sister, was also sleeping soundly like twins, her back pressed against Noah's. Angie carefully pulled the blanket the two children had covered up together up to their necks.
If anything were to happen to such precious and noble babies, she would absolutely not be able to bear it. If the Duke found out about Noah's existence and took him away from her...
Just thinking about it made her heart rip apart. Angie bit her lip and pressed the back of her hand to her eyes, which were stinging with heat.
Don't worry. As Martin said, nothing will happen to us. Not to me, not to my baby.
The gaslights came on one by one. The streets were as quiet as a mouse. It was hard to believe that the parade had been in full swing three hours before, but it wasn't as dreary as Hedestad, the capital of his country.
Kyle gritted his teeth as he rode. The sky was dark and his vision was clouded with despair. He had snatched the horse from Jerome, who had been chasing him, as soon as he left the procession, and had been wandering around the city like a madman for three hours. If it weren't for the fact that he was in an entirely unfamiliar area, chasing and catching a woman would have been no problem.
Damn it! Angie... Where the hell are you hiding?
Cold sweat was dripping down his forehead. Jerome and the guards were already following him helplessly. It was useless to order them to search. He had been invited as a state guest, so he couldn't look into the approvals of other countries one by one. The peace treaty could be broken only a few days after it was established.
“Your Highness. What on earth is the reason for this? You should not stay here any longer. You should return to the palace...”
Jerome approached him from behind on another horse. A personal title slipped out of his mouth involuntarily, but Kyle didn't even realize it. Jerome opened his mouth again as if he had realized something.
“Your Highness, by any chance...”
“I saw Angie.”
As expected. Kyle spoke again before his confidant could reply. His gaze was still fixed on the dark riverside and the darkened buildings.
“It was Angie, definitely. She doesn’t look like anyone and I didn’t mistake her for someone else.”
“Then again, in this empty lot...”
“She was dressed in casual clothes as if she had just come out for a walk in front of her house, with a brown wig. She must be living in the heart of the Citadel.”
“I apologize. There are already people planted in the Citadel, but we haven’t found them yet. I will create a new montage as soon as daylight comes and order a thorough search.”
“There are still two weeks left before I return to Trieste. I must find her within that time.”
Kyle's voice lowered even further as if suppressing a rebuke.
“No matter how much it costs, find her by any means necessary.”
“Understood. I will find a place outside the palace and place them there first. Since you are here, I think the palace will be...”
"I doesn't care."
Kyle pulled on the reins and turned toward the square.
“As soon as I find Angie, I plan on filing for divorce from Leticia Blackwell... no, Leticia Dervan. I’ve been saying from the beginning that the marriage would only last about three years, and I was planning on doing it within a few months anyway, so there’s no problem if I bring it up a month or two.”
At that moment, the loud sound of horse hooves was approaching. Jerome, who was about to say something, quickly pulled the reins and turned in that direction. The moment he blocked the way as if to protect his master, a familiar Trieste cavalryman ran up and reported hurriedly.
“Your Highness! Oh, something terrible has happened! We are now in the Palace of Vintergar...”
“What’s going on? Keep your voice as low as possible.”
At Jerome's urging, the cavalryman spat out his words in a single, barely audible breath.
“His Majesty has gone missing. He has not been seen anywhere, so we are searching the palace thoroughly with the help of the Vintergar Guards... The last time the servants saw him was at the end of the parade.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Jerome almost raised his voice, but covered his mouth with one hand and looked at Kyle. He was also quite surprised, his face hard as stone. The three of them stood in the quiet darkness, in the middle of a foreign city, exchanging glances for a few seconds.
Winston.
The first thing that came to Kyle's mind was Grand Duke Winston, the second son of Trieste and brother of Rainier VIII. He seemed to be a cunning man who could not quite hide his secret greed, his desire to dethrone his weak brother and take his place.
Kyle rode his horse towards the palace without further delay. He felt an eerie chill. The relief that he would finally get Angie back was fleeting, but an ominous feeling of foreboding was creeping over him like a chill.
The delegation from Trieste stayed up all night. The palace was tense and chaotic. The royal family of Vintergar could not hide their anxiety. It was an unprecedented event for the Emperor of a neighboring country, who had been invited as a state guest and was now an ally, to suddenly disappear.
Late in the afternoon, when the parade was in full swing, Rainier VIII was enjoying a bath in his bedroom. When he was awakened an hour later, his servants reported that only the bedroom window overlooking the lake in the backyard was wide open. The cavalrymen on guard duty throughout the palace and the guards guarding the bedroom door testified that there had been no intruders.
It was a case of a ghost crying. The window was locked inside for security reasons. There was no sign of a struggle or resistance. All circumstances suggested that Rainier VIII himself had opened the window, escaped from the secret room, and entered the lake or gone outside through the lake. Of course, the Trieste delegation claimed that this could not have been the case.
“The royal family of Vintergar has given their approval, so from this moment on, close the palace. Until His Majesty is found, not a single person from Trieste, including the Privy Council or the Royal Guard, may leave. All correspondence, messengers, and communication with outsiders must be completely blocked. The Royal Guard will be held strictly accountable and punished later.”
Kyle gave a cold order through Jerome. The nobles of the delegation insisted that they should inform Trieste immediately, but their claims were dismissed outright.
“There’s no point in telling them. The royal family of Vintergar has already sent a large number of private soldiers to actively cooperate in the search, so there’s no shortage of manpower. If something were to happen to His Majesty, nothing would change even if they found out back home.”
“That, that...!”
The delegation gaped at those cold words. In the worst-case scenario, it suggested that Rainier VIII might already be dead. But Kyle didn't bat an eye.
“Since the National Foundation Day celebrations will continue until the day after tomorrow, the city center will be bustling, so the search will be easier. Even if private soldiers are seen everywhere, it wouldn’t be strange if they use the excuse of protecting the citizens.”
“But Sir Kyle, I am not sure if I can trust the royal family of Vintergar. His Majesty disappeared during a parade through the city, while Vintergar’s elite royal guard was outside.”
The Duke of Murray Kent, the Emperor's adviser, spoke. Kyle turned to him. His gestures toward the older man were more formal, but his voice remained cold.
“It can’t be our doing. If we’re not careful, this could easily lead to serious conflict and even war. The royal family of Vintergar doesn’t want war. Your Grace, you’ve seen and felt it yourself.”
"But..."
“Let’s turn what you just said around. While the elite guard of Vintergar was stationed outside, this state villa was completely surrounded by our Trieste cavalry. So which side’s crime, assassination or kidnapping, would be more likely?”
The Duke of Kent and everyone else were silent. Only then did the possibility of an insider's work dawn on them. Kyle's tone became even more caustic.
This time, Martin took the lead and stood up straight before Bryn.
“That won’t happen. Nothing will happen to you. You and Noah.”
“Tomorrow afternoon, we will send our men to Lorsha Village. We will instruct them to keep a close watch on the village, especially Catherine Beckett and Angie’s residence, and to protect them from any suspicious activity. So don’t worry about the child, and think of it as a short break in the countryside.”
“Thank you, Uncle Willem.”
“I’ll take a leave from the police department and follow you to Revan.”
“Oh, then me too...”
“You have to take care of Noah and Patty here. You’ll be more noticeable if you come too.”
“Yes. But you have to wake me up before you go! You can’t go without saying goodbye.”
Angie nodded. The discussion was over. Now all she had to do was pack up and get ready to leave at dawn. She thanked everyone again for their help and headed to Noah in the crib. The baby was sleeping soundly, oblivious to anything.
The sight of her holding his hands together like a small, cute animal and resting his rosy cheek on the pillow was so adorable. Patricia, his always-close younger sister, was also sleeping soundly like twins, her back pressed against Noah's. Angie carefully pulled the blanket the two children had covered up together up to their necks.
If anything were to happen to such precious and noble babies, she would absolutely not be able to bear it. If the Duke found out about Noah's existence and took him away from her...
Just thinking about it made her heart rip apart. Angie bit her lip and pressed the back of her hand to her eyes, which were stinging with heat.
Don't worry. As Martin said, nothing will happen to us. Not to me, not to my baby.
***
The gaslights came on one by one. The streets were as quiet as a mouse. It was hard to believe that the parade had been in full swing three hours before, but it wasn't as dreary as Hedestad, the capital of his country.
Kyle gritted his teeth as he rode. The sky was dark and his vision was clouded with despair. He had snatched the horse from Jerome, who had been chasing him, as soon as he left the procession, and had been wandering around the city like a madman for three hours. If it weren't for the fact that he was in an entirely unfamiliar area, chasing and catching a woman would have been no problem.
Damn it! Angie... Where the hell are you hiding?
Cold sweat was dripping down his forehead. Jerome and the guards were already following him helplessly. It was useless to order them to search. He had been invited as a state guest, so he couldn't look into the approvals of other countries one by one. The peace treaty could be broken only a few days after it was established.
“Your Highness. What on earth is the reason for this? You should not stay here any longer. You should return to the palace...”
Jerome approached him from behind on another horse. A personal title slipped out of his mouth involuntarily, but Kyle didn't even realize it. Jerome opened his mouth again as if he had realized something.
“Your Highness, by any chance...”
“I saw Angie.”
As expected. Kyle spoke again before his confidant could reply. His gaze was still fixed on the dark riverside and the darkened buildings.
“It was Angie, definitely. She doesn’t look like anyone and I didn’t mistake her for someone else.”
“Then again, in this empty lot...”
“She was dressed in casual clothes as if she had just come out for a walk in front of her house, with a brown wig. She must be living in the heart of the Citadel.”
“I apologize. There are already people planted in the Citadel, but we haven’t found them yet. I will create a new montage as soon as daylight comes and order a thorough search.”
“There are still two weeks left before I return to Trieste. I must find her within that time.”
Kyle's voice lowered even further as if suppressing a rebuke.
“No matter how much it costs, find her by any means necessary.”
“Understood. I will find a place outside the palace and place them there first. Since you are here, I think the palace will be...”
"I doesn't care."
Kyle pulled on the reins and turned toward the square.
“As soon as I find Angie, I plan on filing for divorce from Leticia Blackwell... no, Leticia Dervan. I’ve been saying from the beginning that the marriage would only last about three years, and I was planning on doing it within a few months anyway, so there’s no problem if I bring it up a month or two.”
At that moment, the loud sound of horse hooves was approaching. Jerome, who was about to say something, quickly pulled the reins and turned in that direction. The moment he blocked the way as if to protect his master, a familiar Trieste cavalryman ran up and reported hurriedly.
“Your Highness! Oh, something terrible has happened! We are now in the Palace of Vintergar...”
“What’s going on? Keep your voice as low as possible.”
At Jerome's urging, the cavalryman spat out his words in a single, barely audible breath.
“His Majesty has gone missing. He has not been seen anywhere, so we are searching the palace thoroughly with the help of the Vintergar Guards... The last time the servants saw him was at the end of the parade.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Jerome almost raised his voice, but covered his mouth with one hand and looked at Kyle. He was also quite surprised, his face hard as stone. The three of them stood in the quiet darkness, in the middle of a foreign city, exchanging glances for a few seconds.
Winston.
The first thing that came to Kyle's mind was Grand Duke Winston, the second son of Trieste and brother of Rainier VIII. He seemed to be a cunning man who could not quite hide his secret greed, his desire to dethrone his weak brother and take his place.
Kyle rode his horse towards the palace without further delay. He felt an eerie chill. The relief that he would finally get Angie back was fleeting, but an ominous feeling of foreboding was creeping over him like a chill.
***
The delegation from Trieste stayed up all night. The palace was tense and chaotic. The royal family of Vintergar could not hide their anxiety. It was an unprecedented event for the Emperor of a neighboring country, who had been invited as a state guest and was now an ally, to suddenly disappear.
Late in the afternoon, when the parade was in full swing, Rainier VIII was enjoying a bath in his bedroom. When he was awakened an hour later, his servants reported that only the bedroom window overlooking the lake in the backyard was wide open. The cavalrymen on guard duty throughout the palace and the guards guarding the bedroom door testified that there had been no intruders.
It was a case of a ghost crying. The window was locked inside for security reasons. There was no sign of a struggle or resistance. All circumstances suggested that Rainier VIII himself had opened the window, escaped from the secret room, and entered the lake or gone outside through the lake. Of course, the Trieste delegation claimed that this could not have been the case.
“The royal family of Vintergar has given their approval, so from this moment on, close the palace. Until His Majesty is found, not a single person from Trieste, including the Privy Council or the Royal Guard, may leave. All correspondence, messengers, and communication with outsiders must be completely blocked. The Royal Guard will be held strictly accountable and punished later.”
Kyle gave a cold order through Jerome. The nobles of the delegation insisted that they should inform Trieste immediately, but their claims were dismissed outright.
“There’s no point in telling them. The royal family of Vintergar has already sent a large number of private soldiers to actively cooperate in the search, so there’s no shortage of manpower. If something were to happen to His Majesty, nothing would change even if they found out back home.”
“That, that...!”
The delegation gaped at those cold words. In the worst-case scenario, it suggested that Rainier VIII might already be dead. But Kyle didn't bat an eye.
“Since the National Foundation Day celebrations will continue until the day after tomorrow, the city center will be bustling, so the search will be easier. Even if private soldiers are seen everywhere, it wouldn’t be strange if they use the excuse of protecting the citizens.”
“But Sir Kyle, I am not sure if I can trust the royal family of Vintergar. His Majesty disappeared during a parade through the city, while Vintergar’s elite royal guard was outside.”
The Duke of Murray Kent, the Emperor's adviser, spoke. Kyle turned to him. His gestures toward the older man were more formal, but his voice remained cold.
“It can’t be our doing. If we’re not careful, this could easily lead to serious conflict and even war. The royal family of Vintergar doesn’t want war. Your Grace, you’ve seen and felt it yourself.”
"But..."
“Let’s turn what you just said around. While the elite guard of Vintergar was stationed outside, this state villa was completely surrounded by our Trieste cavalry. So which side’s crime, assassination or kidnapping, would be more likely?”
The Duke of Kent and everyone else were silent. Only then did the possibility of an insider's work dawn on them. Kyle's tone became even more caustic.
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