A woman believed to be Karin had been seen on the street, forcibly dragged along by two men. When officers were dispatched, the men abandoned her and fled.

The problem came afterward. According to the officers who had been at the scene, the woman—who had definitely been inside the carriage—vanished while they were briefly questioning people nearby.

After that, Karin’s whereabouts remained completely unknown.

If she had managed to escape on her own, that would have been some comfort. But the possibility that she had been seized again by the kidnappers couldn’t be ruled out.

“Deploy everyone we can. Find her.”

“We’re continuing the search as ordered. However, night has fallen, and we also have to be mindful of the Duke’s eyes—”

“That doesn’t matter. Just find her.”

Julian spoke in a low, almost growling voice. His eyes glinted with a killing intent Wolf had never seen in him before.

Wolf swallowed hard.

To be honest, he wanted to ask if Julian had lost his mind. No matter how Karin’s disappearance was spun, he had never imagined Julian would abandon his wedding outright and run off. It had caused an enormous uproar, and he had only just been torn apart by Franz—yet even now, he was saying things like this.

But Wolf couldn’t dare point that out.

Julian’s eyes had completely lost all restraint. One wrong word, and his life might genuinely be in danger. Wolf’s instincts screamed that much at him.

It was a tinderbox of a situation in every sense.
The Duke was furious.
Julian had reached his breaking point.
And Boris was lying in wait, all too pleased to seize an opportunity….

…Is this really Prince Boris’s doing?

At present, that seemed the most likely possibility.

Of course, Wolf couldn’t state it with absolute certainty. The House of Stautte had countless enemies. It was entirely possible that one of them had happened to obtain information about Karin and acted on it independently.

It would be decided by tomorrow at the latest.

If Karin had truly been abducted by someone, they would make contact no later than tomorrow. They would undoubtedly demand something in exchange for her life.

But if a day passed without any word, then it would be reasonable to assume that Karin had fled on her own.

Karin had more than enough reason to run. She had been forcibly confined by Julian for two full months.

Frankly speaking, from Wolf’s perspective, the best possible outcome would be for Karin to disappear like this and never return—setting aside, for the moment, the problem of what to do about Julian, who was already half out of his mind.

“What about the maid who supposedly survived on her own?”

“She’s currently being questioned at Rosenquai. She continues to insist that she doesn’t know Miss Pantzner’s whereabouts. Still, I’ve instructed them to report immediately if any new information comes in.”

At that, Julian rose from behind his desk. He headed straight for the study door.

Wolf hurriedly stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

“Young Duke, please wait. Where do you think you’re going?”

“Move.”

“I can’t. His Grace just ordered you into confinement. If you leave the ducal residence now and it’s discovered—”

“I said, move.”

Julian glared at Wolf with blazing eyes. To be honest, it was terrifying—but Wolf couldn’t back down.

“Please, think calmly! Not only His Grace, but Prince Boris will be watching you as well. You can’t afford to give them any more leverage!”

Julian ground his teeth together.

Wolf pressed on quickly.

“The people questioning the maid right now are specialists in that field. Even if you don’t go yourself, they’ll handle it properly—and as I said, they’ve been instructed to report the moment they uncover anything. So please, stay here and wait quietly. Just dealing with the fallout from what’s already happened is more than enough as it is.”

In his frustration, a bit too much of his true feelings slipped out at the end.

Fortunately, Julian didn’t seem particularly offended.

Clenching his fist tightly, he turned away at last.

Wolf let out a quiet sigh of relief.

We should have stopped this much earlier, before things spiraled this far….

Of course, that regret came far too late.

***

The only maid to survive that day’s catastrophe—Grete—eventually confessed everything she had done.

She explained that an unidentified man had approached her and asked for Karin’s name, threatening the lives of both herself and her mother, leaving her no choice but to give it to him.

And that she had received money in return.

It wasn’t information wrung out through t*rture or coercion. Grete confessed of her own accord, before the interrogator even had a chance to press her. Her demeanor was strangely calm, almost resigned.

When asked why, she answered simply, “I couldn’t run away and abandon my sick mother.”

“I know exactly what crime I’ve committed. I’ll accept whatever punishment I’m given.”

The interrogator said Grete had seemed relieved, as if a burden had finally lifted. It later emerged that her mother was half-paralyzed and suffering from delirium as well.

“She looked utterly exhausted—worn down from supporting her mother alone. And she seemed under immense pressure, knowing that selling Miss Pantzner’s name could be discovered at any time. I think she wanted to confess and be at peace.”

“And about where Karin went?”
Julian asked, looking directly at the interrogator.

“She says she knows nothing. She insists it was pure coincidence that she was out of the house when the kidnappers struck that day, and that she had no prior knowledge whatsoever. She also claims she never met the man who took Miss Pantzner’s name after that incident. Judging by her testimony, it doesn’t appear to be a lie.”

“…Are you certain?”

“What should we do?”

“Extract whatever you can—by t*rture.”

At those words, both Wolf and the interrogator looked taken aback.

“Young Duke, please—didn’t you just hear? Her claim that she doesn’t know Miss Pantzner’s whereabouts sounded genuine.”

“How can I trust words she spilled before a single fingernail was pulled?”
Julian replied flatly.

“No, but—”

“That maid betrayed me and exposed Karin to danger. Make absolutely sure she isn’t hiding anything. T*rture her until you’ve wrung out every last detail—and then kill her. This is an order.”

“…….”

Wolf and the interrogator swallowed at the same time, as if by prior agreement. Julian’s cold gaze settled on the interrogator.

“Answer.”

“Yes… understood, Young Duke. I will do as you command.”

The interrogator replied hastily and withdrew.

The following day, a report came in that Grete had taken her own life during the night, hanging herself.

Julian remained silent for a moment, then ordered a pay cut for the man assigned to guard her.

In truth, Wolf had warned Grete beforehand.

He had told her that Julian had ordered her to be tortured—and killed.

He knew it was an *buse of authority. But no matter how one looked at it, Julian was not in his right mind right now.

Grete was still young, yet sharp and diligent. After hearing her circumstances, it was impossible not to feel sympathy for her. She had committed a crime, so a pardon was out of the question—but at the very least, Wolf hadn’t wanted her to die after enduring something so horrific.

As her final request, Grete had asked that her mother be allowed to pass away peacefully. Wolf had taken care of that himself as well.

Karin’s whereabouts remained completely unknown.

Since there had been no contact from the kidnappers, it seemed increasingly likely that Karin had escaped on her own. Wolf had sent people to Eversburg to check, but there were no signs that she had returned there.

Please—don’t let Miss Pantzner be found.

Wolf prayed from the bottom of his heart. And he hoped that, with time, Julian would gradually give up on her of his own accord.