“I didn’t want to move directly like this either, but what can I do when there’s no one as suitable as me? Is that how thorough the identity verification is?”

Elena averted her gaze at the man’s mutterings. Though he claimed to speak vaguely, he couldn’t completely hide everything. Even if someone wanted to enter the Grand Duke’s mansion to kidnap them, the prestigious grand ducal household wouldn’t let just anyone in. At the very least, one’s identity had to be verified. This meant that the man at least had the status to enter the Grand Duke’s mansion. While Elena was pondering whether he truly believed they wouldn’t understand or if he didn’t care if they did, Roina drew the man’s attention.

“Why did you kidnap us?”

Thanks to Roina, who wanted to hear directly from the man’s mouth, Elena could briefly catch her breath. Though she wondered if the man would actually answer Roina’s question, Elena waited quietly.

‘Say something.’

Any words would help them gain more information.

“Why I kidnapped you?”

The man stared at Roina while smoothing his neatly combed black hair. After tilting his head this way and that while looking at her, the man who touched his lips flashed a charming, bright smile.

“To have some fun.”

“Eh?”

Roina made a strange sound at the man’s incomprehensible words.

“Oh, before we play, shall we introduce ourselves?”

The man pointed his index finger as if asking each person to state their name.

“Let us go while I’m still asking nicely. We are not your toys.”

Roina clutched her frustrated chest while speaking passionately. She desperately wanted to leave this place, but the atmosphere didn’t suggest that possibility at all, causing despair to gradually fill her eyes.

“Well then, I’ll ask again. What’s your name?”

“……Roina.”

Roina was terrified by the dagger the man pulled out from his chest. That dagger then pointed from Roina to Elena like a finger.

“Then……”

The man’s smile deepened as he looked at Elena.

***

Rudfelix cut down and knocked over everything that blocked his path.

His jaw trembled with rising anger. The longer they failed to find Elena, the more precariously his patience wore thin.

Based on a tip that someone had glimpsed Elena’s blonde hair, he was at the entrance of the mountain where she was last seen, fully displaying his burning emotions. Unlike his usual self who expressed little emotion, he now appeared fiery.

As he cut down even large, magnificent trees with a single stroke, new tree stumps continued to appear around him.

Even though trees that usually took several people to cut down were being brought down by a single person, no one dared to step in.

Hans, who had provided the tip, was frightened by Rudfelix’s violence but didn’t back away. His concern for Elena, who had shown him kindness, was greater.

“Please continue.”

Quiet opened his notebook. The tip of his pen trembled slightly as he prepared to write down Hans’s words. Though he was restraining his emotions as much as possible because they needed to find Elena, he too was in a precarious situation that could explode at any moment.

“Yes, yes. I was looking at trees at the edge of the forest.”

Though stammering, Hans accurately pointed to the direction of the forest while recalling his memory.

“I heard a strange sound, and when I turned around, something passed by quickly.”

“What was the strange sound?”

“It was the sound of leaves rustling and branches breaking.”

Quiet stopped writing and raised his head. He couldn’t understand why rustling leaves in a densely wooded area would be considered strange. Hans looked at the forest as if to prove he wasn’t lying.

“The forest night is very quiet. It doesn’t welcome any intrusion for the sake of the creatures resting peacefully in its forest. Therefore, the forest shows its displeasure in its own way.”

Hans, who spoke of the forest as if it were a living entity, gazed at Quiet with serious eyes. He was a resident of Ephraim territory who made his living by selling timber. Elena had arranged a job for him at a furniture store.

Even now, as soldiers were searching for Elena, he had come forward to visit the Grand Duke’s mansion. Quiet picked up his notebook again, sensing that Hans was definitely not someone who would harm Elena.

“Please continue.”

“Though it wasn’t clearly visible like a shadow, I briefly saw bright blonde hair.”

Hans said he could have simply noticed it and left it at that, but he continued watching because he sensed something strange.

“When the speed slowed as they hesitated at a steep slope on the mountain, I thought that the blonde woman might be the aide.”

“Can you be certain?”

“No, I cannot. It was a brief moment, and since I’m not well acquainted with the aide, I can’t be sure.”

Quiet pressed his lower lip with the tip of his pen. If Hans had seen incorrectly, it would create problems in finding Elena. A considerable number of troops had already been deployed throughout the Grand Duchy.

As he was contemplating how many people to send to the mountain, a man suddenly appeared.

“I’ll go.”

Rudfelix stared at the forest. He strongly sensed that Elena was in this forest.

“But Your Highness, the forest is vast. It would be better if you took some of the troops that I’ll select from those currently in town.”

“I’m going in first.”

As Rudfelix showed a firm attitude about entering first, Quiet revealed troubled eyes.

The situation called for quick action to rescue Elena, but on the other hand, he was worried about his superior being in danger.

Quiet looked at his stubborn superior with frustration before finally calling Hans.

“You said the forest doesn’t welcome intruders. Do you have any helpful advice?”

“His Highness the Grand Duke isn’t entering to intrude but to rescue someone. The forest will understand.”

“Why would that make a difference?”

If the forest protects its own life, why would Grand Duke Rudfelix be an exception!

Quiet raised his eyes in exasperation before giving up.

Hans came to Rudfelix’s side and pointed to the summit of the forest.

“There’s a log cabin at the summit of the forest. It’s a house built by hunters for temporary stays when they need to spend the night at the summit.”

Hans continued to inform Rudfelix about how to avoid getting lost in the forest and precautions for encountering wild animals.

When he finally offered a tool for lighting a fire, Rudfelix showed his first sign of refusal. Hans tried to offer it again, but Quiet stopped him.

“He’s different from ordinary people, so it’s fine.”

“But the forest is even darker with the leaves hanging overhead. You can’t see even an inch ahead in the forest.”

“It doesn’t matter. Wait here, and I’ll call you if needed.”

“Understood.”

Rudfelix casually said as he moved toward the entrance he had cleared.

“Your Highness.”

“Your role ends there. Thank you for your help.”

Quiet held Hans back while looking at Rudfelix. Would his subdued atmosphere disturb the quiet forest?

“Aide Elena, I hope you’re there.”

Quiet spoke words that Elena couldn’t hear as he followed behind Rudfelix.

“Grand Duke.”

“The list?”

Rudfelix, who was glaring at the forest, extended his hand to Quiet.

“Five people left the mansion last night.”

If someone was staying at the mansion, there was no reason they couldn’t kidnap. However, leaving the Grand Duke’s mansion was the issue, as its security was the same as that guarding the imperial palace. Since they had smoothly escaped such a meticulously arranged security, it was all the more important to find out who the kidnapper was.

“That person?”

Quiet’s face hardened as he immediately recognized who Rudfelix was referring to.

“He has set out to find his own people. We are monitoring his route after discovering where he’s moving, but we can’t obtain detailed information.”

Rudfelix’s mouth curved subtly at the report that there were limitations to close surveillance.

“Should we assign a knight right beside him?”

“No. That’s enough.”

Having heard all he needed from Quiet, Rudfelix entered the forest without hesitation.

***

“You shouldn’t do that.”

Roina’s sobbing intensified at the man’s troubled tone.

He had lit just one tiny candle simply for play, set his own rules, and started the game. He made them dodge the daggers he threw or find the swords that had fallen to the ground, and the game format changed from time to time.

Elena and Roina were extremely sensitive due to his daggers that could fly at any moment.

Even just looking at the door with the desire to escape would cause a dagger to fly in front of them, so they couldn’t dare to run away despite having free limbs.

“Stop it. This is nothing but torment.”

Though Roina bravely shouted, the man’s smile only deepened.

“That’s right, it is torment. Otherwise, why would I bring noble ladies here?”

“Ugh. What a pervert…… you are.”

“I’m doing it because it’s fun. Look over there. There’s someone who’s responding diligently without saying anything.”

Roina shifted her gaze in the direction the man indicated with his chin. Elena was panting from moving constantly without rest, yet she didn’t say a word about stopping. She didn’t care how Roina was looking at her.

“Elena……”

Roina found the Elena before her eyes ridiculous. When she regained consciousness after being kidnapped while unconscious, Roina had thought Elena would reassure her and then try to escape from here somehow. But now Elena was acting exactly as the man wanted.

To the point where she wondered if this was why Elena had waited for the kidnapper to come.

“You have to do well. Otherwise, who knows what punishment there might be.”

The man smiled as he urged Roina.

Roina stroked her arm while looking anxiously at the man.

“I have no reason to spare both of you.”

“You’re insane. You’re insane!”