Chapter 2: Escape on a Rainy Day (2)

Was it his intuition proving true?

Things began spiraling into the uncanny—like the rain outside, now pouring hard enough to blur the world from view.

Everyone who worked in the mansion had been summoned, but none of them knew where Larie was. Each and every one of them had simply assumed she was in her room.

Their collective obliviousness grated against Terian’s nerves.

Finally, he began probing into her daily life more closely—and the answers were worse than expected.

Larie had barely left her quarters at all. It was as if he himself had imprisoned her there.

“…”

“You two, head that way! The rest of you, search behind the annex.”

The sky was growing darker. The rain continued to lash the grounds without mercy.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation at last, the steward began interrogating each servant. Eventually, they obtained a lead—someone had seen Larie in the hallway near midday.

It was after Terian had coldly shaken off her hand and left the estate.

She’d reportedly stood there in the corridor like a soul adrift, unmoving for a long while.

That being her last known appearance struck a strange, piercing chord in Terian’s chest.

“M-My lord!”

Just then, a servant who had gone out to search came rushing over to Terian. He halted at a respectful distance and held something out.

“That is…”

“We found it at the edge of the forest.”

It was a shawl, soaked completely through by the rain—one of the kind noblewomen often draped over their shoulders.

It was also the same one Larie had been wearing that morning.

“You said… the forest?”

Behind the ducal estate was a small forest. It wasn’t very expansive, but deep enough that, if one wandered far enough, it became dense enough to get lost in.

The forest also connected to a small mountain on the western side of the capital. If one followed the right path, they could eventually reach the southern mountain range.

And that… was where she’d vanished.

“Did you find anything else?”

“N-No, sir. Only this—at the entrance to the forest. Steward, sir.”

The steward stepped forward on Terian’s behalf and took the dripping garment. Unfolding it confirmed it was indeed Larie’s.

Seeing the once snow-white shawl now soaked and ruined like her pale skin—it felt like something in Terian’s mind suddenly snapped.

“Mobilize the guards.”

“M-My lord…?”

He remembered it clearly now—her sitting beneath that tree one night, looking as though she might vanish at any moment.

He had sworn he wouldn’t let it affect him. That he would simply leave her alone, just one wall away.

But if Larie couldn’t even bear the wall that stood between them—

If she wanted to escape from his side entirely—then…

“Find her. Bring her back. No matter what.”

Realizing that truth felt like being plunged into filth.

The idea that Larie might truly cease to exist in this estate—Terian couldn’t accept that.

He would not allow it.

❖ ❖ ❖

“How about over there?!”

“Damn it, I can’t see a thing!”

The once-quiet forest was now crawling with intruders. At the shout from somewhere behind, Larie curled up tighter in her hiding place.

Her body, soaked by rain earlier, was now somehow dry and warm.

She didn’t know how, but ever since she crawled into the hollow cave beneath the tree, her shivering had stopped.

“….”

After blindly running into the forest, she’d walked endlessly forward.

She’d fallen several times, but not once did she think of turning back.

It was only when she heard distant voices closing in that she panicked and searched for shelter.

It was as if the place she’d found had been waiting for her. She threw herself inside without a second thought.

Only once she caught her breath did she realize how unusual the space was.

The warmth of it calmed her shivering body, and she felt strangely safe beneath the twisted roots of the tree.

“Any tracks?!”

“Washed away by the rain! Everyone, move at full speed!”

Their voices rang clearly even through the rain, but it still took them some time to reach her area.

She cautiously peeked out to scan the forest.

“…!”

She froze—

A soldier, sword at his side, had approached right to the edge of her hiding place.

Their eyes met.

Panicked, Larie quickly pulled herself deeper into the hollow. The soft, solid touch of the tree roots at her back helped slow her heartbeat.

She held her breath for a long time, unmoving.

But the soldier never came closer.

“That way!”

Instead, the soldier shouted loudly as if he’d seen something, then called for the others.

Several heavy footsteps retreated in the opposite direction.

Why was the soldier chasing her?

She’d caught a glimpse of the crest on his armor—it was definitely from the ducal house.

Had Terian deployed soldiers because of her?

Why?

Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.

Even though the Duke was granted the highest number of private soldiers among nobles, mobilizing them within the capital without cause was a risky move.

Had her family done something again?

Was that why he was so angry?

Her chest throbbed painfully, and Larie hugged her knees tightly.

She could feel the oddly dry fabric of her clothes against her cheek. Just the thought of having to move back through the rain made her feel exhausted.

The way her clothes had dried so quickly was strange, but Larie didn’t notice.

The weight of her accumulated exhaustion was too overwhelming.

‘Sleepy… I can’t sleep right now…’

Her fear after seeing the soldier had given way, and now drowsiness washed over her.

With no strength left to resist it, Larie slipped into a deep sleep.

The trees of the forest that embraced her moved their branches unnaturally, quietly shielding her from view.

❖ ❖ ❖

The next morning dawned.

“…You didn’t find her?”

“My apologies.”

The captain of the guards bowed his head to Terian, his expression heavy.

He looked worn from a full night of scouring the forest.

“She couldn’t have gone far on foot. Please allow us to continue the search.”

There was something subtly off in the captain’s tone.

Terian, who had also stayed up all night, didn’t notice and simply nodded.

“….”

The sound of the office door closing sent a sharp pain through his head.

Pressing a hand to one temple, Terian tried to contain the volcanic storm of emotion that had raged in him all night.

The fact that she had truly disappeared filled him with fury.

Especially because she’d vanished toward the most dangerous place—the forest.

Was being here really that unbearable for her? So much so that she forgot she could simply call for a carriage and leave?

“Haah…”

The emotions her absence stirred were far from normal.

Terian knew this, and yet he had fallen into a swamp of despair.

Because Larie had truly disappeared.

She’d always seemed so close with her family.

So it was clear whom she had wanted to avoid in this house.

It was him—his presence that had been so unbearable to her.

One grim realization after another piled up, but Terian had no intention of calling off the search.

On the contrary, his desire to bring her back to the estate burned all the fiercer.

All these intense emotions—he had only ever felt them because of her.

“The manor seems rather unsettled today.”

Just then, someone knocked and entered the study without waiting.

The Marquis of Fridas was one of the few granted that permission.

“What brings you here?”

Though the marquis often visited unannounced, this time, he made a request he had never voiced before.

“…Would it be possible to speak with the Duchess?”

At the mention of Larie, Terian straightened from where he had been leaning.

To ask for her at a time like this—it rubbed him the wrong way.

“Why do you wish to see my wife?”

The marquis had been ready to reply, but fell silent when their eyes met.

Terian’s voice carried a strange weight when he spoke of Larie, and the sharp glint in his eyes was undeniable.

The Terian he’d known since childhood suddenly felt like a stranger.

Caught off guard, the Marquis of Fridas straightened his posture with noticeable unease.

“Yesterday, there was an intrusion at the workshop targeting the blueprints.”

“…Blueprints?”

Terian raised an eyebrow at the marquis’s sudden mention of something seemingly unrelated to his wife.

“Yes. But not long ago, Her Grace warned me of such a possibility.”

“…”

“To be honest, I’d half-neglected the place, thinking who would bother with something like blueprints… but thanks to her, I was able to take precautions.”

Though the train the marquis had designed was certainly a remarkable invention, not all nobles supported it.

The Tromperie’s, of course, took every chance to stir up trouble for political reasons—but even outside of that, many were wary.

So far, the only noble house seriously considering its use had been House Avnir.

Given that the initial installations had already been completed, it made sense for the marquis to prioritize protecting the train itself over guarding the outdated plans.

He had recently been working on a more efficient model anyway.

“So, ahem, I thought I owed her thanks.

Especially since yesterday’s noble council meeting was canceled due to Her Grace’s absence.

If she’s had a change of heart, perhaps—”

Terian knew the Marquis of Fridas well.

Though a man the Tromperie’s detested, he was someone who never failed to express his gratitude, regardless of politics.

Still, none of what he was hearing made sense to him right now.

From the beginning, only one question kept echoing in his mind:

Why would she…?

“But—is something going on at the estate?”

“Now is not the time.”

“…Pardon?”

“This is not a good time.”

Terian’s curt reply made the marquis hesitate, sensing the heavy mood in the room.

“I… I’ll return another time, then, Your Grace.”

With a nod, Terian saw him out, then fell back into thought.

He couldn’t understand her.

It felt like trying to solve a puzzle with one critical piece missing.

Was the help she asked for somehow related to the marquis’s blueprints?

Even if that were true, it still didn’t answer the fundamental question: why was she trying to help him?

Unable to bear the growing frustration, Terian stood.

He’d only meant to take a short walk, yet before he knew it, he was standing somewhere all too familiar.

“…”

In front of Larie’s empty room, Terian hesitated briefly.

Then, as if drawn by something, he stepped into the cold, still space that had lost its owner.

She was gone, and yet everything in the room remained unchanged.

Naturally so—it hadn’t even been a full day since she’d disappeared.

Only then did Terian realize how unbearably long the previous night had felt.

Darker, even, than any new moon.

His eyes wandered until they landed on a dress draped over the vanity.

“…This is…”

It was a lounge dress he remembered seeing her wear.

But the hem was stained with grass.

Had it been from the day he found her collapsed in the woods?

The marks were still fresh, despite the time that had passed. He was turning that thought over when—

“My lord.”

Someone entered through the open door and immediately bowed deeply.

It was Susan.

“What is it?”