Chapter 9.2 – Hunting Festival (Part 3)

“Serena.”

Serena, who had stepped out of the carriage in front of the central garden leading to all the palaces, turned her head at the voice calling her as she walked towards the Crown Prince’s palace. A small smile appeared on her face when she recognized the person.

“Katrina.”

Katrina quickly approached and gently clasped Serena’s hands with both of hers.

“Did you get some sleep today?”

“Ha, yes. I slept well in a comfortable bed, washed in warm water, ate good food, and came out in nice clothes. …Even in this situation without Ria.”

“……Me too.”

The two, looking slightly more haggard than before, comforted each other as they clasped hands.

It had been nearly fifteen days since Ria was kidnapped. During that time, the two had done everything they could to find traces of her.

Serena had inquired through the merchant guilds in each region, while Katrina had attended social gatherings to identify anyone involved or who had heard anything about the incident.

Initially, things seemed to go smoothly, with testimonies from several young ladies who had seen Countess Figo behaving strangely and a few nobles who had seen Count Figo glancing at Ria, saying he seemed to be expecting something big soon.

Naturally, Count Figo was quickly apprehended and tortured in the underground prison, and it wasn’t long before they found the abandoned cabin based on his confession.

But that was the end of it.

The cabin was empty, leaving no trace behind. It was as if Ria had vanished from the world.

“Is there any new information?”

“No. It seems there’s nothing more to gain from the social circles.”

“……I see.”

Hearing once again that there was no new information, the two sighed. They shouldn’t have parted ways like that. They should have kept Ria with them, even if it meant forcing their way through the crowd.

It was frustrating to be left with nothing but the regret of past mistakes that could no longer be changed.

“Are the four of them still in that state?”

“Yes. It’s getting worse. I’ve heard that even the attendants don’t go near them anymore. They draw their swords at the slightest mistake…. I was just about to visit them, so Katrina, if you could come with me….”

Serena, who had been talking about the four who went mad after losing Ria, suddenly stopped and stared at a certain spot.

“Serena?”

Curious, Katrina followed her gaze. At the end of it was Countess Figo, with disheveled hair and a dress torn and covered in dirt. She was trying to push past the imperial guards with a pale, urgent expression.

Serena and Katrina’s eyes met. The next actions they took were identical. They grabbed the Countess and sent the guards elsewhere.

“Sir, I’ll take the Countess. Go about your duties.”

“What? But—”

“The Crown Prince is looking for her. Don’t worry, nothing will happen.”

“Ah, yes. Understood, Marchioness.”

There was no problem, as it wasn’t entirely false that the Crown Prince was looking for her. In fact, if they had let the Countess go, things would have become even more complicated.

Once the guards were out of sight, the two immediately questioned the Countess.

“Where is Ria?”

“…….”

“Even if no one else knows, you must. If you speak now, we might be able to spare your life.”

“Them.”

“Pardon?”

“Please let me meet them. The Lady sent me.”

Serena, ready to scoff at the trembling yet resolute attitude, was stopped by Katrina. Katrina saw in her eyes a reflection of herself when she had confessed about Omur’s matter previously.

It seemed absurd even to herself, but thinking about it, there was no reason for Countess Figo, who had vanished after being last seen with the Lady during Count Figo’s ordeal, to openly come to the imperial palace where those who wanted her dead resided, unless it was something important enough to risk her life for.

“Serena. Let’s take the Countess to His Highness the Crown Prince. We have to go there anyway. Besides, if we handle the Countess who came on her own, it could be a big deal for us.”

“But!”

“Moreover, there’s no need to stop someone who wants to enter an even worse hell on their own.”

Serena couldn’t find any fault in Katrina’s words and eventually took a step back. Katrina patted her shoulder a couple of times and then turned her gaze to the Countess.

“Countess, follow me. You’d better brace yourself.”

Of course, Katrina didn’t see the Countess in a favorable light either.

Soon, the three of them entered the Crown Prince’s palace and were led by an attendant to the office. While the attendant announced their presence and sought permission, Katrina issued a warning to the Countess.

“Avoid any behavior that might be offensive. Whatever you see inside, don’t react strongly. If you want to breathe a little longer.”

As the Countess turned her trembling eyes to Katrina, the door opened. In an instant, she was forced to her knees. When she regained her senses, her head was pressed deeply to the floor, and she was engulfed by a murderous aura from all sides.

“You must think I’m easy to handle.”

An icy voice fell from above her head. The coldness was so intense that it froze her thoughts completely.

“Otherwise, you wouldn’t dare bring that brazen face to the imperial palace. Isn’t that right?”

The Countess couldn’t even tell if she was breathing. The only thought in her mind was that she was going to die.

Then, a sword was thrust into the ground right beside her face.

“I’m asking if that’s right.”

The voice, now more filled with anger, was sharp enough to seem like it would slice her neck at any moment. The Countess, shaking uncontrollably, lowered her head further. It was Serena who intervened.

“Your Highness, you should hear her answer first.”

“…….”

“You know that finding Ria is more important.”

Cherta, who was about to draw his sword, reluctantly put it away and picked up a cigar, acknowledging the importance of Serena’s words. After losing Ria, the three, except for Kahin, who originally didn’t smoke, hadn’t let go of cigars. They smoked so persistently that the acrid smell lingered despite constant ventilation.

As the murderous aura slightly subsided, the Countess finally took a deep breath. The hostility directed at her was still intense, but if she composed herself, she could manage to speak.

“On the second day of waiting at the cabin after the hunting festival, the Lady, who had been drugged, regained consciousness. I planned to help her escape, but suddenly a man barged in, saying we were being chased, and we packed our belongings and loaded them onto a carriage….”

She recounted everything that had happened, pausing occasionally to catch her breath.

“…So the Lady healed my ankle and instructed me to head straight to the village if the plan failed and inform you all at the imperial palace as quickly as possible….”

As she explained the moment of their parting, she carefully placed something she took from her bosom in front of her. Kahin immediately picked it up.

“It’s the accessory the Lady was wearing on the day of the hunting festival. Why do you have it…?”

Just as he was about to question the Countess with a fierce expression, the earring shattered, releasing a familiar blue light to the four men before disappearing.

“That!”

Rune, who had jumped up from his seat, hurried over to Kahin. But the ability had already vanished. The Countess, pressing herself to the floor, explained.

“The Lady asked me to deliver it. With Sir Mikel’s help, she imbued it with her ability. She said you’d be worried, so she wanted to reassure you, even if it was like this….”

Among the four, who stared blankly at the spot where the ability had vanished, Eden was the first to regain his composure.

“How long has it been since you parted ways?”

“I descended to the village as soon as the carriage moved and it took about a week to get here….”

“And you don’t know what happened after that?”

“N-no. But the Lady said Sir Mikel would follow soon…!”

“Diharn!”

“You called, Your Highness.”

“Gather all the knights immediately. Conduct a search along the northern border. Report any suspicious carriages, especially those with one new wheel.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Lock the Countess next to where Count Figo is imprisoned and order that nothing be done to her until Ria is found. She might come looking for her. However, if she resists or acts out of line, execute her immediately.”

“As you command.”

Having extracted all the information, there was no need to hear more from the Countess. It was better to mobilize manpower for a search instead.

More than anything, the Countess’s last words were troubling. She said they would soon follow. If she had succeeded in escaping and followed quickly, she would have already entered the capital, and they would have received some news from the knights deployed along the border.

But that wasn’t the case. Except for the Countess who had come of her own accord, there was no news. This meant only one thing.

Gritting his teeth, blood flowed from where his nails dug into his clenched fist. There was only one conclusion to be drawn.

Something had happened to her.