I furrowed my brow.

No, he couldn’t have meticulously planned my kidnapping. His mind was fragmented due to drugs. That meant he must have spotted me somewhere and acted impulsively.

No matter how out of his mind he was, it was a reckless act. As I was turning thoughts over in my head, I suddenly inhaled sharply. A foul smell was coming from somewhere. The smell of old blood and rotting flesh.

The source of the smell was none other than my clothes. Bending my head as far as I could, I saw various parts of my dress soaked with dark red stains.

He moved me in a cart. A cart used by butchers to transport animal carcasses.

If so, this place wasn’t far from Tom’s shop. Troy was skinny and would have been concerned about people noticing, so he couldn’t have pulled the cart very far.

Perhaps his lodging was nearby. He was being chased by creditors and in his condition couldn’t possibly perform on stage. The butchers’ district was an excellent choice for hiding.

If that was the case, it made sense why Laurel had visited Tom particularly often. Perhaps Laurel had recommended this place to Troy. Troy didn’t seem very clever.

Feeling like the puzzle pieces were falling into place, I took a deep breath. It was a great comfort to know that people were searching for me not far away.

He wouldn’t return immediately after selling the items and getting money, so I had some time. I dragged my bottom toward what I could see. There was something like a pickaxe sticking out of wooden boxes piled in the corner.

I twisted my body to sit in front of it and carefully positioned myself, but got jabbed around my wrists a few times. It wasn’t easy to get the direction right with my arms bent backward.

Blood droplets flowed through the torn sleeve of my dress. It hurt, but I had no intention of waiting quietly. I carefully began to move my bound arms up and down slowly. I didn’t know how long it would take, but I only hoped I could walk out on my own feet before Lars found me.

* * *

Yanken saw Lars’s eyebrow twitch as he read the letter. It meant unwelcome news. He generally expressed all emotions with an indifferent expression, but sometimes that wasn’t possible.

……Has something happened to Prince Pelowic?

“What’s happened?” 

Yanken carefully asked, watching Lars fold the letter irritably. Lars held the end of the letter to the candlelight.

“He’s suffering from a severe cold. Honestly. Did he really have to have an outdoor tea party at a time like this?”

“He must have had his reasons. Perhaps it was an occasion he absolutely couldn’t miss, or there was someone he had to meet.”

“Not bad.”

With a small laugh, Lars blew away the ashes of the burned letter. His low voice flowed from his neat lips.

“A delegation has come from the duchy. They’ve probably come to pay their respects before the new year.”

“How thoughtful. Prince Freemont II hasn’t done that before, has he?”

“Prince Leon sent them.”

Yanken blinked. Lars rose from his chair and began pacing with his arms crossed.

“He’s announced he’ll marry the eldest daughter of the Heskel family in the new year. It’s not surprising since the two are known to get along well, but King Freemont will certainly feel threatened. The Duncan family recently used the duchy’s anniversary as an excuse to gather knights who govern territories and boost morale. It’s a kind of warning, you could say.”

His displeasure was evident in his short, clipped speech. Yanken nodded.

“At least he seems to have faithfully followed the commander’s advice to become close to Miriam Heskel like he fell in love at first sight.”

“Freemont II will be less anxious if it appears Leon chose her out of love. It’s a shallow tactic, but…”

Lars ran his hand through his hair and added,

“In reality, they are a good match. For Miriam, who grew up among rough and boorish men, Leon would have been a true ‘prince.’ For Leon, she would have been a savior who could perfectly fill in his weaknesses.”

Their interests aligned, but they also liked each other very much. Meeting every day and talking, they seemed to have truly fallen in love. It was probably because their relationship appeared genuine that Freemont II couldn’t particularly object to the marriage.

“If they hold a wedding, His Highness Pelowic will have to attend.”

“The delegation gave him an invitation, I hear. That must have been their purpose.”

Leon, who needed to check Freemont II, had been showing goodwill toward Prince Pelowic for some time. Pelowic strongly believed that rather than conquering Freemont, he should use that power to care for the country devastated by the war with Askun. They were good partners for each other.

……If the two become kings of their respective countries, it would be a harmonious era.

Yanken scratched the back of his neck.

“Then doesn’t the commander have to go too?”

“Well, Leon is certainly friendly to us, but that doesn’t mean the duchy is safe.”

Lars raised his eyebrows and muttered quietly.

Things were progressing steadily with the Rihasbin merchant group, but they couldn’t let down their guard about how Balshwin might react. They would need to carefully determine when to leave.

“I’m hungry. Let’s go out and eat something.”

“I was wondering when you’d say that.”

His stomach, which had long passed dinner time, suddenly churned. Lars pulled up his black mask to the tip of his nose. Feeling as if the winter wind was clawing at his cheeks, Yanken pulled down his hood. A hot stew and a glass of barley wine would make for a good night’s sleep.

As Yanken was looking for a reasonably quiet tavern, he narrowed his brow. There were more people on the street than usual. People wearing the same clothes were holding torches and stopping passersby as if searching for something.

“They look like servants from the Bickman household.”

When he turned his head, he saw a deep line etched between Lars’s brows.

“I have a bad feeling.”

Just as he finished speaking, a servant who approached them abruptly asked,

“Have you seen Miss Lucienne Bickman? She has long silver hair and was wearing a black velvet coat over clothes like these, walking around the shopping district during the day. If you saw her even briefly, please tell me.”

The “clothes like these” he pointed to was a maid wearing a common ivory apron over a navy dress. Seeing Lars close his eyes and touch his forehead, Yanken asked instead,

“Isn’t she just out for a night stroll after going out? Why do you need to search so noisily? That young lady seemed to have quite a bold personality.”

“Night stroll? What nonsense! Some lunatic kidnapped the young lady and now……”

The servant who was shouting suddenly went “Ah” and wiped his nose. Yanken’s eyes widened.

“What? Kidnapped?”

“Never mind, if you happen to find someone who saw her, please let us know immediately.”

As the servant waved his hands hurriedly and walked away, his arm was grabbed and pulled back.

“I need to hear the whole story of what happened.”

Lars’s cold voice carried an undeniable weight. The servant, seemingly intimidated by the two tall, well-built men, hunched his neck and cleared his throat.

“W-why are you stopping a busy person?”

“Then you should tell us quickly.”

The servant’s eyes sparkled as he quickly caught the coin that came flying with a cheerful sound. After looking around quickly, he sniffled and began to speak.

“Ahem, so our young lady went out during the day with one maid……”

Yanken instinctively knew. His dinner was slipping further and further away.

Even if he could buy just a piece of jerky, it would be nice, but Lars’s increasingly serious eyes warned that he wouldn’t give him that time.

“……how can we believe he just talked her into leaving? The master is interrogating that fellow Tom, but he’s stubborn and keeps telling the same story. So we’re searching the shopping district on our own. C-can I go now?”

The servant checked Lars’s reaction and as soon as he saw him nod, hurriedly disappeared. Yanken swallowed a sigh and looked at Lars.

“Anyway, walking around so fearlessly, how could she not get into trouble? No matter how sad she is about the death of her close governess, that’s no excuse. Soon that Tom fellow will confess the truth. So let’s hurry and have dinner……”

“Let’s go to the butchers’ district.”

“Commander.”

Yanken’s voice stretched out as he followed Lars, who was striding forward without hesitation.

“Didn’t they say the Bickman people already searched there and found nothing? Besides, what madman would hide someone he kidnapped near there?”