Chapter 83

The carriage, which had been running non-stop, finally reached its destination late into the night.  

Yvonne, who had paid the coachman in advance, was about to step off when someone reached out a hand.  

“You’re here now?”  

“Aaron.”  

Yvonne smiled faintly and took her lover’s hand to step down from the carriage.  

“How long have you been waiting?”  

“Not long.”  

“Liar. Your ears are red.”  

Aaron, escorting Yvonne as if she were a princess, followed her into the house.  

The couple removed their coats and headed to the living room, where they sat side by side on the couch, sipping warm tea brought by a maid.  

“You’ve been so busy lately, working even on weekends.”  

“It can’t be helped, given the circumstances.”  

Though she felt guilty, Yvonne couldn’t tell Aaron the truth. It wasn’t because she didn’t trust him but because he was too innocent.  

Aaron was Harriet’s brother but also a longtime friend of Lennox. If he learned the full truth of what had happened, he would undoubtedly be devastated.  

Moreover, Aaron was terrible at lying. If Lennox suspected something and probed for Harriet’s whereabouts, Aaron would surely fall into his trap.  

Seeing Yvonne’s darkening expression, Aaron, concerned, patted his knee.  

“Put your legs here.”  

“What?”  

“Come on.”  

Yvonne, caught off guard, shifted to the armrest and placed her legs on Aaron’s lap. Aaron then began massaging her legs.  

“What… what are you doing? The maids could…”  

Yvonne, thinking of the maid working outside, panicked and tried to stop him.  

“What? The maids?”  

Aaron tilted his head in confusion and continued. His hands weren’t doing anything inappropriate but were simply massaging her legs.  

“Yvonne?”  

“…Oh, nothing.”  

Feeling embarrassed by the soothing massage, Yvonne cleared her throat and averted her gaze.  

Aaron was briefly puzzled but quickly returned his focus to the massage, diligently tending to her legs.  

“Don’t overwork yourself. I’m really worried about you.”  

“…Alright.”  

“If you’re struggling, just say so. If you collapse without telling me, I’ll be really upset.”  

“Of course.”  

Yvonne chuckled at Aaron’s stern tone and nodded. Aaron paused his hands, furrowing his brows in discontent.  

“I’m not joking. I mean it. I’m scary when I’m angry.”  

“Yes, yes, I understand. Now, keep massaging. It feels good.”  

Laughing softly, Yvonne urged him to continue. As the massage resumed, a peaceful silence filled the living room. Yvonne, feeling relaxed and content under her lover’s care, eventually broke the silence when Aaron’s hands moved down to her ankles and toes.  

“By the way… about Madame Marianne Chasselot.”  

“You mean my younger sister? What about her?”  

“She still hasn’t shown any signs of waking up, has she?”  

“Unfortunately, no…”  

Thinking about what Marianne had done to both Harriet and Mikhail still made Aaron’s blood boil, but family was family. While he wished for her to face proper punishment for her sins, he had never wanted her to remain bedridden and unconscious like this.  

“If only she would wake up, Mikhail could get divorced and finally be free, and my little sister could atone and start anew.”  

“Aaron, do you think… people can truly atone?”  

It was a meaningful question. After a moment of contemplation, Aaron nodded.  

“Yes. If they sincerely repent, I believe everyone deserves a chance.”  

Yvonne gazed at him silently, her expression unreadable. Aaron’s innate goodness seemed to make him see the best in others.  

As she reached out to caress his cheek, his next words startled her.  

“Anyway, finding my elder sister is the most urgent matter right now.”  

“Aaron…”  

“Where could she be? Have they still not found the kidnapper? Or… could she have hidden herself? If they’ve searched this much and still haven’t found her, maybe she disappeared on her own?”  

Aaron ran his hands over his face, trying to calm his emotions, his expression conflicted.  

“If that’s the case, why? What kind of pain or trouble could she be hiding that she couldn’t share with her family?”  

“Oh, Aaron…”  

Unable to watch him suffer, Yvonne adjusted her posture and embraced him.  

“Harriet will be fine. You know what kind of person she is.”  

“Right?”  

“Of course.”  

As Yvonne comforted him, stroking his broad back, Aaron’s next words made her freeze.  

“Lennox is searching for her too, so we’ll find her soon. The Diorne Ducal family’s intelligence network is unparalleled.”  

“Intelligence… network?”  

“Yes. The Diorne family has connections to the underworld. A few centuries ago, poison was their biggest export.”  

Yvonne’s hands froze mid-motion.  

“Yvonne?”  

Aaron called her name, but she didn’t respond. A strange sense of unease enveloped her as fragments of their earlier conversation replayed in her mind.  

“That’s true. The people here seem indifferent to rumors. Maybe it’s because this is a neighborhood with mostly older residents.”  

“That could be it. Even the owner here only goes into town once a week to shop for groceries.”  

“Well, that’s fortunate.”  

“Yes. And oddly enough, the atmosphere in the neighborhood has been quite pleasant lately. The drunkards who used to shout and cause a ruckus after dark have disappeared, and even the troublemakers have noticeably decreased.”  

The Duke of Diorne… might have already found his wife’s location.  

What if Yvonne herself had unknowingly led him to Harriet’s hiding place?  

If this ominous suspicion turned out to be true, it would be the worst possible scenario.  

Feeling increasingly anxious, Yvonne’s eyes flew open. She pushed Aaron away and stood up abruptly.  

“Yvonne?”  

Aaron, who had been enjoying the quiet moment with her, looked up at her in confusion.  

“What’s wrong?”  

“I’m sorry.”  

“What?”  

“I’ve been hiding something from you.”  

“What are you talking about?”  

Sensing the seriousness in her tone, Aaron’s expression hardened.  

“What have you been hiding?”  

“Harriet…”  

After hesitating several times, Yvonne finally confessed as she paced back and forth.  

“I know where Harriet is. She told me. When she escaped under the guise of a business trip, I was with her.”  

“What?!”  

Aaron shot to his feet, utterly shocked.  

“You know where my sister is? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? You’ve been hiding this all along?”  

“I’m sorry… Harriet begged me to keep it a secret.”  

Unable to meet his eyes, Yvonne squeezed her own shut and confessed the truth.  

“She’s hiding from the Duke of Diorne—her husband.”  

“Why?!”  

“Well…”  

“Did that bastard do something to her? No, that can’t be…”  

Aaron raised his voice in anger but then clamped a hand over his mouth, trying to process the revelation.  

“I don’t know the details. She didn’t tell me. But I need to go to her immediately.”  

“Why? Where is she?”  

“She’s about half a day’s journey from here.”  

Yvonne’s voice was barely above a whisper as she rubbed her face in frustration.  

“I let my guard down. Her location hadn’t been discovered so far, so I got complacent. I should’ve been more careful. Even though I took detours, I’ve visited her multiple times. There’s no way I wasn’t followed.”  

If the Diorne family had connections to the underworld, they would’ve hired skilled trackers. Ordinary people like her wouldn’t even notice their presence.  

“I need to change clothes—”  

“Calm down, Yvonne.”  

Aaron grabbed her arm as she tried to rush upstairs to the dressing room.  

“It’s already late. Leaving now would be too dangerous. It’s pitch dark outside.”  

“But—”  

“It’s not a short trip, is it? Waiting until morning won’t make much difference.”  

“Aaron…”  

“Yvonne, I know Harriet is your respected senior and someone you’ve worked with for a long time. But she’s also my family—someone I’ve grown up with since childhood. Do you think I’m not worried too?”  

Aaron’s calm reasoning began to soothe Yvonne’s panic. Though she knew he was right, the nagging anxiety wouldn’t go away.  

“What if the Duke finds her before we do?”  

“That’s unlikely. It’s already the middle of the night.”  

“…Alright.”  

Logically, Aaron’s words made sense. But emotionally, Yvonne couldn’t shake her unease.  

As she wrestled with her thoughts, Aaron gently touched her lips, stopping her from biting them in frustration.  

“Here’s what we’ll do.”  

He stroked her lips soothingly and spoke calmly.  

“Since it’s late, we’ll wait until morning. At dawn, we’ll go together to see Harriet. I’ll arrange for a carriage to pick us up discreetly. We’ll switch carriages midway to avoid being followed.”  

“Will that… work?”  

“Of course. Trust me.”  

Aaron hugged Yvonne, who nodded reluctantly. Though she was usually composed and capable, her tendency to fixate on her worries was one of her few flaws.