The servant waiting outside the bedroom instinctively shrank back at the Grand Duke’s appearance and followed him inside.

“O-one of the balcony windows w-was open…”

When the Grand Duke’s frightening gaze fell upon him, the servant kept his eyes fixed on the carpet, unable to raise his head.

Norbert gestured for him to continue speaking, and the servant hesitantly continued, struggling not to look in Carlo’s direction.

“A… earring was found beneath the balcony, sir.”

No sooner had the servant finished speaking than Carlo’s gaze descended fiercely.

“When we asked Lady Medlin, she confirmed it belongs to the lady…”

She went over the balcony…

Norbert’s heart sank as he quickly looked at Carlo while suppressing the urge to clutch his forehead.

Why would she deliberately climb over rather than use the door?

Surely she hadn’t attempted to escape during that time. Would the grand duchess, who had shown no signs of such intentions, do something so reckless?

“Your Highness.”

Without saying a word, Carlo listened to the servant’s report with a terrifyingly rigid expression, seeming to emit waves of coldness.

Norbert wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, his ribs chilled by the rapidly cooling atmosphere.

“……”

The grand duchess was currently a prime suspect in the St. Berte Castle attack, under suspicion from not only the Grand Duke but everyone staying in this castle.

Even so, the amnesiac grand duchess’s behavior had only shown efforts to adapt well to this place, with no apparent signs of other thoughts.

Had she been putting on that innocent act just to deceive everyone here?

He desperately hoped that wasn’t the case.

Norbert, at a loss for words, barely collected himself and turned to the servant.

“She might have left the window open while looking at the garden, and if she closed the door when she left, it would naturally be closed.”

“We also believe that’s not the case, but we’ve been searching the garden where the balcony window was open, and there’s no report of her being seen anywhere. We’re also searching inside the castle, but…”

His trailing off indicated that there had been no significant results so far.

After listening to the servant, Norbert hurriedly conveyed his thoughts to Carlo.

“Though it seems unlikely, even if the grand duchess did escape to the garden through the balcony, she couldn’t have left the castle grounds in that time. Even on horseback, it would be impossible. She must have briefly left her place for some reason.”

Carlo let out a cold scoff as he listened to Norbert’s words.

Norbert was probably speaking out of hope that a wife would remain by Carlo’s side, clinging to such futile optimism.

How else could one rationally interpret a woman who disappeared over a balcony during the brief time she was left alone?

“Interesting…”

Carlo tapped the table and slowly closed and opened his eyes.

That woman…

That woman, the grand duchess and his wife, must have been waiting for his surveillance to loosen, chattering away and trying to please him.

All while making considerable efforts to be friendly with the servants working in this castle.

That woman, who had smiled so brightly and said she would tell him everything, had actually been looking for a chance to escape from this place.

Of course, he had never believed her words.

“In the brief moment I looked away…”

He had thought she wouldn’t try anything while with Mrs. Mariette.

Perhaps his complacency was the problem.

She would obviously be caught soon. His surveillance had only loosened momentarily; he would never let her escape forever.

But why was he so agitated?

Anger boiled up from the pit of his stomach and rose through his veins. As he pressed down on the doctor’s opinion paper, his knuckles protruded even more.

‘Help me up. Please?’

A chilling energy swirled in his eyes as he gazed straight ahead.

If she had planned to escape through the balcony into the garden, it was a very foolish decision.

Guards patrolled throughout the castle in shifts, and no matter how well she hid, she would soon be spotted.

If he waited, a report of finding her would probably come before long.

If it took longer than expected, he could simply release a search party.

After the attack incident, the castle’s security system had been strengthened, and servants always guarded the door to the grand duchess’s room. There were even sentries in the corridors.

Yes, she might have noticed this situation. That would easily explain why she left through the balcony rather than the door.

However, she had seemed to lack caution in all her actions, making him think she couldn’t be that observant—but perhaps that too had been excellent acting.

“Find her.”

Carlo’s low voice eerily echoed through the bedroom.

Yet it was he who had fallen for that detestable act and given her the opportunity to escape.

He had grown lax and personally allowed her to be alone. Ah, yes. Was he insane?

His eyes flashed ominously, then dimmed with a faint madness.

“Right now.”

As he continued speaking, he tore the medical opinion paper suggesting anemia into shreds.

“Bring her before me.”

At the same time.

I was waving a sheet of the doctor’s opinion paper in the air, waiting for a message to appear, having brought it out to receive a message from my helper.

[You have 8 messages from your helper.]

Shortly after Mariette left, light began to flow from the bedside table.

It was coming from the diagnostic papers the doctor had left behind.

At that moment, something flashed through my mind like lightning.

My helper!

[Would you like to read them?]

Of course I pressed yes with a gasp.

[I am at the Sun Fountain garden.]

[Where are you going?]

[Why aren’t you coming?]

[You dare to keep me waiting?]

[Find me.]

[Find me!]

[I hate waiting]

[Come find me now!]

Eight prickly messages poured out of thin air.

“Where are you, helper!”

I shouted into the air and looked around, but all I could see were statues, a fountain, and a beautiful garden.

Looking from the bedroom to locate the Sun Fountain, I spotted a massive statue holding the sun in the distance through the glass window. A large fountain with water shooting upward around it also came into view.

The bedroom I had been in was located at the western end of the castle’s first floor. Going from this room to the main entrance would be too roundabout, so in my urgency, I had no choice but to open one of the balcony windows.

After barely climbing over the stone balcony, I ran to the Sun Fountain my helper had mentioned, clutching the dress fabric tangling around my legs, but I couldn’t see anyone who might have called me.

[I’m right here.]

Just as I was stamping my feet in frustration, the medical opinion paper I had brought out began to glow.

Good thing I brought it!

With half excitement and half apology for keeping them waiting, I looked around tree trunks and near the fountain with brightened eyes.

[I said I’m here.]

So where are you?

[Turn around. And hug me.]

Hug? Wondering what that meant, I quickly turned around.

“Um, where are you?”

“I’m right here, I said.”

“What?”

I spun halfway around toward the voice.

“So where…”

I had thought it would be someone older with a position of authority.

“Huh?”

More than anything, I had naturally assumed it would be a human.

“Do you have any idea how long you’ve kept me waiting? Don’t just stand there staring—hurry up and hug me.”

No. Something is wrong here.

I must still be wandering in a dream.

“No way…”

Yes, if this were reality, a fluffy baby lion wouldn’t be talking to me. Especially not in such a haughty manner.

“Just hug me first. My neck is about to break from looking up at you.”

A baby lion, stretching its front paws with its neck and back arched like a bow from looking up at me, spoke to me.

“Come on, this must be a dream, right?”

No matter how different this world is from mine, how could a lion be wandering around in the garden of a house where people live?

And how could I understand what it’s saying?

I turned away from the baby lion and pinched my cheek as hard as I could, waiting to wake from this dream.

Whoosh—

But contrary to my wishes, only the sound of wind rustling through leaves filled the air.

“My neck hurts.”

“……”

“You’d better pick me up quickly. It’ll make your stay in this castle more comfortable if you take me there.”

The baby lion spoke once more.

“Yawn.”

Then, as if its body felt stiff, it stretched out fully and yawned!

Though its manner of speech was strange, it was an incredibly cute baby lion with fluffy golden fur, which left me even more dumbfounded.

“This can’t be happening.”

No matter how I looked at it, it was just a baby lion about the size of my forearm.

And it was an animal.

Why was it talking?

Lions should roar, not speak, right?

But this baby lion was speaking right now.

So it wasn’t a lion but something in the form of a lion… what could it be?

“Who are you?”

“Me?”

The adorably formed golden baby lion flashed its terrifyingly cold, bright blue eyes.