Chapter 113

113: Wrong Choices

“No, it’s impossible to bring the dead back to life, though we can make the living seem dead.”

“I see.”

Adelaide sighed. Turning back time and reviving someone were entirely different matters and she knew it wouldn’t be easy, but she had hoped anyway.

She asked again, a hint of desperation in her voice.

“Then what about magic to find a missing person?”

“I’ve never heard of such a spell.”

So that would be difficult too.

Disappointment clear on her face, Adelaide saw Zatia cautiously speak.

“Is it because of Lady Lephisto?”

“…No.”

“If we don’t find her, will His Gracebe in danger?”

“Leave now, Zatia.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Realizing she had overstepped, Zatia bowed her head and exited the room.

The moment the door clicked shut, Adelaide massaged her forehead.

They needed to find her quickly.

If it became known that Shayla Lephisto was missing, it would not bode well for Callion.

Rumors of the future empress fleeing before the wedding would not hurt Elkius, who pushed for the marriage, but rather Shayla herself.

Speculation would run rampant about why she ran away, and it could rekindle gossip about her and Callion.

‘Elkius would likely accuse Callion of abducting her,’ she thought grimly.

Shayla’s reason for running away was clear.

‘She must have met Rosaline Harper.’

There was no way that jealous woman would quietly watch Elkius take another wife. She must have harassed Shayla just as she did Adelaide.

Though revealing that a maid-turned-mistress had been rude to a noble lady set to be empress would cause an uproar, the issue was that they couldn’t expose Rosaline Harper.

Few knew about her, and those who did were Elkius’s closest confidants who wouldn’t testify against him.

Even if it were to hurt Elkius, it wasn’t worth escalating the matter.

The more pressing concern was Shayla’s safety.

‘If something happens to Shayla…’

It would devastate Lucid and Julian, and potentially strain her relationship with Callion.

‘We must find her before something big happens.’

Adelaide gathered her thoughts and picked up a pen.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The Marquisate of Uclaire was a gateway city where people from the west stopped before entering the capital.

As a result, the inns in the marquisate were always bustling with guests.

The innkeeper, accustomed to seeing countless transient travelers, found nothing suspicious about a woman with a small bundle checking in.

Thus, she remained in the cramped inn room undisturbed for a week.

With a snip, Shayla Lephisto cut the long thread. The severed bundle rolled towards the door.

Ignoring the fallen thread, Shayla caressed the completed scarf.

Her delicate fingers had worn out with care, but the scarf was soft and cozy.

A smile spread across her face as she touched it, but it quickly turned to sadness.

It would be difficult to deliver it.

Knowing it was over, she still couldn’t shake off her lingering regret.

With a deep sigh, she folded the scarf and put it in her bag. The bag was small and light, as she had left impulsively without preparation.

‘Are they looking for me by now?’

Having left without a note, her family must be in an uproar.

Though there was no public search yet, indicating the emperor was still unaware, it had been a week, and it was only a matter of time before he noticed her absence.

It was time to make a decision.

Shayla packed her bag and left the room.

Despite breakfast being over, the hall was still crowded. She found a secluded table and called for the waiter.

“What can I get for you?”

“A sandwich and a cup of tea. And could you call a carriage for me?”

“Right away, ma’am.”

The waiter quickly disappeared into the kitchen.

As she waited for her food, Shayla overheard snippets of conversations.

“Another person died at the construction site in Belfort?”

“Yes, they fell from the roof.”

“D*mn them. Are they trying to kill everyone?”

“What can you do? It’s not the first time the emperor has done this.”

Her heart raced at the angry tone. She kept her eyes down, silent.

“Here’s your meal.”

The waiter placed the dish in front of her. Shayla’s trembling hand gripped the teacup, hot tea spilling over her hand.

The complaints about Elkius didn’t stop.

“And isn’t it strange that the woman set to marry the emperor was once the Crown Prince’s fiancée? How can she marry the man who took his place?”

“If they offer to make her empress, what wouldn’t she do?”

“Still, I wouldn’t do it, not even out of respect for old affections.”

“Wouldn’t you be tempted if they built a palace just for you?”

“Even the new palace is named after her, isn’t it? What is it called again, Shayla Palace?”

“She must have done something extraordinary to win the emperor over. She’s no ordinary woman.”

“That’s how she bewitched both the Crown Prince and the emperor.”

Shayla closed her eyes tightly. The unspeakable humiliation wrapped around her entire body.

“Anyway, those highborn folks are different. People are dying by the dozens, and they’re busy naming a palace after themselves and living it up.”

“……”

Tears fell into her teacup.

The composure she had barely managed to regain crumbled to dust in an instant.

Shayla rose and left the inn.

Outside, a carriage was waiting for her. She climbed in and buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

She could think of no other way to escape this hell.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Julian Uclaire was strolling along the forest path.

He had taken leave from Callion and returned to the Uclaire Marquisate for some rest.

He had isolated himself in his room, cutting off outside news to sort out his thoughts, but his brother’s nagging left him little peace.

“You’re making a dramatic show of being heartbroken.”

Daniel Uclaire, Julian’s brother, was a cynical man.

“If you’re just going to talk nonsense, go do some work.”

“Unless you’re going to do it for me, stop worrying about whether I work or not.”

“……”

“Aren’t you going back to Duke Tiflis?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Oh, did you get kicked out of the knights? Well, I wouldn’t mind if you used this opportunity to ditch Duke Tiflis and stick with the emperor.”

He also had a sarcastic personality that even his brother found intolerable.

“Stop spouting nonsense and get out of my room.”

“This is my mansion. If anyone’s leaving, it’s you.”

That damned brother.

Knowing he couldn’t win the argument, Julian stood up in frustration.

“Fine, I’ll leave!”

“Good thinking. Don’t come back.”

Julian grabbed a sword and stormed out of the mansion.

The forest path, entering early winter, was covered with fallen leaves. Each step crunched the dry leaves underfoot.

He took a deep breath of the cold air to clear his troubled mind.

He knew his brother’s nagging wasn’t sincere, but he couldn’t deny that he had been momentarily shaken.

It had been a long, unrequited love. He had loved Shayla since before he was old enough to understand what love was, and even after she became Callion’s fiancée, his feelings hadn’t changed.

He thought it was enough to see her happy. Perhaps that was why the shock was greater. But…

‘I won’t wait long, so get yourself together and return soon.’

His loyalty to Callion was far deeper than a pitiful, unrequited love.

Julian steadied his thoughts and walked on. There was one place he wanted to visit before returning.

At the end of the forest path was a lake—a place filled with childhood memories for the four of them.

Beside the lake was a small cabin, where they used to dry off and fall asleep after playing in the water.

He wanted to stop by one last time to clear away his lingering feelings for Shayla.

As he trudged along, a carriage sped past him. Julian watched it with a puzzled expression as it disappeared into the distance.

‘What was that?’

There was nothing but a lake ahead.

A sense of unease prompted him to quicken his pace. Soon, he saw the carriage returning. Julian drew his sword and ran toward it.

“Whoa, whoa!”

The coachman, shocked, managed to halt the carriage just in time.

“This forest is the Uclaire family’s private property. What business do you have here?”

“A young lady asked to be brought here, and I’m on my way back after dropping her off.”

“A young lady?”

“Yes, she asked to be taken to the lakeside…”

“A young lady?”

This area was the Uclaire family’s private property and was so remote that few knew about the lake. But a young lady seeking out the lakeside?

Could it be…?

His heart pounded. He threw down his sword and ran toward the lake.

Don’t do anything foolish, Shayla.

Reaching the lakeside, Julian scanned the area. Seeing no footprints around the lake, he immediately headed for the cabin.

The dusty door handle bore a fresh handprint.

Julian kicked the creaking wooden door open and rushed inside.

“Shayla!”

A slender figure swayed in the air.