The next morning, Ariadne began preparing to go out as soon as she opened her eyes. The bed had been uncomfortable, but she had managed to get through the night without much trouble.

“Did you sleep well, my lady? The room must’ve been uncomfortable…”

“It’s fine. It wasn’t great, but I didn’t wake up in the middle.”

Her body had been exhausted—last night’s emotional strain had worn her down so completely that after a few tosses and turns, she had fallen asleep.

It wasn’t a deep sleep, but it was enough to clear some of her fatigue. Feeling slightly refreshed, she hurried to prepare for the day’s errands.

“It’s a relief you packed at least a few things yesterday. Otherwise, today would’ve been chaos.”

“I know. Yesterday, I wasn’t thinking about anything except getting out of there…”

Ariadne laughed weakly as the memory of the night before flashed through her mind. All she had felt then was anger—sharp, suffocating anger. She hadn’t wanted to stay another moment in that mansion. She didn’t want to see Kieron Ambrose ever again.

She just wanted to escape. To run from the man who kept tearing her apart piece by piece.

“But it’s good, my lady. You finally made your decision.”

In truth, Jay had wished for a long time that her mistress would leave that house. She no longer wanted to see Ariadne suffering, crying, or forcing herself to hold on. If she could have chosen, she would have pulled her mistress out much sooner.

But back then, Ariadne hadn’t seemed ready. She hadn’t looked like someone who was seriously considering leaving. And when a woman was in love, there was nothing anyone could say to stop her. All Jay could do was wait, hope that Ariadne would one day see it for herself.

It had only been a few months since then…

Jay didn’t know why, but her chest tightened with overwhelming emotion.

“To be honest, my lady, I wished you’d left long before now…”

Ariadne’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected Jay to think that way.

“You thought that before? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What would I have said, my lady? You know better than anyone what you were like then.”

Jay rolled her eyes, not in annoyance, but in familiar affection.

If Ariadne had heard such words back then, she would have rejected them without a second thought.

‘Divorce? What nonsense.’
‘Do you want me to become a widow when I’ve only just married?’
‘We don’t even know each other yet—why would we talk about divorce?’

That was who she used to be.

But the woman standing here now was entirely different. Her situation, her heart—everything had changed.

Ariadné gave a small, awkward laugh and gently squeezed Jay’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Jay. Truly… the years were bearable only because you were with me.”

“Your resolve is what made it possible, my lady. If it were anyone else, they would’ve walked away long ago.”

Jay shook her head and lifted her shoulders in a small shrug. Those years had only been possible because she was Ariadne. What other words could possibly explain that time?

Watching her mistress still struggle to grow used to her own decision, Jay came to a simple conclusion: whatever anyone else thought, her feelings were what mattered most.

“Please don’t second-guess yourself, my lady. Everything so far has been your choice, and this decision is yours as well.”

People who try to imagine what they’ve never lived through are no different from philanderers, in Jay’s eyes.

She still remembered how many people had wanted to meet Ariadne after her marriage… and how many of them had not been kind.

Compared to walking into a den of those people in society, staying quietly at the ducal mansion had always been far, far better.

And once she returned to her father’s house, the marquisate, Ariadne would receive support that was not only more advantageous but far more efficient. Whatever kind of hyenas came circling then, she would be protected safely and completely.

It would be better for both sides if she parted ways with the duke as soon as possible and returned to the marquisate.

Kieron would no longer have someone he was begrudgingly responsible for, and Ariadne would be safe again under her family’s protection.

So Jay was very pleased with today’s schedule—first the boutique, then meeting the lawyer.

“As long as you don’t forget that there are people who will always stand on your side, my lady, I’m sure good things will keep happening for you.”

What she meant was: even if things get hard, we’ll be here to help you through it.

Jay added that silently in her heart and flashed a bright smile.

“Do you really think so?”

Seeing Jay’s firm, confident expression, Ariadne almost believed it herself. Still, she reminded herself she needed to stay clear-headed.

Jay, watching that faint light of hope return to her mistress’s eyes, smiled back.

“So, you said we’re going to the boutique first, right, my lady?”

In that case, today she would put in even more effort than usual. Guiding her mistress over to the chair in front of the dressing table, Jay smiled to herself, a look of quiet determination on her face.

***

Kieron hadn’t slept at all the previous night.

Partly, this was because the argument with Ariadne was replaying endlessly in his mind. But mostly, he was utterly lost as to what to do next.

He had spent the entire night thinking about how to calm her down. Before he knew it, dawn had broken and his eyes were still wide open.

He faced the morning with the same sleepless gaze.

He wondered if he should wait until he felt clearer and looked more composed before trying to speak to her again. But he had learned the previous day that nothing changed when he put things off.

With her, nothing could be delayed. If he delayed matters even slightly, another disaster like yesterday’s could erupt at any time.

As this thought crossed his mind, he considered starting the day with some light stretching to clear his head.

“Your Grace.”

Derrick’s knock came, light on the surface, but with a hint of irritation beneath it.

Kieron finished buttoning his shirt and opened the door.

“What is it?”

“There’s… a problem, Your Grace.”

“A problem?”

Kieron lifted his head, frowning as he looked at Derrick.

Derrick hesitated for a moment, then finally muttered in a thin sigh.

“My lady has disappeared.”

That single sentence made every nerve in his body prick up.

Disappeared?

Where could she have gone?

The mansion was big enough for someone to hide in if they wanted to. But she wasn’t the type of person to suddenly decide to play hide-and-seek.

She wouldn’t engage in that kind of nonsense.

Then why — and when?

A dull pain throbbed behind Kieron’s eyes.

Was this some kind of protest?

Did she act impulsively when she was angry?

He pressed his fingertips hard against his temple and forced himself to speak.

“She’s nowhere inside the mansion?”

“No, Your Grace. We searched thoroughly. There’s no sign of her.”

“The back gardens? The marquisate?”

“The gardens are being searched as we speak. We’ll inform you as soon as anything turns up.”

As for the Marquisate, there had been no contact yet.

Derrick’s face tightened with helpless frustration.

It was like being hit out of nowhere.

She wasn’t a toddler who could barely walk, why would a sensible adult simply disappear without a word?

Why?

Why did this keep happening?

It was a question that had been circling his mind ever since Ariadne entered the household, and one that he found himself asking far too often.

He let out a long, weary sigh, then asked the most crucial question of all.

“She left of her own accord?”

That was the crux of the matter.

How could he be expected to sit quietly and wait while she behaved like this?

He had decided to give her space and think things through step by step, but she caught him off guard every time.

Was she truly not willing to try to make this marriage work at all?

Was this the perfect opportunity for her to leave and make her defiance crystal clear?

He swallowed the urge to groan and pressed a hand over his face.

After a moment of bleak reflection, he took a deep breath and turned to Derrick.

“Send a message to the marquisate. Don’t say she’s missing—phrase it carefully. You understand me?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“And mobilize our knights. Whatever the circumstances, the duchess has vanished. We cannot sit idly by.”

“But, Your Grace… if we do that, the other nobles will—”

Derrick’s expression tightened with uncertainty. He wanted to ask whether it was really necessary to involve the other noble houses. Wouldn’t it suffice to simply find out where she had gone?

If Kieron handled this the way he seemed intent on doing, the situation could easily spiral beyond their control.

And if that happened…

The backlash would be tremendous.

People would accuse him of failing to control his wife and of involving innocent families in unnecessary turmoil. The noble houses would not accept that.

But Kieron clearly saw things differently.

“Stop worrying about pointless things. Finding her comes first. Everything else can wait.”

He shut down the argument before it had even begun.

Any consequences that arose afterwards could be dealt with later.

Right now, only one thing mattered.

Kieron could only hope that they would find her soon.