North x Northwest

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Volume 7    

“Oh, I see.”

Venua, sitting down with his legs crossed, offered Ed a seat as well.

“Marquess, what brings you here?”

“I came here due to a kidnapping case.”

“Kidnapping? That’s indeed a big deal.”

“That’s why we’re searching the mansion. And you, aren’t you going to introduce yourself?”

Ed initially didn’t intend to talk about the kidnapping incident with Venua or the fact that there was a witness, but this pretext was necessary for him to access the estate. At the same time, he used this conversation to distract Venua while figuring out what was going on.

‘Liloa, who I expected to see, isn’t here. Instead a soldier from the Royal guards, who followed Venua to this faraway land, is the one being beaten up. Why? Moreover, even though my guards are searching his place, he seems quite relaxed on the outside.’

“I wonder what kind of important person got kidnapped for the lord to come out and do the inspection himself…”

“Who are you to bring your private army into my territory?”

“Well…”

‘Venua also seems to be fully aware that this situation could turn unfavourable for him too. His plan must’ve been to kidnap Liloa and escape, and then claim that he never stayed in Roahn in the first place.’

“…We both know without you asking. So let us not tire ourselves by doing so, okay?”

“My soldiers will arrest any private soldier they encounter…”

“How cocky.”

“And you will be detained here until your identity is revealed…”

Venua set down his glass with a clang. As the alcoholic content poured onto his hand, the guard with the best complexion immediately wiped the back of his master’s hand.

“Nothing good will come from making me upset, Marquess. And right now, you already annoy me enough without even trying.”

“I don’t know why I shouldn’t bother with you.”

Venua let out a short laugh into the air.

“Haha! People say that your ego is sky-high. I can see how that’s true.”

“…”

All this time, Ed hadn’t sat down yet. After all, it was better to stand so that he could look around the room.

‘Venua was clearly angry about something and took it out on his guard… What on earth happened here?’

Ed kept turning his head to scan the room with a sneer until a strange object caught his attention. Something was stuck into the side of the sofa. It was thin and long and compelled Ed to get closer and see exactly what it was. Ed walked to the seat that Venua had recommended earlier. The “object” occasionally shone. However, it depended on the angle of the light that changed every time he took a step.

The moment he passed the sofa, he noticed that it was a woman’s headpin and the corners of his tightly closed mouth lifted up.

‘It’s obvious who pierced the sofa like this.’

Venua, on the other hand, interpreted Ed’s action of obediently sitting down and snorted in a better mood.

“Seeing as you’re doing this, I guess you like her a lot. Actually, idiots like you, who fell in love with her pretty face, used to come visit me one after another in the past…”

“…”

Ed lowered his head to suppress his laughter.

‘Now I see why Venua became enraged and beat his own guard, or why there’s still no word from my soldiers investigating the inside of the mansion that they’ve found Liloa.’

Venua, who again misunderstood Ed bowing his head, continued to speak in a soothing tone.

“…From what I heard, Marquess, you’re so rich that even His Majesty envies you. But, as you know, you can’t buy blood with money…”

“…”

‘The question now is… where did she go after leaving the mansion?’

Ed suddenly felt a sense of loss. It was as though his blood was being drained. He had been worrying that Lil would leave after today’s mission, but now it felt like she had one more reason to really leave Roahn and go somewhere unknown to him.

“…Obernyu is a monarchy with as much history and legacy as the imperial family. Her father is Archduke Joseph I, and her mother is the sister of the current Emperor. If that child gives birth to a son, that son will have the right to succeed to the throne. She is impeccably noble. My blood and that child’s blood are flawless. No matter how much she goes out and devalues herself, her bloodline isn’t the kind that should be associated with a simple marquess from the empire’s periphery…”

“…”

With a look of dismay, Ed raised his head toward the window. Meanwhile, Venua assumed Ed had been discouraged and smiled with delight that he had been infatuated with his own legitimacy.

“…It was even too much for the Duke of Mireille…”

“…”

‘Of course, simply looking out the window won’t mean that I can see Liloa outside… I need to take action… it isn’t helping that the rain hasn’t subsided yet.’

It made him sick to his stomach to think about losing Lil without a word. Although he had already imagined the situation in which Lil abandoned him hundreds of times, with his mind in complete disarray now, he felt even more helpless and tormented.

“…Damn that Rene Mireille. Look how he caused things to reach this point. I knew it. After all, if you want to do this right, you can’t trust or entrust your business to others…”

“…”

‘The longer I keep sitting here like this, the sooner I’ll lose my sanity…’

Out of nowhere, Ed jumped from his seat and made his way to the door.

“…But if you’re willing to make up for the scandal, I might change my impression of you… Marquess?”

“…”

Venua called from behind, but there was no answer as Ed already convinced himself that he had to go find her.

‘She doesn’t have anything, so how can she survive in this rain? …No proper weapon, or medicine…’

“…Marquess!”

“…”

The guards waiting at the door hesitated at Venua’s rebuke, but Ed opened the door himself and went out into the hall.

– Clash! –

The sound of glass breaking was followed by Venua’s scream in a bloodshot voice.

“…I can’t believe this! You think you can just ignore me like this and get away with it?!…”

Venua’s curses and swears persisted even after Ed was out of sight. The prince regent’s voice resounded through the open door, but Ed paid no attention to it and ran down the hallway and down the stairs.

“Detain the lessee and arrest all other soldiers. You can stop searching the mansion.”

“Yes.”

As the two Roahn soldiers, who directly received the order, began mobilizing the rest, Ed got on the horse he had left on the porch and rode off into the pouring rain.

‘Liloa must’ve escaped. And given that other suspicious-looking guards were patrolling outside the mansion, she must’ve been so desperate that she rode out even at the risk of being discovered by them. So, where did she go? She’s probably hiding somewhere deserted. There’s also a chance she may have escaped Roahn, but outside the city are fewer buildings, meaning she’ll be easily exposed. More importantly, Liloa’s familiarity with the roads is limited to the city. And because she has become familiar with the city’s geography, she must’ve decided to stay in the city she knows well.’

“Liloa!”

‘No matter how loud I yell, she may not come out, but this is the only way to make myself present.’

Ed wandered around the complicated streets for a while. Because of the darkness, even his most intelligent courser kept making mistakes. In addition to the pouring rain, there was no light in the alleys, so it seemed impossible for Ed to find Lil, who was determined to hide her presence.

“Liloa!”

‘I don’t know what will happen if I don’t find her today. Once the sun comes up, I’m sure she’ll be riding out of the territory. Then, will she disappear forever?’ contemporary romance

In the first place, Ed hadn’t heard anything about Lil’s future moves, so he had mentally prepared himself. However, now that he’s reached this point, all the mental and emotional preparation he did seemed futile.

‘What should I do?’

Ed couldn’t remember how long he had been in this agony.

He eventually got off the horse, grabbed the reins, and walked aimlessly, while his beast followed him with a groaning sound, as if the animal had been hit and swept all over the narrow road. Ed’s entire body was chilled by the cold rain, but his insides were not. The fire fueled by regret, self-reproach, and despair seemed to even melt his internal organs.

Checking for the moon, Ed raised his head.

‘It’s been several hours already.’

The moon was setting and soon the sun would be rising. Ed, who had been staring blankly up at the sky, suddenly turned his gaze to the hill. His house was on the highest point in the city, so it could be seen from almost anywhere in Roahn.

In him suddenly burned a futile hope.

‘…No way.’

– – – – –

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