Erin moved as if she didn’t need to think twice about going out. She made her way to the entrance that led to the capital.
“I’ll just grab a few things, Mona. It might take a day.”
“Got it.”
Mona replied resolutely and moved quickly.
Erin, who had been busy moving quickly, stopped her hand for a moment. After a brief moment of contemplation, Erin spoke up.
“Make sure to keep Aiden moderately occupied.”
Erin didn’t want to unnecessarily involve Aiden in this matter.
As soon as she finished preparing to go out, Erin set off for the mansion with only Mona, without delay.
The servants wanted to ask her about the schedule in detail, but Erin left so hurriedly that they couldn’t.
“Mona. Someone will definitely follow us.”
“I understand what you mean.”
Erin and Mona’s faces were resolute.
Both of them were skilled in riding, and Mona was not only Erin’s nanny but also her most trusted bodyguard.
Mona faithfully followed Erin’s orders.
***
It didn’t take long to get to the destination.
At that moment, the carriage of the Marquis Zahard was coming.
Erin stood in front of it and blocked the way.
The door of the carriage opened and Marquis Zahard’s wife and their son, Gael, who was inferior to others in the family, got off.
The two of them looked nothing alike.
Only one thing, Gael’s hair was the same bright brown as Erin’s, proving that the two were siblings.
“You came out to greet us.”
Marquis Zahard’s wife looked at Erin disapprovingly and said.
Even though it was obvious that it wasn’t the case, Erin spoke with a stern face.
“It’s not a greeting, it’s a farewell.”
Erin cut in decisively.
As soon as they met, Erin and Marquis Zahard’s wife clashed with each other.
There was no affection between mother and daughter anywhere.
“Is that all you have to say when you see us? You don’t even seem to have any intention of saying what needs to be said.”
As expected, they went on to say exactly what was expected.
Erin burst out laughing at Aidan’s attitude, as if he had come to look for something he had left behind.
For the past few years, the influence of the Zahard family had greatly diminished.
But considering their failed business and unstable finances, Erin found it remarkable that they were still holding on to this extent.
Erin was the reason behind it all. At the moment when the family was in danger due to massive debts, she provided support significant enough to put out the urgent fires.
It wasn’t for the Zahard family, either. It was simply to have the Zahard name as a sign until Aidan and Erin were fully established.
Erin had her own motives, and she didn’t expect Zahard’s wife or Gael to be grateful for her help.
But their audacity always went too far. And despite Erin’s efforts to stop them, the two of them were planning to revive the family through business cooperation with Rianster.
Erin’s divorce in this situation meant cutting the family’s ties, causing her to act anxiously.
But regardless, Erin had no intention of helping Zahard any further.
“Even if I don’t divorce him, there’s nothing for me in Zahard. So just give up.”
Erin clearly stated from the beginning that she has no hope.
“No matter how much you have become a Lienster , your roots are Zahard,” Gael said, as if teaching Erin.
Erin slightly furrowed her eyebrows.
She always treated Erin like this.
It had been 10 years since Erin became a member of the Lienster ducal family, and 2 years since she became the duchess.
As the duchess of Zahard, she was supposed to treat Erin with respect.
Even though she was her daughter.
But she only considered Erin Lienster as a member of the Lienster family when she needed something, otherwise she saw her as Erin Zahard, whom she could look down on anytime.
Every time she saw this selfish attitude, Erin felt a rising discomfort that made her almost nauseous.
But when she pointed out this issue, the Zahard duchess remained unchanged.
She did not change her attitude at all.
Erin’s gaze hardened. And she spoke firmly.
“My surname has been Lienster for a long time. Divorce is also my problem, not something Zahard should meddle in. Please refrain from unnecessary interference.”
“Erin cut it accurately.”
“There’s nothing for Zahard to gain from there.”
So, she warned to prevent any futile actions in expectation of something dropping.
“Are you seriously talking about divorce? How can you be so reckless.”
Zahard’s wife’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Erin disapprovingly and clicked her tongue.
“Well, if we divorce.”
“…?”
“How much alimony do you think you can get?”
Zahard’s wife asked with a twinkle in her eye.
It seemed like she was calculating the amount of alimony Erin could receive.
Erin looked at her sharply.
“I’m not taking any of that.”
“Why not? Even if you were useless to us, you did well for that family.”
She scoffed and rolled her eyes.
At that moment, Erin’s expression turned grim.
It was clear what Zahard’s wife was thinking.
“Do not even dream of going to find Aiden.”
Instead of asking for Aiden, she thought about intercepting the payment.
When Erin glared at her terrifyingly, Lady Zahard flinched for a moment, but then she returned with a greedy face and said, picking her nose, “Are you commanding me now?”
“No. I’m threatening you.”
Erin’s lips curled up snidely towards Lady Zahard and Gael, who always looked down on her and treated her disrespectfully, as she mocked them and said, “I’ve already warned you, just remember that there is no mercy for me.”
This meant not to act recklessly.
“Go back.”
Erin ordered the two.
She was indicating that she would decide what to do, whether they would return in the carriage or not.
With her arms crossed, Erin stared them down.
Unable to make up their minds, the two finally turned around and got into the carriage.
***
After some time had passed since Erin went out, and evening was setting in, Aiden, who had been out, returned.
“What…?”
Aiden stopped all his actions and asked.
“They said they had some urgent business and went out.”
The servant managed to reply without letting his voice fade away.
“So, when are they coming back?”
Aiden’s voice grew increasingly sharper. Clearly, his nerves were on edge.
“It might take about a day…”
The servant began to falter, unable to finish his sentence, as the atmosphere changed.
Aiden’s face turned cold and stern.
“You’re telling me, so nonchalantly, that they won’t return today?”
“…”
“Isn’t there someone who went after them?”
Erin asked the knights who were standing behind her, their heads bowed, frozen.
“We did follow at first but… lost them along the way, unavoidably.”
“…”
“I’m not entirely sure, but from the direction they were heading in just before we lost them, it seemed they were possibly heading towards the capital’s entrance.”
Nevertheless, the knight did not give up immediately after losing Erin but acted in the best way he could.
“So now, we are checking to see if anyone has spotted the lady near the entrance to the capital.”
He had come back after deciding that it was best to report to Aiden and continue the search rather than looking alone.
But Aiden’s face did not relax at all.
It turned even darker.
It had to.
The more Aiden heard the knight’s report, the more certain he became.
It was no accident that they lost her.
Erin must have intentionally shaken off the knights.
‘Why would she do that? Where could she be going?’
Erin had gone somewhere, and he knew nothing.
This fact alone made Aiden feel suffocated.
Aiden immediately went to Erin’s room.
He immediately noticed that some of Erin’s belongings were missing.
Aiden’s eyes seethed.
All of a sudden, all sorts of ominous and worst-case scenarios flashed through his mind.
In that moment, Aiden remembered the documents he had seen in Erin’s room.
Papers organized so that she could leave at any time without issue.
‘Could it be that she left while I was away?’ It was strange that she left without informing him of her destination or reason.
He couldn’t stay still. Aiden paced the room anxiously, his eyes reddening.
This won’t do. I must go look for Erin.
“She will return tomorrow.” Felix and the knights tried to dissuade Aiden.
But that was all they said. Beyond that, no one dared to voice anything further.
***
Aiden raced like a madman.
Without knowing where Erin was, he just rode his horse blindly. All reason seemed paralyzed in Aiden’s mind, but even so, he had to think.
It was the middle of the night; she would have to stop somewhere to rest.
If so, how far could Erin have gone without stopping to rest? If he searched every place she could have reached within half a day, he could find her.
Aiden’s eyes shone fiercely, even in the darkness. Simultaneously, all the manpower of the Lienster family, including its knights, was mobilized.
Starting from the capital’s entrance, they checked every lodging and all the places where people might stay.
After several rounds of searching the area, as dawn was about to break, they finally found where Erin was.
Aiden’s horse, which seemed it would never stop, halted at last.
Felix and the knights, who had been desperately following Aiden, were anxious about what might happen, a tense atmosphere about to snap.
“Aiden…?” Erin spotted Aiden.
“Why are you here?”
“……”
Aiden walked towards Erin without a word, his face set hard.
Aiden’s shadow fell over Erin’s face.
