Episode 67

As they continued chatting and playing, lunchtime arrived.

Anna, who came to inform Lothania and Melbrid that the meal was ready, also shared the news she had heard from outside the palace.

“It seems there’s a fire outside the west gate.”

“A fire?”

“Yes, Your Highness. There was a fire at the construction site of the Imperial Guard quarters, and because the wind is blowing toward the palace, the guards have rushed over to help.”

“Isn’t that a big deal? Is Mother okay?”

“The fire is still quite far from the main palace, so she should be fine. Besides, Duke Tilender has already gone there, so they should have the fire under control soon.”

Anna smiled, reassuring Lothania with her usual knowledge of everything.

Even so, after a moment of thought, Lothania suddenly stood up.

“I’m going to go check anyway. I want to have lunch with my mother today.”

“Would you, Your Highness?”

“Yep! Mel, you’re coming too!”

“Yes!”

Melbrid quickly stood and followed closely behind Lothania.

As they stepped outside the Crown Princess’s palace, the unpleasant smell of burning wafted toward them on the wind.

Melbrid reached out his hand to Lothania, intending to escort her, but since the two were about the same height, holding hands only made them look like good friends walking side by side.

Lothania stifled a small laugh but still took Melbrid’s hand.

As they walked together, she spoke, “I’ve decided I’m going to start learning swordsmanship.”

“Swordsmanship?”

“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about it, and if I want to become stronger, I need to know how to handle a sword too.”

“Uh… That means you’ll have even more lessons, right?”

Melbrid replied a little glumly. His childhood friend was already too busy.

Lothania, as if doing him a favor, said, “Do you want to learn with me?”

“I’m already learning, Your Highness.”

“What? Since when?”

“Since two years ago.”

“Ugh. Just you wait, I’ll get even stronger than you!”

Melbrid, knowing full well he could never become stronger than Lothania, chuckled and nodded his head.

“Your Highness will become the strongest swordsman in the Empire!”

Becoming the strongest swordsman wasn’t really her goal, but after hearing it, Lothania thought it didn’t sound too bad.

The stronger she was, the better she could protect her mother and even weak but charming Melbrid.

Feeling more determined, Lothania clenched her fist with enthusiasm.

By the time the two of them arrived at the main palace, they had already agreed to take swordsmanship lessons together twice a week.

Lothania, running up the stairs like a squirrel, came face to face with Tito at the entrance.

Tito greeted her with a gentle smile and asked, “Your Highness, are you here to see Her Majesty the Empress?”

“Yes! Is my mother in her office?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Will you be having lunch at the main palace?”

“Yes! Please prepare for three.”

“Understood.”

Lothania waved to Tito and dashed up the stairs again.

The royal guards standing by the Emperor’s office bowed to the Crown Princess and her childhood friend and then knocked on the door for them.

“Mother, it’s me!”

Lothania called out loudly, but no sound came from inside.

The office wasn’t known for letting sound travel well, so Lothania, thinking nothing of it, opened the door.

If it were Sione, she would surely answer with a warm smile, inviting them in.

Expecting to be greeted by her beautiful and graceful mother, Lothania stepped inside, only to find the office completely empty.

“Mother?”

Lothania and Melbrid looked around the not-so-large office, but Sione was nowhere to be found.

“Where has Her Majesty the Empress gone?”

Lothania asked the guards stationed outside the door.

The royal guards, now looking flustered, peered into the office and stammered in response.

“Sh-she was definitely here just a while ago…”

Aiden had given strict orders to guard the office well when he left.

Since then, no one had come in or out.

As the guards’ faces grew more rigid, so did Lothania’s, her face growing pale with worry.

In a near panic, Lothania rushed down the stairs, shouting Tito’s name.

“Tito! Have you seen my mother?”

“What? Isn’t she in the office?”

“She’s not there! Has no one seen her? My mother… my mother has disappeared!!”

Lothania, always mature beyond her years, sat down on the stairs and began to cry.

Melbrid, not knowing what to do, sat beside her, trying to comfort her, while Tito shouted orders.

“Fetch Duke Tilender immediately! Royal Guards! The Empress has gone missing!”

Soon, Aiden, who had been extinguishing the fire and dealing with the aftermath at the Imperial Guard construction site, received word of Sione’s disappearance.

It had only been about an hour since he had left her side to deal with the flames that had eluded capture.

* * *

As soon as Aiden realized Sione had disappeared, he and the Royal Guard sealed off the imperial palace and searched every corner, from the highest spire to the tree roots in the rear garden.

Particular attention was given to the office where she had vanished—they searched it like finding lice. They crawled into the fireplace, examined every grain of wood on the walls with swords, and yet, they found neither Sione nor any hidden passageways that might have led to her abduction.

A person cannot simply vanish without a trace.

Though it was unclear how, Aiden and the others were certain this was an abduction.

Aiden, Lothania, and even Melbrid all thought of one suspect.

From the moment he realized Sione was gone, Aiden’s face became like that of a demon. Without wasting any time, he mounted his horse and charged out of the palace.

Melbrid rushed in the carriage he had arrived in, while Lothania, with her tear-streaked face, followed closely behind.

The Zernia Ducal carriage carrying the three of them, along with Anna, raced after Aiden.

Behind them, the Royal Guard stretched across Brincia’s wide streets.

Aiden charged into the front gate of the Zernia Ducal estate, dismounting his horse as he loudly called out, “Theodore!”

But there was no response from the White Shadow, who was supposed to be watching the estate.

“Theodore!!”

Aiden shouted again, his voice echoing, but instead of his subordinate, the Zernia family’s butler appeared.

“The person you are looking for has passed away.”

Without hesitation, Aiden drew his sword and pressed it roughly against the butler’s throat.

The butler, as if having expected everything, closed his eyes and stepped back as Aiden pushed him.

That morning, after Lian had entered the palace, the butler had found a corpse in the garden.

He had sensed for some time that something catastrophic was about to happen due to his insane master’s erratic behavior.

As expected, the crazed dog with red eyes had stormed in, brimming with murderous intent, followed by his young master, who was in tears of despair.

“Her Majesty the Empress! Lian Zernia!” Aiden and the Royal Guards searched the Zernia estate in a frenzy.

“The Duke did not return after entering the palace this morning,” said the butler, but it seemed Aiden couldn’t hear him. Melbrid, his hands trembling, grabbed hold of Aiden.

“W-where did my brother say he was going? Is there anywhere he might have gone?”

The butler looked at Melbrid with pity and shook his head.

Born the son of the Zernia family’s butler, he had served three generations of serpents over fifty years. Among them, Lian had been particularly unstable, but after Melbrid joined the estate, things seemed to have calmed down.

Melbrid clutched the butler’s sleeve desperately. “Summon my brother’s subordinates! They must know something! They must know where he is!”

“They do not follow my orders. And…”

The butler trailed off, looking at Melbrid with sympathetic eyes.

Having lived in the house of serpents, he thought his heart had grown cold, but he felt only sorrow when dealing with Melbrid, who didn’t seem to belong in such a place.

The butler didn’t know where Lian had gone.

But he did know that his master had no intention of returning.

The butler pulled out a document he had found in Lian’s room earlier and handed it to Melbrid.

“You have been expelled from the Zernia Ducal family. You are now to return to your original family, the Count of Ritein.”

Melbrid collapsed to the ground, completely stunned.

Meanwhile, Lothania was chasing after Aiden, crying as he ransacked the Zernia estate in his desperate search.

Her heart-wrenching sobs as she searched for her mother echoed throughout the estate, and the butler and servants huddled together as if they were criminals.

In the end, no trace of Lian, Sione, or any clues to their whereabouts could be found.

Lothania, sobbing uncontrollably in Anna’s arms, cried out in sorrow, and everyone who heard her felt the same pain.

Aiden was too consumed by overwhelming despair to even shed a tear, his mind and heart on the verge of explosion.

If he let his guard down even for a moment, he felt like he might go mad.

In fact, he wanted to go mad.

It would have been a relief if he could lose his mind, a way to release this anger and despair.

The anguish was so unbearable that he would have welcomed death if it meant he never had to return to his senses.

But going mad, or even dying, would only be possible after finding Sione.

He had to confirm her safety first. Only then.

And that night, while no one in the palace could sleep, Vitrain Kidmillan arrived.