Episode 71

 

The members of White Shadow brought a carriage for the unconscious Vitrain.

Eric spoke cautiously to Aiden, who was staring motionless toward the border.

“As soon as Her Majesty disappeared, we sent carrier pigeons to the border. They couldn’t have left Belpator.”

Aiden nodded with a heavy expression.

It was safe to say that there wasn’t a single soldier in the imperial army who didn’t know Lian Zernia’s face.

Furthermore, both Aiden and Lian were unfamiliar with places beyond the empire’s borders.

This meant that while it was hard to pursue, escaping wouldn’t be easy either.

It was unlikely that the cautious Lian would have taken such a reckless venture, especially bringing Her Majesty with him.

So where could they have gone?

Coming all this way and changing carriages again couldn’t have been just to flee farther away.

They had already ridden for thirteen hours from Brincia.

Putting more distance between them would make it easier to avoid pursuit, but this felt excessive.

They could have taken shelter somewhere nearby, caught their breath, and observed the situation before making a move, couldn’t they?

Aiden gazed up at the distant sky, lost in thought. Eric, noticing his superior’s troubled demeanor, spoke again out of concern.

“The territory of Count Grou is just ahead. If we start searching there and sweep toward the border, we’ll catch up with them somewhere, won’t we?”

Eric had a point. They couldn’t keep staring at the sky forever.

Nodding, Aiden moved toward his horse.

“When are the capital guards expected to arrive?”

“They should be here soon. I instructed them to follow us closely when we left Brincia.”

“Post some of them at every checkpoint from here to the border. Have them inspect everyone coming and going.”

“Yes, Captain!”

Eric responded with a spirited answer, hoping to lift Aiden’s spirits, and helped his superior mount his horse, adding:

“Still, it’s fortunate, isn’t it? If not for Duke Kidmillan’s abilities, we would’ve had to search the entire empire.”

Aiden, who had just settled into his saddle, froze at those words.

Unaware of the change in Aiden’s expression, Eric bowed and ran off to carry out his orders.

Eric was right.

Without Vitrain’s help, they would have been forced to scour the entire empire.

They had already ridden for thirteen hours in this direction, so the culprit must be somewhere along this path.

But why did Aiden still have the nagging feeling that he was missing something?

His crimson eyes trembled with anxiety, and his clenched fists tightened in frustration.

It had been a full day since Lian had abducted Her Majesty.

Though Aiden believed Lian wouldn’t harm her carelessly, the man was a mad serpent with a venomous tongue.

There was no way to feel at ease.

The hours dragged on in agonizing tension, as if his body was burning or freezing at the same time. Then, finally, the capital guards and the remaining members of White Shadow arrived.

Standing before ten thousand soldiers gathered outside Count Grou’s territory, Aiden gave his command.

“Search every inch, from the basement to the attic. Leave no place unchecked. Bring anyone suspicious directly to me. I will verify them myself!”

“Yes, Captain!”

The capital guards flooded into Count Grou’s territory like a receding tide, and Aiden immediately headed toward Grou Castle.

This was to prepare for any potential conflict with the count’s forces.

After receiving reports of the sudden influx of capital guards at the borders of his territory, Gale, the eldest son of Count Grou, was already on his way to investigate.

Aiden encountered the young count on the road.

By that point, the search by the capital guards had already begun, and Gale was thoroughly enraged.

It was understandable, as the guards’ first targets for investigation were high-end lodgings and noble estates.

Aiden reasoned that Lian wouldn’t hide with Her Majesty in some shabby abandoned house or barn.

The nobles, proud of their status in Count Grou’s territory, were suddenly subjected to house searches, and all their complaints were directed at Gale.

His face red with anger, Gale protested to Aiden.

“Duke Tilender! What in the world is the meaning of this? Not only did you send soldiers into our territory without permission, but now you’re conducting house searches? Do you think the Grou family will simply let this go?”

“Her Majesty the Empress has been kidnapped.”

“…Pardon? What did you just say?”

“Do you have any information regarding Her Majesty’s abduction?”

“Me? Of course not! This is the first I’ve heard of it!”

“Has Duke Zernia visited your territory recently?”

“As far as I know, he has not.”

Gale shook his head with a dazed expression, seeming genuinely unaware of the situation.

Aiden glared at the young count with his crimson eyes before biting out his next words.

“Are you refusing to cooperate?”

Trembling in terror as if he were about to be executed on the spot, Gale stammered.

“N-no, I’ll cooperate!”

With his business concluded, Aiden turned and joined the capital guards in their search.

The search continued through the night and into the following day, but neither Her Majesty nor Lian was found.

By the following night, Eric led the capital guards toward the next territory, the Marquisate of Wolffs.

Meanwhile, Aiden turned his horse back toward Brincia.

There was something he needed to confirm.

* * *

By the time Aiden arrived in Brincia, Anna was pacing nervously in the Crown Princess’s palace.

“Your Highness, please, just have a bite to eat. If you continue like this, you’ll collapse.”

“I have no appetite, Anna. I don’t want to eat.”

“But you must eat something, even if you force yourself. It’s been days since you’ve eaten or slept properly. What are you planning to do?”

“What’s the point of eating when I’m of no use?”

Lothania slumped weakly on the sofa, muttering, while Anna was on the verge of exploding with frustration.

Finally, she couldn’t hold back and shouted.

“Are you really going to talk like that? What will Her Majesty say when she returns and sees you in this state?”

“I don’t care what she says, as long as she comes back, Anna.”

Tears that had barely dried welled up again in Lothania’s eyes, and Anna felt like crying too.

Since Her Majesty’s disappearance, it had been revealed that the marriage talks with Duke Zernia had merely been a decoy to capture the serpent.

Rumors spread through the imperial palace and Brincia that Lian, angered by the deception, had abducted Her Majesty in retaliation.

It was also whispered that the recent tragedy at the Senwood March’s estate was, in fact, another of the serpent’s schemes—something people had suspected but dared not say aloud until now.

The story now circulating was that Her Majesty had tried to capture the serpent and suffered for it.

The rumors reached Lothania’s ears as well.

Though she hadn’t heard it directly from Sione, she believed the story to be credible.

In the end, it meant that Sione had fought the serpent for her and was kidnapped because of it.

Yet all Lothania could do was cry, and she felt like a useless fool for being unable to do anything else.

“If only I had awakened… If I could awaken, even now…”

Anna sat down in front of Lothania, her damp, crimson eyes locking with the young princess’s gaze, and gently spoke.

“To awaken quickly, Your Highness, you need to eat well. Who knows? You might awaken tomorrow.”

Lothania, who had been slumped and full of self-blame, finally looked up.

Seizing the opportunity, Anna quickly offered her a bowl of thinly cooked soup.

“Didn’t they say an emperor from a hundred years ago awakened at the age of twelve?”

“Yes, after his twelfth birthday, he awakened not long after.”

“And I heard he was tall and strong from a very young age.”

“Yes, he was.”

“To grow strong like him, Your Highness, you need to eat well, right? You’ll turn thirteen soon, and if you eat and sleep well, you’ll grow tall too.”

Lothania, a perceptive and mature child, knew full well that Anna was trying to comfort her.

Though she still didn’t feel like doing anything when she thought of Sione, she also knew that if she kept wallowing, she would never be able to do anything.

So, Lothania picked up the bowl of soup and began to drink it with soft slurps.

Anna’s face lit up with emotion, and she nodded along each time Lothania took a sip.

When Lothania had finished the soup, Anna quietly placed another bowl in front of her and cautiously asked:

“But Your Highness, are you really going to leave him there? He’s been there since morning…”

“He’s still there? I gave the order to have him arrested and executed ages ago.”

“Your Highness…”

Lothania slammed the bowl down and turned her head away.

Even Anna didn’t want to hear about Melbrid.

Anna regretted bringing it up and thought she should have waited until Lothania had finished one more bowl of soup. She quickly withdrew the tray, her face full of concern.

Melbrid Zernia—no, Melbrid Ritein—had knelt in front of the palace since morning, offering apologies on behalf of his brother and asking to meet the crown princess.

As Aiden rode through the palace gates, having returned from the search in Count Grou’s territory, he spotted Melbrid.

He, too, had no mental space for anything other than Her Majesty’s abduction.

Aiden was about to ignore the small figure and keep riding, but suddenly, something crossed his mind.

He turned back, grabbed Melbrid by the back of his neck from atop his horse, and lifted the boy, whose stiff legs kicked in protest as he was thrown onto the saddle.

Then Aiden galloped back into the palace with Melbrid in tow.