Episode 27
The morning after hearing Charlotte’s farewell.
“Gasp…!”
Noctem woke up, sharply inhaling.
Thump-thump, thump-thump—his heart pounded louder than ever, and his body was drenched in cold sweat.
He clutched his chest, as if trying to contain his heart before it burst, and exhaled heavily.
He fumbled through the fragments of the dream he had just woken from.
He couldn’t remember much. Like most dreams, the perspective, the situation, and even his emotions were all jumbled.
The only thing he could recall—just barely—was:
‘Noc… please, divorce…’
‘I said… never…’
‘I’m begging…’
‘I’m sorry…’
“Ugh…”
Noctem slowly rubbed his forehead. Even though he managed to drag the memories out, they slipped away as if someone had deliberately erased them.
All that remained was a lingering sense of unease.
Deciding to stop thinking about it, he brushed his damp hair back and strode out of the bedroom.
From the very start, it was a foul morning. Noctem headed to the training grounds with long, determined strides.
It was still early, and aside from the guards on duty, not a soul was in sight.
Grabbing a real sword from the weapon rack, Noctem swung it through the air several times.
Nothing was more effective in cutting down these nameless, swelling emotions.
He was lost in his practice, slicing the air in a trance-like state, when Tei approached him.
“Your Grace. As you instructed, I looked into the rumors regarding the lady’s illness, but found nothing unusual.”
“What about Ethan?”
Ethan was the spy sent to the Duke’s estate.
Tei shook his head.
“The lady is so secluded that there’s little gossip to go on.”
“Secluded? Why?”
At Noctem’s question, Tei hesitated briefly. The reason was obvious—given the ongoing conflict, the Duke wouldn’t want her appearing unscathed.
Moreover…
‘I hope His Grace doesn’t get angry when he hears this.’
Tei spoke carefully.
“The Duke reportedly blamed the lady, saying that none of this would have happened if she had married you. It seems there’s an element of confinement involved.”
Far from being angry, Noctem smirked. His mood seemed to lift immediately.
“So, the Duke still wants to marry her off to me? This is turning out well.”
“Yes, it’s absolutely outrag— What?”
“She is, after all, a reasonable match for me.”
What on earth was he saying?! Tei’s mind flashed through every encounter between Noctem and the lady.
Wasn’t she the one he found irritating to the point of disgust?
Didn’t he rage when he discovered their meeting was the Duke’s scheme?
Hadn’t he sworn—no matter what—he would never get engaged to her?!
“Hm, so that’s why she said goodbye,” Noctem murmured, absentmindedly stroking his chin.
Perhaps the Duke’s surveillance had become so intense that she couldn’t even step outside.
He recalled the way Charlotte had smiled sadly at Kai.
‘If we marry, I’ll have to show her the fox.’
The strange discomfort he had felt since dawn melted away.
Without realizing it, something new had crept into Noctem’s heart—a feeling beyond mere vengeance.
After returning the sword to the rack, he turned on his heel and left.
As much as he wanted to draft a marriage proposal right away, his pride wouldn’t allow it.
Since the Duke had confined her, a signal from their side would surely come first.
When that happened, he would pretend to consider the proposal for a few days before graciously accepting it.
‘Hopefully, the proposal arrives soon.’
As he walked toward the grand duke’s garden, where the fox was playing, Noctem mused.
Among the many reasons he was agitated, the most pressing was the poison Charlotte had ingested.
Although he had already ordered Tei to create an antidote, Noctem hadn’t been able to deliver it to her.
There simply wasn’t a way. It remained tucked inside his uniform, unused.
If an engagement proceeded, it would provide the perfect opportunity to hand over the antidote discreetly.
“Grr, yip!”
As Noctem imagined Charlotte shyly accepting the antidote from him, the fox interrupted his thoughts.
Somehow, Kai had crept up without him noticing and was now biting firmly on the hem of Noctem’s trousers.
Without hesitation, Noctem slipped his arm under the fox’s belly and lifted him into the air. Despite Kai’s frantic squirming and exposed claws, Noctem remained calm.
“Tsk, looks like I’ll have to take even better care of you.”
They say a fox’s life is an easy one—this particular fox seemed to be the only creature bold enough to attack the grand duke without facing any punishment.
“Yip! Yip-yip! Grr, snort!”
Of course, Kai clearly didn’t share that sentiment.
From that day on, Noctem cared for the fox even more attentively.
Another week slipped by.
For some reason, that morning felt unusually pleasant—except for the gloomy weather hinting that rain was on its way.
“Don’t run around today. Stay in your room,” Noctem warned Kai.
One might think an animal wouldn’t understand human speech, but the fox blinked at him as if he did.
Leaving the fox inside the mansion, Noctem strolled through the garden, savoring a rare moment of leisure.
As the sharp scent of rain filled the air, he decided it was time to return to his office.
Just as he was about to leave, Tei came rushing toward him, urgency in every step.
“Your Grace,” Tei called, his voice tense.
At the same moment, a raindrop fell, landing right beneath Noctem’s eye. It rolled down his cheek, mimicking the trail of a tear.
“What is it?” Noctem asked, brushing the moisture away from his face.
Tei hesitated, visibly unsettled. After swallowing hard, he finally spoke, his voice trembling slightly.
“My apologies, Your Grace. We just received urgent information from Ethan… and…”
“Stop stalling and speak,” Noctem ordered sharply.
“It’s about Lady Charlotte Dapsine.”
At the sound of her name, Noctem froze mid-step, turning his gaze toward Tei.
Another raindrop fell, this time down his other cheek, as if both eyes were shedding tears.
“Lady Charlotte… has left the capital for convalescence.”
“…What do you mean, she left? When?”
The woman who was supposed to marry him—why would she leave?
Noctem’s expression hardened in an instant. Tei squeezed his eyes shut before continuing.
“One week ago, Your Grace. Officially, she has traveled to Western Eigel for rest and recovery, but…”
His words trailed off uncertainly, the hesitation speaking volumes.
It took only a moment for Noctem to grasp the unspoken truth.
She had run away from him. Completely and utterly.
Fury ignited within him as he seized Tei’s shoulders with a crushing grip.
Even as pain shot through his shoulder, Tei clenched his jaw and swallowed his scream.
“How exactly are you doing your job, Tei?” Noctem’s voice came out in sharp, fragmented syllables, each word crushed under the weight of his fury. “Find her. Immediately.”
The menace in his tone was beyond mere threat.
“Y-yes, Your Grace… I will obey.”
A pained groan escaped Tei’s lips despite his efforts to hold it back.
It was only then that Noctem realized just how much force he was exerting on the man’s shoulder. He released him at last.
“There’s no need for you to follow. Go and get treated.”
“No, Your Grace, I—”
“That’s an order.”
“…I will obey.”
Tei’s head drooped in defeat.
No matter how many excuses he could come up with, nothing would change the fact that he had failed. He had been closely monitoring the Duke’s estate, yet he hadn’t even noticed this happening.
It was an unforgivable lapse as the Grand Duke’s aide.
Without another word, he turned away and made his way toward the physician.
Outside, the downpour continued, as if the heavens themselves were reflecting someone’s turmoil.
A cool breeze swept past, and Charlotte pulled her cloak tighter around her.
She was riding yet another carriage—how many had it been now?—on her way to her true destination.
Leaving the capital without hesitation had been easier than she expected. And betraying the Grand Duke? That had been even easier.
She had already been cast aside as a useless pawn, but she knew Noctem might still come looking for her if he ever found a use for her again.
To prepare for that, Charlotte had taken measures three weeks ago, on the very day of her departure.
She had fed the Duke false information about her intended destination before boarding her carriage.
With Adrian’s help, she had converted all her expensive dresses and luxury items into money and mana stones. Her luggage was modest, hardly befitting a noblewoman.
Officially, she was traveling to the western town of Eigel for recuperation.
The coachman who was assigned to escort her there had glanced at her minimal baggage with a hint of suspicion.
But in the end, he decided it was none of his concern. Nobles—especially reckless ones like Charlotte—were not to be questioned unless one wished to be met with sharp words or worse.
Thus, Charlotte played along, heading toward Eigel, where the Duke’s villa was located.
They had been so eager to send her away that they had even permitted her the use of a costly teleportation gate.
Thanks to that, her journey had been swift and comfortable.
Upon arriving at the villa, the steward, who had clearly been briefed beforehand, greeted her with a flat, indifferent tone.
“You are to stay for five days. You are permitted to leave once, if you wish. After that, I will handle everything else.”
“Understood.”
Five days. That was plenty of time.
After a quick briefing on mealtimes, Charlotte was led to a private room on the third floor.
For a so-called ‘villa,’ the place was more luxurious than the estates of many western nobles.
Settling in, Charlotte carried on with her usual routine.
She started her mornings early, reading the empire’s newspapers. She took occasional strolls in the garden. She spent long hours in the library, reading in peace.
The butler seemed surprised by her unexpectedly quiet behavior.
After all, the infamous ‘Charlotte the Scoundrel’ was a well-known topic of gossip, even in the west.
But eventually, he lost interest. She was going to disappear soon anyway—might as well let her spend her days in peace.
If only he had continued watching her closely until evening, he might have noticed something strange.
By nightfall, Charlotte was no longer at the villa.
Instead, she was in Hore, a city that took half a day’s carriage ride to reach.
