“Artea quietly disappeared, and judging by the fact that the guard hasn’t collapsed… ”
“You once said it was probably the work of an insider.”
“okay. Artea disappeared from the dukedom’s garden and nowhere else.”
I began to piece together the case with Erios.
“It appears Artea was transported while she was unconscious, as she has been in an unknown place since she opened her eyes.”
“It is said that the scent of sleep is strong even for adults, but because the protection magic was activated, she was able to come to her senses right away.”
Let’s combine it.
At first, it wasn’t her will to come out, but later, Artea moved with the thought of coming to me, her aunt. It seems that she was lucky enough to meet a security guard on a nearby wagon and arrive here safely.
“Let’s think the opposite way. Is there any reason why Artea should disappear?”
-Thank goodness, I thought my aunt hated me too…
What Artea said before.
It was clearly called aunt ‘too’.
Well then.
If there is anyone in the Dukedom who hates Artea, who would it be?
‘I can think of anyone who hates Artea.’
1. hates her because she’s the heir and wants to get rid of her.
2. hated her personally and wanted to get rid of her.
‘If it’s any of the above, one of the most likely candidates is Erios.’
How cold-hearted of me to choose her blood uncle.
But the most likely explanation is that he wants a biological child to succeed him, and his nephew is in the way.
‘But I don’t think Erios did it.’
I offered to take custody, but he refused the easiest and most peaceful way to get rid of Artea.
I think it was all for show, but the fact that he asked me to marry him is the final straw.
“Well, if you’re actually trying to hurt her, it’s a little weak that you only smoked sleeping incense, and it’s a little weak that you left her alone in a room when you said someone else could take care of her.”
Sure, sleeping incense has its side effects, but they’re pretty mild for kidnapping a duke’s daughter.
Perhaps the goal is something other than elimination.
3. Someone trying to take advantage of Arthea’s disappearance
is the most obvious option.
Putting Artea to sleep and stealing her away was just what the criminal wanted.
He didn’t expect that the child would actually take advantage of that opportunity and run away from home.
“But you just proposed to me, right? that person wouldn’t have thought that I, who would be the most supportive person to Artea, would become a duchess.”
This is your chance to track down the culprit.
“If I come, it’s good to do something by being stabbed, and if it’s not, it’s not bad to be quiet as if you’re rat-dying for my attention. At least that person won’t do Artea any harm again.”
I blurted out, rolling my eyes.
“So, what’s the butler been up to while Artea’s been gone?”
The one who came running as soon as he heard I got a marriage proposal.
That’s right, the butler.
“He said he didn’t get a proper report from the nanny because she was so drowsy, I heard she was missing, and her nanny reported as soon as she opened her eyes?”
Erios left home, and Artea’s disappearance became known very quickly.
Because the report went up right away.
However, the butler who received the report conducted a search and found nothing.
Since it was a child, they thought it might have disappeared ‘nearby’ and searched for it in an unexpected place, without even considering the possibility that it might have gone outside the territory, so there was a sense of delay.
Of course, it may be a natural thought since it is only a child’s gait.
– How on the earth did you miss the lady??
A search is a search, but you say you wasted time getting angry at the nanny and maid?
They didn’t even inform the entire ducal family and have them conduct a search, saying that the matter was getting bigger and worrying Erios, who was suppressing monsters.
‘Of course, if i listen to each story, it is true.’
Strangely, the nanny is being framed as the culprit.
I was concerned that he approached me right away because I might become a duchess.
“You just said that your butler is usually a quiet person, right?”
But this time, when Erios and I were talking, he interrupted and started talking to me first.
Do something he didn’t do before.
I searched, but found nothing meaningful.
And the process wasn’t smooth either…
‘Of course, I am suspicious of the nanny because she seems awkward with Artea.’
But I talked to the nanny and the maid earlier.
There was also something the butler said.
My idea was to hear the story of when Artea disappeared from the mouth of the last person she saw.
Of course, I did too when Artea first went missing.
My first thought was how could the duke’s daughter disappear from the duke’s residence, and what did the nanny and maid who were by her side do?
– It’s my fault.
And the nanny said that she would accept her dismissal as a matter of course, and that she would also accept the punishment.
– I saw that she came back safely…I think I can accept everything now.
– Punishment will be discussed after the case is over.
Of course, she might be suspicious since zhe was the one who was with you until the end.
Conversely, the presence of sleeping incense freed the nanny from suspicion.
I learned about the existence of sleeping scent through a cat doll.
It would have been very difficult for the nanny to faint and fall asleep after taking care of it, but even though it was difficult for the nanny, she immediately went to report. According to the butler’s words, even though she was sleepy and dazed, she couldn’t speak properly.
More than anything.
‘There is a possibility that the nanny used the sleeping scent as a self-made play. But if that were the case, the existence of sleeping incense would have been made known long ago. Only then will they be cleared of the charge that she lost the child through her own negligence.’
But right now, only Erios and I were aware of the existence of Sleep Incense.
Well then, what needs to be done is decided.
– You need to start by investigating whether the nanny is tight on money and who she is friends with.
“Then shall we investigate the butler in the same way?”
I raised the corners of my mouth and smiled like a villain.
***
The butler was in the duchy when the nurse reported that Artea had disappeared.
Artea was found far from the Duke’s castle.
This is something you can’t do alone.
‘Then there must have been an accomplice.’
How did they steal Artea from the dukedom?
Although she passed out due to the scent of sleep.
Since thr guard wasn’t breached, I’m guessing they had a way to get out without anyone noticing.
An accomplice took him out, or the butler took him to Artea.
“The day Artea was kidnapped, a grocery wagon went to the Duke’s castle.”
The company that delivered the groceries had been working with Duke Killiet for decades.
Inevitably, boundaries will be loose.
“What if they put a sleeping Artea in the grocery wagon and escaped?”
“Then don’t he need the cooperation of the coachman and other servants? The knights search for luggage coming and going from the dukedom, so we need to get them involved as well.”
“yes.”
“Now that it’s known that Artea is missing, even if they were involved without knowing, They aren’t going to spew it out honestly. I will state it in a way that is favorable to them.”
But there was a way to get people to be honest.
All you have to do is peel off the goo.
As soon as I met the driver pulling the grocery cart, I immediately shouted in an overbearing manner.
“The drivers all confessed. You stole Artea by putting her in a carriage!”
“Yesss?”
The first person I met when I went to Killiet Estate was this coachman.
Of course that didn’t happen.
Looking at the other person’s shocked face, I continued speaking quickly.
“How dare you kidnap Princess Killiet?”
I was the one leading this situation.
Erios said nothing.
But just being by his side was enough.
Erios, who came dressed all in pitch black today, had no expression on his face, as if he were a reaper.
He is a head taller than other men and has a sense of intimidation that radiates even when he stands still.
His silver hair was as cold as snow, and his golden eyes were devoid of light.
The coachman, facing Erios’ insensitive gaze, screamed like a scream.
“Oh no! I’ve never done that!”
And he spit out the truth right away.
“I only moved one piece of luggage under the butler’s orders!”
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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