Chapter 47
“She kept yelling about how his wife had deceived him and stolen his daughter—honestly, what was I supposed to do about it?”
The dormitory director’s sarcastic remark made Peony’s eyebrow twitch.
His dismissive attitude toward her friend irritated her immensely.
“So, where exactly did Eila go?”
As Peony abruptly dropped the polite tone, the director quickly straightened his posture, startled.
“As far as I know, they met with the dean’s permission that evening. Given she hasn’t been seen since, she must’ve left with her father.”
“So you haven’t seen Eila yourself since then?”
“Well, no. It’s not uncommon, actually. Commoners without money for tuition often leave suddenly. Though leaving without even a word seems rather rude—”
“Save your unnecessary comments.”
Peony’s cold tone made the director realize his mistake, and he cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Ahem.”
Peony still couldn’t grasp the situation.
Just the day before, Eila had said she would return to the dorm immediately after their meeting to finish preparing her potion.
And now she supposedly abandoned her potion-making and left the academy with her parents? Without telling anyone?
Moreover, the man claiming to be Eila’s father was extremely suspicious.
Wasn’t the timing of his appearance too coincidental?
If he’d truly learned his daughter had been switched at birth, why hadn’t he appeared earlier? Why now of all times?
Still, the dormitory director’s story suggested everything had been done through proper channels.
With the dean’s approval, there wasn’t an official reason to suspect foul play.
‘But something’s definitely off. Could he have kidnapped Eila?’
It was a natural suspicion, especially since Eila had been so determined to excel in the upcoming exam.
Yet, Peony doubted anyone else would believe her suspicions.
Right now, she was the only one actively concerned for Eila’s well-being.
If Peony made a scene and demanded a formal investigation, the academy might begrudgingly comply.
But there was no guarantee they’d do their utmost to find a commoner like Eila.
Even seeking help from the imperial palace would take considerable time.
Peony quickly headed toward the swordsmanship department.
There was only one other person at the academy who would immediately trust her words without question.
A sharp blade sliced through the air, silver hair flowing gracefully.
Felix repeated the same movements repeatedly, gripping the sword tightly before stepping back to catch his breath.
Just as he wiped sweat from his forehead—
“Felix!”
A familiar voice echoed through the training hall.
Before Felix could even turn around, Peony was already standing in front of him.
Her face was pale, and her breathing labored—completely uncharacteristic of her usual elegant self.
Instinctively, Felix sensed something serious had happened.
“What’s wrong?”
Peony bit her lip anxiously and glanced around before whispering urgently into Felix’s ear.
As soon as he heard her words, his eyes widened in shock.
“What? Eila’s been kidnapped?”
Felix’s sword slipped weakly from his grasp, hitting the training hall floor with a sharp clang.
“Shh!”
Peony hastily pressed a finger to her lips.
Only after ensuring students training nearby had stopped glancing at them did she speak again.
“It’s not certain yet. It’s just my suspicion.”
But her eyes held unmistakable certainty, implying she had reasons beyond mere intuition.
Felix’s gaze sharpened intensely.
“Tell me everything. Exactly what happened?”
Peony let out a small sigh before continuing.
“The dormitory director said a man claiming to be Eila’s real father came last night. And supposedly, Eila left with him.”
Felix’s expression hardened immediately.
“You don’t believe that, do you?”
“Of course not. Eila would never vanish without telling us.”
Though they exchanged few words, both quickly reached the same conclusion.
Eila hadn’t disappeared voluntarily.
“Besides, she couldn’t have finished her medicine yet. She said it would take her all night. And with the exam tomorrow, she had no reason to vanish now.”
Peony’s voice trembled nervously.
“Eila… she’ll be okay, right?”
Her anxious voice was full of fear.
“If something’s happened to her… what do we do?”
Peony shut her eyes anxiously.
Felix clenched his jaw tightly, remembering his recent conversation with Eila.
“It’s my issue, Felix. You don’t need to worry about it.”
“Our relationship is purely contractual. You protect me, I give you the cure. That’s all.”
Eila always insisted on solving things alone.
As if determined never to burden anyone else.
Yet Felix knew better.
She’d been hiding something important, constantly vigilant and preparing for trouble.
And now, that very trouble had materialized.
‘But knowing Eila…’
Felix’s gaze grew sharper.
‘She wouldn’t have been taken quietly.’
She must’ve left behind some clue, some hint only she could provide.
“When did you last see her?”
“Yesterday, near the dormitory entrance. After that…”
Peony’s eyes widened as realization hit her.
“Oh! Then maybe she was kidnapped near the dormitory!”
The moment she finished speaking, Felix turned swiftly, nodding firmly at her.
“Then let’s start looking there.”
Peony guided Felix to the spot where she’d last seen Eila.
“My room’s nearby, so we parted here. I saw her walking towards her own room after that…”
Felix immediately headed in the direction Peony indicated.
Peony glanced around nervously.
“You can’t be caught here. Men aren’t allowed in the girls’ dormitory. Hurry and look around quickly, understood?”
“I’ll finish quickly before the morning classes end.”
Felix nodded briefly and carefully searched every corner of the hallway.
He ran his fingertips along walls and meticulously checked the floors.
Peony watched him, puzzled.
‘Does he really expect to find anything by searching like that?’
Fortunately, the dorm was empty due to ongoing classes, but her anxiety grew steadily as time passed.
‘What if Eila’s in danger right now? We can’t waste any more time.’
When Felix began moving deeper into a corridor past the central staircase, Peony finally spoke up, frustrated.
“Eila’s room isn’t even in that direction. Why search there?”
Felix didn’t pause.
“If Eila didn’t disappear voluntarily, someone must have lured her away. She probably got diverted somewhere along the way to her room.”
“Then… what exactly are you looking for?”
“Eila would’ve anticipated something like this. She must’ve left a clue behind.”
“A clue? What kind?”
“That’s what we need to find out now. Knowing Eila, she would’ve found a clever way to leave us a hint.”
he knows her well
thanks for the chapter