The Marquis' Lost Mistress

Episode 30 

* * * 

Two weeks have passed since then. 

The location where Leila’s godfather was identified immediately. He just had to give orders to the people below him, so it wasn’t difficult. 

Fortunately, he didn’t leave anywhere far away and was living right outside the capital. 

The reason he hadn’t been able to visit until now, however, was that he didn’t have any time to spare. 

Theon pressed on his temples and prepared to get to the carriage. 

He only slept for about 10 hours a week, so it was natural he couldn’t get rid of his headache since he was either mostly on his desk or a carriage. 

“Are you going out?” 

He had just come out of his office when he came across the butler who was about to enter. 

“Do you have something to say?” 

The butler held out a bundle of papers to Theon. 

“I looked into what you asked, should I put it on your desk?” 

Theon stared blankly at the papers for a moment. For a moment, he’d forgotten what he’d ordered. 

“Ah, give it to me.” 

Finally, Theon recalled it and got into the carriage. 

He closed his eyes and rubbed them before opening them back up again as he began to go through the papers listening to the departure of the carriage. 

It was a document inside which was all the purchases made by Jewelry stores and Jewelry shops in the capital for three months. 

The amount wasn’t much. Unless you were a noble whose livelihood was at stake, you would usually not re-sell jewelry, so it was natural that not many were on the list. 

Even if he saw this, Theon wouldn’t know how to distinguish what items Leila sold since he did not know what leila’s mother had left behind for her. 

Nevertheless, there was a reason why he investigated this. 

“……I found it.” 

Theon’s hand stopped on the sheet of paper. 

A Sapphire ring bought from a jeweler; the name “Medea” was engraved in it. 

Medea was the name of Leila’s mother. 

Usually, when you give someone a meaningful gift, the name of the recipient is engraved on it. 

If Leila had disposed all of her mother’s belongings, he’d guessed at least one of them would be like this. 

Given that it was bought two months ago, the timing was exactly the same. 

Until then, he couldn’t find anything distinctive. There was no such thing as a family heirloom that symbolized the Elantre family, Leila’s house. 

“As expected, did you collect the money like this?” 

She probably saved time and money both by disposing of only the things that could be processed through quickly. 

“What a waste of time….” 

Theon threw back his neck and burst into laughter. 

From this, it was clear that Leila had left on her own, instead of being kidnapped. 

He’d assumed she’d somehow been kidnapped for no reason, caught the tail of the human traffickers and even made contact with the magic department, pouring money into everything. 

If it hadn’t been for that, he wouldn’t have had to go through all this trouble. 

“Do I have to discard it all?” 

Tomorrow night, he was going to have a meeting with one of the leaders of the trafficking group, and the day after tomorrow, he’d decided to get the purchase history list from the magic department. 

Leila left by herself, so he didn’t have to meet them at all. He was already busy to begin with. 

‘Just in case.’ 

Yeah, just in case. 

It was not yet confirmed that Leila had left by herself, and it was still necessary to investigate the magic item that had come out of her room. 

“We’re here.” 

And his conclusion could change a lot depending on what Leila’s godfather said. 

Theon got out of the carriage and knocked on the door of the shabby mansion. 

“Who are you?” 

A woman’s voice came from inside. 

“I’m here to see Viscount Selton.” 

After a while, the door opened, revealing a middle-aged woman in old clothes. 

“Sir Selton is the owner of this house, yes. What purpose do you have for coming here?” 

“Please tell him a man associated with Leila has come. He’ll understand.” 

He didn’t know what sort of relationship the woman had with Selton, but she didn’t seem to realize that Selton was a nobleman. 

The woman disappeared with a puzzled expression and reappeared shortly after. 

“He wants you to come in, sir.” 

Theon stepped inside the house. 

He’d felt it when he was outside, but the house was filled with the smell of medicine and mold. 

It was a bright day out, but the windows inside were covered with a dark cloth and it was extremely dull due to the absence of ornaments or paintings. 

It felt like a house awaiting death. 

“I’ll guide you, but I have to say that Mr. Selton is not in good condition. He’ll probably not be able to talk to you for a long period of time.” 

“I see.” 

It was not long before he arrived at the room where Selton was staying. The door opened and an old man sitting in a rocking chair by the window appeared. 

The old man was lifeless even as the midday sun shone over the window. 

Were his eyes not open and staring outside the window, Theon would have assumed he was dead. 

“You don’t look so good.” 

Theon said as soon as the door closed. 

Slowly, very slowly, the old man’s head moved away from the window and towards Theon. 

“How did you get so old in only four years?” 

Theon found an empty chair inside the room and dragged it to the old man to sit. 

This man, looking at Theon with his unfocused eyes, was still in his 40s – though he might be in some pain. 

Four years ago, he was a middle-aged man with a good appearance and a stylish beard, but now he looked like an old man in his 60s who was about to die. 

“Is it because of guilt?” 

Selton’s weak, drooping cheeks trembled at Theon’s words. His dim eyes gradually began to focus. 

“If you already know that…” 

A murky sound came from his murmur, like scratching iron. 

“Why did you want to meet by selling that child’s name?” 

Theon leaned leisurely against the back of the chair, crossing his arms and legs. 

“Did Leila ever come here?” 

Selton burst into laughter. 

A strength somehow entered his skinny body and his laughter rang through the room. 

“Why would she come to me? Are you crazy? Are you asking that question because you’ve gone crazy?” 

Before Theon could answer, Selton continued, 

“You made it so that she would never see me again!” 

Theon closed his eyes for a moment and tilted his head to the side in irritation. 

This is why he hated good people. 

It was a deal, and he’d agreed to it. In exchange for doing the work, he got what he wanted. 

And now you’re pretending to be a victim. If you were going to blame me, you shouldn’t have done it to begin with. 

What’s the point of living like this after receiving everything he did? Was he trying to prove a point? 

“The reason why I came to see you,” 

Theon opened his eyes and looked straight at Selton. 

“It is to save time. Investigation will take a few days, but I can still find it out.” 

“She didn’t come here.” 

“Your attitude is not reliable. I wasted my time for nothing.” 

Theon rose from his seat. He could check whether his words were true or not. 

Like he said though, it would take a while. 

“I hoped again and again that the child would come to see me. I was determined to reveal everything with my own mouth, but the main culprit actually ended up coming instead.” 

Selton muttered behind Theon’s back as if he were pouring curses. 

“I’ll have to kill him.” 

I didn’t know you were thinking of something like that. 

It was a mistake to come to see Selton without knowing where Leila was. If she’d seen him come here, it would’ve been a big problem. 

“You’ve been talking like I forced you to do something…” 

Theon, who was about to go outside, stopped walking. 

Maybe it was because he couldn’t sleep, but he was sensitive, and this sensitive made him irritated at something he normally would’ve overlooked. 

“It was a deal, and technically we’re partners.” 

“What do you mean…!” 

“You seem to be living alone by yourselves pretending to be a victim by handing over what I gave you to your child, but if you so wish, I’ll take it back from your kid.” 

Selton’s wrinkled eyes opened wide. He clasped the handle of the armchair and raised his upper body. 

But the skinny man’s body couldn’t even stand up properly. He was just shaking with his hands clutching the handle tightly. 

Theon was going to say something else, but closed his mouth and went out in silence. 

Outside the room, the woman who had greeted Theon was still standing with a puzzled expression. 

“Have any outsiders visited him in the past three months?” 

Theon spoke as he walked under the guidance of the woman. 

“No, it’s been a while since even his family visited.” 

The woman answered quickly as if there was nothing else to think about. 

This house was not big, and this short conversation was enough to reach the front door. 

“Think again. It’s very important.” 

Theon faced the woman in front of the front door and asked again. 

“None…” 

“A lady has gone missing.” 

Theon interrupted the woman’s quicky answer. 

“It’s a very serious matter. I am trailing the lady.” 

The woman’s face turned pale. 

An aristocrat was missing, and if it had anything to do with the person she served, the woman would not be safe either. 

“Think it over. Are you sure no one came?” 

“I’m merely a resident here and help around to take care of Mr. Selton. Mr. Selton can’t move around much, so I welcome all the visitors. I swear to God, no one came.” 

Theon examined the woman’s face slowly. 

There was not a single lie on his pale and hardened face. 

“Really? I see.” 

Selton, who felt guilty for Leila, would have been happy to help her, but Leila hadn’t come here to begin with. 

So, who did Leila get help from? 

* * * 

The conversation with Selton ended in only a few minutes, and he still had some time before his next appointment. 

So he went to visit Leila’s house while he was there anyway. Just in case she had come back. 

Maybe she’d smile casually and say, ‘I’ve cooled down in this while.’ 

He didn’t want to stop hoping for that. 

“…….” 

Instead, he was greeted by the guards standing outside Leila’s residence and the door he’d ripped away. 

Theon went through the place where the door used to be and headed straight for Leila’s bedroom. Then, he laid down on the cold bed. 

Fortunately, this bed still smelled like her. 

“I’m tired.” 

When he was surrounded by his lover’s scent, his true feelings popped out. 

Whenever he was tired or didn’t feel like doing anything, he always visited Leila. 

He was comforted by her warmth and cheered up listening to her whispers of love. 

I feel comfortable with you. All things that worry me go away when I’m with you. You’re my only resting place. 

None of the things he said to Leila were false. Leila was the one who breathed life into him. 

That existence was gone now. Theon didn’t know how to breathe. 

If anyone saw Theon crumbling like he was now, they might ask, ‘Why didn’t you do good by her before losing her?’ 

Shouldn’t he have come by more often, pay closer attention, and give Leila a firmer belief so that she wouldn’t blame herself for being a mistress? 

Wouldn’t have there been no problems if he had become a person to rely on while she struggled with the nobility alone? 

This would not have happened if he had visited Leila as soon as she wrote that first level. 

‘What was that urgent matter about? I was worried.’  If only he’d comforted her in his arms like this. 

If so, Leila, who loved Theon so much, might not have left. 

But if Theon hears this, he would reply like this with a calm face. 

I tied her up so she wouldn’t be able to leave, so why do I need to do that?