TISND Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The unprecedented summoning of the entire army had thrown the mansion into chaos.
News of the event even spread beyond the mansion to every corner of the territory.

Those who had previously worked under the Duchess, out of a mix of curiosity and obligation, found themselves utterly shocked by the unfolding situation.

Who could have imagined the Duchess herself would head toward the cliff?

“A massive search party has been assembled.”

“I’ve never seen His Grace wear that expression before.”

The residents of the territory, who had long ridiculed Helena as Eskel’s daughter, now had no choice but to acknowledge that she had carved out a place for herself in Frantor. Even those who dismissed her marriage as a mere political arrangement to curb the growing northern power were left speechless upon seeing Caligo’s desperation.

“But why did she suddenly go to the cliff?”

“Suddenly? That’s not quite accurate.”

As the large-scale search mission unfolded, the staff wore troubled expressions.

Their harsh words about Helena now returned like daggers to pierce their hearts.
Regret stung deeply.

“This is why we should have been careful with our words in the first place,” one muttered.

Emma, who had always been the most motherly toward Helena, spoke up. Having a daughter of a similar age, she couldn’t help but feel protective of Helena from the start.

“Do you think treating her a little better recently could erase all the wounds she’s carried? Nonsense.”

As employees receiving wages, they were bound to obey the commands of the mansion’s mistress. Yet the thought of serving Eskel’s daughter had been too much for many, leading them to lash out. Even so, Helena had never been cruel to the staff.

“From now on, we need to be more vigilant. It’s our turn to protect the mistress of this house,” Emma declared with a determined expression.

“A simple apology won’t erase the mockery and disdain we’ve shown. We need to show everyone that she’s different from the other Eskels.”

If only she could join the search party herself.
Emma wished she could, but her position left her with no choice but to wait.

—

The mansion was in disarray.
Servants and knights alike whispered about Helena.

Though she had been the target of much ridicule, her presence was undeniable.

Partly because of her connection to Eskel, but also because she always acted in ways no one expected.

“Verify if there are any witnesses, then search every ravine in the area. Make sure to check the bottoms of the cliffs as well, just in case.”

“Yes, sir.”

Even Caligo and the nanny who had cared for him since childhood were unaware of one thing:
Joshua’s possessiveness and obsession were no less intense than Jeremy’s.

After losing his biological father and realizing his stepmother was mentally unstable, Joshua clung to Caligo even more. He wanted to resemble him and, like with his twin brother Jeremy, he didn’t want to lose him to anyone else.

That was why he despised Helena.
The woman who made his revered father wear such an expression.

“Father, should I tell Jeremy as well?”

Joshua’s little rebellion wasn’t without reason. It was a way to provoke the father who was worrying about another woman instead of his children—a subtle correction that assured Helena wasn’t truly in danger.

He also secretly enjoyed seeing a new side of his father. After all, wasn’t it intriguing to wonder if his disappearance might also make his father react this way?

“No, don’t tell Jeremy.”

“Why not? He should at least know the general situation.”

“He’d be too shocked.”

“Like you are, Father?”

Joshua’s words drew Caligo’s gaze.
“What do you mean, like me?”

“Father, you look very shaken.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

Joshua immediately countered Caligo’s denial.

“You didn’t even summon the entire army when there was a sudden ambush on the Plains of Fellendar. And yet, you’ve called them all over just for one person?”

Conflicting emotions stirred within the boy.
He had lost his first mother so young that he barely remembered her.

But it wasn’t the same with the second. Even though they divorced, the scars left behind from that time had never fully healed.

Now, he felt an uneasy fear and anxiety at the thought of experiencing the same despair and pain again.

Especially when the person in question was someone he believed should never have been let into their hearts.

“…Still, don’t worry too much.”

Yet, another feeling arose alongside his fears.
A small hope that perhaps, just perhaps, his father might find a true companion.

It was a wish born from Joshua’s genuine love for Caligo.

“She’s not a foolish person. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

For the twins, who had suddenly lost their family, Caligo had become both their new home and their father.
And Joshua sincerely wanted to see his father happy.

“You’ve surprised me quite a bit lately,” Caligo said with a faint smile, touched by the boy’s awkward but heartfelt attempt to console him.

“But… I’m not as shaken as you think.”

Still, Caligo denied his feelings.
To be precise, he didn’t want to show his worry for her in front of a child who looked at him with pure admiration.

After all, Helena was the daughter of the enemy who had taken his cherished older brother.
And to Joshua, she was the one who had taken his beloved father away.

—

“Why is the mansion so noisy?”

Jeremy rubbed his eyes as he approached the two. He had been taking a deep nap when the commotion in the mansion woke him.

“Father? Why are you wearing armor? Are you going on an expedition?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Emma looked nervously at Jeremy. She found it hard to explain the situation to the sensitive young master.
But her well-meaning silence only caused Jeremy to misunderstand.

The misunderstanding snowballed into something far bigger.

“Um… it seems the mistress might have gotten lost…”

“What!”

He remembered Helena asking if he wanted anything, and he had casually said strawberries without giving it much thought. He hadn’t considered how she might try to get them.

Could she have gone into the mountains to pick strawberries because of him and gotten lost?

“Oh no, what should we do?”

Jeremy’s face turned pale as he sank to the floor, tears welling up in his eyes.

“My goodness, young master!”

Just then, a guard approached to deliver news.

“Your Grace, it seems the search will be more difficult than expected. A storm blowing in from the west is making visibility nearly impossible.”

A snowstorm.

It was a minor one, common during this season in Frantor. The locals were used to it, but for Helena, who had lived in the west, it could be dangerous.
She was unfamiliar with the terrain and likely unprepared for such a storm.

The expressions of those around grew even graver.

“We must move quickly,” Caligo said firmly.

He decided he couldn’t just send out the search party—he would personally go to find Helena.

“Your Grace! Wouldn’t it be better for you to stay at the mansion?”

“No. I’m going myself.”

If he stayed and waited any longer, the anxiety would consume him.

Was it a mistake to have forcibly kept her out of his sight?
Caligo had deliberately avoided her to suppress his emotions, but now they threatened to overwhelm him.

“Father! Please let me go with you!”

“That’s not an option.”

He couldn’t risk the children’s safety, no matter the circumstances.

However, Jeremy was more stubborn than Caligo had anticipated.

“Even if you say no, I’ll follow you anyway.”

Tears welled in his eyes as he made his demand firmly. Caligo looked into those eyes and realized that the boy’s emotions were not so different from his own.

“Stay close to me at all times—it could be dangerous.”

“I promise.”

—

Meanwhile, completely unaware of the commotion at the mansion, Helena was in the middle of helping a lost traveler in the mountains.

The traveler, who was a local, had let down their guard and ended up getting lost.

“I’ve tied ribbons at each path we passed, so just follow them to get back.”

“Oh, thank you so much! I don’t know how to repay you.”

Helena even gave the traveler her map.

“And judging by the wind, it looks like a storm is blowing in from the west. If it does, don’t move around—find a safe place and stay there until the wind dies down. Thankfully, the snowstorms here seem to be small, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

Helena had climbed all kinds of treacherous mountains to gather medicinal herbs.
Her time at the academy had been chaotic because of it, but the experiences she gained were invaluable.

Thanks to those experiences, Helena didn’t so much as flinch in the face of a snowstorm.

“Take care and get back safely.”

As the local waved goodbye, Helena suddenly remembered something and called them back.

“By the way, do you know where I can find wild strawberries around here?”

She had once collected herbs that only grew at the base of cliffs.

For her, gathering strawberries was as simple as eating soup while lying down.

“If you head down there, you’ll find plenty.”

“Thank you.”

With a bright smile, Helena waved them off, completely unaware of the misunderstandings brewing back at the mansion.

In truth, Helena had come to the mountains for one simple reason: to pick strawberries.