~Chapter 43~
Floria, instinctively wanting to hit her forehead, realized she couldn’t because of the shackles on her hands. She looked around, seeing the others staring at her with horrified expressions, pulling back as much as they could. But Caspar didn’t seem bothered at all.
“There’s the Count’s ledger in that room. The cover is dark green, so remember that well. Of course, it won’t be in an obvious place,” Caspar whispered to Floria.
“Wait, so you want me to go get the ledger?” she asked.
“Yep. Within an hour.”
Caspar’s lips curled into a little smile, almost like he was proud of himself. Even in the dark, why did he look so… visible?
Floria turned her head slightly, mentally organizing what Caspar had just said. But then, she had a thought.
“Well, then we can just go look for the room together, right?”
When the Count picks one person, the guards become more relaxed. That’s good news. But finding a ledger in a strange place within just one hour seemed impossible. It would be more efficient for the two of them to search together.
“The Count will choose me,” Caspar answered confidently.
Floria was caught off guard by his boldness. “Ah, okay,” she replied, realizing that everyone, including herself, had already accepted that.
However, just as she was trying to process everything, the Count suddenly barged in, opening the door forcefully. Floria wasn’t surprised because she had heard from Caspar that this would happen. But then, without any hesitation, the Count pointed directly at her.
“You, come with me.”
The light from the corridor shone through the wide-open door. The Count’s finger, thick and pointing right at her, made Floria’s heart race. She blinked in confusion, realizing that he had pointed at her.
Caspar, too, looked surprised by the turn of events.
“Better brace yourself,” Caspar whispered, showing no signs of panic.
Floria understood now. The Count had recognized her emerald-colored eyes from the moment he stepped outside. It seemed that was the reason he’d chosen her.
“Stay close,” Caspar added, as he stepped back to follow the Count. Floria could feel her anxiety rising. She was starting to fear what might happen to her.
The Count’s eyes drilled into Floria’s as he grinned maliciously.
“Emerald-colored eyes, huh?”
Floria’s heart sank as she realized the Count had recognized her from her eye color alone. He grinned even more, his eyes darkening with a hint of anger.
“I had a very unpleasant experience with someone who has emerald-colored eyes recently.”
Floria’s heart raced with panic. She wished she could shut out his words, but they echoed in her mind as he spoke again.
“Go to the back. I want to bother you.”
The words “bother you” echoed loudly in her mind as she was led away.
The slave traders guided her behind the Count, and she was now standing next to Caspar. She could hear his voice, low and quiet, “Did you expect this?”
“No,” Floria murmured. “But I guess… I had no choice.”
She felt defeated, but there was still one mission left: find the ledger.
The door shut behind them, and they were left in a dark room with no windows, no light, and no idea what would happen next.
After a while, Caspar spoke up. “The Count will be distracted soon. He’s a coward, so when he moves, the guards and slave traders will follow. You’ll have about an hour when they’re distracted.”
Floria felt her heart beat faster. “Okay. I’ll have to make the best of this.”
With the weight of her shackles still heavy, she slowly started moving toward the desk. It was a small room with a desk piled with papers.
“There’s the ledger. The cover is dark green,” Caspar had told her.
Floria quickly searched through the papers on the desk, but there was no ledger to be found. Frustrated, she moved to the drawers. She knew she was running out of time.
Finally, she found a locked drawer. Excited, she quickly retrieved the keyring Caspar had stolen and opened the drawer, only to find pictures of the Count, taken by himself—photos of him posing and making silly expressions.
“Crazy bastard,” Floria muttered, disgusted by the pictures. She slammed the drawer shut, unable to believe what she was seeing.
“Why would he take pictures of himself like this?” Floria thought, shuddering in disbelief.
The sound of a ticking clock grew louder in the silence, and Floria began to panic. She had searched every possible spot—where could the ledger be?
The time was slipping away.
Then, Caspar’s voice whispered, “Look under the desk. The ledger is between the floor and the desk.”
Floria froze, her heart skipping a beat. “Under the desk?”
She hurriedly checked the space between the desk and the floor and found the ledger hidden there.
She exhaled a sigh of relief, but there was no time to waste. The guards could be back at any moment.
“I found it!” Floria thought, her hands shaking as she grabbed the ledger.
But the clock was ticking—would she make it in time?
