Chapter 113
Late at night.
Arianna wrapped herself in a thick robe and hurried along.
Lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t even realized how late it had become.
She had to deliver the message before it was too late.
Arianna kept her eyes forward as she walked quickly.
With her robe pulled tightly over her head, her vision was limited to what lay directly ahead, but she didn’t slow her pace.
If she showed any sign of being rushed, people might find it suspicious. But she couldn’t walk leisurely as if nothing were wrong either.
She walked with her hand tucked into her chest to make sure the letter she held didn’t slip.
Please, let me arrive in time.
She clenched her teeth and prayed silently, over and over.
Worried the servants might notice, she couldn’t take a carriage—or even ride a horse.
The distance from the Valois family townhouse to her destination was considerable.
But as a young lady of a wealthy family with only a handful of gold coins on hand, she couldn’t take a carriage either, for fear of arousing suspicion.
All she could do was walk. Walk. And keep walking.
Fortunately, she had ridden along this route before, so at least she knew the way.
Without hesitation, Arianna walked, thinking only of reaching her destination.
It felt like she had been walking for a long time after leaving the townhouse, but the destination was still far ahead. Faint lights scattered in the darkness barely illuminated the path.
Just a little further… just a little more.
As the dimly glowing building gradually came closer, she suddenly heard it.
“Didn’t your parents teach you not to be out this late?”
A familiar voice whispered in her ear—a voice that should not have been heard right now.
“If I ask where you’re going, will you tell me?”
Step. Step.
The footsteps grew nearer.
On the barely lit street, where only the immediate area was visible, a sound approached slowly from the other side of the road.
The sound was terrifying.
Without realizing it, Arianna dragged her feet backward, retreating.
“…How are you here?”
“How do you mean? Did I come somewhere I shouldn’t have?”
Then, in the dim light, a figure became visible.
“Th-That…”
Arianna’s face went pale.
“Your Highness! Your Highness!”
It was early morning.
Not long after falling asleep following a night spent talking with Leofric, someone knocked urgently on the door.
“What is it?”
Leofric, who had apparently woken up before me, asked as he wrapped me in the blanket.
I blinked drowsily, raising my head.
He gently soothed me in a low voice.
“I’ll go check. You sleep a little more.”
“Mm, but…”
It was definitely Betty’s voice urgently knocking.
Could it be something regarding the guild? That would be something I needed to handle personally.
Leofric’s hand brushed my shoulder comfortingly, but I rubbed my eyes to shake off the sleepiness.
“Let’s go together. We don’t even know what’s happened yet.”
I got up and put on a shawl, and Leofric watched me briefly before leaving the bed.
He went to the door and let Betty inside, who had been anxiously stamping her feet outside.
“What is it, Betty?”
Betty entered the room, her face drained of color.
Even in the faint dawn light, it was clear that there was no trace of blood in her face.
I felt the sleep that had been resting on my eyelids vanish in an instant.
“Breathe, Betty. Breathe. I don’t know what’s happened, but calm down first…”
“Th-The Lady Valois has gone missing!”
“Take deep breaths first… hmm?”
I was trying to calm her down, surprised at how urgent Betty sounded, since she was usually so composed.
Leofric, standing behind her, looked worried too; she clearly wasn’t in a good state.
Then the words she spit out made the situation immediately clear.
Arianna Valois had disappeared.
And it was only a few hours before she was supposed to meet me.
“What do you mean, the Lady Valois is missing?”
“Th-That… she had an appointment today, so the maid went to wake her, but she wasn’t in her bed.”
Shivering, Betty explained.
Since Lady Valois had instructed them to wake her early for her appointment, the maid had gone to her room early in the morning.
But no matter how much they knocked, there was no answer. They had an ominous feeling.
Finally, with the help of the head maid, they opened the room, only to find the bed empty.
“She’s not somewhere else?”
“No. She usually tells someone where she’s going if she leaves. But we searched the entire mansion, and still couldn’t find her.”
Betty shivered slightly, rubbing her arms. The news this morning must have been shocking indeed.
I brought her a shawl to wrap around her and sat beside her.
“So, did you get news from Valois? That she couldn’t meet us today because she disappeared?”
“No, Your Highness. It was from the palace knights.”
“…From the knights?”
If the knights were involved, something serious had happened.
What could have occurred that would make her unable to meet so early?
“They found her belongings on the road from the townhouse to the palace. But there was… blood.”
“Blood?”
I widened my eyes, and Leofric beside me also looked shocked.
What on earth had happened?
“I haven’t received a report yet. Did the knights hear anything else?”
“No. They didn’t. They only came to tell me what they found while investigating the mansion. The maids had mentioned her appointment, so the knights guessed something might have happened on the way.”
So one of the investigating knights came to the palace to report it.
“But the appointment was much later…”
“Maybe there was a reason she had to leave earlier. Otherwise, why would she…”
Betty looked as bewildered as I did.
Leofric also stood up upon hearing the story.
“I’ll go ahead. We need to check for ourselves.”
“Yes. Let us know if you find anything.”
After Leofric left, Betty shivered and lowered her head.
Whatever had happened, someone was in danger—and it was unsettling to think it was someone I was supposed to meet.
“Betty, can you check if there were any other witnesses on that street last night?”
“Yes, Your Highness. The knights said it’s difficult since there were no witnesses.”
Betty sighed, wrapped tightly in her shawl.
“It’s strange. Duke Valois seemed completely unaware. And apparently, the Lady didn’t take a carriage or ride a horse either…”
Listening to Betty recount what she learned from the knights, I sensed many inconsistencies.
Her daughter disappeared, and her father doesn’t know. A noble lady went out but didn’t take a carriage or horse?
So she must have been walking through that dark street.
“Does anyone know when the Lady disappeared?”
“No. No one saw her from when she went to bed last night until this morning. That’s why it’s so difficult to find the culprit. There were hardly any people on that street at that hour.”
As time passed, finding the culprit would only get harder.
Without a confession, it would be difficult to point to anyone as the perpetrator.
I let out a short sigh and stood.
“Let’s move as well. Contact Hailey and have the guild’s intelligence network investigate. See if there are any other witnesses in that area.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“And tell the knights to report immediately if they notice anything suspicious.”
“Yes. We have some people in the knights, so they’ll know the situation.”
Betty nodded and rose. I lightly patted her shoulder, seeing that she was a bit calmer.
“It’s early, so everyone’s probably disoriented. Pay extra attention, and if you learn anything, report immediately.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
What on earth had happened to Arianna Valois?
I let out a short sigh, preparing to organize myself.
“Oh, and Your Highness, a letter arrived from the north.”
“From the north?”
Betty pulled a letter from her cloak and handed it to me.
I hurriedly opened it and read…
Arianna Valois had disappeared.
In the middle of the capital, on the road to the palace.
The capital was thrown into chaos.
She wasn’t just anyone; she was the daughter of one of the most powerful noble houses, the Valois.
Publicly, it was known she was doted on by her father.
“Still haven’t found her?”
“No. The knights are searching, but…”
The belongings discovered were clearly hers, found by a beggar who noticed something suspicious when trying to sell them at a pawnshop.
The mirror, clearly made by a noble house with her initials engraved, was stained with blood.
Anyone would find that suspicious.
Leofric tilted his head after hearing the report of what had been uncovered so far.
It only raised more questions.
Why did Lady Valois leave so early, without a carriage or horse?
What was so urgent?
“Have you learned anything else about her whereabouts?”
“This is all the information, Your Highness.”
The situation was increasingly grim.
Leofric let out a long sigh, realizing how difficult the investigation would be.
