Chapter 91…
“…W-Well, that is.”
“I came to warn the Bailey family not to lay a hand on Miss Cynthia White from now on.”
“……”
Castleton shut his mouth, speechless. Tesion stood far above his eye level. As a distant relative of the imperial family, and a member of the powerful Romanov family whose military and political influence had been solid since past generations, the Bailey family couldn’t dare oppose him.
Castleton tilted his head from side to side, letting out a weary sigh.
“Returning the Retemper Merchant Guild… consider it a gesture of goodwill. We merely wish to prevent this matter from becoming unnecessarily noisy. If we don’t return it, the Bailey family’s reaction will be predictable.”
“……”
“Duke Bailey, think with that well-functioning brain of yours. If this were truly a negotiation, anyone could see that these terms are unfavorable to me. What right would I have to speak of ‘close cooperation’ or anything of the sort with you?”
Castleton clenched his trembling fists. Those hands shook with embarrassment, anger, humiliation, and resentment.
“I’ll take my leave now. You’re not a stupid man, so I trust you’ve understood everything. We will send further details regarding the return of the Retemper Merchant Guild. And please have the documents prepared for the dissolution of the engagement as soon as possible.”
Without waiting for Castleton’s reply, Tesion turned away.
Hearing the fading footsteps, Castleton glared at the corner of his desk. Once Tesion’s presence had fully vanished from the office, Castleton let out a short, bitter laugh.
“…Ha!”
Cynthia White. That insignificant girl with nothing to her name.
For the Baileys, she had been no more than a disposable pawn — yet Tesion Romanov was protecting her to this extent. It wasn’t just odd; it was laughable.
“Why on earth does the Grand Duke Romanov need Cynthia so badly?”
Castleton muttered.
His business-sharpened mind began spinning rapidly.
He had been suspicious ever since hearing that the coachman who was supposed to kill Cynthia had instead been injured and carried to a hospital. He assumed the fool had chased her into the Crown Prince’s Forest by accident and, unlucky for him, got caught and injured by the notoriously ill-tempered Crown Prince. But was that really the case?
Was it truly coincidence that they lost track of Cynthia, and that she had completely vanished afterward?
“Hm…”
And Cynthia was now in the Romanov Grand Duchy itself?
Did that mean the woman the Baileys had thrown away actually had value? That penniless commoner?
Whatever the reason, it was obvious: Grand Duke Tesion Romanov cherished Cynthia White. Enough to hand over the Retemper Merchant Guild just for her safety.
He looked toward the office entrance Tesion had exited and let out a cruel smile.
“Your Grace… it seems I may have found your weakness.”
Inside the carriage returning to the Grand Duchy, Tesion leaned back, staring out the window.
It was the first time since awakening that he had met Duke Castleton Bailey.
He already knew the man cared only for the Bailey family’s gain… but facing those greed-filled light-green eyes directly made him feel sick.
‘So Miss Cynthia White is being managed at the Romanov Grand Duchy?’
Managed.
A word that did not suit Cynthia. She was not someone to be managed by anyone.
‘…I want to see her.’
They shared the same green eye color, yet how could they give off such different impressions? Of course, Cynthia no longer possessed her green eyes…
Thinking of her waiting for him in the Grand Duchy eased his earlier irritation.
As the carriage approached the familiar path toward the estate, his frown softened, and his mood — crumpled into knots moments before — began to smooth.
If he continued clearing obstacles one by one, then eventually… Cynthia would remain at his side.
“Your Grace!!”
Tesion stepped down from the carriage with a lightened heart — only for Ruth to come running at him.
Seeing Ruth’s frantic expression made Tesion’s face immediately harden.
“What happened?”
“L-Lady Elizabeth…!”
Ruth gasped out between breaths.
“T-That is…! His Highness the Crown Prince briefly visited…! And when he left, he took Lady Elizabeth with him!”
“Speak clearly. Why would Rikaion do that?”
Tesion stepped forward, tension snapping tightly inside him again.
“W-When Your Grace stepped out, His Highness came saying he had something to discuss…!”
“Without notice?”
“Yes…! I asked him to please wait until Your Grace returned, but at that moment, Lady Elizabeth happened to be coming down to the lobby, and His Highness asked her to accompany him to the reception room.”
Rikaion…
Tesion closed his eyes, trying to repress the fury rising within.
“And then?”
“I–I thought they were just having a normal conversation… but suddenly there was a commotion, and the knights His Highness brought with him grabbed Lady Elizabeth from both sides and carried her out!”
“Carried her out?”
“A-As if she were a criminal… they lifted her completely off the ground…”
Before Ruth even finished, Tesion immediately turned. He spoke sharply to the coachman who had just begun unhitching the horses.
“We go to the Imperial Palace. Now.”
“Y-Yes, at once!”
The coachman hurried to re-harness the horses. Tesion was ready to leave immediately — but someone stepped in front of him.
“Move.”
Tesion’s voice was cold, strained by barely controlled anger. But the man did not step aside.
“Did you not hear me?”
“D-Dominic…! Didn’t you hear His Grace? Move aside!”
At the familiar name, Tesion looked up. Dominic, anxious, met his gaze. Despite Ruth’s urging, he remained firmly planted, only his lips quivering.
“If you have something to say, speak now. But if it’s irrelevant, I’ll have you expelled from the estate.”
“…She was not taken to the Imperial Palace.”
The unmoving Dominic finally spoke.
“What?”
“His Highness did not take her to the palace. I… I overheard it.”
If not the palace — then where?
Tesion exhaled sharply.
Rikaion was unpredictable.
Where had he taken Cynthia? For what reason? And what would he do to her there…? Knowing Rikaion’s cruelty and twisted tastes better than anyone, Tesion’s mind filled with horrifying possibilities he didn’t even want to imagine.
His head felt white and numb. This wouldn’t do. He needed to stay calm…
While Tesion was frozen in shock, Dominic cautiously spoke again.
“I left a marker behind.”
“Come, find it.”
Hunting dogs, noses pressed to the ribbon Dominic held, turned their bodies. Once he removed the restraints from their necks, Dominic glanced at Tesion.
“I tied the same ribbon to the tails of the horses that pull His Highness’s carriage. These dogs can follow the scent and track the direction of the carriage.”
Ruth, watching the dogs sniff around the area, spoke anxiously.
“Won’t this take too long? Wouldn’t it be better to go to the palace and ask where His Highness is…?”
“If Rikaion intended to disappear, no one in the palace will know his whereabouts.”
Tesion muttered, eyes following Dominic’s practiced handling of the hounds.
Several of Rikaion’s privately owned villas came to mind — the ones he had used frequently even during his academy years, where he brought women to drink and party through the night.
If he intends to do something filthy… even with Cynthia…
Tension clenched Tesion’s jaw.
