~Chapter 66~
The Marquis and Marchioness had always been looking for a chance to take Lily.
But until now, Blake had followed her like a shadow, leaving no opportunity.
At the last party, she had been separated briefly, but her lady-in-waiting stayed close, and there were plenty of people around.
Now, there was no one to help.
“I should have expected my parents to do this!”
If Blake was her guardian, her parents had authority. Their parental rights came first. If they took Lily, Blake could not get her back.
Lily sighed as the servant roughly dragged her away.
She tried to resist, but all the expensive grass in the restaurant slipped under her feet uselessly.
But how could Lily have known? Her parents would attempt a kidnapping in the capital.
Blake didn’t know either.
He had not expected them to act so boldly. He had given the Hedwig couple enough power to be thrown out into the streets without a penny.
But if Blake did that, society would notice. The upper class would call him low and criticize him.
If nobles united, even the emperor could do nothing. There had been countless revolts over centuries that shook the throne.
Still, the mere possibility that the Duke could crush them should have made the Hedwigs cautious.
Of course, they were not.
Lily warned them:
“What will you do by taking me? Do you think he’ll just stand by? Even if it takes a long time, I can find Blake before that. You can’t watch me every single moment!”
“At least we won’t be embarrassed anymore. And you’ll stay at the mansion of your own accord.”
“Me? Never!”
The Marquis stepped forward.
“Enough. First, let’s return and discuss the rest.”
Soon, they disappeared from the restaurant grounds.
Blake sat alone.
The private room was only for them, so no one else was there.
He had ordered almost all the food on the menu, so most dishes remained untouched.
Lily took longer to return than he had expected.
He even counted every pea served with the steak.
22 peas.
He also counted the shark eggs on the salad—this time there were more.
1,011 eggs.
Even with his superior vision and reflexes, it had taken a while.
Then, his loyal staff ran to him.
“Did you argue with the lady?”
“No, of course not.”
“But she just left.”
Blake jumped up from his seat.
Could it really have happened?
Had she realized during the meal that she did not like him? Even so, leaving first was extreme.
“I saw her get into a carriage with people who appear to be her parents.”
Then Blake understood immediately.
The Hedwigs had done it.
Was this why they had been reclusive? Did they have a hidden plan?
“Filthy bastards. Do they really think this will help?”
He shouted without thinking, his anger completely different from the nervous man at dinner.
The staff, who had always relied on Blake, was suddenly terrified.
“M-me? I… I’m sorry… I don’t know what I did, but I am truly sorry…”
“Not you. Take this money, pay for the meal, and keep the rest.”
The staff realized from the thick bundle of bills that Blake had kept his promise.
He watched Blake move quickly, tears in his eyes.
“Be careful! Come again! May luck always be with you! Everything will be fine! A new lady will appear soon! Someone perfect for the guest! Keep going!”
Luckily, Blake was too focused to hear the words.
He returned to the mansion prepared in the capital and informed the few servants who had accompanied him, especially his assistant Dexter:
“Lily has been kidnapped. By her parents.”
“Should we contact the guards?”
“Since it was the Hedwigs, it’s a family matter. They won’t act. She won’t be able to meet us for now. First, find out what business the Hedwig family is running, and we’ll offer a better contract. That alone will pressure them.”
“And if they took her knowing the consequences?”
They must have expected Blake to respond strongly.
Blake could not understand it.
How could they believe they could get away with this?
They could not keep Lily forever. She was an adult, and if they did not allow her to leave, it could count as unlawful confinement.
“It would have been better if they had left her alone, the Hedwigs.”
If they had, everything would have ended well.
Blake would have done nothing, and the Hedwigs would continue living with all they had.
Even if they lost control over Lily, and even if she reunited with Blake, leaving a mark on their honor, they would have had to accept it.
That would have been a happy ending for everyone.
“I was stupid to think there was an unspoken agreement.”
The reason they hadn’t appeared while Blake and Lily were at social events: he thought they would continue to stay away.
But they declared war.
Blake told Dexter:
“Proceed as planned, and we need someone who can secretly enter the Hedwig mansion. Tell Lily not to worry and to wait.”
Fortunately, one of the knights with them was a master of stealth.
Winter Castle knights often played games when idle.
One was an expert at hide-and-seek, even in wide, snowy fields.
“I’ll go carefully. Checking patrol patterns will take about two days.”
“Good…”
Blake slammed the table, sharpening his resolve for revenge.
He hadn’t expected this during dinner.
Everything had been going so well… until now.
He intended to return this feeling to them.
Lily had spent most of her life in the Hedwig mansion.
Before marriage, she was always there, so even after years away, the layout was familiar.
Her room was exactly as she had left it.
The Hedwigs had kept her possessions few, so there was little to tidy.
Familiar.
From the moment she entered, she was trapped in her room.
The Hedwigs pretended to say something but only told her to “stay inside.”
She sat in her familiar chair, staring at familiar surroundings.
At Winter Castle, she would see vast white plains and icy mountains beyond.
Here, she only saw narrow roads, gray people, and a gloomy cityscape.
“Was I a fool?”
It made no sense to think misfortune had ended and happiness awaited her.
She herself was misfortune.
Her hope had been punished.
“Blake, you did your best.”
She silently praised him. Despite her anger and denial, he had remained reliable.
But this was the limit.
She wanted it to stop.
Ordinary people deserve to laugh when happy. I do not.
A maid came in and placed stew on her table carelessly, then left.
The stew followed a noble recipe and would have been tasty.
But there was no love in it. At Winter Castle, even simple stew had been full of love in every chopped vegetable.
Days passed like this.
Today, she had to stay in her room. She skipped dinner.
At dawn, sitting in front of her food, she sat in a daze for hours.
Then someone threw gravel at the window.
