Chapter 87
Ahin woke up to rough hands shaking her body.
“…Madam?”
As soon as she opened her eyes, she was startled by the twisted expression of the person before her and quickly sat up.
“Where did the Duchess go?”
“Pardon? Of course she…”
Ahin rubbed her sore neck and blinked several times. Only then did the memories come flooding back.
‘…I’m truly sorry.’
‘I must get off here.’
Her master—Edith—had suddenly knocked her unconscious. Her last memory was of Edith’s pained expression.
“We need to confirm if the handwriting on this note is hers, but at this point, we can’t rule out the possibility of a kidnapping.”
The train had already arrived at Bölln Station, and the escorts who had departed with them from the mansion were now exchanging bewildering words in front of her.
“Do you think it’s possible to be kidnapped on a moving train? Nonsense! We never left our post outside the compartment. How could anyone have gotten in?”
“But she had no reason to disappear otherwise! We entered the compartment the moment the train stopped, and she was already gone. How do you explain that?”
“But she left a note!”
One of the flustered attendants, holding a sheet of paper, raised their voice.
Others nearby murmured that they should report to the master immediately, or that they must search the entire surrounding area.
Ahin began to grasp the situation and was horrified. The Madam hadn’t been kidnapped!
Trembling, she cautiously called out to the arguing attendants.
“Um… actually, the Madam…”
“What is it? What exactly did you do?”
Ahin wrestled with whether or not to tell the truth. After much hesitation, she chose honesty.
Cowering, she continued.
“My memory is a bit hazy… but come to think of it, I don’t remember falling asleep. Then I opened my eyes and saw the Madam with a troubled look on her face. She kept staring blankly out the window…”
Just as Ahin was about to share everything she remembered before losing consciousness—
“The engineer is missing too!”
The thunderous announcement hit them like lightning, and a dreadful realization swept across the faces of the escorts.
When Johannes Schultz heard of Edith’s disappearance from Navy HQ, it was just after the train had arrived at Bölln.
“The Duchess has vanished. The engineer is missing too.”
The report was utterly absurd. He immediately gave orders to deploy all personnel and slammed the receiver down.
Could it be the Dowager Russell…?
Perhaps she had joined hands with the royal family.
Since she had arranged the private train, it was certainly a possibility.
But could someone really vanish from a sealed train?
According to the report, the train had slowed down briefly at one point.
The note left behind, which claimed Ahin was not at fault, also mentioned something about needing to check on something and returning soon.
Combining that with what she’d said to Ahin before knocking her out…
It meant Edith Schultz had disappeared voluntarily.
As Johannes furrowed his brows in frustration, someone knocked on the command office door.
“Mail delivery!”
A maddeningly cheerful voice interrupted his thoughts. Before Johannes could even respond, the door burst open.
A man wearing a mail carrier’s hat strode in, holding a letter in his hand.
“Special delivery. The fee is 500 rubles.”
Placing the letter on the desk, he added cheerfully. Johannes responded with a look of irritation.
“Enough with the games.”
His voice was cold.
“…What games? Pay the 500 rubles, will you?”
“Your gait gives you away, Gilteon.”
Johannes leisurely tapped his fingers on the desk and tilted his head.
“What’s this act supposed to be?”
“Oh, come on. I can’t fool you, Duke. It’s my side gig. Mail delivery.”
Johannes let out a short laugh.
The timing couldn’t have been more suspicious.
He had known the moment Gilteon appeared in his office. That damn bastard was somehow involved in Edith’s disappearance.
But Bölln was far from here. Even if Gilteon had approached Edith and made a move, it should have taken him at least three hours to reach Müssen.
Yet Gilteon always worked like this. Pulling off impossible feats with ease.
Which meant he was definitely involved.
“You did it, didn’t you? No—of course you did. What trick did you pull this time?”
Johannes asked.
“I just carried out a request. That’s all. Take your letter. If you’re not going to pay, I’ll collect downstairs. Want me to sign for you?”
Smirking, Gilteon scribbled Johannes’s signature on the delivery confirmation.
“Go ahead, check it.”
Johannes picked up the letter from the desk. When he saw the sender, his expression darkened even further.
“Max Russell?”
A name long forgotten by the world. But one he knew all too well.
“How do you know Max Russell? No—more importantly, Max Russell is—”
“Alive. Under the name Isaac Prim.”
Johannes frowned deeply.
“I’ve had… a lot of dealings with him. He’s got dirt on me.”
“Do you even realize how insane you sound right now?”
If Gilteon had given Edith a letter from Isaac Prim—or even just mentioned his name—
Then her disappearance made sense.
She always lost all reason when it came to her father. And once she heard he might still be alive, she must have gone into overdrive.
“It may not be insane at all. Just read the letter.”
“…”
“Well, I’ve delivered it, so I’ll take my leave. Bye-bye.”
Without a care in the world, Gilteon adjusted his cap and strolled out of the command office.
Johannes briefly considered capturing and torturing him, but dismissed the thought. Gilteon had surely prepared multiple escape routes as always.
Instead, Johannes turned his attention to the letter.
To Commander Schultz
The familiar salutation on the envelope made him grimace.
[Dear Commander Schultz,
It has been a long time. I’m sure this letter surprises you—perhaps you’re even wondering if I’m really Isaac Prim.
But I believe it’s time for me to step forward, so I’m writing to you.
Do you recall the letter I previously sent? The one where I said I’d tell you the real culprit if you divorced Edith?
Yet you ignored my warning and even built a place called “Prim Wood” at the Evanstein estate.
So I had no choice but to step in. Because you’ve put Edith in danger.
I know why you married my daughter. I also know you’re trying to use her to achieve something through the Dowager Russell.
But let me warn you—
The Dowager will never change. She disowned her only son for marrying a common woman and never once looked for him.
Even though that woman was carrying her granddaughter at the time.
You must think lightly of it because you’ve never seen how cruel she can be.
I don’t want my daughter to be hurt. Or to be pushed into a burden too heavy to bear.
So please, let Edith live a normal life now. I beg you.
– Sincerely, Max Russell.]
Johannes slammed the letter onto the desk.
Isaac Prim—whom he thought dead—was alive. For some unknown reason, he had been hiding.
His insistence on divorce with Edith must be tied to that reason.
Whatever that reason was, it didn’t matter now.
What mattered to Johannes Schultz was one fact alone: Edith had vanished.
And at a time when a murderer roamed freely, she had been shaken by this man’s words and disappeared.
Now was not the time to ponder intentions.
It was time to get Edith back.
Johannes closed his eyes for a moment.
Gilteon—the fixer. For whatever reason, he was helping Isaac Prim, or rather, Max Russell.
And the reason for the letter was now clear.
If Edith were to face danger—or if things went south—he was securing a backup: Commander Schultz.
Johannes clicked his tongue.
No matter how talented Gilteon was, there was no way he could smuggle Edith off a moving train.
And Edith, having lived as an ordinary woman, would never have the courage to leap from a slow-moving train.
Which meant her disappearance made no sense.
Then suddenly, a terrifying thought struck him.
Damn it.
Why he had married Edith didn’t matter anymore. Johannes ran a dry hand over his face.
There was only one place she could have gone.
She was still on the train.
