~Chapter 96~
They seemed to cooperate with the investigation more easily than expected, but it only led to meaningless exchanges.
For example, when asked what time they had gone to sleep last night, the knights answered, “A knight does not sleep.”
When asked where a knight with an outing record had gone, he replied, “Wherever my body is, my heart is always with His Highness the Crown Prince.”
This kind of pointless back-and-forth continued. After changing questions and wasting time again and again, they finally managed to get proper answers.
Rishar clenched his teeth when he saw the sun setting. He had to endure the urge to strike the pretentious knights, who acted as if they were reciting poetry, with the back of his sword.
Only the last knight’s testimony remained. Rishar tried hard not to show his impatience.
He was twice as anxious because he was worried about the wife he had left alone.
He had spent the whole dawn watching over Ancia, who had been struggling and groaning, then had to leave when he heard the news of the head maid’s death. It was hard to walk away from Ancia after such a difficult night, but this was a matter that couldn’t be delayed.
Only after arranging extra guards and even calling the maids to wait at the door was he able to leave the bedroom.
He wanted to go back to Ancia right away, but to ensure her safety, he first had to keep the mansion secure.
His aide finished gathering everyone’s testimonies and carefully checked if there were contradictions or suspicious parts before handing them over to Rishar.
“An exemplary knight’s record,” he muttered.
The perfectly consistent schedules looked suspicious, as if they had coordinated their answers.
If he dug deeper, something might come out—but the opponents were the Crown Prince and his knights. To press further now would only escalate the situation.
All he could do was decide to strengthen security even more the next time the royal family visited.
“Let’s end this matter here. Leave the records in my office.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Arthur and the aide bowed their heads at Rishar’s regretful conclusion.
It wasn’t all settled yet, but more than anything, Rishar wanted to see Ancia. Just as he was about to head to the bedroom, Commander Polcan of the Royal Guard appeared.
“His Highness the Crown Prince says, if the Duke intends to apologize for this discourtesy, now is the right time.”
It was strange, since they would meet again at dinner anyway. But with nothing found in the investigation, Rishar could not refuse the summons.
“You understand what it means for me to come to you, leaving His Highness’s side.”
“…I understand.”
The Crown Prince was unpleasant from start to finish. Still, Rishar forced himself to take the heavy steps toward an apology.
Unexpectedly, Kyleus did not make things hard for him. Instead, he said that since the investigation was done, there was no reason to stay longer, and he would leave without attending the dinner.
The news that Kyleus would leave early was a great relief. But royal etiquette required that both the Duke and Duchess see him off. When Rishar tried to send a message to call Ancia, Kyleus stopped him, saying there was no need to trouble her for such a sudden departure.
Suspicious.
First, he had ordered preparations for a dinner, then suddenly left. And his attitude—so different from when he had been eager to summon Ancia—was unsettling. Yet at this point, there was no justification to question or detain him.
Rishar mounted his black horse and called Arthur.
“Arthur Mogens, tell my wife that the Crown Prince is leaving. Tell her she doesn’t need to come out.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Arthur had both the authority and ability to act quickly if anything happened. Since Rishar could not be with Ancia right now, Arthur was the most reliable person to trust.
Soon, the Duke’s black horse rode alongside the white horse pulling the Crown Prince’s carriage.
The sight of the white and black horses moving together as if guarding the royal carriage was something none of the estate’s people had ever seen.
Passersby stopped in awe, and tightly shut windows opened to watch.
Admiration spread, mixed with curiosity about the Crown Prince and his ties with the Duke’s House.
At the gate, young royals were waiting. Rishar bowed.
It wasn’t Kyleus who had ordered the knights through the gate as an excuse for attendants. It was these young royals, children of royal blood who had no chance of ever becoming heirs, who had crossed back and forth with knights several times.
The children curled up in the cold, waiting for the Crown Prince. Even Rishar’s deep hatred toward the royal family wavered at the pitiful sight.
For a child whose body had not yet finished growing, using the gate was extremely hard. Kyleus knew this, but still showed no guilt—proving how little value he placed on these children.
“Well then, Duke of Gwinted, I’ll be going. The ending was not so pretty, but thanks to seeing the flower of the East, it was a pleasant visit.”
He was deliberately provoking Rishar by mentioning Ancia, but Rishar bowed his head silently.
“If the Duchess ever visits the palace, I will personally send one of my younger brothers to serve her. Don’t refuse.”
Rishar only looked back quietly. Kyleus tapped a boy’s shoulder.
“Yes? Ah, yes!”
The child’s face, pale from the cold, flushed with joy just from Kyleus’s touch.
“I-I’ll serve faithfully if I’m ordered to.”
His bow toward Rishar looked like that of a servant, not a royal. Trembling voice and nervous eyes—there was nothing about him that looked like a proud prince of royal blood.
So even royals are treated like this if they’re useless?
Rishar frowned, watching Kyleus approach the gate.
Kyleus only moved after the children had crossed the gate with knights and returned safely. He even held the Royal Guard commander’s shoulder before disappearing through the gate himself. His caution showed how many enemies he must have had.
After Kyleus vanished, the children kept crossing back and forth through the gate. Their faces turned pale, some vomited, and others didn’t return at all.
For an adult like Kyleus, such side effects barely mattered, but he showed no care for the pain of his younger siblings.
Rishar’s disgust deepened.
As the last child entered the gate with a knight, the sound of hurried hooves came from behind. Turning, Rishar saw Arthur Mogens’s grim face and felt dread.
The suspicion toward the Crown Prince, who had left earlier than expected, hardened into certainty. Rishar tried to stop the young royal, but the gate had already closed. He ground his teeth.
Arthur quickly dismounted and whispered urgently.
“My lady has been gone for half a day and has not returned. She slipped away from her escort, so her exact location is unknown.”
Without hesitation, Rishar mounted his horse.
“Release the knights, seal the estate, and imprison her escorts.”
Arthur also mounted swiftly, shaken by Rishar’s voice—so filled with fury that it carried no tone at all.
Rishar rode back to the mansion, hoping for any trace of Ancia left in the bedroom.
Maybe it was only a simple outing. Why would she evade her escort? He couldn’t imagine it. He had sent trained knights to guard her; he couldn’t believe she had escaped them.
As he rode, regret filled him.
He shouldn’t have let the Crown Prince act as he pleased. He should have driven him out the very day he arrived.
He shouldn’t have left his wife alone. He shouldn’t have ordered her escorts to keep a distance out of petty jealousy.
Every thought turned into regret.
What if something had happened to his wife? What if she was hurt?
Was she crying somewhere, waiting for him to come help? Fear and rage surged together.
If anyone has put her in danger, I’ll tear them apart until their body can’t even be recognized.
Rishar trembled with the desire to destroy everything, half-mad with tension.
Ancia. My wife. Please, let nothing have happened to you.
He rode through the Duke’s gates and saw a carriage waiting at the entrance. Around it stood her maids. Among them, he spotted shining platinum hair fluttering in the wind.
It was Ancia.
Rishar jumped from his horse.
Brighter and fresher than she had looked that morning, Ancia blinked in surprise at him.
“Duke?”
Her eyes curved softly, and she greeted him with the brightest smile.
“Welcome home, my Duke.”
