Chapter 48
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”
The kidnapper’s loud voice echoed through the room.
Crap. We’d been spotted too quickly.
I kicked my feet desperately, trying to get outside as fast as I could.
But—
“Those brats! Where do you think you’re running off to?!”
My right foot was suddenly grabbed by a strong, unyielding force.
“Ugh!”
Pain shot up from my ankle all the way through my leg.
Terrified that they might grab my other foot too, I struggled violently, swinging my legs. Then I slammed my foot down on the hand holding my ankle with all my strength.
“Ah! Ow! What the—!”
Every time my foot hit him, the man let out a high-pitched, somewhat comical scream and flinched. That caused his grip on my foot to loosen bit by bit.
Noticing this, I pushed his hand away with all my strength, like a horse delivering a strong kick with its hind legs.
My shoe flew off from the impact, but I managed to escape outside safely.
“Big sis…”
“Riche, run!”
I immediately grabbed Riche’s hand and started sprinting.
The kidnapper who had come into the room earlier was alone. We had to escape before he could return with his partners.
We ran with all our strength.
But my young body wasn’t strong enough to run fast for long.
My breath quickly caught in my throat, and my bare feet—without shoes—felt as if they were burning.
Still, we didn’t stop.
We ran with everything we had to put as much distance between ourselves and them as possible.
The only small relief was that we were running into a forest.
With so many trees around, it wouldn’t be easy for them to find us.
As we ran, trying to hide wherever we could, Riche suddenly grabbed my arm from behind.
“Ah, big sis…! Huff… I’m so tired…”
“Just a little more, okay? Let’s keep going.”
“No…! Huff… breath… breath…!”
“Hmm?”
Eventually, Riche collapsed, panting heavily.
My heart raced as I tried to lift her, only to notice a nasty scab and blood on her knee.
Of course—Riche had fallen on the street earlier, scraping her knee.
I swallowed hard, realizing just how tough this was for her. Running on a rough mountain trail was already difficult, and she hadn’t even complained about her knee.
A mix of pity and admiration stabbed at my chest.
“Alright, Riche. Let’s just move to that big rock over there. What do you think? Staying here is too dangerous.”
I pointed to a large rock not far away.
It was about the size of a crouched adult male—perfect for the two of us to hide behind.
“Okay…”
“Good, I’ll help you.”
Riche nodded obediently.
I immediately put one of her arms around my shoulder to support her.
Since she was smaller than me, I had to bend my waist quite a bit, but it wasn’t uncomfortable at all.
Slowly, we made our way behind the rock and hid.
At least now I could breathe properly and rest my body a little.
“Riche, we’ll rest here just a little, then run again, okay?”
“Okay, big sis… I’m sorry.”
“No, you don’t have to apologize…”
Even while gasping for breath, Riche apologized to me. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.
I massaged her short legs repeatedly with my hands, whispering that it was okay.
It was a temporary solution, but now that we were hidden, it would be hard for them to find us.
Then, from a distance, the sound of multiple footsteps and voices reached our ears.
“Hey! Where are they? Are you sure they went this way?”
“I saw them enter this forest for sure!”
“Search over there. We’ll cover this area.”
“Yes!”
The voices were loud and serious. I peeked from behind the rock to see what was happening—and my eyes widened in shock.
What the… Why are there so many of them?!
Clatter!
The teacup slipped helplessly from Adeline’s hand and hit the floor.
Shards scattered everywhere, creating an instant hazard.
“Ma’am! Are you okay?”
“Mm… Sera… Ah, sorry. I dropped the cup…”
“No, ma’am. Don’t step here.”
Following her personal maid Sera’s advice, Adeline moved her feet away from the broken shards.
She exhaled, watching the scattered pieces.
Why do I feel so uneasy?
It wasn’t just shock—the rapid pounding of her heart made her press a hand to her chest, yet her gaze remained on the bright outdoors.
It was a perfectly clear, sunny day, yet her mind grew more restless.
Her fingertips trembled slightly. Not just her hands—her entire body shivered as if in a cold sweat.
As the pressure of her heart threatening to burst out of her chest weighed down on her, the door suddenly burst open.
“Ma’am! The young lady…! The young lady…!”
And Adeline’s uneasy premonition proved correct.
Hearing the words of the maid rushing in, Adeline’s face instantly went pale, her lips losing all color.
Meanwhile, Herald was busy working, the sun at his back.
Strangely, he felt unsettled today.
Then, from outside, harsh footsteps entered the room, scraping against his nerves.
Herald noticed it immediately, and a tiny crease formed between his brows.
“Duke!”
Without knocking, the office door burst open. Herald, who was immersed in reviewing documents, looked up, frowning deeply.
The person who ran in without permission was Silvestan.
His panting breaths, disheveled hair, and untidy clothes all proved his urgency.
“D-Duke!”
Silvestan’s voice trembled with anxiety.
Herald glared at him, speaking in a cold tone.
“I hope that whatever you’re about to report is truly urgent enough to justify losing your nerve.”
“The young lady has gone missing!”
Bang!
Herald jumped to his feet as the chair he had been sitting in toppled backward loudly.
“What?”
Herald repeated, doubting his ears.
But Silvestan’s grim expression and suffocating silence proved his words were true.
Thud.
The pile of papers Herald had been reading fell to the floor.
A trembling breath escaped outward.
The fierce emotion welling deep in his chest stretched his body like a taut bow.
It had been a long time since he had felt such intense emotion—since Adeline had left.
Struggling to calm his racing heart, Herald spoke in a low voice.
“And the maid who went with her?”
“She returned half-conscious, then went back out to search for the young lady. A few knights accompanied her…”
“Immediately organize an elite search party. Search all of Erayton—or rather, Calderon—until you find any trace of her.”
His voice was low and icy, yet the anger within it made the room itself feel heavy.
“Yes, sir.”
“And Adeline?”
“The head maid went straight to inform the duchess.”
“…”
As Silvestan spoke cautiously, Herald’s eyes flashed like lightning.
“Move without wasting a single second. Go.”
“Yes, sir.”
Silvestan quickly left the room, and Herald grabbed his coat from the rack.
Then, at that moment—
“Herald!”
Adeline burst in through the slightly open door, screaming.
Her translucent skin was even paler, and her eyes, full of fear, had tears hanging precariously.
“Adeline…”
Seeing her like that, Herald felt his heart collapse.
