TGDLBF 28

Chapter 28

The Children Have Been Kidnapped (2)

Rikael’s father, as he knew him, was always confined to his bedroom.

Aside from visiting the family grave once a year on the anniversary of his wife’s death, he never engaged in any outside activity. That was why it was shocking to see him move so quickly now.

What had moved his father’s heart like this?

The change felt unfamiliar and strange to Rikael.

Truthfully, he had already given up on his father. That was also why he had wanted to leave for the North as soon as possible.

He had thought that once he went to the North, received the heir’s education, and succeeded his grandfather, his life would be settled.

But now, this unexpected chaos had thrown him off balance.

And yet, it was also true that the change was welcome. His father had never been particularly affectionate, but he had been strong—a solid pillar of support.

Seeing a glimpse of that old father again made Rikael’s heart strangely warm.

***

Why didn’t they understand the old saying: you don’t provoke a sleeping lion?

I glared at the man called “boss” with a look of pity.

He looked me up and down, then lowered his voice threateningly.

“Little girl, we’re the type who live only for today. We’re not afraid of dying.”

“Liar. You guys are kidnapping us ‘cause you wanna live well tomorrow too.”

But that’ll be the death of you. You’ve seriously messed with the wrong people.

How could I explain it so these morons would understand?

Dealing with ignorant thugs who are greedy, want to live long lives, but don’t understand the consequences of their actions was exhausting.

“Hey? Boss, doesn’t she kinda have a point?”

“Right. This little brat’s pretty sharp.”

The boss, who had been folding and unfolding his arms, looked down at me with amusement.

I met his greedy, cunning gaze without flinching. I had to try convincing this idiot as simply as possible.

“You with the big nose—you’re the leader, right? And you’re seriously dumb for a leader. Because of you, your lackeys are all gonna die. Just let us go, and we’ll pretend this never happened. We’ll even tell the Duke we don’t know who you are.”

I really hoped they’d get the message at this point.

Honestly, if we actually got kidnapped, Jake and I might not survive. Kidnappers almost never let children live.

But then again, these guys weren’t going to survive either. The House of Arcades would never let them off the hook.

“If my father finds out, even just this will be enough to end you. So stop now while you can.”

Jake, who had been silent, spoke with a regal tone.

“We can’t let you go that easily. We’ve got a grudge…”

The boss’s once-playful voice turned chilling. A grudge? Had he had some previous conflict with the Duke?

“What do you mean?”

“Five years ago. I had a debt. That time, the Duke sent knights to wipe us out. My little brother died, and our gang was scattered. All that’s left is this pathetic bunch you see now. So the Duke should suffer too. He should know what it’s like to lose someone important.”

Darkness settled in completely. My heart sank.

Out of all the people we could’ve run into—it had to be someone with a personal vendetta?

This was a very bad sign.

I should’ve known—things had been too peaceful lately…

Trying to stay calm, I spoke carefully.

“If you’ve been through that, then you should know how powerful he is. You survived, so you should’ve just counted your blessings and lived quietly. If you push your luck this time, you’ll really die. That’s a promise. A death sentence.”

“Why does this brat talk so well? But hey, boss. Did the Duke have a daughter?”

The henchman tilted his head, confused.

“Right? I didn’t know he had such a clever daughter.”

“She’s not his daughter! She is this young lord’s fiancée!”

“Fiancée?”

The boss made a strange face, then leered at me and said with a nasty grin:

“Listen carefully, little girl. This time, we’re not gonna lose. We’ve got the Duke’s son as a hostage. There aren’t that many places to hide in this Empire, but we could go to the Crossen Empire. We’ll pull off one big job and live it up over there.”

And with that, the thugs officially chose the path of kidnappers.

They knocked us out so quickly, we didn’t even know where they were taking us.

When I woke up, all I could see was darkness. The only light came from a sliver of moonlight.

It was slipping through the cracks in the wooden walls of a shabby warehouse. Without that light, I wouldn’t even have realized Jake was beside me.

I fumbled around in the dim light, trying to find Jake’s bag, but it was gone. They must’ve taken it to use as leverage.

“Jake, Jake. Wake up.”

“Mm…”

I could see Jake slowly stir from his curled-up position. He looked around hazily.

“Where are we?”

“I don’t know.”

He let out a deep sigh. I, too, felt frustrated by this helpless situation.

Were we really supposed to just sit here and wait?

They’d probably demand ransom in exchange for us. The Duke would have no choice but to negotiate.

Maybe the Grand Duke would’ve refused, but not Duke Kaizen. He wasn’t that heartless. Well, maybe only when it came to his late wife.

Still, I didn’t think he’d abandon his children.

Just as I was thinking that, I heard an absurd question.

“Are we going to die here?”

This guy was weaker than I thought. Jake was clearly terrified now. Well, of course—he was only seven years old.

“Don’t say dumb stuff. Who said we’re gonna die?”

Right as I finished, I saw his head droop. A sigh followed.

‘Oh no. Is he about to cry?’

‘Hey, now’s the time to find a way out, not fall apart.’

“If I’d said we were just friends instead, maybe they would’ve let you go…”

So he thought I could’ve escaped alone?

He couldn’t even manage his own fear, but he still worried about someone else. That was admirable.

“You call that a solution? That’s not loyalty. If we live, we live together. If we die, we die together.”

Of course, dying together was not an option. I didn’t get reincarnated just to die pointlessly.

If I stayed calm and thought it through, there had to be a way to survive.

The Duke was surely searching for us too. There was no reason to give in to despair.

“It’s cold.”

Jake scooted over next to me. I hadn’t noticed until now, but the night air was chilly.

I felt around for something to cover us and grabbed a burlap sack. The chill wasn’t enough to freeze us, but it was still important to stay warm.

I pulled it over both of us.

It was a night that made me realize just how luxurious the Duke’s white, fluffy blankets had been.

***

It had been a long time since anyone had felt the Duke’s deadly aura from his days on the battlefield.

It wasn’t quite the same as back then, but Klein could still sense the rage and worry radiating from him.

The anxiety and hope Warren had felt were no different for Klein.

The sound of galloping hooves echoed through Brinton Street as the Duke and his knights swept through the area. His treasured eagle, Rael, perched on his shoulder as he rode his horse.

People bowed from afar or avoided him altogether, intimidated by his presence.

When the children weren’t found in the central district, the Duke sent knights out in all directions. He ordered them to expand the search area beyond the immediate surroundings.

The Duke headed for the central plaza to the east. Around that time, he learned the children had visited a bakery near Torre Bridge.

He immediately spurred his horse toward the bridge, arriving only after night had fully fallen.

The bakery owner, practically groveling before the Duke, confirmed the children had bought bread there.

They searched the Torre Bridge area thoroughly but found no trace of the children.

Though the night had deepened, no one dared suggest returning.

Cherto, Artur, Dalton—who had lost track of the children at the toy store—and Hansen all poured their energy into the search, fighting off growing anxiety.

Eventually, dawn broke. Morning arrived—but still, no success.

Just as Kaizen was about to lead his knights beyond the bridge again, the sound of hooves came from behind.

Cherto rode up at full speed. Then he jumped off his horse and knelt before the Duke.

“Your Grace! We’ve found the ones who are holding the young lady and the young master hostages!”