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Chapter 71
“Damn it!”
“We should have moved faster. Who could have guessed they’d dare pull such a reckless stunt?”
The ragged breaths of two men echoed through the wide, empty chamber.
It was Hian and His.
“Because she didn’t give the answer they wanted, they kidnapped her? That girl already carries so many scars and pain, and now they’ve thrown her into yet another dreadful—no, possibly even worse—situation?”
“We were trying to find a way to help Inerua.”
“Being short on time is nothing but an excuse. We said we’d help her, and yet… ha.”
His yanked off his cravat with rough movements.
“An abduction in the very heart of the imperial palace—does that make sense?”
“It does, if it’s done by the Second Prince, a member of the imperial family.”
Knowing how often Inerua had already been attacked, they couldn’t say this situation was all that surprising.
In Mertiel Duchy’s main square, it was practically routine to see the severed heads of assassins displayed every other day.
If that were all, it would be tolerable.
But ever since her enthronement, the number of people dissatisfied with Inerua had overflowed. The twins, who could claim to have seen the naked face of every noble in the empire, knew this all too well.
“Why is everyone so desperate to devour her?”
Inerua was already burdened with more than enough on her shoulders.
Even as she struggled just to endure, those around her kept piling more weight upon her.
“Right now, finding Inerua comes first. What about contacting home?”
At Hian’s question, His pointed at the table.
“Elder Sister says she’ll help.”
“Of course—no one knows the Rümon Empire better than she does.”
Before withdrawing into seclusion due to a tragic accident, Selena had dominated not only the social circles but even foreign courts.
“The problem is that the Second Prince has no intention of admitting guilt. Forcing a confession and retrieving Inerua won’t be easy, will it?”
Though neither showed it outwardly, both were tense and anxious.
If the Second Prince was determined to keep her hidden, they might never find her.
And if his twisted mind decided to take her life…
There was no way Inerua could come out unharmed when surrounded by kidnappers who had acted with such intent.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” Hian’s sharp voice cut out.
“This is Kischel Bessen. May I have a moment of your time?”
Hian strode over and opened the door.
Standing there was a handsome man with a neat appearance, one they had already met several times.
But the soft air that once surrounded him was gone—now he radiated only a sharp chill.
“Inerua—what’s her condition right now?”
The door slammed shut behind them.
Kischel pulled a prepared letter from his breast.
Written in the language of the Rümon Empire, the words were scrawled deliberately with his left hand so the handwriting could not be identified.
Hian and His scanned the characters one by one.
“…Ha?”
His let out an incredulous sound.
“What the hell is this supposed to mean?”
“It says exactly what you see.”
The contents were simple.
“They want money in exchange for the Duchess’s return.”
“…”
“The Second Prince no longer provides them with support, so now they’re demanding enough money to survive on their own. For Mertiel, that’s hardly difficult.”
At that, the twins’ green eyes rolled like serpents, locking onto him.
“Fine. Tell them we’ll give whatever amount they want—just return her now.”
“They insist they’ll only release her once they’ve secured new identities.”
“Why hold on to her until then! Ha! Never mind, asking you won’t change it.”
His fumed, unable to control his rage, while Hian calmly continued reading.
Kischel went on with the explanation he had prepared.
“They want time to prepare safe new identities, so they can live despite having kidnapped the Duchess. They ask for two months.”
“Yes, it’s written here.”
That was the part His, impatient as always, hadn’t read yet.
Kischel carefully observed them.
Inerua wasn’t the only one who had grown sharper in the Mertiel household.
Kischel, raised and hardened within it, had mastered the art of reading people as well.
And from the twins, he could clearly see it—
“You want us to just sit and do nothing for two months because of money?”
—that they truly, deeply worried for Inerua.
If it benefited her, then Kischel had no reason to delay further.
“We’ll track them. Quietly, from the shadows.”
“…”
“Leave that part to Mertiel. We’ll do everything to find our master…”
Kischel trailed off, glancing between the two.
Sensing his intent, Hian asked quickly:
“You make it sound like there’s something you need us to do.”
Kischel nodded.
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“The Duchess said so herself—if something ever happened, the two of you are the ones she trusts most.”
Their eyes trembled ever so slightly.
“If word leaks out that she’s in danger while she’s away, then those who covet her position will surely swarm.”
A hundred days.
He had only said “two months” because it seemed unwise to reveal from the start that nearly four months would be needed.
But judging from their reactions, even if he had said “a hundred days,” they would have accepted.
Now Kischel’s task was to conceal the truth of this staged incident and ensure it was never exposed.
“The Duchess struggled so hard to secure her seat.”
Kischel paused, then added:
“If, when she returns, that very seat is gone—it would be disastrous.”
To prevent that, the aid of those with strong power was essential.
He needed to keep the truth hidden and let the twins act for the sake of the “kidnapped” Inerua.
“May I entrust this to you?”
That was Kischel’s role.
Hian Jeifino and His Jeifino nodded without hesitation.
✦ ✦ ✦
The Rümon Empire’s Second Prince, Redro, had fallen.
The emperor, who had once favored him and granted him power, turned his back after this incident. With the First Prince leading the charge, Redro was branded the kidnapper of the Duchess.
“My beloved has yet to return, but I’d rather not escalate matters further. Let’s say the Duchess is unwell and resting, while the Second Prince remains under house arrest. Wouldn’t that suffice?”
Even the Ashid family lent its weight.
“We can deal with accountability for the Duchess’s kidnapping after His Majesty’s coronation festivities.”
Extracting concessions from the Rümon emperor was only a side benefit.
From that day on, the Second Prince was confined, and news spread that Duchess Inerua, weakened by the sea voyage, was resting in the ducal residence.
Thus, the matter was…
Settled.
At least, on the surface.
Time, as always, passed evenly, impartially.
But how it was felt—Kischel believed—that varied greatly between people.
A hundred days was enough time for the seasons to change, for gossipers to lose interest, and for those who had gone quiet to bare their fangs once more, eager to seize Inerua’s place.
Yet Kischel endured.
It was the longest hundred days of his life.
“Send this to the Jeifino Dukedom, and ask Lady Illia to come to the duchy tomorrow.”
At last, the day before the hundredth day arrived.
It was also the brightest Kischel’s expression had been in a long while.
“Clear my schedule as much as possible tomorrow. I have personal business.”
Outwardly, the merchants of Asra still pretended to be the kidnappers, demanding ransom, deceiving both the Rümon royals and the Jeifino twins.
Thanks to their help, Inerua’s position had been preserved until now.
Though recently, rumors had begun to spread—asking if the Duchess of Mertiel was even truly inside her chambers.
But those whispers, too, would end tomorrow.
Loosening his buttons, Kischel smiled with genuine relief.
If not for what came next, he would have spent the evening happily tidying Inerua’s room, eagerly awaiting the long-anticipated tomorrow.
“Advisor, a letter has arrived from His Highness the Crown Prince.”
It was the ninety-ninth day since Inerua had “disappeared.”
The Crown Prince, who had contacted them only once around the fortieth day and then lost interest, now sent word requesting a meeting.
Kischel’s face twisted.
