IPBPBD 16

Chapter 16

“Duke. Please disregard Sir Marcus’s words. I will help you.”

“Can you really help? If it were something you could resolve, Viscount, you wouldn’t have come to me in the first place.”

Heinkel was right.

Kirschen glared at him in silence.

Heinkel seemed to understand the situation all too well.

No—he definitely knew.

And yet, he was refusing so coldly? That alone made fury rise inside.

He knew innocent lives were at risk, yet he turned a blind eye as if it didn’t concern him.

Kubard demanded an explanation, asking what all this meant, but Heinkel ignored him in silence.

Kirschen stood up with an icy expression.

“Fine then. Don’t help me. I’ll go alone.”

The reason he had come to Heinkel was simple.

With his help, there would be a greater chance of rescuing Emilina safely than if he went alone.

But since that hope was gone, there was no need to waste more time here.

Clinging any longer would be pointless.

Even if he had to do it alone, he would rescue her. The kidnappers’ true target was himself, after all.

He only hoped that Emilina would remain unharmed in the process.

As Kirschen turned away without hesitation, Heinkel stroked his chin with a look of surprise.

Hooh.

The young duke, whom he had dismissed as insignificant, was showing a surprisingly good expression now.

That raw flash in his eyes was enough to stir Heinkel’s interest.

So, the Baron’s daughter Klein really does matter to him, huh.

Tsk. I could just leave him be… Heinkel clicked his tongue and stood up.

Since the boy duke seemed at least somewhat aware of his own situation, it wasn’t impossible to lend him aid.

Besides, there was that promise he had made.

With long strides, Heinkel caught up to Kirschen.

“Lead the way.”

Then, lowering his gaze, he added,

“Don’t tell me you need me to handle the tracking as well?”

The slanted curl of his lips made it clear he was mocking him.

Kirschen showed his displeasure but quickly ignored him and strode out of the drawing room.

Heinkel only shrugged and followed.

And so, Kubard was left behind, blinking dumbly, unable to grasp what had just happened.

Emilina’s head throbbed as she struggled to open her heavy eyelids.

Her stomach churned; it felt like a bout of severe motion sickness.

Blinking a few times, her blurred vision began to clear.

She realized then that she was lying down.

The first thing she saw was the tilted wooden floor beside her.

Startled, Emilina tried to sit up.

“What…?”

But her body refused to rise as she willed.

A dull, stifling weight held her down, making it difficult to move.

She tried shifting her arms, only to discover her hands were bound behind her back.

At least her legs were left free—that was some small relief.

For lack of anything else to do, Emilina tried to calmly piece together her memories.

If I recall…

She had been on her way to Rodin’s to fetch medicine for Kir’s fever.

Then, someone appeared behind her and covered her nose and mouth.

The cloth reeked of a pungent drug, and she hadn’t been able to resist.

Her vision had gone dark.

And when she came to, she was here.

There was no mistaking it—she had been kidnapped.

A pained groan slipped from her lips.

“Ugh…”

She racked her brain, wondering if she had ever done anything to earn such a grudge.

But no matter how she thought about it, nothing came to mind.

The only faint suspicion was something to do with slave traders in the slums.

Whatever the case, this is definitely bad.

She licked her dry lips and glanced around.

Her throat burned with thirst, but she forced it down.

The room was completely empty, save for a single door.

Dust lay thick everywhere, showing it hadn’t been used in a long time.

That fact at least reassured her—professional slavers wouldn’t use such a shabby place.

No—what am I thinking? Reassured? This is even worse!

Snapping herself out of it, Emilina scolded her own foolish thoughts.

If her hands were free, she would have slapped herself.

Whatever purpose these kidnappers had, it was certainly not good.

Her only choice was to escape.

But one thing bothered her.

Strange. Why only bind my hands?

It seemed sloppy for a kidnapping. Too sloppy. Suspicion prickled in her mind.

Could it be intentional, leaving her legs free?

But she didn’t dwell long on the thought.

Still, sitting here doing nothing would be stupid.

Whatever the case, she had to try something.

With a determined breath, Emilina rose to her feet.

The sudden motion made her vision spin, but she clenched her teeth and endured it for the sake of escape.

What on earth did they use to knock me out…?

She shook her head several times, trying to clear her dizziness.

Then, she carefully approached the door.

Please, let these kidnappers really be careless fools.

That tiny hope, however, was crushed at once.

The door was firmly locked, not even budging.

“Damn.”

She clicked her tongue, then—out of sheer frustration—kicked it.

Thud!

“Mmgh…!”

But all she gained was a throbbing pain in her foot.

She bit down a cry of pain and pitied her poor toes.

This is hopeless.

Glaring at the stubborn door, she let out a shaky breath.

Irritation boiled up.

This sort of thing was supposed to happen to protagonists, not her. Why was she the one suffering through it?

At least those protagonists get some kind of plot armor…

But she? She had none.

She was still lamenting her misfortune when she suddenly sensed movement outside.

Her breath caught. Instinctively, she pressed herself against the door.

“Where’s the girl?”

“She’s inside.”

“He’ll be here soon.”

“I confirmed she left the mansion.”

“Good. It won’t take long now.”

“──Will he really come?”

Thwack!

“Guh!”

“Mind your tongue.”

“…Forgive me, Master.”

The dull thud of a blow followed by a pained groan seeped through the door.

Emilina’s heart hammered in her chest as she eavesdropped.

Did they just mention Kir’s name…?

Had she misheard?

There was no time to dwell on it.

Footsteps drew nearer—toward her room.

Panicked, Emilina darted back to the spot where she had first regained consciousness.

Since she didn’t know their intentions, she decided to feign unconsciousness.

Creeeak.

Just before the door swung fully open, she managed to lie back down.

She closed her eyes, listening intently. Footsteps approached, drawing closer.

Her body stiffened with tension.

Then—the steps stopped.

A snicker.

That mocking laugh made her flinch.

Why was he laughing?

The answer came with his next words.

“Open your eyes. I know you’re awake. If you wanted to act, you shouldn’t have kicked the door.”

Reluctantly, Emilina cracked her eyes open.

A rugged-faced man loomed directly over her.

“Ah—”

He was so close she gasped and instinctively scooted back.

He didn’t move, simply staring down at her with heavy eyes.

Struggling to steady her pounding chest, Emilina forced herself to ask,

“Um… who are you?”

“…”

“Why… why did you bring me here?”

She swallowed nervously after asking.

She tried to sound calm, but it was a lie—terror gnawed at her.

What if this man suddenly hurt her?

But even more than fear, she was desperate to understand the kidnappers’ motive.

What could they possibly gain from abducting her?

Was it money?

But no—that couldn’t be. Her appearance and dress clearly showed she wasn’t from a wealthy family, let alone a noble young lady.

If ransom was their goal, they wouldn’t have chosen her.

As she chased these thoughts, the man finally spoke in a slow, heavy voice.

“You think I’d tell you that?”

“…”

Of course. It would be stranger if he did.

She looked up at his expressionless face.

His eyes brimmed with irritation, as if she were nothing but a nuisance.

Her hands curled into fists.

Still—she was the victim here. Wasn’t she owed at least an explanation?

Her resentment must have shown in her face.

But the man continued, unfazed.

“If you don’t want to suffer, stay quiet. Once this business is over, we’ll let you go.”