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Chapter 35
“Fourth Prince Edwin… what on earth did he do that made her jump into the river herself?!”
I wanted to grab Edwin by the collar and demand an explanation immediately. But Edwin didn’t even come out of the guest room Lucas had prepared, and then suddenly fled to the capital, leaving me unable to ask anything.
“Your Highness, we’ve received a report regarding Miss Lucy Diallo.”
An unexpected message reached Lucas, who was anxiously continuing the search.
“A report?”
“Yes, it seems a woman sold Your Highness’s brooch in a nearby village.”
“Trace her immediately! This time, we must not let her escape.”
Lucas hurried toward the village where Lucy had been spotted.
After losing Lucy in the village, Dino felt his own composure slipping little by little.
That day, he had noticed people following them on the streets and struck first. But working alone had its limits, and a few of them had escaped.
He chased the attackers who were running toward Lucy and entered a narrow alley, only to find their corpses. There was no trace of Lucy anywhere.
Now, Dino was torturing the one survivor.
“Please… just kill me!”
The assassin groaned, unable to endure the brutal torture.
“If you tell me who hired you, I’ll kill you. Oh, and you’ll also have to tell me where Lucy was taken.”
Dino curled the corners of his eyes in a sinister expression. The man shivered at the sight, thinking Dino had lost his mind.
“Diallo… it was Baron Diallo who hired us!”
Normally, assassins would die rather than reveal their client’s identity, but in that moment, his only thought was to escape the pain quickly.
“Good. Then who killed your comrades and took Lucy?”
The question came in the same calm voice.
“I-I really don’t know! We were just carrying out our mission!”
“I see. I understand well enough. Then think a little more tonight. Who might have followed you? Where might they have taken her? When you remember, I’ll kill you.”
Dino smiled faintly and gestured to Camel. Behind him, Camel slowly approached the bound assassin with a long whip in hand.
“I need power. Power strong enough that no one can touch me recklessly…”
Ignoring the screams and groans behind him, Dino wiped the blood from his hands with a towel and muttered to himself.
Lucy finally arrived at a small village after passing through several others. She rented a room at an inn and pondered her next move.
“Good, this empire is wider than I thought. That means there are more places to hide.”
She studied the map for a long time and planned to head to a slightly larger village next.
Lost in thought, she must have dozed off. She suddenly opened her eyes when she heard multiple footsteps in the corridor.
‘So many people moving at this hour… this is dangerous!’
Jumping out of bed, Lucy hastily put on her robe, pulled her hood over her head, and drew the dagger hidden in the bandages wrapped around her arm.
Knock. Knock.
As expected, someone was knocking at the door.
Lucy gripped her dagger tighter instead of answering.
“Is someone inside? We need to check something urgently. Please open the door for a moment.”
‘They must be looking for me! I jumped from the carriage with all my resolve. I can’t get caught now!’
Lucy ran to the window. She was on the second floor.
‘If I’m careful, maybe I can jump…’
She opened the window bravely, but hesitation struck. Even though it was only the second floor, looking down made her dizzy.
‘What on earth was I thinking when I jumped from the bridge before?’
While biting her lip in indecision, the knocking continued.
“If you do not answer, we will force the door open.”
Lucy braced a chair against the door and placed her foot on the window ledge.
With one hand occupied, she worried whether she could even balance herself. Falling would not kill her, but she’d be badly hurt.
As she hesitated, the sound of the key turning in the lock came, and the door opened.
‘Is it all over like this…?’
Lucy shut her eyes tightly.
At that moment, someone rushed in, shouting.
“P-please calm down, Miss! Stay still, it’s dangerous!”
A man grabbed her and pulled her back from the window.
“Ugh!”
Her injured arm hurt, and Lucy grimaced.
“Are you alright?”
She looked up at the man while clutching her arm. The man, dressed in knight’s armor, wore a serious expression.
“I am a knight of the Cretaine Duchy. I am not here to harm you, so please be at ease.”
Lucy widened her eyes, confused.
“Are you Miss Lucy Diallo? I have been ordered to protect you, so there’s no need to be so wary.”
For a moment, she wondered whether she should deny being Lucy. She doubted that the man before her was truly a knight sent by Lucas.
‘Why would Lucas suddenly order someone to protect me? But would he believe me if I said I’m not Lucy? Especially since I almost jumped out the window.’
“Your Highness the Duke will arrive here soon. We are merely following orders to protect you, so please cooperate for a moment.”
The knight bowed slightly and went outside.
From what she glimpsed, it seemed they were guarding not just the door and window but the entire inn, anticipating that she might try to escape again.
Some time later.
“Miss Diallo, may we come in?”
The familiar voice accompanied the slow opening of the door.
Lucy jumped to her feet in surprise.
“Y-Your Highness?”
The knight had been correct. The person entering was none other than Lucas Cretaine himself.
“Miss Diallo! I’m so relieved you are safe.”
He seemed to have rushed, as his breathing was rough, and his expression was a mix of surprise and joy.
“How did you… no, why did Your Highness come to me…?”
Lucy’s mind flickered to the brooch he had given her.
“I… I’m sorry for selling that brooch. It was a bit of a difficult situation, and I had no choice…”
“I already understand. Selling that brooch was truly the right thing to do.”
Startled by his unexpected reaction, Lucy narrowed her eyes.
“But what do you mean by ‘you understand’?”
She had many complicated circumstances, but it felt unsettling that he claimed to understand them after coming all this way.
“Sorry if it offends you. A few days ago, actually, Fourth Prince asked me for help in finding you.”
At the mention of the Fourth Prince, Lucy became cautious of Lucas.
“N-no, there’s no need to be wary! The Fourth Prince has already returned to the capital. I just thought you seemed to be in a difficult situation and wanted to help.”
Pure kindness. Once again, Lucas’s clear, bluish-gray eyes shone with concern for her.
‘Pure kindness? Does such a thing even exist? Maybe he’s just going to reassure me and then take me to Edwin.’
Lucy was tired of getting entangled with people who knew her.
“Thank you, but I don’t need help. I’d appreciate it if you could leave now.”
“Lucy… I wish to repay the favor I owe you from before. So please allow me to take you to my house right now!”
Seeing her firm refusal, Lucas looked flustered and awkward.
“Anyone in that situation would have acted the same as I did. I sold the precious brooch I received from Your Highness for a good price. If you truly wish to help me, don’t look for me again, and don’t report my actions to the Fourth Prince.”
Lucas, trying to read her true intentions by her tone and expression, sighed. He soon smiled gently at her.
“I see. I overstepped. Please forgive my rudeness. The Fourth Prince thought you had been swept away by the river. All the notices for finding you have been retrieved, so rest assured.”
“Notices…?”
Lucy had never heard of such a thing before.
