NRAL 66

Count Byron couldn’t possibly overlook that look in his eyes. Though he pretended not to notice for now, feigning indifference, he was already looking forward to reporting everything to the Emperor as soon as the gathering dispersed.

‘Thanks to Theodora, everything is already in place.’

Even if Kenneth Clifford spoke with confidence in front of others, a noble’s words only held weight when their house was spotless, both inside and out.

And the easiest way to tarnish Kenneth Clifford’s credibility… was through the “One-Day Crown Princess.”

As always.

***

About two weeks had passed since Kenneth left by train.

Roger had done exactly as Ariana had asked and assigned a guard to keep watch over Theodora. The reports he sent back were far more thorough and detailed than she had expected. Ariana could only assume that her plan to befriend Theodora Byron had failed.

“I’ve stationed men at the villa where Lady Byron is staying, but so far, all she’s done is maintain her occasional visits to the southern families she already knows.”

“Hm…”

Ariana frowned. Was this just her own uneasiness? Was she probing something that didn’t need probing?

‘Honestly, I’d be better off worrying about whether I’m pregnant.’

She reminded herself, biting her lower lip. If Ariana really wanted to leave Kenneth, now was the perfect time. He was away, the railway station leading straight to the port was nearby, and the temporary identity documents were ready.

He was away, the railway station was nearby, and the documents were ready. She’d even had Damian open a bank account for her in Duvris – everything was in place.

Just one more week, and she would know for sure. Her cycle was usually very regular, so if she missed her period and experienced any early symptoms this time, she would know for certain. Until then, she prayed that Kenneth would stay in the capital.

‘I’ve already told Edith Clarke everything she needs to know.’

Ariana had confided in Edith about the horrors of her miserable engagement. There were moments when she’d almost reached for a sedative, but she’d held on. Now, with nothing left to confess, she arranged what would be their final meeting.

“You’ve worked so hard, Miss Clarke.”

“Not at all, madam. I should be thanking you for giving me this opportunity.”

Edith shook her head quickly. Her role as a fashion plate was about to come to an end, and she should have been packing her bags for the capital by now. But something was still gnawing at her.

“Madam, do you remember when I said I’d find out a bit more?”

“Of course. I remember.”

Ariana recalled telling me that palace gossip alone wouldn’t make for a captivating article. So she went hunting for something with more substance.

“There are other branches of the Protector Company in the region, I asked around in case anything useful turned up…”

“And?”

“It isn’t directly tied to His Highness, but there’s a strange rumour going around: They say that women who come to this area disappear.”

“What?”

Ariana tilted her head, clearly caught off guard.

Even before Kenneth left, she had occasionally attended social gatherings, but she had never heard such rumours before.

‘Did anything like this happen in my previous life?’

Even if she had been distracted by her pregnancy at the time, an incident involving the disappearance of several people would still be hard to forget.

“The missing women were mostly maids, madam. They were outsiders who came here after seeing job advertisements in the area.”

“Ah…”

That alone was enough for Ariana to guess why the matter hadn’t received much attention.

Runaway maids were nothing new. Some couldn’t handle the workload and simply left without notice. Others vanished after stealing silverware or after falling in love and slipping away in the night.

“In any case, the authorities don’t pay much attention when a maid goes missing. They just assume she’ll turn up eventually.”

“But Miss Clarke, you don’t think that’s the case here, do you?”

“No, madam.”

“Then may I ask why you’re telling me this?”

She had originally said she would look into information relating to royal family scandals, but this seemed far removed from that. There must be a reason why she was bringing it up.

Edith bit her lip and met Ariana’s gaze.

“When I heard the descriptions, I couldn’t help thinking that the missing maids sounded a lot like you, madam.”

“…”

Ariana opened and closed her mouth, but no sound came out.

Blonde hair wasn’t exactly rare in Cremisa. Neither were blue eyes.

And yet, something in Edith’s words sent a cold shiver crawling down Ariana’s spine.

“You wouldn’t want holes in those pretty eyes, would you?”

Why was that old jeer suddenly ringing so clearly in her ears?

As the color drained from Ariana’s face, Edith cut herself off mid-sentence.

“Madam? Are you all right?”

“…Do we know who hired those maids?”

“I couldn’t find anything definitive, Madam.”

Edith admitted this, sounding slightly apologetic as she handed over her notebook.

Inside were notes summarising the job postings that the missing maids had responded to, scribbled down in haste.

“There were several different names listed as the recruiters, but as you know, I…”

“In other words, you couldn’t investigate further.”

Edith Clarke was hiding her true identity as a Protector journalist — to everyone else, she was just a fashion illustrator. Unlike a city guard or investigator, she didn’t have the authority to poke around.

‘Even if a noble family applied pressure, it might not be enough. Perhaps only the House of Clifford could stir up the local authorities.’

After parting with Edith, Ariana sat quietly, staring at the paper the woman had left behind.

‘Do I really need to dig into this?’
Her only real concern should have been leaving safely with her baby. That was all.

‘But… those maids who took those jobs—they were once someone’s precious little girls, just like my Bibi will be.’

How much agony must their families be in, left behind without a word? Not knowing if their daughters were safe, or even alive.

Becoming a mother seemed to soften someone’s character. Ariana found herself sympathising with people she would never meet.

In the end, she called over Roger, who looked confused when she handed him the note.

“My lady, what is this?”

“They say that several maids who came to work in this area have lost contact with their families.”

“…!”

“There are several recruitment agencies listed here, but none of the names look familiar, do they?”

Ariana hadn’t mentioned it to Edith, but she had noticed that none of the names in the job advertisements were familiar. If they were hiring housemaids, surely they would belong to established households?

Roger skimmed the note, his expression turning grim as he realised its gravity. Even then, however, he gave her a puzzled look.

“My lady, forgive me, but why are you concerned with this sort of thing? And how did you come across it?”

“…”

“My lady, without knowing that, I don’t know how I can help you.”

“Mr. Ingles… I’m afraid I can’t tell you how I found out about it.”

“What? But—”

“I know I lost your trust because of what happened at the opera. But please—just this once.”

Revealing Edith’s true identity now could jeopardize the article she was preparing. Ariana had no choice but to place her hopes in the improved rapport she’d slowly built with Roger.

“I swear the duke won’t get hurt because of this.”

“…”

“So please, look into it first… and then report to the Duke after.”

“…Understood, my lady.”

It wasn’t until Roger gave a reluctant nod that Ariana finally let out a breath of relief.

Once again, she couldn’t say for sure what good this meddling might do. But she acted anyway.

***

Kenneth was on his way back from the Royal Grace Palace, having finished his audience with the Emperor.

Dealing with the emperor had left him feeling exhausted. He pressed his fingers firmly between his brows.

‘At the very least, I’ve managed to break some of his momentum for now.’

When confronted with cold, objective facts, even the Emperor had no choice but to waver.

‘There’ll be chatter in the Assembly soon enough…’

Nevertheless, he had explained just how absurd the rumours were. Once people had heard his side of the story, their opinions would start to change. As long as he could control the direction of the final session, he would have done his job.

At that moment, Kenneth caught sight of a glimmer through the car window as he turned his head. Backlit by the setting sun, the Central Cathedral stood glowing pale in the distance.

“Stop here. I want to get out for a moment.”