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Chapter 54
I immediately summoned the knights in front of the stables.
Mounted on my horse, I gave hurried orders.
“The Grand Duke has gone out. You must search the city thoroughly and bring him back as quickly as possible. Do not cause any commotion.”
“Yes, Young Marquis!”
“Anyone who safely brings back the Grand Duke will receive a raise in their monthly stipend.”
A bait like this is necessary to produce results.
“We will follow your orders!”
I barely listened to their loud response and urged my horse forward, leaving the knights behind as I exited the manor. Katarina mounted her horse and followed me.
Where could the Grand Duke be headed?
After seeing the Queen’s letter, he seemed to have lost his reason. Was he rushing straight toward Paddon Island? If so, he likely would have been caught at the castle gates guarded by the garrison.
It was the only exit from Blansk.
I chose a route without crowds and spurred my horse to full speed. Dust rose thickly along the earthen path.
I arrived at the checkpoint in front of the castle gates.
I halted my horse and assessed the situation. A garrison officer was lecturing the gate guards lined up in a row. The soldiers kept their heads low, repeatedly apologizing.
“Ugh, you idiots! How could you let him get away? How slack is your discipline that soldiers carrying rifles get scared and panic over just one sword?”
From the officer’s words, it was clear that the gate guards had let the Grand Duke pass.
A sharp pang struck my neck and my eyes squeezed shut.
I hadn’t expected things to go this way so quickly. Once outside Blansk, my influence was limited. If something unfortunate happened, I couldn’t guarantee the Grand Duke’s safety.
My horse whinnied sharply, and the officer turned toward me.
“Gah, my lady.”
He flinched upon seeing me and saluted hastily.
“So, I hear roughly that the Grand Duke has left Blansk?”
“…I apologize, my lady. We’ve sent out good riders, so we should be able to bring him back soon.”
“Bring him back?”
“Yes, we’ll quickly catch him and return him to the manor—”
“How rude. You should say ‘escort him back.’”
I wasn’t nitpicking. It was just that calling him ‘catch him’ felt highly inappropriate—he wasn’t a criminal.
“I-I misspoke. I will ensure the Grand Duke is safely escorted back.”
The officer bowed deeply, sweat dripping down his face.
“Captain Alexis.”
I read aloud the name on his badge. Realizing that I remembered his name made him flinch.
“Y-yes!”
“Make sure none of this spreads among the townspeople.”
If word got out that the Grand Duke was missing, Blansk would be thrown into chaos. Many merchants from other cities were in Blansk; if rumors spread, it would be uncontrollable.
If a ruler disappears, suspicion falls on the governor’s office. The resistance, which had calmed since the Grand Duke’s ascension, could flare up again.
Then the Crown Prince would suppress the rebellious forces even more mercilessly than before. I didn’t want to see that horrifying scene again.
“Yes, my lady. We will make sure the soldiers keep this under strict wraps.”
“The mounted soldiers followed the Grand Duke. Then who saw him leave?”
I dismounted and approached the soldiers.
They exchanged glances and hesitated. When I frowned and put my weight on one leg, one of them raised his hand. I pointed at him with my index finger, and he stepped forward.
“Sergeant Federico Sanchez. I saw him.”
“Explain the situation.”
“A silver-haired man in a white uniform passed the checkpoint like a racing horse. We tried to stop him, but he drew his sword at his waist and ordered us not to follow. From his appearance and attire, I think it was the Grand Duke… so we didn’t detain him.”
He even drew his sword. Did he really need to act that desperately?
“Why didn’t you stop him if you knew it was the Grand Duke?”
“Of course, we assumed he had urgent business outside.”
The soldier answered cautiously, glancing at the officer. Another soldier stepped forward, hesitating.
“Corporal Juan Pineta. I was there as well. We, mere soldiers, could not dare demand identification from Your Grace’s husband or question his reason for leaving.”
The second soldier made a coherent excuse: they were low-ranking and had no choice.
“Identification…”
I hadn’t issued him a token. It wasn’t intentional; since he wasn’t under my direct governance, I had no reason to.
The Grand Duke’s appearance was identification enough.
His hair color, eye color, and facial features were far from ordinary. Someone with such features likely existed nowhere else but Dvorca—perhaps in the whole world.
Ah, there’s no time for this.
I mounted my horse again and plotted the Grand Duke’s likely path in my mind.
To reach Paddon Island, he would need to take a ship from the northwestern port city of Vedef. The fastest route to Vedef passes through the capital, Yorka. Yorka is the hub connecting all corners of Dvorca, like the center of a spiderweb.
Garrison troops were stationed more densely on Yorka’s roads. There would also be knights under the Crown Prince’s governor.
Moreover, the Grand Duke left wearing his uniform, carrying only a sword. With his conspicuous appearance, escaping the blockade wouldn’t be easy. Without identification, he would inevitably be intercepted.
No matter how skilled in swordsmanship, he couldn’t defeat a group of men attacking him at once.
If he’s caught, either by soldiers or knights, he will be brought before the colonial governor, the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince will certainly punish him.
No matter what excuses the Grand Duke makes, the Crown Prince won’t listen. After all the money spent arranging my marriage and granting him the Grand Duke title, trying to escape without permission would earn him even more offense points.
Sigh. But can I catch him before that?
I turned my horse toward Yorka and charged forward, tightening the reins and increasing my speed. I crossed the gravel plains of the refugee tents in an instant. The stones rattled loudly under the horse’s hooves.
The silver-gray ribbon tying my hair whipped in the wind like a flag.
From now on, it’s a race against time. I wanted to find him safely with my own hands before he could be captured. And I wanted to ask:
What treasure did you leave in the forest on Paddon Island? What secret can’t you tell me?
David Mihail.
I thought I had gotten close to him. It was all an illusion. There were too many unanswered questions.
I remembered his eyes, always lost in longing and melancholy. The Grand Duke acted as if he had left even a half of his soul on Paddon Island.
It must be related to the treasure mentioned in the Queen’s letter.
I am certain now: that treasure isn’t an object—it’s a person.
Perhaps the lover he left behind.
The Grand Duke’s treasure, buried in the forest. It might be the only lie of a man who seemed hopeless at deceiving anyone.
In front of the gate leading into Yorka, the capital of Dvorca.
Merchant wagons were lined up in front of the massive central gate. Soldiers inspected the merchants’ identification cards with bored expressions. The wagons clattered through the checkpoint, and soldiers waved their hands to urge the next in line.
The narrow passage beside it felt different. This was a gate designed for the governor’s staff or garrison officers to pass individually. The Grand Duke likely went through here.
Five gate guards holding long spears whispered among themselves.
Nearby, soldiers on horseback lingered. They seemed to be the garrison troops from Blansk chasing the Grand Duke.
“You are Alisa Lasantia, Lord of Blansk. What’s going on here?”
I wanted to ride straight through, but I felt I should check the situation briefly.
The mounted soldiers who had come from Blansk cheered upon seeing me.
“Ah, my lady! We’ve just arrived from Blansk. We heard the Grand Duke entered the gate, but we have no authority to search outside the garrison…”
“Return to Blansk. I will handle this matter myself.”
