Episode 16

His visit to Ainra in the middle of the night wasn’t solely because of the nightmare.

Though it was true that he had a nightmare, by now, he had become far too accustomed to them for that to be the real reason he sought her out.

“I’ve decided to act a little selfish from now on.”

He whispered, playing with her chestnut-colored hair.

“But you can’t hate me for it.”

With that, the hair he was holding slipped from his fingers, falling gently onto the blanket.

Standing up, he whispered a farewell.

“Have sweet dreams, Ainra.”

In that dream, even if only for a fleeting moment, he hoped she’d think of him.

Akes murmured those words to himself as he quietly left the room.

He made his way to the living room on the first floor. The dim darkness filled the space as he sat down on the sofa. He placed his hand over the green pendant of his necklace, ‘Limone’, which had remained that color ever since he first arrived.

As he infused a small amount of aura into it, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.

「Your Grace, where are you right now? Do you know how worried we’ve been since you haven’t contacted us at all since the banquet?」

Akes smirked at the calm, unwavering voice that was always the same, even when the master had gone missing for days.

Truly, she was someone who would plant an apple tree today, even if the world were ending tomorrow.

“I’ve confirmed that the orders given to the Jaxen County were carried out. Well done.”

「Didn’t you use aura to convey that order? I’ve repeatedly told you that aura is primarily for combat, and using it for everyday tasks could cause internal injuries. Wait a moment.」

The voice of Countess Chevila, Violetti, suddenly cut off, as if she had noticed something unusual.

After a brief pause, her composed voice returned to his mind.

「That voice… forgive me, but how old are you right now?」

“About ten years old.”

「…My goodness.」

Another silence followed.

Akes could almost picture her pressing a hand to her forehead.

He spoke leisurely.

“This is Baharman, the Grand Duke.”

「To think there was both a kidnapping and a curse at the imperial banquet… Truly audacious.」

“They likely assume I’m dead, but since they haven’t found a body, they’re unsure. Just handle things as usual and politely decline any audience requests.”

「Understood. However, you’ll need to let me know when you plan to return so I can handle matters smoothly.」

“Hmm…”

Akes tilted his head slowly, his red eyes briefly lowering before turning towards the stairs leading to the second floor.

“It won’t take long.”

「…So, you can’t give me a definite answer.」

A sigh came through.

Having caused yet another sigh from his ever-sighing aide, Akes, without the slightest bit of guilt, shamelessly added another order.

“And investigate the commander of the knights under Count Jaxen.”

「The commander of Count Jaxen’s knights?」

“Yes. Investigate everything, from his official records to his personal relationships.”

「Understood.」

Violetti accepted the order without question, though a fleeting curiosity passed her mind, wondering if this had something to do with Ainra.

「There is also something I need to report. All the spies we planted in the Baharman residence have suddenly died.」

Akes’ eyes darkened immediately.

After a brief pause, he responded slowly.

“…Understood. Monitor the situation for now, but do not send any more agents.”

「Yes, Your Grace.」

With that, the communication was cut off.

Akes tapped his fingers against the sofa, a faint, sardonic smile curling on his lips.

The spies, who had been fine, all suddenly dying—how amusing.

* * *

Blinding sunlight pierced through my eyelids.

“Ugh…”

Furrowing my brows, I twisted and turned in bed, eventually sitting up with a disheveled appearance.

As I yawned and looked to my side, I realized the bed was empty.

It seemed As had woken up and left the room before me.

“I really slept like a rock.”

Well, I did feel quite exhausted yesterday. And hadn’t I woken up in the middle of the night?

Stretching, I got out of bed and made my way downstairs to prepare breakfast. But as I descended, a savory smell wafted through the air.

“…Food?”

I paused, tilting my head in confusion, and headed toward the kitchen.

The only people who cooked in this house were me and Harnen, so for a moment, I wondered if Harnen had arrived early.

But when I entered the kitchen, there was no one there—only a pot of freshly made stew simmering on the hearth, steam rising from it.

‘What’s going on?’

I frowned and stepped inside, glancing at the stove filled with freshly extinguished coals.

The pot on top was full of stew, still warm.

Turning to the dining table, I saw two neatly set places, as if someone had just prepared breakfast for two.

‘But… I don’t sense anyone’s presence.’

Something felt off.

With a furrowed brow, I quickly left the kitchen.

“As! Where are you?”

I shouted, but no reply came from anywhere in the house.

Suddenly, a strange feeling of unease crept up inside me.

Clenching my fists, I hurried upstairs.

“As! Are you in your room?”

I rushed to As’s room and flung the door open.

The room was empty.

My face turned pale.

I immediately summoned Silavi and Quiels.

“Guys, please, find As for me.”

With a flap of its silver wings, Silavi darted off, and Quiel nodded vigorously before dispersing, both spirits quickly scanning the house and the surrounding area.

Watching the spirits scatter, I bit my lip.

‘I was too careless.’

I had overlooked the fact that when I first found As, he had been gravely injured and unconscious.

If someone of noble birth was found in that state, it meant they had likely been involved in something dangerous!

“I should have been more cautious…!”

He was only around ten years old.

The thought of such a small child being kidnapped by assassins and trembling in fear—or worse, gravely injured like before—filled me with dread.

I bolted out of As’s room and rushed downstairs, heading outside.

“As! As, if you can hear me, answer!”

I frantically searched the yard, calling his name.

Of course, I knew I wasn’t nearly as effective at finding him as the spirits were, but I couldn’t just sit idly by.

After scouring the yard, just as I was about to leave the house, one of the Quiels zipped up to me, its little wings fluttering urgently.

My heart sank.

“You found him?”

The Quiel nodded and then spun around, motioning for me to follow.

I summoned Hisha, mounted her, and hurriedly followed the Quiel.

At first, the Quiel led me through the wide streets, but soon it began weaving through narrower and narrower alleys.

As the Quiel ventured deeper into the maze of alleys, it suddenly came to an abrupt stop.

“Quiel?”

I called out, glancing around.

I had been so focused on following Quiel that I hadn’t realized we were now deep in the forest.

“…The forest?”

I clenched my fists.

The forest near our village was dense, and even in broad daylight, it was dark and rarely visited.

Even the local woodsmen rarely ventured deep inside, preferring to stay near the outskirts for firewood.

‘A perfect place to quietly get rid of someone and erase all evidence.’

I dismounted Hisha carefully, my senses on high alert.

The forest was eerily silent, too much so.

There were no birds, no insects, not even the sound of wind.

As if something had frightened everything away.

Swallowing nervously, I followed Quiel’s gaze toward a dense thicket.

It was overgrown with shrubs and small trees, making it impossible to see inside.

‘He’s definitely in there somewhere.’

But since Quiel had stopped here, it was clear that something—an artificial barrier—was blocking the spirit’s approach.

Most likely, someone had used a magical tool to nullify the spirits’ power.

Steeling my nerves, I took a determined step forward.