Ch. 232 Hidden (1)
Kuhn watched as Elena returned to the palace in her carriage, then immediately went to the area where Mirabelle had disappeared. However, when she was nowhere to be seen, so he thought she might have gone back to the Blaise mansion. After receiving a report that she had not done so, Kuhn started to sense that something was wrong and began a search.
Tatatak!
Kuhn’s footsteps eventually found their way to an alley. After investigating the area, he found a witness that informed him that they had seen several suspicious-looking men here. However, there was no other trace of the men after this. Kuhn swore when he spotted decorative beads on the alley ground.
“…Damn it.”
If his memory served him right, those were the beads that were on Mirabelle’s dress today. All sense of reason suddenly rushed out of him, and he saw red at the thought of Mirabelle in danger.
One of Kuhn’s men finally arrived. Because of Kuhn’s fast speed, it had taken a while for the man to catch up.
“What should we do?”
“First, go inform the General and Her Highness about the kidnapping of the Young Lady Blaise.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kuhn then turned away, and the man looked at him confusedly.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll start first and track her down.”
“More information will arrive if you wait a little longer. I don’t know where you’ll even head alone…”
“We don’t have time to wait. If I question all the people who passed by this alley, I’ll find something. “
“Aren’t there too many people for that? There were already large crowds because of the tournament.”
As such, large numbers of delinquents would come to target the nobles. Although the higher nobility had their guards to protect them, lesser nobles were sometimes robbed of their valuables. There were also other nefarious organizations that kidnapped young nobles and demanded ransoms, or took them to other kingdoms to sell at high prices. It was not easy to rescue the victims once they were taken.
Kuhn became even more restless, and wanted to see Mirabelle safe as soon as possible. He walked quickly through the alley.
“If we comb through this area for her whereabouts…something will have to come up.”
He remembered the night he had accidentally run into Mirabelle at the Imperial Palace, and she had taken off her dress to deter the knights looking for him. Kuhn had later found the knights who had seen her naked body, and carried out his punishment. At that time, he considered it a simple payment for her saving him.
Now, however, Kuhn’s heart burned too fiercely to make the excuse that Mirabelle’s importance rested on the fact that she was Carlisle’s sister-in-law. Kuhn’s throat tightened, afraid that harm had come to her. Ever since he left Mirabelle alone at the Blaise mansion, he had been suffering from some unknown pain. Now was the peak of that anguish. It throbbed and rushed tempestuously through his chest.
‘She has to be safe. If she’s not…’
At that moment, Kuhn’s gray eyes clouded with darkness, and then he disappeared in a blink of an eye.
The man’s mouth opened without him realizing it. Kuhn’s skills were incredible, but it was the first time the man had seen him so coldly furious.
“…With the way things are, I wonder if he’ll slay them all.”
Kuhn did not hesitate to kill when it was part of his duty, or if he deemed it necessary, but he was not the type to take a man’s life for no reason. At this moment, however, it seemed he would not choose to exercise calm judgment.
The man shook his head of useless thoughts, then quickly moved on to deliver his report to Carlisle and Elena. They had to find Mirabelle as soon as possible.
*
*
*
Mirabelle sat huddled with her head against her knees. She had no idea where she was. The area was lit only with a dim light, and she guessed she was held in a basement storage room somewhere. A large, rusty cage—one that looked like it was for large animals—barred her in, and her hands were bound behind her back.
All she could do now was focus on the occasional voices of the men outside. From what they said, they seemed to be demanding ransom for her from Blaise mansion.
“…Haaa.”
She was so stupid. With her situation so dire, she couldn’t help but feel remorse flood over her.
‘I don’t know the details, but if Elena was hiding her relationship with Kuhn from me, I’m sure there was a reason…’
At the moment, Mirabelle felt regret for all the terrible things she said to her sister. Elena had undoubtedly always put Mirabelle first. Mirabelle hated that Elena wasn’t always honest with her, but she knew that Elena wouldn’t want her to worry. However, anger still stirred in Mirabelle’s heart.
‘In truth, the one I’m most angry about…is myself.’
Because she had been frail since an early age, she had always needed more attention and care from others.
— What a poor little girl. She’s old enough to run around, but she can only stay in her room.
— Did you hear? She may not even live until twenty.
Mirabelle was grateful that they cared for her, but she could never escape those pitying expressions. Because she could collapse at any moment, she had lived a life of being monitored and protected by others. It was not an ideal life.