Can You Save Me Duke? - 21

Belige asked Lina, who was wearing a robe pulled down low.

“Who are you?”

Although summer was coming to an end, it was still too hot to wear a robe.

On top of that, she had brought a winter robe because she was in a hurry to leave. It was suspicious to anyone who saw it.

When she couldn’t say anything to his question of who she was and just smiled, the duke came closer to her and said.

“I asked who you were.”

It felt like my heart was falling to the floor and then bouncing back up.

A face without any expression. A cold voice. Somehow, I felt a strange sense of foreboding.

‘That night. What if the magic spell went wrong?’

A feeling of anxiety that made my toes tingle and my head spin. When Lina didn’t answer, as if she had put glue on her lips, Belige gave an order.

“Raise your head.”

Is this what it feels like to be a cornered mouse? There was no way out.

‘It’s okay. There’s no way the magic went wrong that day.’

Holding her trembling hands, she repeated to herself that it was okay several times. Then, Lina seemed to have given up and put her hand on the hood covering her head.

The moment her white face was revealed through the hood that was being pulled away helplessly, Alex, who had been watching her quietly, blocked her way.

“Oh my, this guy must recognize a beautiful woman even though he’s a male.”

At the same time, the duke couldn’t see Lina’s face because the first prince covered her body.

The strange tension in the silence was broken by Alex’s sudden, playful actions.

“I mean, it’s a female.”

“Then this woman’s beauty is said to be a beauty that even females fall in love with.”

Alex turned around and put the hood that had fallen from Lina’s shoulders back on her head. Then he winked at her.

Belige glanced behind Alex, but only the woman’s silver hair was slightly visible, hidden by his body.

“Do you know her?”

“Well, I guess I’m getting to know her?”

Belige shook her head as if she was tired of Alex’s ambiguous answer. Then, she quickly called Thunder as if she wasn’t interested.

“Then you should stay at that woman’s house today.”

The duke muttered as he mounted his horse, saying firmly. Alex scratched the back of his head and looked at Lina as Belige prepared to leave.

“I was going to take you there, but I feel bad about this.”

Lina waved her hand as she looked at the prince’s face, which was a mixture of regret and apology. If the prince were to take you there, that was a rejection on her part.

“No. Thank you so much for helping me earlier. Your Highness.”

Then she expressed her gratitude using the aristocratic etiquette used when dealing with the royal family. Alex, who had been surprised to see Lina greet him with a nobleman’s manners, kissed the back of her hand.

“I hope to see you again someday, Lady.”

Alex, who was polite as if he was treating a noble lady, soon left the place with the Duke.

“Hoo-.”

Soon, when they disappeared, Lina fell to the floor.

“Now I’m getting involved with the royal family.”

It was the moment when the thought of quitting the mansion became firm once again.

* * *

Bellige, who returned to the mansion, sighed as if he had a headache because of the prince who suddenly barged in.

‘But I think I’ve seen it somewhere.’

The silver hair behind Alex floated before his eyes. he was wondering if he had ever seen such transparent silver hair before, when a knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts.

“Duke. It’s Lawrence.”

“Come in.”

Belige, who was buttoning up his shirt cuffs, asked without even looking at him.

“Lina?”

“… … Not yet.”

“Still haven’t found her?”

Belige, who was listening to Lawrence, asked in his usual voice. But for some reason, the air around him felt like it was freezing.

“… … Yes.”

Lawrence swallowed dry saliva and answered quietly. He was going crazy right now.

It wasn’t easy to find traces of the maid who had disappeared from the mansion despite the tight security.

‘A woman who could disappear without leaving any traces like this couldn’t be just an ordinary maid.’

Lawrence held out a bundle of papers in front of Belige with confident eyes.

“What’s this?”

The duke, who was glancing at the papers held out in front of him, asked.

“This is an additional report on the maid named Lina.”

“An additional report?”

The duke, who had not paid much attention, glared at the name Lina.

Belige’s face began to darken as he quickly began to scan the documents that Lawrence was handing her.

“Is this all true?”

“Yes. After all, the parents’ hair color is brown, but it’s so strange that only the maid’s hair color is different. I looked into it a little more. But.”

Before Lawrence could finish reporting, the duke muttered.

“The child named Lina who lived with Baron Anthony already lives somewhere else?”

“… … Yes.”

Belige put down the report, letting out a sigh of relief. The paper contained information about the ‘real Lina’ who lived with Baron Anthony.

“The Lina you’re looking for, Duke. No. The maid whose name is not even certain came into the mansion disguised.”

“Fabrication.”

A sigh escaped Belige’s mouth.

It was all a lie. Even the father who was a coachman and the mother who was a maid.

“I suspect that maid is a spy sent by the empress.”

“A spy.”

Belige, who had been quietly mumbling Lawrence’s words, had no expression on her face.

“Yes. So right now… … .”

After standing still for a while, Belige cut off Lawrence’s words.

“… …  go now.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Didn’t you hear me telling you to go?”

Lawrence seemed to have a lot to say, but he had no choice but to leave the room at the duke’s firm command.

When everyone left and he was left alone in the room, Belige collapsed onto the sofa. Then, he just sat there blankly for a long time.

‘A spy sent by the empress.’

He recalled the maid who was always watching him closely. Her eyes seemed gentle, but strangely rebellious.

She tried to hide it, but sometimes she felt annoyed by her attitude, which seemed to hate being served.

‘But is that all acting?’

If the person sent by the empress was really her, shouldn’t she have been anxious to look good to me?

‘But.’

The attitude that seemed to know magic tools well, the way she rode a horse skillfully,

And.

The woman who disappeared without a trace.

The duke looked over the report that Lawrence had handed him again.

The paper contained detailed records of the actions of the real Lina, as if Lawrence’s words were true.

Bellige ran his hair over his head in confusion. So who was the Lina he knew?

And when her words to him were the truth and when were the lies?

‘Maybe it was never sincere?’

At that moment, Belige felt his heart sink to the ground.

He crumpled the paper he was holding without mercy. The paper was torn to pieces and scattered on the floor.

[I’ll be by your side.]

The words that had once filled him with warmth were now like a knife piercing his heart sharply. Belige placed his hand on the unfamiliar pain that was throbbing in his chest.

[Don’t be anxious.]

He bit his lip at her words that were still ringing in his ears.

Knock-knock.

“Your Majesty. This is Cullen.”

“… … Come in.”

Cullen entered the room and sighed inwardly as he looked at the torn papers on the floor.

On the outside, he had an expressionless face as if nothing had happened, but everyone in the mansion knew. That the Duke was different than usual.

When he found out that Lina was missing, Cullen didn’t take it seriously at first.

According to May, who shared the same room, Lina had disappeared without saying a word and returned several times before, and she boasted that she would be back the next day.

That’s why he waited for Lina, thinking it wasn’t a big deal. But.

‘Something was missing.’

When the servants or maids left or left the mansion, he would always check to see if anything was missing.

This was because there were cases where they would sometimes steal things while leaving. And the inspection he conducted this time was just a formality.

‘It was definitely there when we inspected it because of Henry.’

The old brooch that had been there a few days ago had disappeared without a trace. The brooch was nowhere to be seen along with the missing maid. Anyone could not help but suspect Lina.

“I have something to report to the Duke.”

“What else?”

He mumbled as if telling her to just say what he wanted and leave quickly.

“There is something missing from the mansion with Lina.”

Belige, who had been hesitating at Cullen’s words, looked at Cullen as if to tell him to continue.

“It’s a brooch that was stored in the storage, but it was gone when I checked today. It was definitely there when I checked a few days ago. That’s why I’m checking to see if there are any more missing items.”

Cullen cautiously watched Belige’s expression. However, the duke remained silent, as if he had no idea what was going on.

The brooch in the storage was just old. It wasn’t something that was worth much.

It was so worthless that it made one wonder if it was the one she had stolen from that storage. That’s why there wasn’t even any security magic on it.

‘You’re definitely going to let it slide this time too.’

Cullen expected that, watching the duke who didn’t say anything. If Lina showed up again, he would just pretend like nothing happened.

The rumors surrounding the maid and the duke had already grown out of control as Joaquin treated Lina. But the water was already spilled.

Cullen just desperately wanted her to return.

As time passed after Lina disappeared, the atmosphere in the mansion became more and more tense and uncontrollable.

The duke was clearly not saying anything, but a cold chill emanated from around him. If someone had made a mistake,

It was a murderous intent that could kill anyone.

Cullen was shaking his head, looking back on the past few hours. The duke’s voice broke the silence.

“Issue a warrant.”

“… … yes?”

Cullen thought he had misheard. However, the duke continued speaking regardless of his stupid question.

“Close the gates, open the checkpoints, and investigate everyone in the village. she probably haven’t left the territory yet.”

A warrant? Cullen asked cautiously, completely unexpected.

“Why don’t you wait a little longer… … .”

“20 gold.”

“… … yes?”

“I’ll put a bounty of 20 gold.”

Huh. Cullen’s eyes shook as if he had been hit by an earthquake, taking a deep breath without realizing it.

20 gold? The brooch that had disappeared from the mansion wasn’t even worth 1 gold, let alone 20 gold.

“I will find you by any means necessary.”

Sensing something different from usual, Cullen asked in an anxious voice.

“Your Majesty. What are you going to do when you find Lina…?”

The Duke’s mouth, which had been silent for a moment, opened at his words.

“We must deal with it according to imperial law.”

Different.

I don’t know what happened, but the Duke’s current state was more dangerous than ever.

He would probably never forgive Lina. Cullen swallowed at the Duke’s attitude that had changed as if he had turned over his hand.

“Bring Philip.”

Meanwhile, Belige was planning to send Philip to the capital to investigate whether Lina was related to the Empress. There was still no evidence that Lina was the Empress’s spy. There was only circumstantial evidence.

Therefore, it was necessary to confirm it properly.

And if she was the Empress’s spy.

‘If that’s true… … .’

He kept thinking to himself.

He would never forgive the woman who deceived him.

As if he was giving himself a hint. Constantly.