Chapter 50

Chapter 50 – Intense Upheaval (4)

However, he was unable to add anything further due to Etrada’s icy remarks. Cesar’s hands wore more blood than Liam’s. Thus, he couldn’t point out or blame Liam’s faults. As a result, his previous silence forced him to accept Liam’s loitering around Etrada without complaint. Cesar frowned more deeply before opening his mouth again.

“I asked what’s the matter, Marquis.”

Only after the emperor repeated his question did Liam’s eyes move away from Etrada.

“It’s about that woman.”

Cesar’s eyebrows rose. Meanwhile, Liam continued with an amiable smile,

“I assume you have heard about the attack I encountered a while ago, right?”

“…Yes.”

“I found a child who said they guided that woman at that time.”

Cesar waited for the story to continue, and at the end of his patience, he could hear unpleasant news.

“The child said that one of the men with her stayed there watching Etti.”

“. . .”

“If it’s so, she could have known that Etti would appear there.”

‘Yes, that’s a possibility for her.’ She might have known Liam would be under attack, and that Etrada would appear there as well. So why did she leave a person behind to confirm Etrada’s appearance? A short silence lingered inside the drawing room.

“Identity?”

“His name is Rebellio, a free knight from the North who arrived at Vetern around eight months ago. His postwar whereabouts are still under investigation. Currently, he’s staying at the woman’s mansion. Has brown hair and green eyes, and he’s in his early 40s. I have already confirmed his identity through the child, so I’m sure”

Liam continued speaking while Cesar pondered the woman’s intentions behind her actions.

“I started investigations since I wanted to know the woman’s whereabouts. I was curious about her as well.”

“. . .”

“But… I suddenly had a strange feeling.”

She might have been aiming for Etrada from the beginning and that’s why she approached him. Cesar felt Etrada flinch behind him at Liam’s last words.

“I’m telling you this out of concern for your well-being, so please keep it in mind.”

It wasn’t an unfounded story. The people present had witnessed the woman’s inability to hide her emotions every time she saw Etrada. However…

‘Your insides are churning, isn’t that right?’

[tl/n: this slang refers to people who are so envious of someone that they feel their stomach hurts]

Realizing Liam’s intention, Cesar smiled inwardly.

‘What could be the reason you brought me this news?’ After Cesar intervened, the woman stopped giving any information to Liam. As if Liam’s usefulness had reached its end, and he had been discarded.

He had already experienced the sweetness of the fruit that women could offer and would be rolling around in jealousy. That’s why he offered such information. He wanted Cesar to be suspicious of her and raise his guard. Liam wanted to tear them apart. It was a little strange for him to act so obviously but…

‘What if he knew I wouldn’t ignore this?’ It wouldn’t matter if Cesar discerned his hidden intentions. Just bringing it up would mean Liam had achieved his purpose. After all, it was related to Etrada. Cesar had begun to realize that she was special to him and couldn’t let this matter slide. He would end up keeping an eye on the woman’s actions while storing them deep inside himself.

But he didn’t mean to play into Liam’s tactics. Cesar laid back on the sofa and replied casually.

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

As expected, Liam remained calm at Cesar’s half-hearted response.

The cunning blue eyes seemed to shine.

Evelyn clenched her hands tightly as she rode in a carriage outside the palace with Pharrell. She knew he was not an easy person to deal with, but she didn’t expect him to pay attention to her every move. As Evelyn clicked her tongue, Pharrell, who was sitting across from her, flinched. Only then did she recall his presence and sigh.

Of all days, why did this have to happen on the day she wore a short veil for the banquet? Pharrell must have seen her face. Despite things seeming to go well, she almost lost her composure due to an unexpected factor popping out of nowhere and raising her anxiety.

‘Whatever.’

Pharrell noticed her unease, but it wasn’t a problem that couldn’t be fixed.

‘Besides, there’s no way Cesar can know my true identity.’

There was no element that Cesar could use to guess her identity. The West Continent had a designated language, Raheem, and Evelyn spoke it, too. Only this much made it impossible to make any assumptions based on her language. While there might have been word through Pharrell that Evelyn enjoyed eating seafood, it could not be considered evidence of her origins. How many coastal regions were there on the continent? Even if Cesar observed everything, including her manners, hobbies, tastes, and behavior, he still wouldn’t be able to figure out what Evelyn was hiding. So there was no need to worry about unnecessary things. Just as Evelyn let out a long sigh laced with anxiety and worry, suddenly, the carriage tilted to one side. Pharrell quickly hugged Evelyn.

Thump! A loud noise followed the carriage’s shaking and rolling in circles. If Evelyn had been alone, she would have rolled around inside the wagon. After it had rolled a few times, the wagon came to a stop. Evelyn was frozen in shock. She blinked in Pharrell’s arms, and her mind went blank.

“Milady, are you okay?” Pharrell, who had held Evelyn throughout the rolling, asked her.

“…Yes.” Her voice trembled as she managed to answer.

“Please wait a moment.”

While Evelyn assessed the situation, Pharrell stood up. Fragments of shattered glass from the broken window squeaked as he stepped on them. After kicking the twisted window frame, he called out to Evelyn and held out his hand to her.

“Milady, you have to be careful and move slowly.”

Evelyn struggled to move her legs, which were trembling as she held onto his hand. With Pharrell’s help, she managed to escape the carriage and went speechless at the scene. It was like a sinkhole she had seen in a previous life. The carriage she had just been riding in was completely overturned and stuck in a hole.

It wasn’t an impossible situation, but her heart felt cold. Why did the road collapse suddenly, especially when Evelyn’s carriage was passing by? She stared blankly ahead, murmuring as if she had lost her mind.

“Wrong…”

Her judgment was wrong. She believed that the rising situation in the South wasn’t essential for the Original. But it was important enough that the Original tried to eliminate Evelyn for stepping in.

“The dinner hall…”

She finally realized it. The furious man getting up and breaking the dishes wasn’t just a coincidence. It was Original’s warning.

Stop there. Don’t say anything more.

Ultimately, her thoughts in the garden were also wrong. Evelyn was still outside the Original’s protection; because it knew ways of killing her cleanly without harming Cesar.

“An unjust mishap…” It wouldn’t be Pharrell’s carelessness or Cesar’s betrayal, it would just be an accident. If Evelyn ever died in an accident, Cesar wouldn’t take any responsibility. Her twisted lips trembled as if she would burst into tears at any moment.

“Ha!” A dejected laugh escaped. She couldn’t help but laugh. Once again, the Original’s favor didn’t reach Evelyn and every moment in the future will be the same. Was Cesar’s word in the pledge an arrangement from the Original?

The Original’s presence, which would stand by the protagonists all the time, still choked her.

It was amazing how it could still make her miserable.

How deep was the despair she had yet to experience?

“The war situation in the East has already tilted. They won’t hesitate anymore once the southern problem is resolved.”

“That’s right. Hasn’t he already aimed at His Grave and the Young Master? They may try to take care of us before the south.”

“They wouldn’t easily give up on both…”

The nobles of Phedora who gathered for a council meeting continued to chatter without a break.

Ethan listened to their conversation. Or that’s what it seemed on the outside, however, his mind was elsewhere, following someone who wasn’t present, someone he didn’t even know their location, and he couldn’t concentrate.

“Is that what you call talking?! We can’t keep waiting like this forever!”

“Are you suggesting we take the initiative? There are times when you have to make the first move, but this isn’t one of them!”

“Why wait when they won’t let up on us?!”

“Now is our chance, when the situation in Hereos is unstable!”

As time passed, the conversation became more heated. Some raised their voices, while others kicked their seats and stood up, pointing their fingers at each other.

Ethan just remained the same as the meeting passed. And then, at some unexpected moment, someone’s word caught his attention.

“Everyone is only talking about border issues. It seems like you’re not interested in her ladyship Evelyn’s search?”

The slow heat that had been rising suddenly wavered. Ethan had been sitting still without moving even a finger and finally showed a response for the first time. Flinching, his body quivered and moved in the direction of the speaker. It was Baron Hatar, a vassal of the Ishlan Marquisate, the late Grand Duchess’ family.

“Isn’t it ridiculous that there’s no news even though it’s been six months since her ladyship was kidnapped? We need to increase the number of people searching!”

Evelyn’s absence could not be hidden. Thus it was announced that she had been kidnapped by the intruders who were aiming for Ethan. In the process, it was also revealed that Evelyn was not of the blood of the grand duke. The rumor spread through the mouths of the servants, and the nobles petitioned Grand Duke Phedora to reveal the truth.

The grand duke acknowledged the rumor and prohibited treating Evelyn as the Grand Duchy’s princess. But at the same time, he also gave orders to look for her, giving Ethan hope.

‘He might be angry for a while, but His Grace misses Evelyn, too. Otherwise, there would be no reason to look for her.’ Those were Ethan’s thoughts. However, the grand duke cruelly betrayed his son’s expectations.

The knights dispatched to find Evelyn didn’t take a step out of the grand duke’s fortress. Even those who had set out to find Evelyn under Ethan’s orders had also returned to the castle by now.

Ultimately, the search was just a lie for public reputation — the grand duke was trying to find his child although he knew she wasn’t his real daughter. He had raised her for over 20 years and was trying hard but couldn’t find her.

Those sham actions to prove the grand duke’s generosity and tolerance didn’t help Ethan in finding Evelyn.

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