CH 65

“This time, too.”

Kyle gritted his teeth and endured the feeling that tried to come out of his throat like a fireball. The harvest was only to find the remnants of Tigra that lived in hiding under the cliff.

Ha, Kyle scoffed and dropped his hand. His dry, fallen hand clung tenaciously to the clothes. This should have been her hand.

Even when he held the clothes the whole time, nothing came into his hands. The knights behind him bowed in sorrow as they looked at the lonely master’s back.

“Your Grace,” the commander, who had been watching silently, called out to Kyle. 

Only then did Kyle throw the item he’d been holding. 

The commander covered his face with his hands and lowered his head as if to hide his worried expression.

‘He hasn’t slept at all in the three days since he left the dukedom, so it wouldn’t be strange if he collapsed right away.’

He could only call it great mental strength. It was always like that when they went on a journey. He was always eager, anxious, and desperate as if it were the last. But, then, he couldn’t find any trace of her, so when night came, he was as dangerous as a candle about to extinguish.

The man he admired, who seemed as strong as an iron man, looked anxious, as if he would disappear in a single breeze. The commander couldn’t get used to this scene, no matter how much he tried.

Kyle arrived at the dukedom after completing his journey as usual and handed over his horse to the knight before turning around mercilessly. He was well-kempt, but when others saw him, he looked startlingly disheveled. However, they seemed to have already gotten used to it because the employees lowered their heads and made their way without reacting.

When the Duke returned from his journey, he always headed to the garden as a habit. It was his custom to kneel on knee reverently and stare at the sunflowers for a long time as if it were her. No, it looked like he was reporting and expressing resentment. I couldn’t find you again this time. Where are you hiding that I can’t even find a trace of you?

“Your Grace!”

Then, a knight waiting in the mansion ran out, his face pale. Kyle’s head turned reflexively at the sense of urgency.

“Your Grace…!”

Breathing roughly, the knight stopped near Kyle. He stood still, hesitantly staring at Kyle’s back, and a subtle tension prevailed between them. 

The knight began to speak as if he had made up his mind. “Your Grace, from the mouth of the survivor we found this time…”

Only then did Kyle get up and turn around slowly. A deep feeling of uneasiness crept across his face.

Bang–!

The knights turned when the interrogation room door slammed open. Their eyes widened at the sound, but when they saw the person who appeared, they immediately lowered their gaze, feeling tense.

The man lying down, his hands and feet bound, widened his eyes in amazement. Eyes that had been tired and sluggishly closed began to tremble when he realized who was the person entering the interrogation room.

Kyle stood there, pale and breathing heavily. The aide and the commander who had followed him looked anxious and reluctant.

Kyle walked up to the man without hesitation and grabbed him by the collar. The man couldn’t resist, his upper body was pulled upright, and his whole body trembled in fright. 

“Ugh…”

“What happened to her?”

The man hurriedly swallowed his breath. “I-I just ran away after taking the jewelry from the dead lady’s pocket. I swear it was His Grace’s wife–urgh!”

As Kyle tightened his grip on his neck, the man groaned and struggled to breathe. His pale complexion gradually turned red.  

Kyle urged him on, “Who’s dead?”

“Urk–! D-Duchess, ngh–”

The man couldn’t speak any longer and grabbed Kyle’s wrists with both hands, trying to shake them off. In his struggle, he soon lost consciousness, and the aide immediately ran to him.

“Your Grace, you’ll face difficulties if the man dies. At least the body–” The aide abruptly stopped after meeting the Duke’s fierce, bloodshot eyes.

“Stop talking. There’s no body, so she’s not dead.”

“…”

“She’s not dead until I see her with my own eyes,” Kyle said through gritted teeth. The trembling voice silenced everyone in the interrogation room. Then, when the aide closed his mouth and completely withdrew, Kyle tossed the unconscious man aside. 

Kyle walked past the aide and left the interrogation room. The sound of his footsteps resonating in the hallway sounded particularly disturbing.

“Your Grace!”

When Kyle returned from his journey, an aide followed closely behind him. Kyle headed for the office, his expression blank as if he could neither hear nor see. 

“A year has passed, milord.”

Kyle opened the door to his office, consistently remaining silent. He approached the desk as usual, and whenever he returned from his journey, he looked for a tip about Aelle on the shelf. However, despite searching all over the desk, he couldn’t find anything.

Kyle gritted his teeth and raised his gaze coldly. “I told you to refrain from talking, but now you’re showing it with actions.”

The aide hesitated at the Duke’s piercing gaze that caught his breath, but he didn’t back down and said, “Your Excellency, the last person we found in the winter was the last one.”

Kyle ignored him and walked past him straight to the aide’s office, where the report would have been made.

“Eighteen corpses, twenty caught on the spot, and eleven remnants who escaped, all caught,” The aide said despite knowing Kyle wasn’t listening. He turned around with his fists clenched as if determined to grab Kyle. “No more, Your Grace!”

Kyle stopped in his tracks, knowing who the aide was referring to.

“No more.” The aide repeated the same words like a nail in the coffin.

“Countess Harden’s recovery progress has made it all the more certain.”

“…”

“Even if Madam was drugged, the effects are short-lived. After half a year, her body would have been detoxified and her memory would have returned, just like Countess Harden. If she hasn’t returned to the duchy even though the effects have worn off and she’s no longer hallucinating, that’s…”

“…”

“It’s Madam’s will.”

Kyle’s gaze fell slowly to his feet, and his pupils started to tremble.

Looking at Kyle’s back, the aide felt a surge of emotion. Knowing Kyle’s desperation, it wasn’t just because of his job that he told him to give up.

‘If we continue like this, His Grace will collapse.’

He was certain he had correctly judged the situation. 

After a while, Kyle’s gaze slowly moved forward and he left the office. The aide sensed that the Duke’s movements had become a little dull.

The wind carried the fresh spring scent. Feeling tense, Hari took a deep breath, exhaled, and followed the servant to the office. As she reached the door, her pale hands began to tremble slightly.

‘I made a promise before I came, and now I’m here.’

She wanted to apologize for holding him responsible for Louis’ death and troubling him with her journey to the forest, and console him for Aelle’s loss. And so she visited the duchy with determination.

Hari frowned for a moment, then smiled softly, raising her head. She nodded to the servant, and soon the door opened.

Beyond the family office, Kyle stood idly by the window. The sunlight pouring through the window followed his outline.

As Hari entered the office, the servant immediately closed the door. A chill ran down her spine at the sudden silence.

“Kyle, long time no see.”

“…”

“Kyle.”

Kyle continued to look out the window and didn’t respond. When he didn’t react after she called his name repeatedly, Hari sighed and approached him. 

She walked over to the window and followed his gaze, not knowing what those empty gray eyes contained.

“I’m glad you’ve recovered.”

Hari turned to the hollow sound of his voice. He was like a wooden doll without emotion. 

Hari stared at him for a while, only sensing he was alive when he blinked.