January 28, 2021
"He was right here..."
Fenril hesitated as he looked around, scanning the empty space. Cabelenus fixed his gaze on the vacant spot before turning sharply to Gajev.
"He couldn’t have gone far. Send out the search teams."
"He hasn’t left the castle, so we should be able to find him soon."
"I’ll help search as well."
"You should rest."
"I’m Mikael’s mother. I can’t just sit here—!"
Alicia suddenly staggered.
"Alicia!"
Cabelenus caught her immediately, his expression twisting with concern. Alicia gritted her teeth hard enough to draw blood as she forced herself to stand straight.
"I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong."
"Don’t worry. No matter what, I will find him. But for now, you need to rest."
"But—"
"You know moving around in your condition won’t help anyone. Don’t be reckless."
Alicia’s eyes trembled at his cold yet logical words. Her face had already turned pale.
Without hesitation, Cabelenus adjusted his grip and lifted her.
"You ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ don’t have to bear this alone anymore."
"..."
"You’re not the only one responsible for protecting Mikael."
His arms tightened around her. Alicia hesitated, then finally nodded.
"...I’ll trust you."
"You always can."
A faint smile graced Cabelenus’s lips. Alicia steadied herself against him.
"I know the places Mikael often goes. Please check those first."
"Alright. We’ll start there. Now, let me take you back to your room."
"If you don’t mind, may I assist instead?"
Cabelenus’s brow arched as Fenril stepped in front of them.
"You?"
"It would be beneficial to have another person who knows the castle well involved in the search. Your Highness is more needed elsewhere than escorting Lady Alicia."
"It won’t take long to—"
"That’s a good idea. Please do."
"Alicia."
"Right now, finding Mikael is the priority."
Alicia’s voice was resolute. Cabelenus looked at her for a long moment before exhaling.
"...Fine. I’ll leave her to you."
As soon as Cabelenus loosened his hold, Fenril swiftly moved to support Alicia.
"I’ll escort her back and rejoin the search immediately."
Fenril forced a harmless smile under Cabelenus’s scrutinizing gaze. The Grand Duke’s piercing eyes briefly flicked down to where Fenril’s hand rested on Alicia’s arm before he turned away.
***
Tak, tak, tak—
Mikael ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, his ears covered with trembling hands. The strange sounds made his skin crawl. His legs threatened to give out beneath him at any moment, but he couldn’t stop.
If he hesitated even for a second, the monster making that horrible noise would catch him.
‘Liar. He promised he would protect me.’
Tears welled in Mikael’s eyes, spilling down his cheeks.
He desperately wished someone would come and hold him, but there was no one. Even the usual passing servants were nowhere to be seen.
"Ack!"
His foot caught on something, and he tumbled forward, rolling across the floor. Dazed, Mikael slowly lifted his tear-streaked face.
The monstrous sound had disappeared.
Blinking, he cautiously turned his head.
For the first time, he actually took in his surroundings.
"...Where am I?"
He had wandered the halls of Schwarhan Castle plenty of times, but the place before him was completely unfamiliar.
Grrrr...
A low growl came from behind him.
Mikael’s eyes widened in alarm as he spun around.
"Rex!"
The thick-furred hound stood there, watching him. Mikael’s tear-stained cheeks flushed slightly.
Rex might not be able to talk, but he was a good friend. Mikael quickly rushed toward him.
Rex observed him for a moment before turning his body.
"How did you get out?"
"Where are you going?"
"Are you going to see Mister?"
Even though he knew there would be no answer, Mikael chattered away. He didn’t have the courage to face the eerie silence otherwise.
"Huh? You want me to follow you?"
Rex gently tugged at Mikael’s sleeve with his teeth. Mikael squinted into the darkness.
"This doesn’t seem like the right way... Hmm. Alright! I’ll go, so stop pulling so hard!"
Rex’s sharp fangs could easily tear through the clothes his mother had dressed him in. Reluctantly, Mikael allowed himself to be led forward. Only then did Rex release his sleeve and start moving again.
"...How long do we have to walk?"
The path felt stranger with each step.
Mikael frowned but received no response. In this pitch-black corridor, the only thing he could rely on was Rex’s sturdy figure.
"This is wrong, Rex. Let’s go back. No matter how I think about it, this isn’t..."
Mikael’s words trailed off as he inhaled sharply.
Rex had turned to face him.
And in the darkness, his eyes gleamed—golden, just like his.
"Rex, your eyes look like Mister’s—"
Boom!
A sudden quake made the entire ground tremble. Mikael instinctively crouched to steady himself. He managed to stay upright, but fear gripped his heart.
Creak...
The entire space around him was shifting.
"Rex, this place is weird! We have to get out of here—Rex?"
Mikael blinked.
Rex was gone.
Realizing this, Mikael hurriedly turned back the way he had come.
But the path was gone.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
"Mom! Mom! Mommy!"
His mother’s face was the only thing he could think of.
Mikael pounded on the closed doors, desperately calling for her.
No answer.
He was still alone.
"Mommy..."
His tiny fists lost their strength and fell to his sides.
The monstrous sounds started up again.
***
"Thank you for supporting me."
"Are you feeling unwell?"
"A little."
Alicia pressed her lips together before covering her face with her hands.
With Mikael missing, even maintaining her expression was difficult.
"You seem anxious."
"What parent wouldn’t be, with their child missing?"
"Not every parent is a good one."
"..."
Fenril poured her a glass of water and handed it to her.
"That surprises me. Honestly, I thought you’d be more stubborn about this."
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
"I know I’d be more of a hindrance than a help."
Alicia let out a bitter laugh. Her condition had been deteriorating by the day. At this point, she could barely run properly.
"You’re quite rational."
"I try to be."
She downed the glass of water Fenril had given her in one gulp, but it did little to quell the turmoil inside her.
"There are others who will protect Mikael besides me."
Alicia absentmindedly traced the rim of the empty glass. Her nerves were frayed, sharper than the tip of a needle, but she wasn’t losing control. Not anymore.
Because now, she had someone to lean on.
"They’ll find him soon."
"Of course. They will."
She nodded readily, but her hands were trembling. Fenril hesitated, unsure of what to say.
"I doubt I’ll be of much help just standing here. I should—"
"You said Mikael was crying earlier, didn’t you?"
"What?"
"Earlier, you said he was crying when you found him. Am I remembering that correctly?"
"Ah, yes. That’s right."
"Do you know why?"
Alicia lifted her gaze. The red veins in her eyes stood out starkly. She was barely holding back her tears.
Fenril hesitated before speaking cautiously.
"Was there... any reason he might have run off?"
"A reason?"
"When I spoke to him earlier, he seemed particularly sensitive about the word ‘mother.’"
"..."
"Of course, I could be wrong. I tend to be overly perceptive about these things, so—"
Seeing her eyes redden further made it even harder to continue. Fenril clenched his jaw, then ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
"Sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken so carelessly without knowing the full story."
"No, I wasn’t trying to blame you. I was just... thinking."
"Thinking?"
"Mikael isn’t the kind of child to cry alone."
For Mikael, everything revolved around Alicia.
Whether he was happy, sad, or frightened, he always sought her out.
If something had upset him, he wouldn’t have been crying alone—he would have been crying in her arms.
"Are you sure you don’t know why he was crying?"
"He told me it was personal."
Fenril let out an awkward chuckle. Even now, he could vividly recall the way Mikael had narrowed his eyes at him, that confident little glare.
"Was there anything else strange about him?"
"Something strange?"
"Anything at all. Please, tell me. If he was crying, there must have been a reason."
"I only saw him briefly. I doubt it’ll be much help."
"Anything is fine. Please."
There was no way he could refuse those desperate eyes.
Fenril propped his chin on his hand, racking his brain.
"He was crying in a secluded part of the castle, so it was definitely something upsetting."
"Upsetting?"
"If what you said is true—that he doesn’t cry alone—then there’s a good chance it was something he felt he couldn’t talk about."
"He seemed fine this morning."
"Then something must have happened afterward."
Fenril nodded to himself.
He hadn’t expected to play detective today, but the expectant look Alicia was giving him wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
"Was there anything else?"
"Hmm... Honestly, the encounter was too brief to—oh! Actually, now that I think about it, I did run into someone suspicious earlier."
"Who?"
"That man you spoke with in the library. The one with silver hair and a pretty face—"
"James Nixon."
Alicia’s response was immediate, almost breathless. She was already rising from her seat.
Fenril stepped in front of her, startled.
"Where are you going?"
"To James."
Alicia clenched her teeth.
James held deep resentment toward her. And that resentment could easily be directed at Mikael.
"He’s probably long gone by now. He was carrying a travel bag, looked like he was in a hurry to leave."
"He packed his things and left?"
"Yeah. I ran into him just as he was leaving."
"I see."
Alicia nodded slightly, then started walking again. Fenril followed.
"He’s already gone. I’ll report it to His Highness, so you should rest—"
"He’s not gone. This is Schwarhan Castle."
"What do you mean?"
"It means no one leaves here without the Grand Duke’s permission."
She really is something else.
Fenril barely stopped himself from laughing.
Despite her fragile appearance, her sharp gaze was anything but helpless.
She fully understood where she stood—inside a predator’s den.
"Are you planning to catch him?"
"I need to find out what he did to Mikael. I might not be able to run through the castle searching, but I can still interrogate him."
"Would you like some help?"
"I might."
Alicia glanced at his waist, giving a small nod.
Her eyes were locked on his sword.
"If you need it, I’ll lend you a hand anytime."
"No. I don’t need your hands."
"What?"
"Just your sword."
Alicia’s gaze turned ice cold.
The words I’ll do anything for Mikael were not just empty promises.
