Chapter 63: [Chapter 063] Because I own nothing
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Getting into Noevian's bedroom was easier than I thought. It felt almost too easy to simply open the door to the master's bedroom. But I soon understood why. The bedroom that the head maid had personally opened for me was surprisingly bare and simple. While it had always been a clean space with only the necessary items, now it felt desolate. There wasn't even a single painting on the wall, let alone a vase. The room was furnished with the bare minimum and so meticulously organized that one could tell where every item was at a glance. It was almost as if there was nothing to steal.
'I guess he keeps all his important stuff in his study.'
"I'll prepare the bathwater now, Lady Bliere."
Sophie, who had opened the door for me, whispered something to Annie, and Annie and her group quickly left.
"I only want Yona to attend to my bath."
I watched the maids leave with a keen eye and then commanded Sophie, who stood there respectfully.
"As you wish. Please let me know if you need anything."
Watching Sophie bow slightly and leave, I gestured for Marie, who was standing by the door, to come closer.
"Keep a close eye on Annie while she prepares the bath."
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Marie flinched, but then left as well. I was now free to explore Noevian's room. The drawers weren't locked, and when I opened them, they were empty.
"Madam?"
Yona stood there watching me as I searched every nook and cranny. As soon as I finished searching the bedroom, there was a knock at the door and Annie's group came in carrying bathwater. As I watched the steamy bathwater fill the tub in the bathroom, I noticed another door connected to the bathroom.
'If I could just open that door...'
"The preparations are complete, my lady."
Annie, who had brought various fragrant herbs, flowers, and oils, finally looked up at me. It seemed she wanted to attend to my bath. But I ignored her gaze and gestured to Yona. Yona opened the bedroom door wide as if to signal me to leave. Annie pursed her lips and left, followed by Marie. After the door closed and their footsteps faded away, I approached Yona and lowered my voice.
"Yona, put the clothes I mentioned on the bed and sit here and make sure no one enters the bathroom."
I pointed to the bed, and Yona hesitated before sitting down.
"Are you going to do it alone? Wouldn't it be better if you had my help?"
"I want to relax. Make sure no one comes in. And try to keep anyone from entering the bedroom at all."
"Yes, madam! Don't worry!"
Yona clenched her fists and began looking out the window. I went straight into the bathroom and locked the door. I poured all sorts of fragrant things from a rattan basket into the cloudy tub, filling the room with a strong herbal scent. I slowly approached the door to the Duchess's bedroom and took a deep breath. To my surprise, the door opened easily. I stepped over the threshold into the room that had once been my world. It was just as I had last seen it. Compared to Noevian's room, which I had just left, this room had much more furniture and hiding places. As if drawn by a magnet, I opened the drawer of the bedside table that I had searched before. Sure enough, there were new items, suggesting that the people who had stolen from me had returned most of it.
"Mother's necklace isn't here."
I was certain I'd put it back here after noticing it was missing from Noevian's neck.
"I'll have to check with Noevian first thing this morning."
With that determination, I began to search high and low.
At the same time, Roardnes was at the city guard headquarters. He'd been worried about Adrien, who had gone to the Duke's manor, and had been itching to ride over there. But they had all agreed to do their best at their respective posts until the matter was resolved.
Since the dismissal of the guard captain, the city guard had been tense, but they were still quite lax. However, when they actually faced the rumored Second Prince, they all stood at attention like mute statues. Roardnes, who hadn't even sat down on the luxurious chair prepared for the prince's visit, stood and skimmed through a report as soon as he arrived at headquarters.
"A bunch of people must have taken turns writing this. The handwriting is terrible."
Several officers flinched. It was true that they had taken turns.
"Did you sell the office typewriters? The handwriting is atrocious."
It was also true that they had sold them due to a budget shortage.
"Vincenzo, check these documents and have them rewritten."
"Yes, Your Highness."
After handing the shoddy documents to Vincenzo, Roardnes slowly walked among them. The city guards were so intimidated by the royal knights who surrounded the headquarters like a fortress that they broke out in cold sweats whenever Roardnes passed by.
"Those who don't know they're dead even after their heads have been chopped off are useless."
He meant that they were still acting as if nothing had happened even after their captain had been dismissed. His blunt words caused the entire headquarters to bow their heads.
"A noblewoman goes missing in the heart of the city, and a month later, there's still no progress in the investigation. While you've been wasting taxes, how many more women have disappeared, I wonder."
His additional words were as cold as ice. In the absolute silence, one middle-aged guard spoke up.
"Your Highness, with all due respect, we've been working day and night. Dozens of our men have collapsed from overwork."
"Then why, with dozens of your men collapsing from overwork, are the results so poor?"
"We can't take more than a certain number of people from the wealthy districts, and most of the investigations are focused on the slums. As for the nobles... it's difficult for us to search the carriages of the nobles."
Other guards joined in, confirming his statement. Indeed, while there were many guards stationed in the noble districts, the number of investigations was minimal. From their reactions, Roardnes realized that the lack of progress was due to the fact that they were only investigating the slums. With a troubled expression, Roardnes strode towards the door leading outside.
"Follow me."
Since the headquarters was in the center of the city, they arrived at the central plaza in just a few minutes. The city guards followed silently, unable to understand what the Second Prince was trying to do. Roardnes took off his guard captain's armband and put it on, then blocked a large carriage that was approaching from afar.
"Your Highness!"
The carriage, which had been rushing towards the palace, came to an abrupt halt in front of Roardnes.
"Damn it!"
"Crazy..."
For them, it was as if the carriage had a sign saying "Criminal Inside" that they couldn't ignore. With a cold expression, Roardnes opened the carriage door without knocking.
"I'm conducting an inspection."
Inside the carriage, a cold atmosphere prevailed.
"An inspection?"
Noevian, who had been looking out the window, was startled and opened the door to confront the audacious man.
"Ah, Your Grace."
"What are you doing?"
"Carrying out my official duties."
A series of short gasps followed Roardnes as he climbed into the carriage without hesitation. Noevian slammed the carriage door shut and glared at Roardnes, who had already taken a seat opposite him.
"The city's filled with a foul stench. Looks like I've got some unpleasant business to attend to."
Before Noevian could finish his sentence, Roardnes stood up halfway and began kicking the seats, both his own and Noevian's, with his boots. The thuds echoed loudly, as if he could shatter the sturdy carriage with each kick.
"Nothing here?"
Roardnes smiled, revealing his teeth, but his expression was cold and sharp.
"I suppose the rumors about the Second Prince being mad aren't entirely false."
Noevian's response was equally cold. "Perhaps you've been mistaken about what belongs to you, Your Highness."
Roardnes laughed lightly and leaned towards Noevian, his hand resting on the wall beside Noevian's face. "People keep coveting what's mine. Two years ago, and now again."
Noevian's eyes, as he looked up at Roardnes, were like molten lava.
"...Perhaps you've been mistaken about what belongs to you."
When Noevian responded casually, Roardnes stepped back and opened the carriage door. "I hope you believe that. Because the truth is, you have nothing."
Slam!
"There's nothing in the Duke of Trovika's carriage, so you can go!"
Roardnes' voice boomed from outside as he slammed the door shut. The sound of his boots kicking the carriage wheels followed, and then a loud bang as one of the wheels came loose.
"Oh dear, what a shame."
Through the window, Noevian could see Roardnes' indifferent expression as he walked away, completely unfazed by the chaos he had caused. The city guards, who had been hesitant to approach, quickly followed Roardnes.
"...!"
Noevian stared at the spot where Roardnes had been sitting.
'People keep coveting what's mine. Two years ago, and now again.'
'Because the truth is, you have nothing.'
Red veins appeared in the whites of Noevian's eyes. His face was pale, but beneath it, his neck was burning red. It was as if Roardnes' words had struck him like a thunderbolt, cracking the hardened ground of his heart.
A long time passed before Noevian stepped out of the carriage. With a sullen expression, he took the reins from the startled coachman and rode away.
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