Williams had been doing his best to coax his mother into calming down. She had tried to join the search party just like Williams had tried to, but Sir Evan stopped them and asked Williams to take care of his mother and himself since he hadn't completely healed from the poison.
He hadn't wanted to comply, but then someone had to look after their mother. She was worried and even in tears, as she feared something bad had happened to Susan.
Fortunately, he was able to convince her to take a calming tea, which put her to sleep. But he didn't leave her side and just watched her sleep until there was a faint knock on the door, and it slowly opened.
When he looked at the door, he found Paulina peeking her head in, and when she noticed him, she gently pushed the door with her body as she entered with a tray of snacks and tea in her hand.
"My Lord..." she greeted in a quiet voice as her eyes went to his mother's sleeping form.
Williams stood up and went to her. It was the first time she had appeared in front of him since that happened between them. She had been avoiding him the entire time.
"I brought you something to eat and drink." She said awkwardly, and when he still didn't say anything, she looked around awkwardly and quickly went to drop the tray on the table at the left end of the room.
"You shouldn't worry too much. Lady Susan is a smart lady. She will be fine."
"It's almost a day already. Almost a day has passed since she went missing." He said it quietly, went to sit down on the chair, and looked down at the snacks she had brought him.
"Maybe she lost her way," Paulina said, not knowing what else to say.
She looked at Williams, who looked down. She had never seen him look like this before. He seemed hopeless.
She thought it was best to leave him be and bowed. As soon as she turned, he spoke,
"Stay."
She turned around to look at him as soon as he said that.
"Stay for a while." He said and gestured at the chair across from him.
She stood there for a while, contemplating it. She knew it was not safe. And this was the chamber of his family, and his mother was sleeping not too far away. But then again, this may be the last time to have a chat with him. Because now that her mistress seemed to be back, she had a feeling Princess Amber would want them to leave this place soon.
She went and sat down stiffly across from him.
"Everyone is looking for her. I'm sure she would be found soon." Paulina spoke in a very quiet voice.
"I want to believe so too," Williams spoke in a weak tone without staring at her.
"But... I know that something is wrong. I can feel it. I really want this feeling to be wrong, but I... I cannot convince myself." He said in a tight voice. The words were heavy, and he sounded really pained.
"What if... what if she went into the town? What if —"
"Susan has no reason to go out into town." He interrupted. "Her family is here. Her friends are here. Alvin is here." he said the last part with hesitation.
Paulina looked down sadly, but then she immediately looked up, and her eyes widened. Out of excitement, she grabbed his hand on the table.
"Katherine! Lady Susan was looking for Katherine!" She said it with excitement but still kept her voice hushed. "Maybe she went out to look for her."
"What are you talking about? Who is Katherine?" For the first time, there was hope in William's eyes, and he also ignored the handholding, even though his mother could wake up at any time and see them.
"She supervises the maids' quarters. Lady Susan asked me if I had seen her or knew where she was. I don't know why she was looking for her, but she seemed to be doing it secretly."
"What did you tell her?"
"I told her what I knew. Katherine has not been in the palace for a long time. She is usually the one we report to if any maid falls sick."
"What does Susan have to do with the maid?" He asked curiously.
"I don't know. But she didn't look like she knew much about Katherine while she was asking me."
"If she didn't know much about Katherine, then it means someone told her something," Williams said to himself as he stood up.
"Alvin has already returned to guard the palace, right?" He asked as he began to head for the door, while Paulina quickly stood up and followed him.
"I... haven't seen him. I don't know."
"You can let him know we already have a lead. I will look for my father and also let him know about this." He said just as they got outside, and he quietly closed the door behind them.
She nodded and was about to turn to leave in the opposite direction when he held her shoulders and looked down at her.
"Thank you for telling me this." He said sincerely and smiled, feeling hopeful for the first time since the day started.
Paulina was glad that she was able to help, even though she hadn't done much. She smiled back at him and nodded.
Just as they were about to part ways, one of the servants from Sir Evan's household ran towards them, panting and looking frightened as he fell to his knees before Williams.
"My... Lord..." He gasped before he broke into a sob while his quivering fingers pointed in the direction he had come from.
Both Williams and Paulina looked at him in confusion, but the confusion Williams felt soon turned into dread as he looked down at the servant, who could not say a word.
The door suddenly opened, and his nervous-looking mother came out of the chamber.
She looked down at the servant and didn't prod him to say a word.
She took to her heels at once, racing outside the palace while Williams just stood there, staring blankly with blood completely drained out of him.
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