Episode 7.

“What do you mean I took her? I had to stop somewhere for a while, so I was late…….”

“You took her away just after one o’clock, with a fan covering her face…… and it was definitely a woman’s voice…….”

As flustered as Odette was, she stammered, unable to hide her embarrassment.

But while the face may have been covered by a fan, the voice could never be the same, unless it was magical.

At the absurdity of it all, Odette snapped.

“What kind of nonsense…… Do you mean, who the hell took Rosamia, I didn’t take her!”

How in the world could I have taken her when I was still on 12th Street?

“You don’t mean to tell me you sent her away without identifying her, young Michele!”

At the pre-school for high nobility, only children of high noble families who had graduated from the Academy of Education could be hired as teachers.

Being a teacher of children was not a position to be taken lightly.

Odette, however, continued to speak in an annoyed voice.

She had a reputation for grace and noble behavior, but no parent can remain calm when their child is mysteriously missing.

“No, Duchess, it was definitely the Duchess, and the Marquise de Salier saw it with her, and I’m calling her right now to confirm…….”

She rolled up her sleeves and turned to find the Marquise de Salier.

But just then, she heard a calm, low voice behind her.

“What’s going on?”

“Marquise de Salier……!”

Her eyes sparkled as if she had found a savior to help her.

Michele turned to Marquise de Salier, the leader of the Tzorre nursery.

“Why have you come again, Duchess? Surely you didn’t take the princess away earlier…….”

“……I am here for the first time, Marquise de Salier.”

My voice quivered at the end of my breath.

Even though she sounded exactly like Michele.

How the hell did this happen?

My mind froze as white as a blank slate.

Her whole body went limp, her legs shook.

Odette staggered backward, barely holding on to the nursery door.

“Duchess!”

“Madame……!”

The two astonished men quickly helped her to her feet.

“Are you sure the Duchess didn’t take you……?”

“But we did see it, it was definitely the Duchess.”

At that moment, the eyes of Young Michele and Marquise de Salier sneakily met.

Their expressions were identical, as if they had been stamped with paint.

“I, I really don’t……. This is not the time……!”

She pushed their hands away and stood up straight.

If something had really happened to Rosamia, I needed to contact the Northern Guard in a hurry.

The same was true for Felix.

How surprising, given how much he thought of Rosamia.

Odette closed her eyes painfully, then opened them again.

There was no time for this.

“I’ll leave you to it, but if Rosamia ever comes back here, please be sure to contact the duke.”

“…. The Duchess.”

She turned on her heel and headed for the carriage waiting for her.

If Odette had seen how grimly the two men were watching my back, she might have realized more quickly what was happening to me.

It was a terrible pity that Odette’s concern for her daughter had blinded her to their faces.

❖ ❖ ❖ ❖

She hurried back to the mansion after telling the guards that she thought the child had been kidnapped.

Since Felix hadn’t yet returned from the imperial castle, I decided to release the manor’s private soldiers first.

“Commander Mellenian!”

Odette stepped out of the carriage and headed for the training center where the men were being housed.

There, Mellenian, the captain of the Elementz’ private knights, was practicing his drills with a wooden club.

“Duchess?”

Her eyes widened, for she did not usually visit the training center.

“What brings you to the training grounds?”

“Commander Mellenian, I need to see you now…….”

Odette was about to order him to have all the men on standby right now.

“You are not to come to the training center now. His Excellency the Duke is waiting for you in his residence.”

“Felix is at the mansion?”

She repeated, her brow furrowing slightly in surprise.

“Yes. He returned earlier today, in a hurry to see you.”

I wondered if he had taken Rosamia with him.

At the mention of finding me in a hurry, Odette nodded curtly.

“……All right, Commander Mellenian. Please have all the men of the manor stand by.”

“Aye. Understood.”

Still, she left the mention of keeping the men on standby just in case, and hurried on her way, her face white with exhaustion.

Her dress was soaked with sweat from all the running she’d done.

But she could never rest.

‘Rosamia…….’

It didn’t matter who took her.

As long as she appeared before me intact, I could thank God and move on without questioning anyone.

‘I hope it was Felix who took him…….’

Odette yanked open the door to his office, barely holding back the urge to cry.

“Felix…….”

And then,

“Odette.”

From the darkness, Felix threw his arms around her.

Panicked, Odette pushed him away slightly.

But Felix tightened his arms around her, as if he had no intention of letting go.

“Felix? Now is not the time.”

“Five years of marriage, congratulations.”

She felt cold metal against the back of her neck.

The lights came on, and Odette stared in disbelief at the large diamond pendant around my neck.

It was the necklace the Marquise de Frank had told her about.

The diamond sparkled so brightly around my neck that all his suspicions were dispelled.

“As for the day,” she said, “I’m afraid I’ll be late for an event at the Imperial Palace.”

Felix smiled, just as he had on his wedding day.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do better.”

He smirked, blushing up to his cheeks in embarrassment.

Odette stammered, unable to reply.

She was overwhelmed with emotions: emotion that someone who knew nothing about such things had organized a five-year anniversary event; embarrassment that she had ever doubted her husband.

And the guilt of having lost a child because of that suspicion.

A storm of indescribable emotions raged in her heart.

Finally, unable to control the rising emotions, Odette burst into tears.

‘’Sob, Sob…’’

“Don’t cry, ma’am. I’ve been acting too well.”

She wept like a child, and Felix gazed warmly at her, his hand on her shoulder.

But his warmth didn’t stop her sobs; it only encouraged them.

“Well, no…….”

Odette stomped his foot and wiped away my tears.

I tried to speak calmly, but my sobs made it impossible to explain.

“I’m in trouble……. Someone other than me has taken Rosamia…..Felix……! I need you to get your men to……. right now, right now.”

“What do you mean, you didn’t come back with Rosa……?”

“Please find Rosa, please find Rosamia, please find her, Felix……!”

“Ha……, calm down and explain!”

He bellowed, grabbing her by both shoulders.

Odette sobbed softly and explained the situation.

I was just stopping by ‘somewhere’ for a while, and someone took her, pretending to be me.

The Felix I know would have quickly mobilized his men.

She anticipated how he would react and moved to go back to the training center.

But Felix grabbed her wrist roughly as she started to leave the office.

“What the hell were you doing without taking the child first!”

Her eyes widened in surprise at the sudden accusation.

Of course it was my fault.

Odette felt guilty enough.

But now was not the time to be angry with me, it was time to find Rosamia.

“First, the child…….”

“Where the hell did you stop when you were supposed to be at preschool!”

He was strangely long-winded, directing his anger at her first.

“You should be looking for Rosa right now……!”

“If, if anything goes wrong with Rosamia…….”

Felix coldly dropped Odette’s wrist and slapped her on the shoulder, muttering coldly.

“I will never forgive her.”

With those words, he slowly faded from her sight.

Unable to think rationally, Odette sat there and sobbed, unable to question Felix’s behavior.

“Ah……?”

She suddenly realized that something was wrong with her body.

“This…….”

The hem of her dress was stained red.

The sight of the clear, vivid blood stain made Odette stiffen.