Chapter 204: A Difficult Situation
“It looks like the missing ones are mainly kids, most around five or six years old, or even younger.”
“Even the children at the orphanage have gone missing. The nuns said those kids were especially smart or pretty compared to the others.”
“They even dared to mess with kids from the orphanage? Do they know whose place that is?”
“Come on, for all we know, it could be the thief yelling ‘Catch the thief!’”
“Hey, don’t say things like that out loud. You trying to get yourself killed?”
Inside the Knights' headquarters meeting room, aside from Armand and Carle, all the team leaders were present. Although this was a formal meeting, the atmosphere was clearly more relaxed than a royal court session. The knights kept talking over each other, sharing rumors and theories nonstop.
“……”
Armand stayed silent the whole time, just quietly listening to what the knights had to say.
Unlike when he was dealing with those annoying nobles, Armand didn’t tap his fingers on the table in frustration. Instead, he tapped gently on his thigh. His expression didn’t seem too serious, he wasn’t the kind of person who liked to frown or act cold. But even though he looked relaxed, he was actually paying very close attention to all the so-called “rumors.”
Because of how the king used to speak in hints and clues, many in the Knights Order had developed a habit of blaming the Second Prince whenever anything shady happened. They had long suspected him but never found solid proof, which only made them more determined to track his every move.
And since Armand, the leader of the Knights, was aligned with the Crown Prince and in direct opposition to the Second Prince’s faction, the supposedly neutral Knights' Order had, in practice, become very biased. Many even joked that it was like a “Hero vs. Evil Dragon” situation, and some people openly called the Second Prince “the country’s biggest bandit boss.”
Even though most of the knights now believed that the recent kidnappings were related to the Second Prince, no one could say it with full certainty.
Armand himself had mixed feelings.
If it was the Second Prince, why would he bring attention to the case like this. Basically playing the “innocent” role while calling for justice? If people looked into it, they’d definitely uncover some of his secrets.
The Second Prince wasn’t the type to take wild risks. He never believed in that “hiding in plain sight is the safest place” idea. So it didn’t make sense for him to do something this risky. That made Armand think, maybe the recent disappearances really weren’t the Second Prince’s doing.
But even that wasn’t enough to clear the Second Prince of suspicion.
The reason was simple, someone had just said, “Even kids from the orphanage? Who would dare do that?”
Everyone knew the Saint Fleurs Orphanage was funded by the Second Prince. That place practically represented his authority. Targeting kids from there was basically picking a fight with the Second Prince himself. You’d have to be crazy.
Yet... the Second Prince did nothing.
He, who was so petty and sensitive, didn’t react at all.
Even though only a small number of kids had gone missing, just a few so far, it was still a slap in the face. Compared to the massive child trafficking incident that happened back when the Second Princess was still around, this was almost nothing. But still, it was something. And yet, the Second Prince just stood by and let it happen.
Was he turning a blind eye?
Did he already know but chose not to act?
Maybe this was actually a trap set by him from the start.
Maybe the Second Prince was purposely doing nothing, handing the problem over to the Knights.
If the Knights acted carelessly and accidentally ruined the Second Prince’s reputation, he could use it as an excuse to punish them and “reform” the Knights.
If the Knights did manage to find the real criminals, it would probably be some “other group” that claimed to have no connection to him at all. That way, the Second Prince could use this one case to wash away all the rumors about his involvement in past trafficking.
And it would be the Knights who helped him clear his name. He’d get the credit, and they’d be left feeling disgusted and used.
…Ugh. This is so annoying. I feel like I’m going to have to start thinking again.
…Haah…
At that thought, Armand sighed silently to himself.
As Armand listened to the knights talk, his expression became more and more twisted. Even Carle, who was sitting beside him, started to notice.
If we investigate properly, it helps the Second Prince. If we mess it up, it still helps the Second Prince.
We’re just being used as tools…
So annoying. He really wanted to retire.
Meanwhile, over at Anna’s clothing shop, while Armand’s eyebrows were practically clenched tight enough to crush a fly, the conversation among the ladies was growing more and more heated.
“Huh?!”
It wasn’t just Anna, Rachel also let out a surprised voice. But to keep up her image as an innocent little girl who didn’t understand anything, Rachel quickly swallowed her shock and stayed quiet.
“Miss Evelia! Are you finally going to marry Mr. Armand?!”
Wait, what?!
Rachel was still in shock and quickly turned her head to stare at Anna.
How did this woman instantly figure out what Evelia meant?! She can actually keep up with Evelia’s way of thinking?!
Was she some kind of genius?!
But seriously, why was Evelia suddenly talking about marrying Armand? And asking about a wedding dress on top of that? Isn’t that way too fast? Sure, they were getting a little lovey-dovey, but they hadn’t even officially decided anything yet.
Also… Evelia used to be a man. Could she really make up her mind to marry another man?
Wait, is this part of her mission too? Working for the Second Prince is seriously way too hard...
But maybe this was just a casual question. Maybe Evelia had some other plan…
“Yes. I want to marry Mr. Armand.”
WHAT?!
Evelia’s words shocked Rachel so much she felt like her brain couldn’t even catch up. Again and again, Evelia kept blowing through Rachel’s “shock cooldown time.”
You want to marry Armand?
Does Armand even know about this?!
“Ahhh! Really?! Did he propose to you?! Oh my god, tell me everything! Were there flowers? Candles? Doves? Beautiful music?!”
The high-pitched screaming from the woman made Rachel shoot her a glare again. Rachel, being naturally quiet, just couldn’t understand how these women could make such loud and sharp sounds.
“He hasn’t proposed yet,” Evelia said calmly, not even flinching at Anna’s excitement. “To be accurate, I want to marry Mr. Armand. So I should be the one proposing to him.”
“Miss Evelia… is going to propose to Mr. Armand?!”
Anna looked like she’d just heard something unbelievable, mouth wide open and arms frozen mid-air.
Rachel had the same reaction. She didn’t expect Evelia to come up with such a wild idea.
Since when do women propose to men—
Wait, technically… is Evelia a woman or a man again...?
“So, that means…”
Anna tried to calm herself down a bit. She looked at Evelia with a puzzled face and asked.
“Is the wedding dress you want meant for Mr. Armand to wear?”
What kind of logic is that?!
Rachel couldn’t help but scream again in her mind.
“No, it’s for me. I’ll wear the wedding dress for Mr. Armand.”
“Wow…”
Both Anna and the still-stunned Rachel showed the same soft, sugary expression. This was so sweet they couldn't handle it.
Even though Evelia’s face showed none of the usual shy emotions of a girl, and her voice didn’t change at all, both Anna and Rachel, who understood Evelia pretty well, still felt like they were being melted by the sweetness of it.