Chapter 214: That Hopeless Emotion
It had been almost 20 hours since Evelia and Rachel went missing.
Armand hadn’t slept all night. He just sat in the Knights’ office. He normally didn’t eat much, but now he hadn’t even had a few sips of water. He looked completely exhausted.
He had asked a few trustworthy knights to help him search for Rachel and Evelia, but even now, there was no news. Aside from the fact that another criminal's dead body was found in a different alley, there were no other leads.
Even though things looked peaceful on the surface, the ongoing tension between the First and Second Princes kept everything full of danger beneath.
Right now, the thing Armand was most worried about was not knowing what their disappearance really meant.
Was it a threat from the Second Prince’s side?
But Evelia worked for the Second Prince, didn’t she?
Why would they kidnap Evelia too?
Was it a human trafficking group?
But then why let Salana go free?
Just because they didn’t dare mess with Carle?
But even Carle’s nanny had been killed. Would people who dared to do that really be afraid of Carle?
Then… was this a warning aimed at him?
Kidnapping someone close to you is the simplest, most direct way to send a threat.
But then, back to the same question. Besides the Second Prince, who else would hold a grudge against him?
Sure, he knew a lot of nobles didn’t like him, but kidnapping? That was a serious crime. Even if they were nobles, they’d need more than one head to pay for that.
Also, Armand might not have a noble title, but he was someone the Crown Prince valued. He didn’t voice many opinions, but in a way, he was still popular in politics. Even if people from different sides hated him, they only dared complain in secret. No one had ever dared to go against him directly.
“......”
Still... something felt strange.
According to Salana’s story, the attackers found the two girls first. With the nanny’s help, they escaped from the most dangerous spot. And Evelia only rushed in after Salana had already run out alone.
So maybe… Rachel was the real target all along?
But why Rachel? Because she was cute? That would be too shallow.
Was it because the previous kidnapping failed, and they were holding a grudge?
But then what about Evelia? Was it a “buy one get one free” kind of situation where she just got taken too?
Or...
Was Evelia... killed to silence her...?
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Armand’s chest tightened painfully. He finally understood what Carle must’ve felt when hearing something had happened to his daughter.
Even if it was just a guess, Armand felt his hands and feet turn cold. Sweat dripped down his back.
If Evelia really had died... with her background, maybe something like that was bound to happen sooner or later.
But still—
Damn it... what’s the meaning of all this?
She was on the Second Prince’s side. If she was killed by them, it wouldn’t be a surprise. And Evelia was technically a spy working against him. So her death should’ve made things easier for him...
But...
Armand miserably covered his face. Just imagining that possibility made his nose sting like he was about to cry, like someone who had never seen the world before.
No, it's just a guess.
Armand peeked through his fingers at the spot Evelia used to always stand and watch him from.
Back then, when she kept staring at him, he used to feel uncomfortable. But now that the space was suddenly empty.
He just couldn’t get used to it.
It must be that someone took her away, or maybe she chased after Rachel and got separated…
There were clear signs that someone had tried to treat the wounds on Salana’s dead nanny. That meant someone at the scene wasn’t entirely hostile, maybe they were even friendly or neutral.
Could it be that Evelia was taken away by that person?
But from how terrible the scene looked, that person must’ve been very skilled. Even if it wasn’t the “Red Crow,” it must’ve been someone on the same level...
Well... whoever it was… whoever it was... as long as Evelia is still alive.
Armand clasped his hands together and rested them in front of his nose. If Evelia were here right now, she’d probably say, “You look way more tired than usual, and it’s only been one night.”
“…Haa…”
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to get a bit of rest. He looked like a devoted follower kneeling before a church statue, silently praying for the people he cared about.
Even though praying seemed useless to him, he was still willing to try, even though he never believed in gods.
He was praying, for that spy from the Second Prince, the one he had always been on guard against from the moment they met.
He had once confidently told himself, ‘Before things get out of control, I’ll cut ties. I’ll stop caring. I’ll eliminate Evelia before she becomes a threat.’
But sadly, it was too late.
He had always thought he was a logical man. But by the time he realized it, he was already in too deep.
Just like a fool who got tricked and didn’t even notice…
Even though things weren’t looking good, just the thought of Evelia, of her always acting so confused and adorably clueless, made Armand smile without meaning to.
It felt like he was remembering happy times, or maybe mocking his current, miserable self.
He had gotten way too emotionally involved.
He only meant to test the waters, but Evelia had pulled him in completely. And now, he might not even mind drowning.
This really wasn’t good...
This was Armand’s first time feeling this way about someone, but he clearly understood what this emotion meant.
He wanted to deny it, but not even he could lie to himself now.
The moment the thought, ‘I want to steal Evelia away from the Second Prince,’ appeared in his mind, that feeling had already carved itself deep into his heart.
He had fallen for her.
...Enough. Right now, what matters most is finding Evelia and Rachel.
Armand didn’t know how to deal with these feelings, so he just decided not to.
In a way, he and Evelia were pretty similar. Whenever something was too hard to face, they would both just avoid it.
Anyway, no news was still good news, at least it wasn’t something like “a pink-haired girl’s body found by the roadside.”
Right now, Armand knew he had to pull himself together.
He had to look for connections, people or things that might be clues—
“…Ah.”
Come to think of it, there was one more person.
Viscount Scassia, wasn’t he involved in this?
That old guy had rushed over before, shouting that the “Red Crow” had threatened him. But when Armand made a round trip and came back to the knights' office, the old man had completely disappeared.
“A dog never changes its ways…”
Armand said bitterly.
Looks like he’ll have to make another trip.
Thinking this, Armand stood up, picked up the coat hanging on the back of his chair, and walked toward the door of the captain's office, which had stayed mostly closed the entire day.
Click.
A crisp sound echoed, and somewhere far away, Evelia turned her head at the noise.
“Oh no~ What’s this tree branch doing here~? So annoying~”
A lively and slightly playful voice came from behind her.
In the sunlight that slipped through the cracks, Evelia saw a girl with shoulder-length reddish-brown hair, wearing dark gray clothes.
It was “Grey Dove.”
She didn’t always wear her cloak. To her, that cloak wasn’t for hiding her face. It was simply to help mask her presence. So, when she was confident in a “perfect infiltration”, which meant killing everyone who saw her, she didn’t bother wearing what she called “that annoying thing.”
After all, the cloak partly blocked her view, and as an archer, vision was the one thing she couldn’t afford to lose.
Of course, she could also fight in close combat with her bow if needed, sometimes she even enjoyed it.
But most of the time, what she truly loved was the thrill of hunting from the shadows, watching her poor little prey panic as she fired sneak attacks from the dark, and then, just as they were about to escape, shooting an arrow straight into their heart.
She never got tired of that.
But now, facing Evelia, Grey Dove was more alert than usual.
Maybe because her weapon was a longbow, she kept her distance from Evelia, who wasn’t wearing any disguise.
A sharp arrow was already nocked and ready on her bowstring. Even though she looked casual, her fingers were just low enough to launch that arrow at lightning speed if she chose to.
“It’s dangerous here~ What are you doing in a place like this?”
Clearly, Grey Dove didn’t recognize Evelia’s true identity. After all, the idea that her idol had turned into a pink-haired girl was too far-fetched, even for someone with a few screws loose.
“…Did you take Rachel?” Evelia raised her hand, and from a faint alchemical glow, she pulled out her favorite dagger.
“Oh wow… that’s a crest mark, isn’t it?” Grey Dove smiled, like she had stumbled upon an unexpected prize.
If this woman had a royal crest, then she must be someone from the palace. Seeing how she tracked Rachel and had already taken down so many of her subordinates, it was clear she was strong.
But who exactly was she? If Grey Dove remembered right, the man who used to protect Rachel was Armand, the Captain of the Knights.
So now, this woman on Armand’s side, who was she?
“Fufu~ Fuhuhuhu~” Grey Dove was getting excited.
She loved the thrill of sniping from the shadows, but facing a strong opponent up close also made her blood race.
This was her chance to prove herself.
Even though her idol, the Red Crow, wasn’t here right now, Grey Dove planned to kill this enemy, cut off her face and the piece of flesh with the crest, and keep them as trophies.
Then, when Red Crow came back, she would show him what she had collected.
As long as I’m strong enough, cold-blooded enough, then surely… surely Red Crow will finally look at me.
Ahh—my god…
She raised her bow and arrow, her face glowing with joy, heart pounding with excitement, and aimed the tip of the arrow at Evelia.
—Please look at me!
I’ll definitely make you… truly see me for who I am!
Clang!