I gripped the trembling sword’s hilt with both hands. Sys and Evan watched me with anxious faces, but I had no intention of stopping.
The blade’s sharp edge pointed at the butler. He clamped his lips shut, glaring at the tip.
“Say it again. What gives you the right to deny the master of this house?”
I swung the sword lightly. The blade nicked his earlobe, sending a lock of hair cascading down. Screams and gasps echoed, but my eyes stayed fixed on him.
“Don’t misunderstand. Whether you accept it or not, the master of this house is Aerial Asha Pison.”
The butler’s eyes widened, his pupils shaking violently. I raised the sword and dropped it toward him.
Clang.
“If you can’t accept that, leave now. We don’t need those who can’t recognize their master.”
The heavy metal struck the marble floor, ringing clearly. Several women flinched, stepping back. Amid them, a faint but familiar scent wafted.
My senses sharpened, every nerve on edge. A red alarm blared in my mind. I scanned the crowd, studying each face.
Among the somber, bowed heads, one stood out. She mirrored their expressions, but the corners of her lips twitched upward.
It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but my heightened senses screamed to seize her.
Before I could think, my hand moved.
“Eek!”
The maid I grabbed by the hair looked up, tears welling. It was the one who’d last seen Lai.
“M-my lady…”
Her face mixed pain and confusion, as if she couldn’t fathom why she was being treated this way.
“Why do you have kayark?”
The faint scent of kayark became certain when I grabbed her. I searched her clothes.
“L-let go! Ahh!”
She twisted, trying to escape. Sys, who’d been watching silently, pinned her arms behind her.
She thrashed, but couldn’t break free. Soon, I found a cloth pouch in her possession.
“It’s kayark,” Evan confirmed, his face aghast as he opened it.
“Why do you have this?”
Thanks to my wet nurse, Kayark’s effects were known. Though few had seen its powdered form, everyone knew its name and potency.
“I-I don’t know! It’s not mine! Please, butler, help!”
Her pale face reached for the butler, who stood frozen, like a statue. I ignored him, turning to Sys.
“Call the knights. Investigate everyone here. Not one person spared!”
“It’s a misunderstanding! She’s served this house since birth. Her parents died loyally for Pison. She’d never do this!”
“My wet nurse served Pison for years, too.”
“…!”
The butler’s face turned deathly pale.
“She was my nurse, and her mother was my mother’s. Should I still trust you?”
I’d expose every speck of dust. Without El, House Pison was nothing.
Act 23: Promise
Bang!
I slammed both hands on the desk. My palms stung, but that was irrelevant.
“El is missing, and you say you can’t spare knights?”
“There are no knights available to move right now.”
Unlike my heated agitation, my father’s face remained impassive, as always.
Evan led the search of the entire Pison estate. Sys contacted the palace, summoning his knights.
The Pison staff were shocked to find a traitor among them. They didn’t want to believe it, but the kayark was undeniable proof.
Once could be a coincidence. Twice was no accident.
Their excessive loyalty led to overreach, but their devotion to House Pison was genuine. Fearing another traitor, they began watching each other.
The company and knights scoured the main house, annex, servants’ quarters, warehouses, and stables—every corner. Despite their thoroughness, El remained unfound.
Worse, the maid with the kayark died during a moment of inattention. Even with open eyes, we’d been outmaneuvered.
El’s whereabouts were still a mystery. With no clue who took her or why, the possibilities were endless.
I wanted to declare martial law and search the entire capital, but that was impossible. A mere count’s daughter didn’t justify turning the city upside down. Besides, we lacked manpower.
I’d asked my father for help to bolster our forces, but he refused flatly. He sat, unmoving, reviewing documents.
My heart burned, fearing what might happen to El while we delayed.
“I’m not asking for knights from elsewhere. Just let me use the ones guarding me.”
The knights assigned to me by my father were the elite of House Eliant. In this desperate situation, they’d be invaluable. But moving them required his approval.
“Impossible.”
“Why?”
“I can’t put you in danger.”
His lips set firmly.
El, a young, frail child, was kidnapped by an unknown assailant, her fate uncertain. Yet my father clung to my safety. I couldn’t understand it.
What was he so afraid of?
“I need to know.”
“…”
His steady gaze wavered slightly. I’d pretended not to notice his secrets, but no more.
“What are you so scared of?”
“Bee.”
Sys’s face twisted with unease. I glared at both men.
“This concerns me. Tell me.”
“…”
A shadow crossed my father’s impassive face. I didn’t look away. We locked eyes, neither yielding.
“Marquis, Bee has a point,” Sys said, sighing, trying to persuade him.
“Shouldn’t she know by now?”
My father remained silent, frustrating me.
“Why can’t you tell me?”
“I…”
Finally, he spoke, his voice heavy. I watched his lips, waiting.
“I don’t want you hurt.”
“Will knowing what you’re hiding put me in danger?”
“It could be a shock,” Sys answered for him.
“I’m not as weak as you think.”
A heavy silence settled in the study. I pressed my lips tight, staring at my father.
I wouldn’t move until he told me the truth. His lips twitched, and a low sigh escaped.
“Sit. Let’s talk.”
He rose from his chair, moving to the sofa in the study’s center. Sys and I sat across from him. Normally, Sys, the crown prince, would take the head seat, but such formalities didn’t matter to us.
As we sat, the butler brought hot tea, sensing the gravity of the conversation. He led the maids out discreetly.
The steaming tea cooled untouched. Tired of waiting, I spoke first.
“Tell me.”
“I hoped you’d never know. I still do.”
“I thought about staying ignorant, but I can’t now. I need to know.”
“Where to begin…”
“Everything, from start to finish.”
Another sigh escaped him, low and heavy, reluctant to speak.
“Long ago, the continent faced great peril. The heavens and earth raged, and monsters roamed. Four saviors emerged.”
“The empire’s founding myth?”
