Only after halfway exiting the garden, Andra realized that her neck felt empty. She groped her neck and chest with her palm, but the necklace that should have been there was gone. It was unbelievable.

It was an item she had carried with her since birth. It was also a locket necklace containing the only portrait of Marchioness Avelin. Above all, it was her mother’s only keepsake, more precious than anything else…

Andra pondered in silence, retracing the path she had walked. When did it disappear? Recalling her small scuffle with Dustin Airak, she realized it was then. Otherwise, there was no way the necklace would have fallen off on its own. Without hesitation, Andra turned back to the path she had just taken.

Rushing to the spot where she had clashed with Dustin Airak, Andra knelt down without caring that her dress brushed against the grass, and she began to feel the ground with her hands. Finding her necklace was more important than readjusting the dress. The dress could be fixed or replaced, but there was only one necklace in this world. She had to find it quickly.

“…It’s not here.”

Andra’s face stiffened as she took a sharp breath. Her hands which touched the ground started trembling and it shook her entire body. She had forgotten about the dampness in her hands and searched the entire area for an hour, but the necklace was nowhere to be found.

It was unthinkable. This couldn’t be happening. Andra barely stood up with legs that trembled and surveyed the garden. At this hour everyone should be inside, there was no one in the garden except her. The profound silence made Andra even more uneasy.

“It can’t be here… It’s not here.”

If it wasn’t during the scuffle with Airak, then when on earth could it have fallen off? Certainly, it was there just a moment ago when she left the hall and entered the garden.

Andra couldn’t control her trembling hands, and her feet even wobbled. She couldn’t lose her necklace like this. She had to find that necklace no matter what.

With an obsession to find the necklace, Andra decided to retrace every step she had taken. If she was lucky, she might find it along the way. No, she had to find it.

She dragged her legs, which seemed to have no strength left and forced herself to look at each step she had taken. It was difficult to find it as it was getting dark, and although there were lights scattered around the garden, they were not much help in searching for a small necklace.

“Go and ask someone…”

Now even her voice was trembling. The anxiety of permanently losing the necklace suddenly overwhelmed her. She had never lost her necklace before, making it all the more distressing. This was the first time this has ever happened.

Andra barely managed to swallow the urge to cry and decided to ask for help from her father and the servants. If people were involved, she might find it quickly. It would be faster and more certain with several people searching than just one.

“No, if I search a little more…”

However, she couldn’t bring herself to stop walking. If she looked a bit more carefully, she might be able to find the necklace soon. The hope that she could get it held Andra back. What if it was right in front of her, but she couldn’t see it? What if someone picked it up while she wasn’t looking? Various thoughts crossed her mind. And in the end, an uncontrollable anger surged within her.

This is all because of Dustin Airak.

If only she hadn’t fought with that bastard. No, even if she hadn’t met him, this wouldn’t have happened. So, it was all because of Dustin Airak that she lost her necklace. Damn Airak. Detestable Airak. How could he torment someone like this until the end? There was truly no other wretched fate like this. What had she done wrong!

‘I won’t let him go. No matter what happens, I will ruin that bastard’s path.’

As she hurried to ask for help from others, Andra unexpectedly came face to face with Dustin once again. Ironically, Dustin Airak was the last person she wanted to encounter at that moment.

Upon seeing Dustin, Andra rushed towards him. The dignity she usually displayed in front of him was cast aside. She immediately delivered a powerful slap to Dustin’s face.

“….What the hell is this?”

Stunned by the unexpected slap, Dustin let out a hollow laugh and stared at Andra as if she were a crazy woman. Was she insane? Before he could question her about her actions, another blow came from the opposite side. Of course, he wouldn’t be hit twice, so Dustin grabbed Andra’s arm. Dustin spoke after twisting Andra’s arm ruthlessly behind her back.

“Are you crazy? Have you completely lost it?”

“Let go of me! This is all because of you!”

“Why me? Ha, If I knew Lady Avelin could be this violent, I would have brought a sword. Is this how you deal with things you don’t like in Avelin? Using force?”

Dustin pushed Andra’s twisted arm further towards her back, causing her to struggle and jump wildly.

“Let go, you crazy bastard!”

“Now you’re even cursing? Huh, where did that noble demeanor go? Did you just decide to throw it away?”

“Ack!”

As Andra leaped around, Dustin exerted force and pushed her to the ground. Andra looked disheveled as she struggled on the ground after falling backwards. Dustin stood there, looking down at the fallen Andra.

In this state, she was far from a dignified Lady. Her hair, attire, everything was disarrayed, and her dress was stained with dirt. Her hands were a mess, as if she had been digging in the ground.

Suddenly, Andra glared at Dustin and shouted.

“Where’s my necklace! Did you take it?”

“….What necklace?”

Dustin momentarily paused at the mention of the necklace. Inside his pocket was the locket necklace he had taken after the scuffle with Andra. However, he quickly pretended ignorance.

“Did you take my necklace? Give it back, right now!”

Andra sprang to her feet and rushed at Dustin. Her grip was surprisingly strong, causing him to furrow his brow. How can such force emanate from her slender frame that seemed to easily break.

Nonetheless, it was a strength that wouldn’t pose much of a challenge for him. As he effortlessly pushed Andra aside, Dustin asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Why would you look for it from me?”

“It disappeared after we fought. It must be you. Give it back now, Dustin Airak!”

Dustin chuckled at Andra’s words. Seeing her desperately trying to find the necklace, he became determined not to reveal that he had picked it up. He shrugged his shoulders, pretending not to understand what she was saying.

“This is absurd. Any evidence? Is there any proof that I took that necklace?”

“What? If it’s not you, who else would take the necklace? Hurry up, give it back. I’m not in the mood to fight with you right now.”

“Did the Miss Avelin, who was usually so smart and capable, go on vacation? Don’t hold onto people unnecessarily. I’ve never seen such a necklace.”

When Dustin coldly and firmly replied, Andra seemed taken aback. Was it really not him? He had never seen the necklace? Then who? Her subtly shaking eyes seemed to not believe it. There’s no way. If it’s not him, then the necklace wouldn’t be missing….

Dustin slowly curled his mouth, looking at Andra’s face filled with despair. The lady who had just lost a seemingly insignificant necklace seemed more unsettled than when she lost her position.

It was an unexpected gain. Watching the woman’s anxious expression tormented by anxiety, Dustin felt his previously complicated thoughts become lighter. A satisfaction of finally toppling Avelin surged within him.

“More than that, accusing a person of being a thief. Avelin must know about it.”

“It’s a lie… It’s a lie!”

Andra gasped for breath and shouted loudly. Seeing her like this, Dustin stared at her in silence for a moment.

Perhaps this incident could teach the Eastern Princess about despair. He still wanted to trample on that arrogant and haughty attitude that was still faintly visible. Dustin replied with a clear sneer.

“Yes, it’s a lie.”

“….You!”

“It seems like I picked up a necklace. I picked up something for sure… Unfortunately, it’s not in my hands right now.”

Dustin spread out both of his empty hands and shook them. Andra’s face was mercilessly crushed, frozen at Dustin’s following words.

“I threw it away, into the lake.”

“….”

Andra’s face turned pale and almost transparent. Her blue eyes were trapped in shock and couldn’t break free.

In the moonlight, the woman looked more like a ghost than a human, so white and pale that she seemed like she could disappear at any moment.

Dustin oddly felt discomfort in one side of his chest seeing her like that. It was a strange sensation. At the moment he unconsciously reached out to Andra, she forcefully brushed his hand away and glared at him as if she could kill him.

“You’re not human.”

Eventually, Andra ran towards the lake without giving Dustin a chance to catch her. Watching Andra getting farther away, Dustin absentmindedly rubbed his slightly stinging hand. He pulled out the necklace from his pocket with the other hand.

It was the item Andra had been desperately searching for.

‘What’s all this about?’

Click, Dustin opened the lid, revealing a portrait of an ordinary woman. The woman in the portrait was so plain and unremarkable that it failed to capture much attention. If she were a real person, her face was the kind one could easily encounter while walking down the street. An appearance that, unless there was something special, would quickly fade from memory.

Dustin took another quick look at the portrait, but the woman in the painting bore no resemblance to Andra, who had just passed by him. It was safe to say that they looked entirely different.

‘Well, it’s not my job.’

Dustin closed the locket lid, placing the necklace back into his pocket.

After leaving the imperial palace following today’s mission, he planned to dispose of it anywhere. After all, he had already achieved his goal, and he wasn’t particularly concerned about what to do with the necklace.

‘You’re not human.’

But why did it feel so uncomfortable?

He looked up at the sky. Clouds had begun to gather in the star-studded sky. He wondered if the rainy season would start earlier this year than usual. While contemplating this, he thought of Andra, who had run towards the lake. The image of her, searching for a nonexistent necklace, flashed before his eyes. Even now, he thought it might have been a bit too harsh, but it was spilled water.

‘I should’ve just played it off to the end.’

Enough. Is she really going to stubbornly search for the necklace even in the rain? After being exhausted from her struggles in the grass, she would soon give up. The fact that a well-raised noble lady like Andra engaged in such a task was hard.

Dustin quickly left the garden. However, the uneasy feeling still lingered, so he grabbed a passing soldier and urged him to patrol the lake later.

‘Just in case.’

Dustin thought it would be fine.

* * *

“I’ll definitely find it.”

Pushing Dustin aside, Andra threw away her shoes and stepped into the lake. It was a reckless and foolish act, but she was desperate. That necklace. She couldn’t give up.

She bit her lip. She was determined to find the necklace, even if she had to search the entire lake bottom.

For an hour, two hours…

Before she knew it, rain poured down from the sky, mirroring the storm inside Andra’s heart. The weight of sadness pressed on her shoulders, and tears poured endlessly. Andra thought dully. Why? Why were her tears indistinguishable from the raindrops blocking her view? With her clothes soaked and dirt between her fingernails, she stared blankly, she hated everything.

She missed her mother whom she had never met.

__