* * *

“We should stay here tonight.”

By the time we had changed carriages eight times and had only one scroll remaining, the night sky had turned pitch black. The destination was right before our eyes.

“Shall we order something to eat at the restaurant first? I’ll ask the others about the situation.”

“Okay.”

As Annie went to meet the innkeeper, I headed to the restaurant right next door. My body was stiff, so I ordered some warm soup and waited. Soon, the food arrived. I relaxed as I scooped up spoonful after spoonful, and Annie came in. Her expression didn’t look too bad.

“How did it go?”

“They still haven’t been able to locate Ginger, and it seems the carriages we sent separately to the north and south haven’t been tracked either.”

Annie had sent two other carriages to the northern Sergal and southern Helium, each carrying a woman who looked similar to me. It was an additional safety measure to avoid being tracked. They would have intentionally left a few traces behind.

“Order something for yourself, Annie.”

“Hmm, I’ll just have a glass of brandy. I thought I was going to die of thirst.”

Annie raised her hand and ordered a brandy. After finishing our meal, we immediately secured a room upstairs.

“Get a good night’s sleep until 4 o’clock. We have to leave at 5, so let’s meet in front of the door at 4:30.”

Annie winked at me.

“Got it. You worked hard today. See you tomorrow.”

“Yes, see you tomorrow, Levian.”

She waved her hand and went into the room across from mine. I also went inside, locked the door, tossed the bag I had brought, and sat down on the bed.

“Whew.”

My whole body ached as if it was going to fall apart after all that frantic movement. It was unlikely, but I had deliberately piled illusion upon illusion on my face to avoid being recognized, which made it doubly hard.

However, the farther I got from the capital, the farther I got from Ferrarium, the lighter my heart felt. My nerves, which had been on edge enough to soak my handkerchief, were also calming down considerably.

For now, I will go to Pyronte Devosh tomorrow morning and lie low. Then, after checking the situation, I would meet up with Ginger and Edmond again.

“They must be in an uproar by now.”

Since Nigella had lost her memory, they wouldn’t be able to openly punish her. That was my guess, but it seemed like it would depend on how much of Kairos’ true nature was revealed.

“No, forget it. Just forget about it.”

They were no longer people who had anything to do with me. They had deceived me and had a merry time all this time, hadn’t they?

Any lingering feelings of guilt disappeared when I recalled how much of a fool they had made of me. It was time for us to go our separate ways. I hoped Kairos would give up on me easily and send me divorce papers on his own accord.

I got up again, mustering my strength.

“I need a bath.”

With that, I headed to the bathroom, grumbling.

* * *

Ferrarium and the Viscount Edith’s estate were in chaos. No one had been able to fall asleep since dawn and were moving around with bated breath.

Hazel Love had disappeared.

Nigella, the maids, and even the coachman had all lost their memories after falling under Hazel’s spell.

“This is beyond our capabilities. I apologize.”

It wasn’t just a cover-up; the memories had been erased, so even bringing in a mage would be useless. He had underestimated Hazel’s abilities.

He had let their guard down because she was always smiling brightly and saying everything was okay, always positive.

When had it started? How much did she know? He should have realized it when her gaze changed. Was it after he gave her the villa? Or was it before that? He had been so caught up in winning her heart that they had missed the important things.

Kairos had opened every drawer in Hazel’s office and room. Surely, there would be some tiny trace left behind. Only the most ordinary objects were scattered about.

“Ugh.”

Kairos let out a frustrated laugh and ran a hand through his hair as if he had been hit hard in the back of the head.

“We’ve started tracking her down. We’re mainly interviewing people who have seen women with similar appearances. We’ll find her as soon as possible. The Guild is also searching.”

Sid entered through the open door, bowed, and reported.

They had started sending out men to track down anyone who had been in contact with Hazel, even if it was just a strand of hair. It was impossible for her to have escaped on her own with her frail body. Someone must have helped her.

A bitter feeling washed over Kairos.

“…That woman.”

“Yes?”

“Wasn’t her name Annie? Find that woman too and bring her before me.”

“Yes, my lord!”

“Check all the gates. If she hasn’t left, she can’t have gone far. Search every nook and cranny.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Sid disappeared without a trace.

For a long time, Kairos stood there like a dog that had lost its owner, and then a hollow laugh escaped his lips.

“Haha.”

She had matched wits with him and run away? She had sung to me every day with her pretty lips, saying she loved him? Well, she was a woman with a history. She was short on money, and now she had taken his heart and run away.

It was unbelievable.

Well, if she had run away, he had to find her. She must be hiding somewhere, acting arrogantly though she had to dance to his wife’s cheerful beat.

“Hide-and-seek. Yes, that’s good.”

This little game of hide-and-seek would end as soon as he found her. He had already found her once; could he not find her a second time? It was absurd for her to leave him for any reason. He would catch her again and keep her by his side, never to let her escape again.

Hazel’s place was by his side, and nowhere else, as he had decided.

The next day.

Sid received a belated report from the slave fighting ring and suffered a severe headache.

“A slave has escaped. It seems he did it in a fit of madness last night.”

“A slave escaped?”

“Well, his name is Edmond… We don’t know what happened. They said the manager was found unconscious in his room. I apologize. We will find him today, no matter what.”

“Find him before things get worse. I need to report to His Majesty before dinner.”

“…I will try!”

“Ha…”

After the captive Hazel Love, even a slave had disappeared.

What was even funnier was that Ginger, who had been working at the guild, had also vanished without a trace. He found out late that Ginger Perian had disappeared while searching for Hazel. Sid felt like his head was going to explode.

Why were all these things happening at once?

It was clear that the three of them had acted together unless it was just a crazy coincidence. They had searched the slave fighting ring and the guild, but there had been no sign of anything amiss until yesterday afternoon, so they had no idea who had helped whom.

He had also gone in search of her, Annie, whom his lord had asked to find yesterday, but all he had received was a portrait of someone who looked different from the face he had seen.

That meant that the information was wrong or that her name wasn’t Annie.

If it was the latter, it was just like Hazel Love to have prepared everything in front of them like a play. Then, it was not an impulsive escape but a deliberate act, and he had a bad feeling that it would be even harder to find her.

He was really taken aback. How audacious!

The only woman who had ever dared to hit Kairos Hadid on the back of his head twice in her life was probably Hazel Love. He shouldn’t have trusted her. At this point, he wondered if she had planned everything, even making his lord fall in love with her.

His thoughts raced.

“Ha… Really. Where did it all go wrong?”

He had to report this, but Sid’s feet would not move.

‘Should I just bite my tongue and die?’

Wouldn’t that be easier? He didn’t have the confidence to face the lord. He’d rather be beaten up. He didn’t have the courage to stand under that overwhelming aura.

Sid clutched his head with both hands.

“Ah…”

D*mn it.

He got up again to report.

* * *

“Hmm, hmm, hmm.”

At 4 a.m., I woke up before sunrise, but I felt refreshed.

I hummed a song as I took a bath. Refreshed, excited, free! The heavy heart I had yesterday felt light, as if it had been healed while I slept. I had a good feeling about today. I felt like I could reach Devosh without being caught.

This kind of good feeling was usually quite accurate.

After finishing my bath, I changed my clothes, quickly packed my remaining belongings, and went outside. It was time to leave again.

“Annie, did you sleep well?”

“Yawn. Well, so-so.”

Annie appeared, rubbing her temples. She hadn’t had time to wash, and her hair was half-combed, her eyes half-open.

She shook her head and rubbed her face.

“Breakfast, what do you want to eat? I don’t usually eat much.”

“I’ll just have a glass of water.”

“Hmm, then I’ll have coffee. The owner should be up.”

Annie stumbled down the stairs, half-asleep. Then, I ordered a strong coffee, drank it, and got into the carriage.

“We’ll tear the travel scroll at the end. If there are no problems, we should be at the entrance of Devosh by lunchtime.”

“Then, will we be able to see the sea today?”

“Of course.”

One of the reasons I wanted to go to Devosh was because there was a sea.

“Then let’s go.”

I urged Annie on.

Whether Ferrarium turned upside down or not was no longer my concern.

—