“Merran has been taken by the Palace Guards?”
Claisey nearly spat out the vegetable juice she was drinking. Her maid, Anna, quickly handed her a handkerchief. Claisey dabbed at her mouth, her brows furrowed.
“How did that happen?”
Regrettably, the first thing that crossed Claisey’s mind was the possibility of a romantic entanglement.
*‘That couldn’t be it, could it? She’s only ever targeted the men I happen to be interested in.’*
In Claisey’s experience, Merran’s goal wasn’t the men themselves. After all, once she’d disrupted Claisey’s romance, didn’t she always end up dumping the man anyway? Afterward, she would return to her usual affectionate and lovely self, as if she had never acted cruelly, and follow Claisey around like a little chick. Therefore, it was unlikely she had been flirting with the husband of some high-ranking noblewoman.
“It was at the Laberton family party yesterday. Oh, my. Perhaps you two shouldn’t have gone. They say something went missing there.”
Thankfully, it wasn’t a romantic entanglement. However, it was unexpected. Claisey set down the handkerchief and furrowed her brow again.
“Merran doesn’t have sticky fingers.”
“Of course not, Miss. Why would our Miss Merran lack for anything and need to steal someone else’s belongings?”
That was true. Merran received allowances from Claisey’s parents, her second eldest sister, and her brothers as well. Furthermore, her biological father, Marquis Omal, although he did not take part in raising her, sent a generous allowance every month.
Claisey lost her appetite, set down her cup, and waved her hand.
“I can’t eat any more. Take it away.”
“Miss, you’ve only had three sips of juice.”
“How can I eat when I hear the child has been dragged away? I have no appetite.”
“You’ve only just woken up after suffering from a high fever. You must eat at least a little to regain your strength.”
Anna tried to dissuade her, but Claisey truly didn’t have the energy to swallow anything. Claisey checked the time and stood up.
“How long has it been since she was taken? Did you send anyone?”
“I sent Ledon, but he said he couldn’t even get past the front gate. It’s been about an hour or two since Miss Merran left….”
Anna’s voice was cut off by a knock at the front door.
“Miss Merran must have returned!”
Anna jumped up and quickly made her way down the hallway and the stairs. Claisey tried to follow, but her body still felt heavy. Before she could even reach the door, her legs gave out, and she stumbled. She ultimately gave up and sat on the sofa. If Merran had returned, Anna would relay the news soon enough.
As expected, Anna returned to Claisey a while later.
“Miss, you must hide!”
However, the Anna who returned said something strange.
“Huh?”
Claisey, who had been resting her chin on her hand on the sofa with her eyes closed, looked at Anna with a confused expression. Hide?
“It’s the Palace Guards. They’ve come again.”
“What about Merran?”
“Miss Merran isn’t here; the guards have come by themselves! And there are several of them this time!”
Anna looked back as if afraid they might be chasing her. Normal soldiers would not dare to barge into a noble’s mansion at will. However, the Palace Guards were different. They obeyed only the Emperor’s commands. He liked to flaunt his power, using the Palace Guards as his personal tool. He would have them treat nobles rudely, then ignore the situation with the absurd excuse that “my subordinates are difficult to control.”
“No, what on earth is going on?”
Claisey still felt dizzy, but she decided she had to go out, even if she had to push herself. She grabbed the cane she had leaned against the wardrobe. Anna’s eyes widened.
“Miss, surely not again….”
“I’m fine.”
Claisey walked toward the door, but Anna blocked her path.
“Why?”
“It seems Miss Merran has been framed. I don’t know if the sparks might fly at you too, Miss Claisey.”
Anna wore a resolute expression. Claisey raised an eyebrow.
“That’s why I’m trying to go out.”
“That’s why you can’t. Right now, it’s a situation where she might have been framed. Besides, this isn’t our hometown. The Capital is overflowing with nobles like us.”
“So you’re saying I should just abandon the child?”
“I’m not saying we should abandon her. I’m saying there’s no need for both of you to be taken at the same time. One of you needs to find out what’s going on.”
Anna approached and gripped one of Claisey’s hands pleadingly.
“Miss. Escape the mansion through the back door. The house right next to us belongs to Miss Florence, doesn’t it? Her husband works at the palace. If you ask him, he’ll find out what happened. If she’s been framed, he’ll clear her name. Please, ask Miss Florence for help.”
Anna was a spirited woman. Loud-voiced and strong, she had been by Claisey’s side since she was a child. It was rare for Anna to be afraid; usually, if Claisey or Merran hesitated, Anna would push them from behind. Yet, today, she was advising her to hide.
“…All right.”
Claisey wasn’t as afraid of the Palace Guards as Anna was. However, because of her physical condition, she decided to follow the advice. She was still in her pajamas and hadn’t even washed her face. Her hair was a mess from cold sweats, and she couldn’t appear in front of the people who had taken Merran looking like this.
“Hurry.”
Anna urged her again. Claisey threw a thick winter cloak over her pajamas to cover herself. Anna went down the main staircase alone to draw attention, while Claisey used her cane to head toward the side staircase leading to the kitchen.
As Claisey was halfway down, she heard the voice of a strange man from below.
*‘Soldiers?’*
The Palace Guards had come inside! She had heard they ignored etiquette, but to enter the interior without permission!
*‘What on earth is Merran involved in?’*
Claisey paused at the landing and looked out a window, intending to check the path to the back door. However, the view was obstructed. With no other choice, she lifted her heels as high as she could and leaned forward.
At that moment, her foot cramped, her body jerked, and she tumbled right out of the window.
“Ugh!”
Fortunately, she landed on a wide decorative ledge below. Holding her aching tailbone, she looked up at the window. It was far too high to climb back up.
*‘I can’t just jump from here to the ground either.’*
As she agonized, her eyes caught a long rope hanging down from the roof, likely left there for window cleaning.
*‘I’ll ride that down.’*
Claisey grabbed the rope. She had always been good at climbing, and while her legs were weak, her arms were fine. She descended cautiously, but as she passed the first-floor window, her reflection appeared in the glass. More importantly, she wasn’t the only one reflected.
Below her, a sleepy-looking silver-haired man was smiling brightly with his arms spread out, as if ready to catch her. As their eyes met, the man said gently:
“Hurry and come down. I won’t let you fall, I’ll catch you.”
Claisey recognized him immediately.
“Kishin?”
He was the blood-stained man who had hijacked the carriage last night. The man gave a subtle smile. Claisey immediately grasped the situation. This entire incident had occurred because this man was throwing his weight around to find his lost identification card.
‘No, couldn’t he have just come and asked me to return it?’
Enraged, Claisey swung her slipper-clad foot toward him. Unfortunately, it missed entirely and plopped to the ground.
The silver-haired man looked at the pink furry slipper and chuckled mockingly.
“You trust me too much. Are you saying you don’t need your shoes because I’ll carry you?”
He pointed at the other slipper still stuck to her foot and suggested, “Why don’t you throw that one too?” but Claisey ignored him and began climbing back up. In her fury, she forgot that her legs weren’t functioning properly. She tried to move as she usually did, lost her balance, and plummeted.
“Argh!”
She realized her mistake too late, but before she hit the ground, an angel appeared. An incredibly flamboyant male angel with red hair.
Claisey blinked, her hands outstretched, confused. Did she die? At that moment, she felt pain in her waist, followed by a sharp sting in her palms. Tears welled up in her eyes.
The angel asked, “Do you intend for me to keep holding you?”
The cold, low voice sounded more like a devil than an angel. Claisey finally realized she hadn’t died—this handsome man had caught her.
She looked over and saw the silver-haired man standing to the side, looking quite cunning. He picked up her furry slipper and, as if slotting a newspaper into a rack, slid it back onto Claisey’s foot before tattling.
“Kishin, it’s this woman. This woman is the one who took your identification card.”