Chapter 34

Dominic, with his mouth tightly shut, glared at his father and rubbed his jaw with his palm. As the two men fell silent, Daniel took a few steps and picked up the cold steel that had fallen into the grass. Dominic, who had flinched, expecting the sword to fly, let out a sigh of relief. Daniel, who had walked up with quick strides, sheathed the sword and grabbed Ricardo by the collar.

"Are you finally getting tired of living, Ricardo Moli? Or have you gone senile? The one who spouted nonsense to her was you, wasn't it?"

"If that nonsense is about the reason why the relationship between my lord and the Empress Dowager soured, yes, I told her."

Dominic, who had been watching the two men with a worried look, opened his sore jaw and shouted.

"Ah, Father! Have you gone mad?"

This is serious. It won't end with just a punch to the jaw. Dominic looked around, hoping to find someone who could help stop Daniel, and bit his lip tightly. The herb garden was empty, with only three people left. He had to resolve this on his own, whether he lived or died. Dominic stuck close to his father, who was grabbed by the collar, and whispered.

"Have you really gone senile? Why did you tell the Duchess that?"

Senile. Senile. There's no other way to explain it. Even if his jaw dislocated, he wouldn't have anything to say. Daniel hadn't grabbed Ricardo's collar tightly, so Ricardo continued with a sly smile.

"Couples need to understand each other to build affection, my lord. If you don't talk, misunderstandings will pile up, so it's better to be honest..."

"Shut up."

"Did you, who understand so well about couples, not know that your wife was having an affair?"

Daniel and Dominic raised their voices at Ricardo simultaneously. While Ricardo was wiping the spittle from his face, Dominic, now angrier than Daniel, shouted loudly.

"What do you know about couples, you? How could you, who are so knowledgeable about relationships, not only fail to confess to your first love but also let her be taken by a wretched noble, and then watch your wife, who had a child with you, run into another man's arms?"

The atmosphere was so intense that Daniel had to let go of Ricardo's collar.

"What does the Duchess need to know about why the Empress Dowager is so eager to get rid of Daniel? What use is it to her?"

"I told her because she was curious..."

"You must have only heard vague rumors that are floating around the empire!"

Daniel and Ricardo's argument was interrupted by Dominic, who shouted even louder.

"And just because she's curious, you tell her everything? Why didn't you spill all the details about Ekinasia too?"

Seeing his father, who was avoiding his gaze with his mouth tightly shut, Dominic held his forehead. Oh no. Did he really say that? This is a major disaster. He couldn't even turn around to face Daniel. Despite being harsh to everyone else, he was always lenient with his father. He had thought it was strange from the moment his father started throwing punches. Seeing his father's reaction now, it was clear he knew what his father had said to the Duchess. He should have noticed when his father was acting so out of character. But he never thought his father would go that far. The incident had completely upended Daniel's life. He had lost his mother and had to swear to serve Leopold for life. It was not something that could be casually talked about to someone who didn't know the full story. It was a matter of life and death.

"Father, what were you thinking..."

Why do you always put me in such difficult situations? How am I supposed to fix this? He glared at his father with a look full of resentment, but it was useless. Accidents happen, and these troublemakers don't realize they're causing them. Feeling a rough hand push his shoulder, Dominic couldn't find a way to resolve this crisis.

"So, after you went and spouted nonsense to my wife, did it make you feel better, Ricardo Moli?"

The voice from behind was as cold as a winter snowstorm in Altas.

"Of course not. I was heartbroken to see how distressed the Duchess was."

Father, please. Stop talking. He should have shut his mouth then. Most of the time, the more his father talks, the bigger the mess he makes.

"The Empress Dowager using my lord and pretending to care, and treating a child's mistake with such severity, was not very adult-like, so I criticized the Empress Dowager..."

Thud! This time, the punch came without any thought of blocking it, and it couldn't have been blocked. If he had taken two in a row, he would have died on the spot. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have taken the first punch for his father. Dominic, still massaging his sore jaw, sighed. If he provoked Daniel any further, who knows what that madman would do. The best course of action was to stay silent. As Dominic gave up on trying to stop him, Daniel clenched his fist again, looking at Ricardo, who was lying on the ground.

"If you don't want to die without anyone knowing, keep your mouth shut. You and Dominic have survived this long only by luck. The Empress Dowager doesn't know what you know. But you went and told my wife? Why? Did you want to go to hell together?"

Dominic, who couldn't even groan, clicked his tongue as he saw his father stand up with a smile. Ricardo, wiping the blood from his lip, smiled at Daniel.

"If Laura could see my lord now, she would be happy. What a pity."

"Why is Mother's name coming up here?"

"Who would be happier to see a good person like the Duchess by your side?"

"What does it matter to me if she's a good person?"

Ricardo, approaching Daniel, grabbed his bony hand. He patted it gently and spoke affectionately.

"Is there a greater blessing than having a good wife? You two will be the happiest couple. Don't be afraid, don't be jealous, and accept her naturally."

Daniel, pulling his hand away from Ricardo, avoided his gaze and stretched his fingers. His bones ached from the punch, and Ricardo seemed to have noticed.

"Stop spouting nonsense. Ricardo, we're not a couple. We're just..."

"You just called her 'my wife' twice."

"When did I..."

Daniel, about to argue, closed his mouth as he recalled his words.

"So, after you went and spouted nonsense to my wife, did it make you feel better?"

"But you told her anyway?"

Damn. Why did you say that? Ricardo, seeing Daniel at a loss for words, wiped his lip again and smirked.

"What's so special about being a couple? It's about gradually understanding and accepting each other, and then building a life together."

Daniel, who looked and acted just like his mother, Ricardo's first love, 'Laura Chardo,' was a stubborn and frustrating but passionate and honest woman's son.

"My lord is full of affection and love, and is the son of the brave woman Laura, who risked everything to protect him. Stop blaming yourself and be happy. Seeing you happy will allow me to rest in peace."

"Shut up. Stop with that nonsense."

Daniel, turning away coldly, was grumbled at by Dominic.

"Yes. If you don't want to show this embarrassing scene to everyone, it's best to stop. There's a nosy intruder coming."

Muriel, with her hair tied in a ponytail, was approaching the field. Dominic, handing a handkerchief to his father, grumbled.

"You were ready to guard the Duchess's bedroom all day, so what are you doing here?"

Sniffing the handkerchief, Ricardo wiped the blood from his lip and asked.

"Did the Duchess give this to you? It smells good."

"Yes. If I gave it to Father, he would just lose it, so she gave me plenty. She told me to make sure he washes his hands before eating."

Muriel, three steps away, bowed to Daniel.

"I greet you, Duke."

"Did you come to see me, Sir Rosivalt?"

"No. I came to see Dominic Moli. I have something to ask him. May I interrupt your conversation for a moment?"

As Muriel finished speaking, Dominic pointed at himself and mouthed, "Me?" Daniel, who had returned to his usual expression, nodded.

"Go ahead."

With Daniel's permission, Muriel spoke urgently.

"I heard you have a date with Miss Frieda today, Dominic."

"That's right. Now that I think about it, I should go soon. Oh, when did it get so dark?"

Looking at the dark red sky, which was about to turn pitch black, Dominic was startled and untangled his arms. Lights were starting to turn on in the castle below.

"The Duchess must have sent for me. I must have forgotten because I was busy. Let's go quickly."

Before leaving, Dominic glared at Daniel and Ricardo, pouting. Muriel, who was about to head down the field, grabbed Dominic's arm.

"Miss is not in the inner castle. Do you not know where she is?"

"What do you mean? The Duchess said no one could leave today. You made sure no one could move..."

"Damn."

Daniel, suddenly swearing, slipped and ran down the field.

"Hey, you... No, my lord! Where are you going?"

Dominic's shout echoed into the darkening sky. *** Bang! Daniel, who had slammed the tower door shut, put the lantern on the ground and examined the footprints in the dirt. His expression, revealed by the light, was quite anxious.

"Where did she go?"

It was already dark, but Frieda hadn't returned to the castle. He had checked the secret passage and the path from the tower to the castle, but found nothing. All the servants were searching the surrounding paths, but Frieda was still missing. Daniel had just finished checking the tower with a spare key he had made. She wasn't inside, of course. After examining the ground for a while, Daniel stood up and roughly ran his hand through his hair.

"Damn, what am I supposed to see to find her?"

How could a woman who can't even find her own bedroom in broad daylight have gotten lost?

"Can't you see in the dark? She should have come back before it got dark. Why... Damn."

Leaning against a nearby tree, Daniel took a deep breath and began to organize his thoughts. First, it's not the secret passage. She's not stupid enough to go there without a lantern. It's probably not the wide, visible path either. She wouldn't want to be seen by Rosivalt, so she would have gone somewhere less noticeable. If so, it might be the opposite direction, not the main path on the left. Raising his shoulders, Daniel slowly moved towards the right side of the castle wall. There were two places connected to 'Marian Hall' that had been abandoned due to the sale of furniture. 'Scadi Hall,' which had been tidied up to receive the recent Boild noble, and 'Brabant Hall,' which was full of old junk and difficult to manage, including portraits and armor. Daniel quickly passed the entrance to 'Scadi Hall,' where servants frequently came and went, and pushed open the main door of 'Brabant Hall.' Creak.

'Here.'

Finding footprints in the dirt on the floor, which opened more easily than expected, Daniel rushed inside. With about thirty rooms, where would he find her in 'Brabant Hall'? If she hadn't come here, it would be a problem, but if she had, there was only one place she would go. Arriving at the room with the highest ceiling in Mohnheim Castle, Daniel pushed the door open without hesitation and shouted.

"Frieda!"