Chapter 11

The youngest daughter, Lilianna, whom they doted on, had suddenly vanished.

The Agget Duke's household, which had been filled with a funeral-like sorrow until the youngest daughter regained consciousness, was now plunged into even deeper despair. Several unfortunate events had compounded the situation, but a significant factor was the delay in discovery due to Lilianna's personal maid, Anna, gently dismissing concerns with the reassurance that "the young lady is still asleep." Despite the family's full efforts to investigate, they had yet to trace any footsteps.

The day Lilianna was brought back to the mansion unconscious, the Duchess of Agget, who had stayed up all night by her side and hadn't slept properly for several days, finally collapsed from the stress of the incident and couldn't get out of bed until evening.

The short, matter-of-fact letter Lilianna left for her family only added to their shock and confusion over her sudden disappearance. Despite the entire family mobilizing to search for her, as the day drew to a close, no one had returned with any results.

There was evidence that a gap had appeared in the boundary and alarm system, which the renowned alchemist Cornelia herself had installed in the mansion, for just a moment from the inside. That was all. "The only one who could do this is Lili," the creator stated. After that, there was no trace of Lilianna. No magic that left traces of mana or physical evidence had been used, and they were left with only eyewitness accounts, which had led to a dead end.

They had checked all possible means of transportation, including the family's magic car, the chauffeur-driven magic cars, the shared magic cars that ran between the capital and various cities, and every other conceivable method. They had even included the possibility of her walking, but there were no witnesses. Even with the checkpoints set up in nearby towns and the capital, considering the possibility of a disguise, no one had reported seeing "someone who looked like her."

It was as if Lilianna had vanished into thin air after leaving the mansion.

They all wore expressions that clearly showed they wanted to search the entire capital, the entire country, for Lilianna. Despite their efforts, they had nothing to show for it, and their frustration only grew. Angelica, who was not present, was likely feeling the same way.

The initial response was delayed because the note left behind suggested it was not a criminal act, and they regretted this. Even though it was a voluntary departure, everyone was anxious about the possibility of it turning into a more serious incident.

"Oh... I'm sorry, Lilianna... It must be because I put too much pressure on you."

"What do you mean?"

Sitting slumped on the sofa, the head of the household, with his elbows on his knees and his hands covering his face, spoke. Wilfred reacted to his voice, and the other family members responded to his self-reproach.

"Before the hunting party, I might have put pressure on Lili by mentioning her magic training. I only wanted her to be safe, but perhaps she felt the need to meet my expectations. That might have led to this major incident, and she couldn't bear it anymore."

The Duke omitted the part where he had used the phrase "don't show any weakness" and lamented his responsibility.

"No... It's my fault for not telling Lili about Nina. I thought it would be unpleasant for Lili, who had always been the youngest and doted on by the family, to suddenly have a step-sister. I was busy with the music festival preparations and somehow assumed I had already told her... I think Lili must have felt neglected and was deeply hurt."

The Duchess, shedding delicate tears, apologized to Lilianna.

"More than anyone, I should have been Lilianna's supporter, but I was so focused on the newly adopted Nina that Lili must have felt abandoned... I'm so sorry, Lilianna."

"No, it's my fault. I didn't know Lili hadn't been told about the situation and criticized how I handled Nina. I was the one who hurt her."

"Alphonse..."

The reasons they mentioned were all filled with love, but they were all off the mark. Revisiting the short note, they tried to exchange new theories, but the content was too brief and matter-of-fact to provide any insights.

They decided to re-interview Anna, the personal maid who had been silent despite knowing some of the circumstances. The short note explicitly stated that Anna was not involved in the disappearance, but they believed she must have a reason for her silence.

To prevent her from fleeing, the Duke had her confined in the old reflection room, which was used for storing old furniture, rather than her own servant's room. He handed the key to the butler to bring her in.

"Please, I beg you! Leave the young lady alone..."

When Anna was brought before the head of the household and the family, excluding the eldest daughter who had married, she immediately prostrated herself on the carpet and pleaded. Her trembling and tearful voice conveyed that she understood the gravity of defying her masters and had hidden Lilianna's disappearance.

"Do you know why Lili did this...? If you know anything, no matter how trivial, please tell us!"

"If you care for her as family, why... Please, release Miss Lilianna now!"

In response to the mother's anguished cry, Anna's face contorted as if she was about to cry, but she remained silent. The family, convinced she knew something, described how much they were hurting and worried about Lilianna's disappearance. They pleaded with her, promising not to blame her if she shared any information, emphasizing that they were not her masters but concerned family members.

"What are you talking about...? What are you saying...?"

Anna, who had always been by Lilianna's side and seen the same scenes as her, shook her head slowly, unable to understand. She didn't know what the people in front of her were talking about, and they, in turn, couldn't understand why she was questioning their love for Lilianna.

"Why? Why, if you thought so highly of Miss Lilianna, didn't you tell her?"

"You're the one who's talking nonsense. We were the ones who always praised Lilianna the most as experts."

"Rather, she was the one who received all the praise and admiration from our family."

The Duke, seeking agreement, looked at the servants, including the butler, who nodded in agreement. Anna felt as if she had entered a different world where her beloved Lilianna was properly appreciated.

"The Duke and his family have never given Miss Lilianna any praise or admiration."

"That's ridiculous. It can't be true."

"No! You always pointed out the slightest mistakes, no matter how hard Miss Lilianna tried or what achievements she made...! Or do you call that praise?!"

Anna's tearful scream echoed in the room, and the Duchess protested as if it were an injustice.

"Anna, what are you talking about? It sounds like we never praised Lili at all."

"That's exactly what it is. I've only ever seen you all criticize Miss Lilianna for the slightest mistakes, no matter what she achieved..."

"That can't be... We all doted on Lili and always praised her, to the point where I thought I was the only one who needed to be strict..."

"I... I and Miss Lilianna have never seen you praise her. Have you ever praised her in front of her...? You haven't, have you...?"

"It's a lie... You, Angelica, Germaine, Cornelia, Wilfred, Alphonse, you all doted on Lilianna. That's why I always thought I needed to be strict..."

"What... Josephine too...?"

"Father and Mother too?"

"Lie, Wilfred too?"

The faces of the two who continued after the parents were pale. Germaine and Alphonse, who had been listening, were also pale and looked as if they might collapse.

"I've always felt sorry for Miss Lilianna. She achieved so much but never received a single word of praise from her family. She kept trying, thinking that if she could just do better, they would recognize her..."

"What... Lilianna was also mistaken?!"

"It's not a misunderstanding. Miss Lilianna recognized the facts as they were. No matter how hard she tried, no one in her family ever praised her... Seeing you all praise Nina for the slightest thing must have been so painful for her."

Anna, holding the letter she had kept hidden, thrust it at the Duke. The cause was not the "hurting Lilianna" as each of them had thought. It was the fact that no one in the family ever praised her, while they lavished praise on Nina. Lilianna's side of the story was not heard, and they believed Nina's words. Unable to bear it, her heart had broken.

Reading the letter, which spanned several pages, they were hurt by the words Lilianna had written while crying. They said, "It's not true," "Why such a misunderstanding," "I always thought of her as my pride," and expressed their regret.

"This... It's not true... I didn't fully trust Nina, and I thought I would investigate and then handle the situation... Both Lili and Nina were in a state of confusion, and their consciousness and memories were not clear..."

"Indeed, that's what you said, but did you tell Miss Lilianna that...?"

"That...!! I just wanted to let her rest first...!"

"Such... Such a thing... I never praised Lili? It's a lie! Sebastian, you always thought I was a doting parent!"

"Y-Your Excellency always praised Miss Lilianna's magic, which I, who was always by her side, found astonishing... But... thinking about it now, I never saw you praise her in front of her..."

"It's a lie?!"

"People say strict things in public, but I thought you praised her in private... during family gatherings or alone together..."

They gradually realized that everyone had thought, "The rest of the family is too lenient, so I need to be strict with Lilianna," and as a result, no one had ever praised her. Realizing that Lilianna had never seen their love, they all turned pale, and the two women could no longer stand and were supported by the servants.

"I was only being strict because you all spoiled Lili."

"You were the one who said Lili was excellent and didn't need too much training. That's why I thought I needed to be strict, but...!"

Realizing the difficult situation they had imposed on their beloved Lilianna, they each lamented. Hearing their voices, Anna, who had always wondered why her respected mistress's achievements were not recognized by the family, was stunned by their selfish reasons and looked at them with cold eyes. Their self-pity over not being understood sounded hollow.

"For such a trivial reason, Miss Lilianna was never praised and was so sad..."

Thinking of Lilianna, who had always strived to be praised by her family without ever complaining, Anna, with tear-streaked eyes, shed another tear.