Chapter 44

"Miles, I'm taking Aleg with me."

"Yeah. Is Victoria not here today?"

"Yes, she's feeling a bit under the weather, so she's staying at home."

"I see. Take care of yourself."

"Thank you. I will."

That was the last time Miles saw Victoria. Usually, she would come early in the morning, take Aleg out, and return within thirty minutes to an hour, but that day, she didn't return even by evening.

(With the child staying at home. Did something happen while she was out?)

Worried, Miles went to Mrs. Yolana's house. At the old woman's house next door, there was a horse with the emblem of the knight's regiment on its saddle.

"Hello. I have a question about Victoria. I live in the house behind this estate, and my name is Miles."

"Please wait a moment. I'll inform her immediately."

The gardener, who had come to the gate, returned quickly.

And in the parlor to which he was led, there was a large man with silver hair, who seemed to be the rider of that horse.

(Why is a member of the knight's regiment here?) he thought but did not show it on his face.

"Excuse me for interrupting. I live in the house behind this estate, and my name is Miles. I have a question about Victoria."

The large man, upon hearing Victoria's name, began to observe him closely. Clearly, something had happened to her.

"I'm Yolana Haines. What about Victoria?"

"She left this morning on the horse I was taking care of and hasn't returned. I'm worried that something might have happened while she was out."

Mrs. Haines and the large man exchanged a glance and then looked at Miles.

"Victoria left the horse with you?"

The large man with silver hair asked, leaning in.

"Yes. I felt it was too much to trouble the landlord with the horse, so I took care of it for a fee."

At that moment, he noticed several letters on the table in front of Mrs. Haines.

"Your name is Miles, right? I thought the person living behind the estate was a former official named Peter."

"Yes, I moved in a while ago. Peter went to live with his daughter."

"I see. Victoria is no longer here. She left early in the morning or late at night. There was a letter for you. I thought it was for someone else, but it was for you."

She slid an envelope across the table, and Miles quickly opened and read it.

"Thank you for taking care of Aleg. I enjoyed picking chestnuts."

It was just one line. The silver-haired knight asked to see it, so Miles showed it to him.

"I'm relieved to know nothing happened to Victoria. I'll take my leave now."

Miles smiled and left the estate, returning to his temporary home and then rode his horse to the castle.

Jeffrey also stood up.

"Mrs. Yolana, I'll deliver the letters."

He put the letters for the Evas, Clark, Bernard, and his brother in his pocket.

"I'm sorry to trouble you. And... Captain, may I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Have you heard anything from Victoria?"

After asking, Mrs. Yolana regretted it. She saw a fleeting look of pain on the captain's usually calm face, which quickly disappeared.

"No, unfortunately, I haven't heard anything."

Jeffrey smiled, bowed, and left.

"Susan! Susan?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Victoria and Nonna will surely come back. Please stop crying."

"Yes, ma'am."

Even Mrs. Yolana, who was scolding her, seemed dispirited.

The letter to her was filled with repeated apologies and gratitude, and it said, "I've cleaned up as much as I could, but please dispose of anything left behind." She didn't intend to return. The few belongings left behind were heartbreakingly few.

(I hope she's safe and returns someday.)

Even though they had only been connected for half a year, she felt very sad. She wondered why Victoria lived this way, but she couldn't imagine Victoria as someone who had committed a crime and was on the run.

She fondly remembered the time Victoria had helped her retrieve a hat caught in a tree branch.

Jeffrey delivered the letters while riding his horse at a brisk pace. Everyone was shocked and saddened by the letters.

Clark repeatedly asked, "I want to know what happened," but Jeffrey kept saying, "I don't know either," and quickly returned to the second knight regiment's quarters.

In his room, he opened the letter addressed to him.

Victoria's handwriting was neat and orderly.

"Mr. Jeffrey Asher,

I'm sorry for suddenly disappearing.

There is a reason I can't stay in this house any longer.

Thank you for encouraging me, being kind to me, and laughing with me.

This is the first time I've had such a happy life.

I intended to leave earlier, but I was having so much fun and was so happy that I kept putting it off.

I enjoyed my first picnic. It was wonderful to laugh and chat while eating roasted chestnuts.

I have wonderful memories because of you.

Thank you for everything.

And I'm sorry.

Victoria"

"Thank you for a picnic and roasted chestnuts? You said... I told you not to disappear suddenly."

Two days after Victoria disappeared.

"Captain, a person I met at the tavern said, 'I was helped by a silver-haired knight and want to thank them.' They bought me a drink and asked a lot of questions about you. Did you help someone?"

"No, I didn't help anyone. Wait a minute. What did this person look like?"

The young member thought for a moment.

"A friendly woman in her thirties. She had a round face, black eyes, and black hair. She was beautiful."

Two days after Victoria disappeared, a woman was asking about him. He hadn't helped anyone. Was this a coincidence?

He gathered the members and questioned them, and reports started coming in.

"A young woman in her twenties asked about the captain's girlfriend. She said she had fallen in love with the captain at first sight."

"A middle-aged woman with a child asked about a kind woman who had helped her, saying she wanted to thank the captain's girlfriend."

"A man at the tavern praised the knight's regiment and bought me a drink. I think he asked about the captain, but my memory is vague."

This was strange.

"Listen, if anyone asks about me or my girlfriend, you can tell them the truth. I have no idea who these people are. The Haines estate has already been compromised. Since the information came from a knight, the second regiment will focus on guarding the Haines estate, especially at night. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

He assigned four members to the annex and five to the main house for night duty. (Was this overkill?) he thought. On the third night, to his surprise, members of the so-called 'Third Regiment' joined them.

The second regiment members were surprised and buzzed when the men in all-black uniforms with black knit caps appeared.

"I haven't heard anything about you. Why are you here?"

"Captain Asher of the Second Regiment, we received information through a different channel. This estate is likely to be attacked by Hagar's assassination squad soon."

"Hagar's assassination squad?"

Hearing about an assassination squad, he couldn't refuse. The second regiment specialized in city security, so the third regiment would handle the assassins, while the second regiment would guard the estate. Jeffrey insisted, "I will also handle the assassins."

"That's a problem. If you get injured or die, there will be no complaints."

"Of course."

The next day, the second and third regiments began their joint operation.

With the lamps turned off, Jeffrey and his team in the annex waited in silence when the assassins appeared.