Chapter 37

“I think it’s been well over a week.”

Even though no subject was mentioned, it was clearly understood who it was.

‘Evely. It’s Evely again, isn’t it?’

All Sofia could do was fiddling with her fingertips as she watched her owner’s face.

‘Evely, why isn’t this girl coming?’

Alec had been pestering the maidservants ever since Evely went on vacation asking when she was coming back. Several times a day he would ask how long it has been since Evely went. Whenever that happened, the maids were nervous that he might hit them.

Because lately, his mood was getting worse, especially every time he mentioned Evely. By the time a week had passed, he seemed to have grown colder. The tone was much lower than usual, and the twisted tone really showed his displeasure. At this rate, if Evely didn’t come back, he was about to punish them all.

Alec’s cold impression was even more intimidating. Sofia opened her mouth very carefully.

“…… Yes. I’m sure she’ll come back soon.”

“Did something happen?”

“……I don’t know.”

How could she possibly know? Sofia only glanced at her master’s face.

“I think it’s a little late. Who was the last person to see Evely?”

“I heard the maid saw her.”

Alec closed his eyes tiredly. Then he opened his mouth, pressing his temples with his fingertips.

“Go get the maid.”

“Yes, sir.”

Sofia came out as if she had been waiting and called for the maid. Just being in the room was suffocating.

A few moments later, the maid came into the office. She had seen him since he was a child, and before she could politely greet him, Alec opened his mouth first.

“You saw Evely before she left?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Didn’t she talk about where she went or when she was coming?”

The maid blinked her eyes, as if she was trying to remember that time.

“At that time, I handed over the money that the master gave me to Evely. She refused to accept it until the last minute.”

“Was there anything strange?”

“The only thing that might be a little strange is that she thanked me.  She’s always been grateful until now, but at that time she sounded like I’m going to retire and she won’t see me anymore….”

The maid finished the story with a curious tilt of her head, but Alec didn’t say anything. In a more subdued atmosphere, the maid was creeping around and he burst into laughter. But the end of the laugh was strangely chilling.

“Master is an outrageous man. Very outrageous. …… outrageous..”

Alec remembered vividly the expression on Evely’s face at that moment.

Her breath was unstable and rough, she couldn’t even finish her sentence properly. Her eyes were wet with tears showing resentment and disappointment without filtration.

His breathing was so unsteady that he could not even exchange a word. His eyes were moist and teary, and his resentment and disappointment were evident in his eyes. It seemed like a look on the face of a dog that was acting hard right before it bit him and ran away.

Evely used to be self-conscious, but she would say everything she wanted to say, and do whatever she wanted to do.

Alec could never forget her eyes…

“I think you got it wrong.”

“Yes?”

“It wasn’t you who were retiring, it was her.”

He stretched his mouth again grimly.

“Evely is too young to retire…” The maid said.

“Even if you have to release all troops, bring her to me unconditionally.”

Alec ordered coldly, his smile disappearing at once as if he was wearing a mask.

“You said before that you would listen to me, so please make sure you do.”

She had intended to run away from the time she was talking about her late mother. From the time she told him that story……

The butler, who was waiting in a corner of the office, cautiously asked back to the sudden order.

“Then the remaining troops…………?”

“Is ‘all of them’ a difficult word to use?”

“Use all that there is.”

The weight was packed into the end of those words.

“Bring her in safely, without hurting a single hair.”

The butler’s face showed signs of dismay.

When the Princess disappeared, his master only used a few people to search for her. However, now he would mobilize all troops to bring in a run away maid. Seeing the determined look on his master’s face, the butler could only bow his head and say he understood.

* * *

Many delicious looking dishes were lined up on the dining table. The maids could only eat after the owner finished eating, but somehow the owner didn’t seem to have any intention of eating. He didn’t even hold the silverware with fancy food in front of him.

“Does it make sense that they still haven’t found her?”

The servants couldn’t answer the angry voice. They simply slumped down in fear.

He was right, how long it would take to find that little girl, but it was harder than they thought. He started looking for her a few days after Evely ran away, and he was already a few steps behind, and most importantly, he didn’t know where Evely was likely to go.

Alec threw the letter that was on the dining table on the floor.

He still didn’t look at Briana, who was kneeling in front of him.

“Master, please …..”

Briana pleaded in a frightened voice.

“Dear Brianna. I’m sorry. You can keep all my remaining salary. And I sincerely wish you happiness. That’s all.”

That was the content of Evely’s letter. Once Alec noticed that Evely was gone, he had his servants search Evely’s room and Brianna’s room. And that was where he found the letter. As soon as he saw it, he threw it at her and it was all crumpled up.

“Please spare…”

“I’m not going to kill you.”

If Evely was going to leave him, he would use Brianna to threaten her, but it was no use now. Everyone talked and believed he was a ruthless man who killed my life, but sadly, he didn’t have a hobby of taking people’s lives.

“…It’s not me, it’s Evely.”

Briana looked like she was about to burst into tears as she spoke. Alec turned and looked at her.

What would Evely do in this situation? It was sure that she would plead for her friend’s life instead of her own.

She was a thin, petite woman. She was smaller than most women her age. With that little body, where could she go…

“…I’ll bring her in without touching a hair on her head.”

Right next to him.

Alec opened his mouth, sweeping his hair in frustration.

“You have no idea where she went?”

Brianna shook her head slowly. Then she opened her mouth lazily.

“I have no idea. I don’t know of any place she would be going. But Evely often talked about her mother and her hometown. but didn’t she stop by her hometown? She said she knew someone there.”

“I know that, too.”

That much Alec knew.

He continued talking, holding back his anger.

“So you do know where her hometown is?”

“I don’t know….”

“That’s enough. Get out.”

His head was throbbing with pain. Then, as usual, he heard Evely’s voice, like a hallucination, like the wind.

“Master is a strong man. A lot.”

“But that doesn’t mean you won’t hurt.”

At that moment, her golden eyes that were looking at him shone like stars in the sky.

Then she kissed his wound.

How dare she kiss him like that?

“…… It hurts more than I thought.”

Alec muttered.

Evely was right.

Just because he’s strong doesn’t mean he doesn’t hurt.