If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 176

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

Back at the Duke’s estate, Liana was stunned by unexpected news.

“What? The Miss is pregnant?”

“Shh, lower your voice.”

Liana had somewhat prepared herself for this conversation, knowing it wasn’t something that could be discussed openly. However, despite her readiness and expectations, the news of Agatha’s pregnancy still caught her off guard.

As she stood frozen, blinking in surprise, Vaclav unfolded a map on the table.

“Well then, shouldn’t you head out soon to assist her?”

“Yes, yes, of course. I should go and check on the Miss right away.”

“How long are you going to call her Miss?”

“Yes?”

“She’s no longer the Lady, and calling her ‘Miss’ doesn’t seem appropriate.”

“Ah, I see, Vaclav. You’re right, I shouldn’t call her that anymore. I was just looking for another title and… I’ll be more careful going forward. I should hurry and go check on the Duke’s well-being and assist her. So when should I leave?”

“It’s a long journey. It will be far more difficult than any path you’ve taken before. Ideally, you’d rest and prepare your strength, but there’s no time. You can’t afford more than a day.”

“I’m fine to leave immediately. After being cooped up at the Marquis’s estate for months, I’ve had nothing to do but rest. I still have plenty of energy left and can head out at once.”

“It’s good to hear you’re not short on strength. But still, it’s late now, so sleep tonight and get ready by tomorrow evening.”

“So, we leave tomorrow evening?”

Vaclav gestured to the map with his chin. Following his motion, Liana turned her gaze to the map, and he immediately began explaining the route she would take.

They would disguise themselves as a merchant caravan, leave the capital, stop by Gulem, and then head south…

“Won’t taking this detour take a lot of time?”

“There’s no other way. We can’t just cut through the path and rush. It’ll take longer, but we have no choice.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well, it’s been bothering me that Marquis Vernat let you go so easily. Originally, he was going to take you directly to the Duke, but Sir Rubens insisted that it wasn’t a good idea. After sending you to us, I suspect he might be planning to follow. So we’ll have to take a long detour to avoid being noticed.”

“Ah… I see.”

Liana wanted to meet Agatha as soon as possible, but there was no other option. She couldn’t afford to act recklessly and end up bringing the Marquis to Agatha.

“Go have a good dinner and get plenty of sleep. Pack as light as possible.”

“Yes, Vaclav.”

After finishing his explanation, Vaclav folded the map. Following him, Liana gave a resolute expression, feeling the same nerves as when she had stayed at the Duke’s mansion to expose Teschen’s corruption.

If she left tomorrow, even if they moved quickly, it would still take them two months to reach Pahel. Two months.

That was the minimum. But if there were unexpected variables, it might take longer. It might take three months.

….It was too long.

“I want to see her soon.”

Liana was getting gloomy.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

As expected by Cain, the people from the Duke’s household who took Liana began moving after a day and a half. Agatha was waiting, so there was no time to waste.

Late at night, Cain received intelligence that two unmarked wagons had left the Duke’s estate and were heading somewhere.

He immediately left the mansion. His knights, whom he had strategically placed earlier, were likely tailing the Duke’s wagons. If they moved quickly, catching up with a couple of wagons wouldn’t be a problem.

This time, Cain was determined not to make any mistakes. His heart began to race.

The wagons that left the Duke’s estate soon blended into a line of other wagons. They all appeared to belong to a merchant group, and it seemed like Rubens had anticipated Cain’s pursuit and disguised the wagons as part of a trading caravan to cover their tracks.

“Which merchant group is this from?”

Lehman, who had stuck his head out of the window to observe the wagons, answered, “Bruden Trading Company.”

“Bruden…”

It was one of the largest trading companies in the capital, easily ranked in the top five. With more than thirty wagons being sent out of the capital at once, it would be difficult to distinguish the Duke’s wagons among them.

Rubens was no easy opponent. Anticipating that they would be followed, he had likely arranged this clever distraction, making it clear how dangerous it was to underestimate a seasoned knight with experience.

Cain himself had chosen to hide in one of the wagons for the pursuit. Although it would have been easier to follow on horseback, the risk of being exposed immediately was too great, so he had decided to use the wagon instead.

The wagon train stretched long as it exited the capital through the main road. Cain and his knights positioned themselves at the back of the line. While moving, Cain kept all his attention focused on the Bruden wagons, not letting them out of his sight.

At a glance, there were well over thirty wagons. They all looked the same, so Cain knew that even a momentary lapse in concentration could make him lose track of Rubens’s wagon. It was better to eliminate any obstacles to the pursuit beforehand.

Cain signaled with his eyes, and Lehman quickly dismounted. He was going to leave some kind of mark on the wagon that Rubens was riding in.