If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 191

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

The maid trailed off. It was clear that the two people had no connection—no, they shouldn’t have had any—but the moment she saw Marquis Vernat walk into the mansion, she was so startled that she nearly forgot how to breathe.

There was a woman who had been unusually close to Count Schuck, despite his usual impatience for new things. She was someone he had kept by his side for an unusually long time.

The woman, who had apparently come from a now-dissolved royal family, had been one of the gifts Grand Duke Norfolk had given to the Count. She had spent a significant amount of time in the Count’s service.

She always had a sorrowful expression, which the maid thought was understandable.

Having once lived as royalty, likely accustomed to all the lavish treatments, she suddenly found herself reduced to the status of a slave, serving a man driven by pure greed.

The maid, feeling pity for her as a fellow woman, secretly helped her. She admired the woman’s innate nobility, which shone through even in her misery.

“Anyway, he’s really not someone I like. His looks are irritating, and now he acts like he’s all high and mighty just because he caught the Emperor’s eye…”

The Count slammed his empty teacup down on the table with irritation.

“Is the cup empty or not?”

Within minutes, the Count alternated between laughter and anger. The maid, startled by the Count’s sudden outburst, lowered her head.

“Um, the doctor said you should only drink two cups of milk with sugar per day…”

She didn’t finish, unable to speak further due to the terrifying glare from the Count, whose eyes were now wide open, revealing the whites as he glared at her.

When he gave her that look, if she didn’t calm him down quickly, an explosion of anger would follow. The maid flinched and hurriedly poured more milk for him.

“I’m sorry. I made a rude remark.”

“If you understand, then don’t make such foolish comments again.”

She muttered under her breath, thinking that if he drank too much and died early, it would be his own loss, but she dared not speak it aloud.

“By the way, what exactly did that Marquis come here for?”

The Count’s attention shifted from the Marquis’s appearance to the reason for his visit.

The latest news from the capital had told him that Cain Vernat, after returning from the war, had been appointed as the Commander of the capital’s Guard, responsible for all the defense in Leden.

Why would someone in charge of the capital’s defense come all the way to the southern edge?

No matter how much the Count thought about it, he couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation.

Had he really come to investigate something on the Emperor’s orders?

The Count sipped his milk again, lost in thought. Soon, an uncomfortable feeling began to creep over him.

“Looks like I’ll have to send word to the Grand Duke…”

The only reliable connection he had in the capital was Grand Duke Norfolk. He hastily sent someone to ask about why Cain Vernat had traveled south. The Count took another sip of milk.

And before two days had passed, he found himself hosting an unexpected guest.

The important visitor from the capital was none other than Grand Duke Norfolk himself.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Agatha’s day began with 30 minutes of quiet reflection while seated on her bed. After her thoughts were settled, she would leave her bedroom and go out into the central garden to soak up some sun.

“It’s about time…”

Cain muttered, pacing anxiously down the hallway. It had been a week since they arrived on this remote island in Pahel. During this time, Cain had observed Agatha’s every movement without missing a single detail.

Of course, he made sure to keep his distance, anticipating her usual reaction—getting angry at him. He was careful not to let her notice him. Stealth and concealment were skills he had mastered during his time as a knight, and he was confident he could carry them out better than anyone.

Now, a week later, Cain had come to realize that Agatha had a very routine schedule. After her morning reflection, she would bask in the sunlight, then have a light breakfast, followed by reading and tea time…

According to his observations, Agatha should have finished her reflection by now and be leaving her bedroom. However, for some reason, it was already 10 minutes past the usual time, and her room remained silent.

Has she not woken up yet? She never usually slept in. Had she not slept deeply last night? Was she uncomfortable? Or, perhaps, was she sick? Was the baby okay?

Cain shook his head as the endless stream of questions flooded his mind, even reaching to the baby in her womb.

Where had the cold, rational knight gone? When it came to Agatha, his logical thinking seemed to completely vanish.

When she went out for a walk, if she happened to trip, he’d stop himself from running to her side, but every time, he was on the verge of doing so. If it hadn’t been for Lehman stopping him, he would have run to her and likely earned her wrath.

“Commander.”

“Shh, Lehman.”

Lemhan appeared behind him, who had been staring at Agatha’s bedroom door from the end of the hallway.

Since arriving, Cain had been trailing Agatha around. Lehman was feeling awkward and unsure of what to do towards his superior.