If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 199

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

The previous day’s journey had clearly taken a toll on Agatha, as she woke up late. Charlotte gently rubbed Agatha’s back saying it was due to the growing belly.

Watching Agatha’s noticeably larger stomach brought a twinge of sympathy to Charlotte’s heart.

It would be nice if she gained a little more weight. Due to her naturally small frame, even though Agatha had gained a fair amount of weight, she still looked like a child struggling to carry a burden that seemed to match her own size.

“Miss, which way would you like to walk today?”

After a light snack, Agatha stepped out to soak in the sunlight. As she closed her eyes and felt the breeze beneath the warm sunlight, she slowly opened her eyes at Charlotte’s call.

“Lottie.”

“Yes, Miss?”

“I feel at peace here, but I can’t stay here forever, can I?”

“Yes. Eventually, we’ll have to return to the mansion.”

“Once the baby is born, traveling to the capital will be even more difficult. And I can’t leave the mansion in the capital empty for too long while waiting for the child to grow up.”

“Will you be returning soon?”

“Yes. While I’ve tried to push those thoughts aside while staying here, I can’t keep putting off matters related to the Grand Duke’s estate. I can’t keep postponing it forever.”

“That is… true.”

“I was originally planning to gather Kristin’s knights and strengthen our forces before returning… but the unexpected news about the baby has forced me to change my plans. By now, I’ve likely gathered all the old knights from Kristin’s side. I can still continue training new recruits in the capital. So, I’ll have to return before my pregnancy becomes too far along.”

“Yes. We’ll need to begin preparations for the return. I’ll tell them to start getting ready.”

Charlotte quickly responded, then helped Agatha walk. While her belly wasn’t large enough to make walking a struggle, she was still concerned about walking on uneven paths, worried that she might trip.

As Agatha walked along the dirt path, her gaze drifted to a low hill in the distance.

There, sitting in the same comfortable attire as the night before, was Cain.

He had one knee raised, sitting and silently gazing at the surroundings. Their eyes met across the distance.

The breeze gently tousled his soft brown hair, and Agatha’s eyes, too, were carried along by the wind, shifting from side to side.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

A day had passed since their agreement. The Grand Duke had been waiting for the Count’s response since morning, but when no word came, the Grand Duke was growing increasingly frustrated.

In fact, since the night before, the Grand Duke’s patience had worn thin. Giving the Count a whole day to respond had already been far too generous. Yet this lazy and indecisive Count was still failing to move quickly and decisively as the Grand Duke had instructed.

“When is he going to answer? This slowpoke…”

Orders should be followed without hesitation. How could a mere Count show any hesitation in the face of an order from an imperial family member?

Although the Grand Duke wanted to immediately order that his command be carried out, he forced himself to restrain his anger, trying to make the most of the little patience he had left.

Had this been the capital, he would have acted on it immediately, but unfortunately, this was the southern territory under the control of Count Schuck.

Although administratively part of the Empire, the Count’s influence here was so overwhelming that one could almost call it a vassal state. The Grand Duke wasn’t foolish enough to lose his temper and shout in such a place.

He had every intention of eliminating the Count when the time came, but it wasn’t the right moment. To cover up the grave crime of selling off the royal family of Amasril, which had violated the Empire’s laws, he first needed to gently persuade the Count, who was an accomplice in this matter.

The Grand Duke roughly wiped the irritation off his face. If he didn’t get a response by lunchtime, he would go directly to the Count and demand an answer. Trying to calm his anger, he straightened his clothes.

The Count’s estate, supposedly the grandest in the South, was as lavish as the Grand Duke had heard. While it couldn’t compare to the opulence of the capital’s nobility, the occasional display of expensive gold and jewels was enough to make the Grand Duke struggle to hide his shock.

As he turned his head, his eyes landed on a window overlooking the estate’s central garden. His expression soured as he looked at it.

“Excessive wealth… gold on the window frame.”

This room, being one of the best in the mansion, was likely given to the Grand Duke, but even so, using gold leaf to decorate the window frame seems excessively lavish. The Grand Duke thought to himself, clicking his tongue to express his displeasure.

Excessive luxury for those not of imperial blood was a sin forbidden by the Emperor. But despite seeing the Count’s opulence, the Grand Duke said nothing. The Count’s enormous wealth would help the Grand Duke carry out his long-held ambitions.

“…If I can take it…”

The Grand Duke’s long-held desire was none other than to reclaim the imperial throne. Staring out the window, the Grand Duke recalled a memory he wanted to forget but couldn’t, one he had hidden deep in his heart.

It was many years ago, under the blade of the tyrant, Vlahova, when the Grand Duke’s brothers lost their lives. The Grand Duke, at just six years old, had knelt at Vlahova’s feet, begging for his life. In exchange for the death of his mother, Vlahova spared his life.