Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 198

“Macy would never commit arson! Something is wrong! Please clear my friend’s name! Please, Baron! I’ll beg you like this!”

Nicholas wasn’t a lawman, and he certainly didn’t have the power to clear her name. Even a child like Anna must have known that.

As he wondered if Anna had anyone else to turn to, he heard a troubling remark.

“I think Duke Krygen is threatening my friend. He must be keeping her. Macy didn’t want to become his mistress. She kept refusing, and the Duke… he…”

“Did Macy say that?”

“Yes?”

When Nicholas finally spoke after being silent, Anna’s eyes widened in surprise.

“How much did she say?”

“It’s just my guess! Macy didn’t say anything!”

Anna quickly covered her mouth as if she had said something wrong. For a moment, Nicholas wondered if Macy had told Anna about the Duke’s identity, but that suspicion soon faded.

‘If Anna knew, she would’ve gone straight to Duke Krygen by now.’

Before she spilled everything about the Duke’s identity, she just wanted her friend back.

“Please get up, Anna. A lady shouldn’t sit just anywhere.”

“I’ll get up once you clear the false charges!”

“Alright, just get up.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’m not an investigator, so I can’t clear the charges, but I’ll look into it.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much, Baron!!”

“But don’t spread such ridiculous rumors that the Duke is keeping Macy. The Duke is deeply saddened by her disappearance.”

“But… but…”

Anna still couldn’t shake off her distrust of the Duke. However, since she needed Nicholas’s help, she eventually nodded.

“Yes, I understand…”

Nicholas, too, didn’t fully trust the contents of the newspapers. If she had truly disappeared, he assumed that Rubens must have been involved.

Given that there were already some people suspicious of him, it was crucial to understand how Rubens had handled Macy in order to help resolve the situation. That was why Nicholas had brought up Macy’s case during his visit to the Duke’s estate on business.

“Surely, you didn’t handle her the way you usually do, did you…?”

Previously, Rubens had said that if his suspicions were correct, he couldn’t just let Macy wander freely in the streets. Nicholas didn’t think Rubens was the type to say something lightly, so he hoped that it was just a misunderstanding. He hoped that Macy wasn’t lying.

But now, with the accusation of arson and her being reported as missing, his thoughts kept turning toward the worst-case scenario. What if Rubens had buried her somewhere, silently taking her life away?

“You did say that you couldn’t just let her roam freely that time.”

Unable to bear the silence, Nicholas spoke again, and Rubens finally opened his mouth.

“Yes, I did say that. But that wasn’t what I meant. I suppose you misunderstood.”

“So, is Macy alive?”

“Of course. Why would I kill her?”

Nicholas’s face brightened immediately. The worst-case scenario had been avoided.

“Then, where is Macy now?”

“At my estate.”

“At Duke Krygen’s estate?”

“Well, my estate isn’t just that one alone.”

Rubens answered ambiguously. The implication was clear—he wouldn’t be revealing where Macy was to Nicholas.

“There must be some misunderstanding. As I said, Macy isn’t the type to leave the Duke’s side. Please, show some mercy. If the Duke keeps her with you, it will raise suspicions from the people around.”

“Let them suspect. Who would dare search my estate?”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you think the Krygen family’s doors are so easily entered?”

Rubens asked with a sneer. Contrary to Nicholas’s expectation that he would be as composed as usual, there was a somewhat irritable tone in his words.

“And you clearly have no discernment of character. Macy is exactly the type who would do that.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“I’ve already confirmed it. A spy sent to the Ciseina Royal Academy of Art brought back information, and I have evidence from the attendant who was ordered to follow Macy that she is romantically involved with Prince Benedict.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes. In the Ciseina palace, the rumor is already widespread that Macy is Prince Benedict’s woman. It wasn’t hard to confirm. Is this still my misunderstanding?”

“Ah…”