Chapter 178
The maid hesitated, trying to figure out how to persuade me.
“Maybe he’s just asleep?”
“But I’m worried. Earlier, in the garden, he was holding his head like he was in pain.”
“Oh…!”
The maid’s expression changed.
It made sense.
If she ignored my words and, by the next morning, it turned out that Prince Abeno had been left suffering all night, she would be held responsible.
If she hadn’t heard anything, it would be one thing, but now that she had, she needed to take some action.
At least making it look like she was doing something would save her from blame.
I furrowed my eyebrows, as if I was genuinely worried to death.
“He said his head hurt and that he felt dazed. What if he collapsed inside? What if he fell and hit his head?”
“That would be terrible.”
The maid nodded, understanding my concern.
“I’ll inform the master and call for a doctor—”
Bang!
Just as if he had heard us from inside, the door opened at that perfect moment.
“What’s all this commotion?”
It was the servant who had told Abeno he needed to take his medicine.
‘Yup, something’s off with his eyes.’
There was something scheming and disrespectful in his murky gaze.
A guy like him was always one of the traitors.
I looked at him with suspicion and asked,
“What’s Prince Abeno doing?”
“He’s asleep.”
“Really? He specifically told me to wake him.”
I lied through my teeth without hesitation.
Confidence is key.
Abeno had never said any such thing, but I bluffed anyway.
“He just fell asleep, so please come back tomorrow—”
The servant glared at me as if telling me to stay quiet. He seemed a bit anxious.
‘Definitely suspicious.’
I’m the granddaughter of Duke Astra.
For him to act so insolently toward someone like me, is that even acceptable?
‘Yeah, this is no good.’
In one swift move, I darted through the gap in the door that the servant had been blocking.
“Young Miss!”
The maid from the duchy was startled and cried out.
“What—What are you doing!”
The servant of Abeno quickly chased after me and tried to grab my arm.
“Ombre!”
Ombre, who had been hiding at my feet, understood my command perfectly.
He slipped into the servant’s shadow and yanked at his pant leg.
“Ah! What the—?!”
Feeling a strong force from an unseen source, the servant panicked.
While he lost his balance and stumbled, I quickly ran toward the bedroom.
“Abeno!”
Abeno was slumped on the sofa, sprawled out.
Just one glance at him made it clear that he wasn’t in a normal condition at all.
His mouth was hanging open, and his eyes were unfocused.
It wasn’t a natural state like sleepwalking seen in young children. It was something artificial.
That was—
“Bad… when remembering…”
—Hypnosis.
The so-called medicine wasn’t a painkiller; it was a hypnotic.
‘To make him forget.’
It was obvious that Abeno wouldn’t remember.
The memories of when he went missing.
‘That servant is involved in Abeno’s disappearance. Or he’s following orders from someone who was.’
I shook Abeno’s body.
“Prince Abeno. Prince Abeno!”
Wake up.
Snap out of the hypnosis!
Just as I was about to shake him awake, a rough hand yanked me by the back of my neck.
“Ugh!”
“How dare you lay your hands on such a noble person!”
At that moment—
“And how dare you lay your hands on a noble yourself!”
A familiar voice rang out, echoing through the room.
I turned my head and saw Hilda, now a senior servant, dressed simply but elegantly.
It seemed the maid outside had quickly called her.
‘Big sis, you’re the best!’
She understood that my argument for checking on Abeno was sound, and when things escalated, she knew to bring in a higher authority right away!
Every professional should learn from her approach.
Behind Hilda stood several other maids, almost like a reinforcement squad.
They all stared at the servant from Aligiosa, who had grabbed me by the neck.
Even if it had been Prince Abeno himself and not just his servant, touching a noble like that would have been a serious issue.
And yet, a mere servant dared to commit such an offense?
The maids’ eyes all burned with fierce disapproval.
“W-What is this? You all barge in while the prince is resting? Is this how the Astra family hosts their guests?”
Flustered by the growing number of people, the servant started to accuse our family.
‘Idiot. Don’t you realize that saying something like that could cause a diplomatic incident?’
And from a mere servant, no less?
I was dumbfounded.
How could he not grasp the situation?
Hilda took a large step forward and shouted,
“And how dare a servant of Aligiosa behave so disrespectfully toward a foreign noble! Release the Young Miss immediately!”
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.