Chapter 46
Whenever Joshua openly expressed his interest in her like that, she couldn’t help but be reminded of how Aldrick used to act—as if he couldn’t bear how precious she was to him.
How was Aldrick doing now? He must’ve been really angry at first. Maybe he still hadn’t cooled down even now.
She knew she’d acted rashly and irresponsibly.
But Aldrick would understand eventually. Maybe, in the end, he’d even be thankful.
They were supposed to go to their new estate together. Had he gone there alone and become the lord?
She hoped that he met a kind, well-bred, and good-hearted young lady there and lived well.
It hurt, but ever since she left him, Violet had always wished for his happiness.
“Thanks, Joshua, but I’ll be heading back now. You should get back to your errands too.”
“But… I want to talk to you more, Violet.”
His brown eyes, which still seemed more boyish than manly, looked at her with hope.
I should move up my departure date. Violet quietly resolved to herself.
“It’s better if you stop hanging around someone like me and go spend time with people your own age. Want me to be honest? I’m not interested in immature boys younger than me.”
Her words were harsh—cold, even. But Joshua just smiled slightly, unfazed.
“You don’t know if I’m immature or not until you see for yourself, right?”
“Joshua—”
“Violet, Violet!”
Just as she was about to say something more, Mrs. Margaret, who should’ve been inside the fabric shop, suddenly came running out in a hurry.
“Violet, a customer who just stopped by left this for you.”
Mrs. Margaret handed Violet a scrap of paper, her face looking somewhat frightened.
“They said people from the lord’s manor are posting these all over town… But the content…”
Mrs. Margaret trailed off. Violet looked down at the paper.
There, a faint sketch—one that closely resembled her face. Was printed, along with a message offering a reward to anyone who found the woman in the drawing.
‘Missing person?!’
Anyone could see that it was clearly her face. A passerby might not notice, but anyone like Margaret or Joshua, who knew her even a little, would recognize it instantly.
“Damn it!”
Violet swore loudly before she could stop herself.
Who the hell had put out this notice? Aldrick?
No, she couldn’t be sure. Since she’d left behind a divorce document, it was possible that Baron Zerotta, unable to get any money out of Aldrick, had erupted in anger and was searching for her.
Either way, Violet couldn’t stay here any longer.
Ignoring Margaret and Joshua’s eyes on her, Violet quietly spoke.
“I’m sorry. I think it’s better if I leave before I cause more trouble. Thank you so much for everything.”
***
But the situation suddenly took a turn for the worse.
At the worst possible time, an order from the Lord of Saint-Lour had come down, sealing the city gates.
“They said a noble from another territory is looking for someone here in Saint-Lour, so since noon today, they’re not letting anyone out.”
At the soldier’s firm response, Violet and Joshua—who had come with her to escort her—had no choice but to turn back.
Violet was growing anxious.
A noble from another territory… did that mean Aldrick was searching for her?
She pulled her hood lower over her face to hide her identity, and with Joshua, she tried to return quietly to the fabric shop.
But they hadn’t gotten far before they were stopped again.
Someone had halted their hurried steps.
It was a group of knights and soldiers searching through the village.
They must have found the cloaked figure of Violet suspicious.
The hood covered her face so much that she couldn’t see well, but the hoofprints gathering in front of them made her feel like her heart was being squeezed with dread.
And as if responding to her fear, a voice—unmistakably familiar—pierced into her ears without warning.
“Search everyone. No exceptions—child or elder. Check every single face.”
Someone was shouting while riding in from the distance.
It was Aldrick.
The tone was so different from when he whispered sweet words in her ear that Violet was unsure at first.
But a knight, unable to resist his curiosity, had pulled back her hood just a little, and confirmed it.
There was no doubt. It was Aldrick.
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