Chapter 31 Duchy Office

When the martial couple arrived at the ball, it was a grand affair. Rumor and questions buzzed about the strange women who appeared and swept away the now most discussed noble lady in the capital, Valentine Lockheed. Kidnaping the daughter of the most powerful family of the empire in plain sight was not something that was seen often. There were other strange happenings that made news. Fires had begun to behave in strange ways, occasionally taking shape and forms. Trees and plants began to slowly rearrange themselves almost as if they could walk.

There were a few other soundings from within the duchy. Women with superhuman strength. Rocks would fall, strange wind gust, the noble daughter voted lest likely to marry appeared to get a lover.

It was the last if these that drew the Countess of Mocksure the greatest of irksome. Countess Mocksure, was the eldest daughter of Count Mocksure. They were rivals with the Lockheed's in a wide variety of competitions and business ventures.

How on earth could that quiet girl who relied on her suddenly get a boyfriend. Mocksure didn't have a girl or boy who would call her lover, even her minion girls knew that her time single was equal to her age.

It was enough that the girl had suddenly changed last spring, suddenly so…so…relaxed. Unburdened or unbothered by the gossip or noble customs. She even stopped holding concern for the second prince or any other relations she was supposed to have.

Her skills at clearing the refreshment and other snack tables were markedly better. Countess Mocksure couldn't fathom why her rival changed despite how simple it was. That was the point that Grand Sage Iris became Duchy heir Valentine Lockheed. For almost three quarters of the year, the marital warrior took Valentine's spot in social, duties, obligations.

At that time Iris had been injured from fighting with the flame knight immortal. Duke Lockheed wanted to have her removed from the mansion, her life spared because of her heroics defending the heir. Mary had been present at that time, watching to see if any developments occurred between her sister and the maid. She almost came out when the maid had felt up the noble girl but restrained herself since she couldn't think of a good excuse to explain her espionage.

"We can not just send her away Father! That maid risked her life to save Lady Valentine." Mary was beside herself at this point. Her sister was missing, the maid was severely injured, and her father didn't seem to care.

"We have knights looking for her now, but…" Duke Lockheed was scheming in the background. While he truly loved his daughter and new wife, he had hated his last one. While he cared about his other daughter, she never held much place in his heart. First born were to serve the family, which is why he had married a countess that he hated. His noble daughter understood this, which is why she rarely complained or fought about such matters.

"I know that I seem cold, however a duke must carry more than himself. There is still a chance since we found zero trace of her in the explosion, and I can't help but pray that she is ok. However right now I must make sure nothing else can harm you, either of you. If something also happened to the two of you, I don't know if I could carry on." Nobles were actors at heart, he showed plenty of sympathy and then shifted focus to why the search wasn't widespread.

"What if someone is looking for her besides us? We don't know who attacked us in the first place, advertising that our heir is alone and defenseless could get her killed." Frankly that was almost the best course of action at this point, the loss of a heir was tragic…oh, who could he fool except for the two air heads in front of him.

"We will still need to do everything we can, but at some point, we must take care of the world around us to. So go rest for now, you will need to be at your best to welcome her back safe."

Neither Charlotte or Mary had good responses, both unsure of what to do. Waiting when family was suffering made malice fill their hearts. How could they rest or be selfish when their sister was out, when the in law suffered. Motherhood however came first to Charlotte, so she wanted to get her daughter settled and did so.

"I know this is hard dear." She told her daughter as she put the child to bed. Were things less serious, the teenager would have barked and fussed. Instead, she quietly obeyed mom, as if she were five once again.

"We have to help them both mother, Lady Valentine isn't the same without her maid." Her daughter did have a soft spot for her new sister and Charlotte had seen the three together, so it was expected that she wanted to help them both.

"We hope, that's what we do, that it will all work out. If we keep our spirts up things will work out, just look at us, we were commoners whose father and husband had run out on. Yet today were nobles wanting for nothing." Smoothing out her daughters covers and gently brushing the curly blond hairs away, there was a soft look that only mothers could get.

"Don't worry, mommy is going to make sure daddy finds his daughter and your sister, so sleep."

Softly planting a kiss on her daughter's brow, she extinguished the lights and left the room.

Mother Charlotte had promised in vain. Returning to her husband's office she found that the maid which shouldn't be able to walk was siting calmly drinking tea. Her husband seemed distressed but had settled into a sort of uneasy quiet that made her unsure if she should speak up. He was clearly wanted the servant to dissiaper.

"Miss Lockheed is out of reach." Calmly responded to the duke's ire, Iris felt no pressure or need to cater to the man in absence of Lady Lockheed. Bandages had been wrapped around her, stained in some places where her blood had soaked through. Even heavily wrapped as she was, bruising and other small cuts were evident across her entire body.

"We need to get a rope?"

"Do they travel to the stars?" Iris had not yet grasped all the idioms and other colloquialisms of the world she was in, so her translation of the statement was misinterpreted. Duke Lockheed was at the end of said rope. He was seriously reconsidering his decision to keep the maid alive, though it had saved him face in front of his family. Sending her away was a mercy, money to not work another day was more than generous but the two girls hadn't seen it that way. He really hated how they made him want to be a better person. Fortunately, once they left his sight, if they didn't see the pragmatic side of noble politics, it was easy to forget this fact.

It let him be a loving father leaving all his troubles behind for a picture-perfect home life.

At the cost of treating his first born as a chess piece.

Iris did not have a head for politics, that was for weak individuals who didn't have strength to win or at least survive.

"When I came here, it was by a similar means. While I can't say exactly what occurred, there was some law embossed on the blade. My flame Dao reacted with it and tore a path to somewhere."

"Are you saying that my daughter is still alive?

"Probably, thunderous, or volcanic locations would make poor paths, I was dropped in a relatively calm field. Though she is not well versed, foundational stage, should be sufficient to survive in a calm environment." Calm was relative, at three hundred plus, the old grandmaster had forgotten that her definition of calm included dragon encounters.

"Oh, that's wonderful now we just have to find her." Charlotte spoke startling the duke.

"How is Mary faring?" Ignoring Iris, as most nobles tended to ignore servants, concerned for his daughter evident. It put the blond mother at ease to know he cared for his family and was just having trouble balancing his worry and duty.

"Asleep." Turning to face the maid she sat down, pulling her poofy dress out to sit comfortably.

"Do you know how you can find her safely?"

"I know enough to track her; I just lack the strength to do so. My injures are still healing, and my cultivation base is a wreak. I just managed to rebuild my golden soul orb and I've depleted every bit of it."

There was quite as both looked at the maid like she was insane.

"A few months and I can make the push for nascent soul, that might be enough…If not based on the reaction deity transformation will ensure it but that might take a few years."

"Tsk, there's no chance she could still be alive. You want me the duke to take the word of some servant, who couldn't even do her job to save her master?" The duke stood from his desk, signaling an aide from a nearby alcove.

"Get this servant out of here, I have no need for her nonsense." He turned and went to sit down before Charlottes soft voice stopped him cold.

"Mary wants us to take care of her." Charlotte didn't feel too good about this move, but frankly if the story was half true the maid was a hero.

"Mary won't stay put. If we can't satisfy her, she will go looking for her sister herself." For several moments the duke seethed before caving in the face of the person he considered to be his real daughter.

"Leave us." Sharply to the aide who bowed slightly and disappeared, duke Lockheed finally turned around.

"There's little I can do about Valentine; I will have men search for her covertly incase we can find her. Her absences can be covered up, however if it takes a few months something will have to be said…"

"Lady Iris can take her place."

"Huh?" Iris hadn't been paying much attention, focused on examining the damage to her soul state and her overall condition.

"Absolutely not, no commoner masquerades as a noble. It's a deception that will never work, some things simply can't be overcome."

"So, because Mary is half blood, she won't be a noble ever, I must be worse than her, since I'm just a mere commoner from nowhere." Puffing her checks out and folding her arms, a slight hint of tears formed the duke managed zero resistance. Iris knew the destructive power of a crying women, though it was more effective when one had a personal stake in the other person.

"That's, no, I…Forgive me I seem to be struggling more than I care to admit with my missing daughter." His eyes were soft as he looked at his wife, using the charm that netted her in the first place.

"Lady Iris knows her the best recently and would be the best person to pretend to be her."

"I'm afraid she lacks your natural charm or elegance, certainly inadequate in front of your beauty. How could her nobleness compare to your radiance."

Swept up in the sweet talk, Charlotte dithered a bit before blushing, remembering just why she liked the charming man.

"Grand Rainbow Sage, deity transcendent. If I couldn't do something as simple as act as someone else, I would of died long ago."

"Must it be her, my goddess?"

"Mary would be happy that her father is such a good man."

"Fine, I will allow you to pretend to be my daughter until you can find her. No more though, the honor of the Lockheed Duchy must be upheld." He narrowed his eyes holding his wife's hand while looking down at the seated sage.

"…I owe the kid a favor for helping me out when I first arrive. Don't forget that my honor must be upheld as well." Iris rarely showed her domineering side to others, she didn't have to as one of the ten great masters. People were happy when she didn't level family's and clans, who needs to be so strict?

"Ill go rests and focus on tracing lady Lockheed down." Lacking any manners she left the lovebirds to their own devices, aware that her actions weren't polite. Hopefully the Duke would realize where he truly stood in these matters.

"I wonder why I do so much for that troublesome girl." Working for the red head had been a minor whim, since she was outside without all her things. Not all favors had to be repaid to this extent, however her peaceful days had been wonderful.

"Actually…I miss her, don't I? It was nice to have such quiet companionship." The noble had been gone a few hours, yet the sage seemed despondent.

"This elder got old to be such a softy."