'Where's Vance?'

The carriage was half-covered in snow and the two men had to dig their way through, but looking at it, it's seemed too…put together. The curtains inside were even shut close. Someone would think that it was just an abandoned carriage after the passengers lost their way out of the woods and leaving it behind was the only option.

Seeing that there weren't signs of struggles or fighting, Alexander's knight might've been taken out before they entered the forest. Vance would've stopped his suspicions if there wasn't any trace of Amelia around these parts of the empire, but this changed everything.

Now, there's only one person in his mind and he's boiling to collect bodies.

"Stanwinx, help me with the door." Vance called and the Thuenia Elder rushed to Vance's side.

When they managed to forcefully open the door, both of them cursed.

"Heavens, it's Layla..." Vance groaned as he rushed inside. "Layla, wake up... Layla!" He shook her, pinched her; tapped her cheeks, and pulled off the thick blanket—

A thick blanket? Vance's brow rose.

Why are the window curtains shut? Why's the coachman's window shut, and most importantly, why was Layla laid comfortably in the carriage seat with a thick blanket covering her?

"It doesn't look like someone robbed them," Stanwix pushed his head inside and inspected the gold-laced innings of the carriage. "Is she still alive?"

"She is. Heavily drugged, possibly, but someone came here and was certain that she's found before something irreversible happened."

Stanwinx tilted his head, "I'm not following you."

"We have to leave now. She's too pale for us to sit here and wait for your men to arrive." Vance properly covered Layla with the blanket. As he lifted her to hand over to Stanwix waiting outside, a small golden brooch fell on the floor. At first the advisor thought it was just the usual brooch Amelia gave to her ladies-in-waiting, but when he crouched to pick it up, his hand stopped. 

"What's wrong, Salwyn?" The mercenary knight looked back at him.

"Nothing," Vance answered, swiftly taking the ornament with him, followed by saying, "Let's go" as he hurried to mount his horse, the embossed gyrfalcon perched on a sword's pommel burned in his hand.

***** 

The two men rode like the wind once they managed to get out of the forest, Zhira following above them. Vance held Layla closer to him as Stanwinx rode in front, breaking the cold air that battled them. At some point, they came across three of Stanwinx's men who saw Zhira flying. The mercenary knight blew on his whistle again and the gyrfalcon was out of their sight in a second.

"Is it the duchess?" Vance heard one man asked.

"Let's just hurry," was Stanwinx's short reply and the three rode in formation, placing the advisor and Layla in the middle.

One town.

Two towns.

Without rest, they'd reach Calser before the sun greets another day with two towns left to go through. But they can't go without rest, so whenever they needed it, they'd do so to help the horses rest a little.

In one of their little stops, one knight asked Vance if Layla was alright seeing that no matter how much they rode, she still remained unconscious.

"Yes, she's alright," he answered. Vance knew exactly what's keeping Layla in her state.

Back in Pradour, during the war with the other kingdoms, they'd induce deep sleep to heavily wounded men to help them recuperate. It was done to Amelia months ago when she came back all beaten up. He believed that the same was done to her lady-in-waiting. The drug would need to be administered in small doses and in a consistent interval, and since it has been a little over two hours from when they found her, it wouldn't take long until she regained her consciousness. By then, they need to be at home where Dehstun is. He would know what to do.

***** 

Third day.

Unlike yesterday, Alexander's too... unfeeling today. For a more dramatic term, numb.

It was already past midnight when everything settled down. Reignold with his granddaughter stayed the whole time while Jyver was being cleaned and wrapped in a deep yellow fabric that they somehow managed to attain from somewhere. They said it's to honor the House where he served. Then Jyver's bloodied clothes were neatly folded and placed in his stomach before he was wrapped one last time; Arabella said it's so he could remember what caused his life and if ever he gets a second chance, he'd know how to avoid it. Alexander sat there and listened. He never thought that the proud lady assassin would have such beliefs.

They said they have some kind of ritual for Felfords assassins who were killed in the line of duty. Alexander was told he could come and witness it, but he doesn't even know what to feel about it. He doesn't even know if he had any family residing in Thuenia when Elias asked him about it—matter-of-factly, how much does he about his own knight?

Thoughts, questions, realizations… all these fogged his mind in a span of hours. It only stopped when a forceful knock sounded on the door.

"Don't make me call the knights and have this door destroyed." Came the demanding voice outside followed by more knocking. Only a mother like Maude can be this imposing on someone like him. "You look terrible. Have you had any sleep?" She asked as soon as the doors opened. She strutted inside without a care in the world followed by two male servants who she left soon after with instructions to wait on the duke.

First of all, bath. 

Alexander's been out on the streets when he knew of Amelia's disappearance, and this was the longest he stayed inside. He reeked; he won't deny that. After ordering for his bath to be prepared, one male servant left the room while the other made his bed and prepared his clothes.

When that was done and over with, he looked at the bags under his eyes, his dry skin, and sorry face in the mirror one last time, ruffling his still damp hair before smoothing it back.

His next destination, the dining area.

This would probably be his first proper meal in a proper setting since this all happened. A sturdy chair, a proper table, a hot meal... it's like any other day.

The maids were bustling back and forth. There's some faint noise coming from the kitchen below. Some servants managed to shovel a portion of the pathway leading to the main gate. Arabella and Elias arrived, said their greetings then sat down opposite of Alexander. Reignold followed, then to Alexander's surprise, Vernon walked in as well. He must've arrived sometime between Alexander's existential crisis and his full acceptance that some things will come to an end unexpectedly.

"Clement," Vernon said, walking over to him, he didn't say anything and only gave him a pat on a shoulder and a short squeeze before he walked past him to his seat. Reignon sat beside Alexander then Maude arrived.

The dinner table was silent except for the sound of silverwares against the ceramics. Even the servants knew not to be so loud.

After some time Alexander spoke. "With Jyver dead, I think you owe me an explanation. Where have you been this whole time?" He looked at Vernon then to Reignold, "What did Elias gave you last night?"

Before the older duke was able to answer, the Felfords head grabbed his cup and gulped the remaining contents.

"As..." he stopped to look at Elias and Maude, gauging, contemplating his next words, "you know, our family has long since been a part in ensuring the duchess' security, and I'm proud that up to this day, my grandchildren didn't stray from that very important role. However, it can't be assured that every single one of our men adheres to the same principles that of the family."

"I gave Sir Reignold his family brooch back. I found your knight clutching onto it. I thought he'd want to know."

"You see, Duke Clement," Reignold paused again to put down the cup that he had been holding, "I am a very strict man." That was all that he said, and Alexander knew how to read between the lines. "I guess some of them got employed elsewhere."

"You mean, your men kidnapped the duchess?"

"Correction, they're not my men anymore. They're someone else's. Who or where, I don't know. Though I have to admit, I'm greatly disappointed and ashamed that someone who was once a part of our family would come around and bite us from behind."

"Shouldn't Ancel be able to recognize them?"

"The fact that my grandson has not been found yet deeply disturbs me," he sounded like a regular old man worried about his missing family. His voice even trembled a little, but Alexander knew that it trembled for a darker reason. "He's not only a distinguish knight of our family, but also the appointed heir to the title."

For a few heartbeats, Alexander contemplated whether or not to respond or probe even further, but Vernon beat him to it, changing the topic completely.

"Where's Vance?" he asked. No one answered because no one exactly knew where or what he's doing.

Now when Alexander thought about it, Stanwinx left with him, even leaving his men behind. He did say he's a former acquaintance from the old days—that could only mean that he's with him all the way back in Pradour?

"Everyone!" Christa barged in, taking everyone's attention. "Th-there's a problem..." panting heavily, the marchioness' daughter walked in and placed a basket of bread on the table. Since going in and out of the mansion's been restricted to avoid spreading of rumours, either Christa or Arabella went to do simple errands. If not, one of Reignold's men did. "They... they know she's not here!" Most of her listeners threw looks. 

"Take a deep breath my dear and talk slowly. What did you mean that they knew? Who did?"

As instructed by her mother, Christa straightened herself, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. "It's my turn to buy the bread, so I went through the usual route that took me to the bakery. There was a small trinket stall outside, and I… I heard one woman buying said that they heard the duchess didn't come home from her own ball. I thought I heard it wrong, or maybe there was something more to her sentence. But, when inside the bakery, I heard the missuses talking about it. I asked the baker what the fuss was about, and he said that there's news going around that the duchess' missing!"