If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 148
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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“…The Nikephos knights, you say?”
Agatha had heard of the empire’s conquest wars. However, since history is always written from the victor’s point of view, the stories she grew up hearing mostly praised the bravery of the Nikephos knights and the cold, calculating nature of their leader, Emperor Vlahova.
And the story always ended with the praise of her father, the former Duke Kristin, who had led the knights.
But according to Esther’s words, the Nikephos knights, led by her father, had led a nation to ruin with their treachery and cruelty. How should she process this?
Or, more importantly, could she even trust this story? And how did this gypsy woman know about it?
“How do you know this? And why are you telling me all of this?”
“It’s because I am a refugee from Amasril.”
“What?”
“Most of the children here are born from refugees of Amasril.”
“…”
“Even Marquis Vernat is actually a refugee from Amasril.”
It felt as if her heart had dropped to the floor. Agatha was glad she had already put the teacup down; if she hadn’t, she might have dropped it from the shock of Esther’s words.
Cain is from Amasril? Not from Nikephos? Agatha was confused.
Come to think of it, Cain had never mentioned anything about his life before he joined the Kristin Knights, not even the slightest detail about his life before he was ten.
And no one, not even Agatha, had ever learned about his past. She had always assumed he was from some fallen rural noble family, as the rumors suggested, but she had never questioned it.
It felt like being swept into a storm and drowning in the sea of truth.
“And…”
Esther, who had just dropped this bombshell, maintained a determined expression, as if she still had more to say.
“The Marquis is my blood relative.”
Blood relative? This gypsy woman and Cain? So, they were siblings, both refugees from the kingdom of Amasril…
Agatha felt dizzy. The scent of tea suddenly became nauseating, and she instinctively covered her mouth with her hand.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
The Vernat Knights, returning from the northern pirate war and stationed at the capital’s borders, began to stir.
All roads leading out were strictly controlled by the knights, and even the smallest of merchant wagons had to be checked by the knights before they could move.
The sudden actions of the Vernat Knights caused concern among the people of the capital, fearing that another civil war might break out, just as it had when the current Emperor had usurped the throne twenty years ago.
As the voices of the Empire’s citizens grew louder, the imperial family, through Marquis Vernat, explained the sudden shift in security measures.
The explanation was that it was a drastic action taken to address the recent surge in crime within the capital. According to the imperial family, the increasing incidents of assault, theft, and murder had reached such a level that the city guard alone was no longer enough to handle the situation.
Of course, no noble in the capital truly believed the explanation. However, it was also impossible for them to know that Marquis Vernat was privately using the imperial family and the knight order in search of his missing wife.
“Do you remember the nanny who worked for Duke Kristin’s house? What’s her name?”
Joseph had come to the Marquis’ estate just five days after Ethan had visited the imperial court on Cain’s orders.
“Well, that nanny. You know, the brunette who was carrying the lady in her arms when we were heading to the Duke’s funeral procession.”
As he spoke, Joseph looked at his old friend’s face, which was unrecognizable. Something had happened in the past few days that had left Cain with a look of unspeakable grief.
After his conversation with Liana, Cain had aimlessly headed south, only to regain his senses and immediately turn back. He then went straight to the Emperor to request permission to fully mobilize the Vernat Knights to strengthen the city’s defenses.
At that moment, Joseph had a strong sense that something had gone terribly wrong.
“Why, all of a sudden?”
Cain thought back, trying to piece together the events. Yes. Before Agatha had taken refuge at Count Calvino’s estate, when she was still at the Duke’s house, there had been a nanny who had taken it upon herself to protect her. What was her name again…?
“The day you mentioned. Countess Duflo had gone south to meet with grain merchants, and the knight order was tasked with escorting her to the station.”
“And then?”
“Since the imperial family was involved, shouldn’t we have checked the station’s records? While going through them, I noticed a name that seemed oddly familiar.”
Cain’s heart began to race, and with a stiffened expression, he waited for Joseph’s next words.
“Charlotte. Charlotte Borgia.”
“Borgia? As in Viscount Borgia?”
“Yes, Viscount Borgia. It’s her. The lady’s nanny.”
“Could I see the records myself? The list of those who boarded the train?”
“No, it wasn’t the train list. It was the list of those who rented the carriages.”
Carriage rental.
Cain let out a strange sound, half-laugh and half-sigh, as the realization hit him.
