If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 149
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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“I can’t give you the entry records. Just revealing this much already makes me guilty of a serious crime.”
“Then I’ll need to see at least a transcript of them.”
“What? I told you it’s not possible. Do you hear what I’m saying?”
“Do you think I’m asking for your permission right now?”
Cain’s icy gaze felt off to Joseph. Something was definitely wrong. Joseph muttered that there was no greater overstep than this, and reluctantly took out the records from his coat and handed them over.
“This is what you were going to give me all along.”
Cain muttered as he checked the papers. He had heard from Liana that Agatha had planned to head south on a merchant’s carriage. The moment he had received permission from the Emperor to increase security in the capital, Cain had immediately combed through all the merchant transports leaving the city.
Cain had investigated all the carriage transports that had left the city in the ten days surrounding Agatha’s disappearance, even questioning the owners of the merchants’ businesses. But he had found no significant clues. Agatha’s whereabouts remained a mystery.
Ignoring Joseph’s request to simply look at the records, Cain tucked the entry records and carriage rental log copy into his coat.
From what he knew, the Borgia family had roots in the south. The maid who had mentioned Agatha heading south, and the nanny who had appeared suddenly at the station on the day Agatha disappeared—likely it wasn’t a coincidence.
Cain could not leave the capital without the Emperor’s approval. Though he longed to rush to the south immediately after hearing from Liliana about Agatha’s whereabouts, he was stuck due to his position within the knight order.
But now, despite locking down the capital’s gates with the order’s full cooperation, Cain had found no clues related to Agatha. He decided it was time to take matters into his own hands.
Even if the Emperor were to criticize his actions, he was willing to face it.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
After a full day of travel, Cain arrived in Gulem.
The name “Charlotte” was written in the carriage rental log, and once he confirmed it, he mounted his horse without hesitation.
Normally, leaving the capital would require informing the Emperor and obtaining permission, but Cain had bypassed that step by having Joseph relay his actions. Though he expected a sharp reprimand from Emperor Vlahova, Cain couldn’t be bothered with it at the moment.
“These are all the transport methods that left Gulem heading south.”
After reaching Gulem, Cain’s first stop was the station. As a vital crossroads linking the capital and the Empire’s southwestern region, all transports passing through the city had to be recorded in writing.
Cain, in his capacity as the commander of the capital’s guard, had ordered all records from the past month to be brought to him.
“Let’s carefully check the records from the most recent to the last fifteen days.”
“Fifteen days? So, you want to go through all of this…”
“Don’t miss a single name.”
“…Understood, sir.”
There were countless carriages passing through Gulem each day. Trying to track all the traffic over the past fifteen days would require staying up for several days without sleep.
Cain, without giving a glance in, had been absorbed in the documents for hours. The Commander had ordered the review himself, so Ethan couldn’t delegate the task to the other knights.
Since his wife left, it seemed like he hadn’t had a proper meal or sleep. It was amazing how such monstrous stamina could come from him. Even though it was clear he was exhausted from the recent days—his face had thinned noticeably—he still pushed himself relentlessly.
Ethan sighed briefly and picked up a stack of papers.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
Cain spent the entire night reviewing the list of names, but could not find the name Charlotte. He also checked for other names under the Borgia title, but there was nothing. Perhaps she had used a different name to avoid suspicion, he thought.
His head was pounding, a sharp feeling of needles pricking deep behind his eyes as if his brain was spinning.
The absence of her name from the list could mean two things: either she used a different name to leave, or she was still in the area. If it’s the latter, it would be a headache, but if it’s the former, he could tear apart the whole of Gulem to search for her.
Should he lock down Gulem and continue searching for Agatha’s trail, or try to gather information from the merchants based on her clothing?
Cain was deep in thought. He knew there wasn’t much time to make a decision, but he had to be cautious. A wrong move would lead him to the wrong place, and by the time he returned, Agatha would be much farther away.
“Commander.”
Ethan returned after inspecting the stablehands at the station. His face was tense, and his body language was stiff.
“The administrator of the Imperial Second Knights, Calvino, has arrived.”
Ethan’s words caught Cain off guard. Behind him stood Christian Calvino, whose sudden appearance caused Cain’s brow to furrow.
Just when things were already a headache, this new trouble had arrived.
