If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 171
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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But…
“Agatha… found peace?”
It was something he had expected, but confirming it was devastating. While he was falling apart from losing her, she had left him and found peace.
Seeking her out again might just be his selfishness. No, it most certainly is. He understood it with his mind, but his heart felt otherwise.
Did she really move on so easily while he suffered? Is that true?
His heart ached as if it were being sliced open. Cain clenched his fist and grabbed at the fabric of his coat.
“I don’t want to see her suffering.”
“…”
“Please, don’t make it harder for her by stubbornly insisting on something that’s not meant to be.”
It was a sincere plea. When a relationship is ill-fated, forcing it only causes more harm to both parties.
Rubens’s frustration grew as he sighed deeply, hoping Cain wouldn’t fall into foolish stubbornness.
“Tomorrow, at this time, I’ll visit the Marquis’s residence. Please have the maid released then.”
There was no response.
Seeing Cain crumble the moment Agatha was mentioned made Rubens’s heart heavy. Cain seemed to care for her more deeply than she likely realized.
What a fool…
Rubens left the drawing room, leaving Cain to his thoughts.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
A nationwide search order was issued in Leden. The suspects were Countess Stella Calvino and her son, John Calvino. Their charges included harboring a criminal and desertion.
John Calvino, who had abandoned his military duties, forged documents, and disappeared, now had a bounty three times that of Stella’s.
The night Cain left for Arta, Stella, who had been held in the underground prison of the Imperial Guard Headquarters, was released on bail. She was supposed to appear for further questioning the following day, but she never showed up.
Immediately, the Imperial Guard issued a summons for her. When there was still no response, the Imperial Knight Order was dispatched to retrieve her from the Calvino estate, but she was nowhere to be found. Eventually, a wanted poster was issued.
With Stella gone, the ruling on John Calvino’s death was nullified. Both mother and son were now on the Imperial Guard’s most-wanted list.
Where had they gone? People created endless rumors about the whereabouts of the missing Calvinos.
It was said that, following his wife’s wishes, Cain Vernat secretly took the two of them and had them killed, or that they were sent to labor in a place unknown to anyone, worse than death. Or that Count Calvino used all his wealth to help his wife and son escape to another country… the rumors were endless.
Among the many conspiracy theories about the disappearance of the Calvinos, one suggested that Grand Duke Norfolk had been involved, but it never caught anyone’s attention and was soon forgotten.
Where could she have gone? Ethan, who was responsible for losing track of Stella, had been working day and night to uncover the whereabouts of both the mother and son.
Fortunately, Cain’s mind was entirely focused on finding Agatha, so even after meeting with Ethan after a long time, he didn’t seem to have the mental energy to ask about Stella or John Calvino.
After leaving the Duke’s estate with little to show for it, Ethan immediately went to the Imperial Guard Headquarters to see if there had been any progress in the investigation regarding the Calvinos. However, he found no new information there either.
Things seemed to be falling apart. The one bright spot was that Agatha was under the protection of the retired knights, meaning John Calvino couldn’t threaten her.
If he were to look at the situation optimistically, Agatha’s safety was assured, so there wasn’t a need to frantically search for her just yet.
Returning to the Duke’s estate, Ethan immediately headed for the training grounds. He didn’t need to ask anyone; he knew Cain would be there, pushing his body to the limit.
For the past three months, Cain had been pouring all his energy into training during the time he wasn’t sleeping or tracking Agatha’s whereabouts. Ethan, who had known Cain for a long time, was aware that whenever Cain was emotionally burdened, he had a habit of pushing himself physically.
As he neared the training grounds, he first noticed the young knights, wiping sweat and catching their breath. They looked to be barely of age, and they had been selected as Cain’s sparring partners almost every day.
While the official reason was to become a fine knight through rigorous training, Ethan believed the real reason was that Cain was using them as a way to release his frustrations by pushing his own body to its limits.
“…I guess it’s just needless venting.”
Sparring with the commander was a moment of pride for the young knights. Cain could forget his frustrations, and the knights got the training they needed, so it wasn’t harmful to either side.
Ethan, arriving at the entrance to the training grounds, gave a couple of pats on the back of a lower-ranked knight, Frederick, who was bending over, catching his breath.
“Are you here, Deputy Commander?”
“Is the Commander inside?”
“Yes, he’s training.”
He quickly opened the door. With a loud screech, the heavy iron door creaked open, and a gust of dirt and wind rushed in.
How much are they throwing around to make this much dust? Ethan frowned.
“Get up!”
Cain’s voice echoed through the training grounds.
Gnfjfjfj
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