If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 42
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
read more chapters on luna kofi
The Grand Duchess’s initial aversion towards Agatha was not entirely baseless.
Witnessing the princess, who was once the center of attention, suddenly becoming a source of ridicule and amusement after losing a man, had amused the Grand Duchess. Therefore, there should have been no reason to hate Agatha for providing her with such entertainment.
However, as the attention of high society began to shift toward Agatha Kristin, the Grand Duchess found herself increasingly consumed by jealousy.
It was a childish and immature behavior, to the point where it seemed hardly befitting of a noblewoman. Yet, considering her lifelong habit of stepping on others to rise, it was somewhat forgivable. As if she was accustomed to committing actions beyond common sense.
Not that Agatha approved of her behavior in any way. However, there were so many incomprehensible things in the world that it was best to quickly brush them aside from one’s mind.
Agatha was well aware of this truth, a lesson she had learned during her time with Stella.
“Still, I wonder. Even if the Marquis was present, would she have spoken in such a manner? I was truly taken aback when she mentioned the name of the Princess.”
“Liana, we are currently riding in the carriage provided by the Grand Duchess herself. It would be wise to refrain from impulsive remarks.”
Although the conversation inside the carriage wouldn’t escape the ears of the carriage coachman, who was also a servant of the Grand Duchess, there was no harm in being cautious.
The carriage set off, and before long, the sun had completely set, and darkness enveloped the surroundings. Apart from a brief pause to light the lamps, the carriage continued to travel without rest.
Agatha hadn’t had a proper meal since she went straight to the Grand Duke’s estate from the dressing room. The lackluster reception from the Grand Duchess, who only served tea without proper dessert even as mealtime passed, would be a lasting memory for the servants at the Marquis’s estate.
“Miss, I brought some snacks. Would you like to have some?”
“It’s okay. You have it.”
“No, it’s for you. If you don’t have it, then what should I do?”
Liana felt sorry for Agatha’s thin wrists. The Marquis had not given instructions to the servants to prioritize Agatha’s meals for nothing. Her pale complexion and slender figure made her seem as fragile as if she could fly from a gust of wind. Liana gently played her waist strap.
“But we’ve been riding for quite some time, haven’t we? How much longer until we reach the Marquis’s estate?”
“I don’t know.”
It felt like they had been riding for as long as it took to come to the Grand Duke’s estate, yet the carriage was still on the dirt road. Even peering outside through the window, the darkness made it difficult to see.
Liana couldn’t help but worry that the coachman, who wasn’t one of the Marquis’s estate’s people, might have taken a wrong turn.
“We should ask the coachman.”
“That’s a good idea. If it gets too late, Sir Cain might worry.”
Liana knocked on the carriage wall. She could see the coachman leaning against the back through the thin wooden planks, but for some reason, he didn’t flinch even after she knocked a few more times.
“Hey! Hey!”
As there was no response, Liana began pounding the wall with her fist.
“Hey! Can’t you hear me? Are we on the right track?”
The coachman seemed to be entirely focused on ignoring their words as if he couldn’t hear anything. The day had darkened, the escorts were in other carriages, and the coachman was unresponsive.
Agatha couldn’t help but worry about some trouble with the carriage prepared by the Grand Duchess, yet at the same time, a sense of unease slowly crept in.
“It’s too… quiet, isn’t it, miss?”
“What?”
“I don’t hear the sound of the wheels of the other carriages that should be following us.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Come to think of it, when several carriages were running simultaneously, the sound of the wheels should have overlapped, but only the noise of the wheels of the carriage Agatha was in was loud.
Liana leaned her head out of the window. She was trying to check if there was any carriage following them.
“Oh, miss, there’s no one behind us. I don’t see the carriage Sir Ethan, the other knights and the servants were riding in.”
Liana’s face turned pale. Agatha was no less pale. Even if the coachman of Agatha’s carriage had taken a wrong turn, there should have been a carriage following them.
It was highly unlikely for the leading carriage to take the wrong path and for the following carriage to lose sight of the lead carriage. Unless someone deliberately detached the carriage.
“Hey! Hey! Stop the carriage, stop!”
As if realizing the seriousness of the situation, Liana shouted at the coachman with all her might, pounding the wall with force, bumping her body, and making noise. Yet the coachman only wielded the whip with determination, not bothering to look back.
By this point, it was evident. The coachman wasn’t actually unable to hear; he was pretending not to hear.
“This is serious.”
Was this the reason they couldn’t ride in the Marquisate’s carriage? However, no matter how much she thought about it, Agatha couldn’t find a reason why the Grand Duchess would go to such lengths against her.
Was it just to get back at the wife of Marquis Vernat, whom she disliked?
This was clearly a kidnapping. Even though Boudica was a noble, orchestrating the kidnapping of the Marquis’s wife was not something she could escape from unscathed.
