If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 58
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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It was an unusually refreshing morning. It had been a while since Agatha had slept so soundly. She stretched her arms and felt invigorated.
She had fallen asleep reading a book, but she couldn’t remember how she had made it to the bed. Nonetheless, she didn’t mind. She must have found a comfortable place to sleep while half-drowsy.
Agatha lay there, trying to gather her thoughts.
She felt a sense of anticipation, as if something good might happen today. But the unfounded excitement only brought unease. For Agatha, hoping for good fortune was something she dared not do. Ever since that day when her father passed away, at least for the past ten years, the unexplained excitement had always led to misfortune.
Knock, knock.
“Miss, are you awake?”
With the sound of knocking, Liana appeared. Agatha had received her in the same posture as she was still sleepy, but Liana rushed in, bombarding her with questions about whether she felt uncomfortable or if her body still hurt.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Ironically, it was Liana whom she was more worried about. Agatha always claimed to be fine, but Liana knew that sometimes she felt pain in her head, judging by the occasional furrowing of her brow.
“I really am okay, Miss.”
Liana returned Agatha’s gentle smile, a mix of embarrassment and gratitude, as she swept her hair back with a comb.
She got up, opened the window wide to shake off the dust that had settled overnight, and began tidying the bed with practiced hands.
“There’s been a visitor since early dawn.”
“A visitor?”
“Knights from afar, and they seem rather ominous.”
As she pulled back the tapestry, the streaming sunlight was dazzling. Lifting her upper body, Agatha peered out the window and indeed saw a group of people beyond the garden, outside the mansion.
Armed outfits—the visitors were knights.
“They seem to be knights under Sir Cain’s command.”
“It looks like it. But why have they come all the way here from early in the morning? I heard they were stationed at the border zone, weren’t they?”
If it was the border zone, they must have been the knights stationed to the north. The warmer weather had caused concerns about pirate attacks, but it seemed that the situation was progressing much faster than expected.
It was strange that she felt so good as soon as she woke up. Agatha quickly instructed Liana to prepare her clothes and water for washing.
With no time for a proper groom, Agatha changed her clothes and went downstairs. Due to the knights’ sudden return to the estate, everything was in a commotion, unlike the usual calm atmosphere.
As she passed by the bustling servants and sought out Cain, she was met with an unexpected face.
“Greetings Lady Kristin.”
The neatly dressed middle-aged woman introduced herself as the new handmaid. Teschen, from the Alexei Barony. It was a name she had never heard before, and the fact that she was sent by Grand Duchess Norfolk made her raise her guard involuntarily.
However, instead of scrutinizing the new servant and questioning her, it was more urgent to find out why the knights had come to the estate.
“Teschen Alexei. I’ll remember your name.”
“It’s an honor to serve Milady.”
After a brief greeting, Agatha left, and Teschen observed her with a scrutinizing look. Her gaze did not sit well with Agatha, and Liana pursed her lips as she followed Agatha.
Liana knew that everything seen and heard here would eventually be reported to the Grand Duchess, her rightful owner. She couldn’t understand why the Marquis had accepted these people, who were clearly outsiders.
“Why did His Excellency accept the people from the Grand Duchy?”
“Because they are from the Grand Duchy.”
“What?”
“How can we turn away the servants sent as an apology from the Grand Duke himself?”
“Even if it’s a precious jewel, if I don’t like it, that’s the end of it. With the Emperor firmly on our side, why should the Marquis care about what the Grand Duke thinks?”
“There’s no reason not to be cautious, either.”
As Liana said, if Cain took a strong stance, Grand Duke Norfolk couldn’t just stubbornly send people over without consideration.
But if the Marquis were to return gifts that the Grand Duke had sent as a sign of apology, it could become a problem. It might be seen as an insult to the Imperial Family, potentially leading to an attack.
Liana’s initial irritation quickly gave way to an understanding of the hidden meaning in Agatha’s words. She shook her head.
“Anyway, why would the knights come here? It’s making me nervous, Miss.”
“What’s there to be nervous about? They are Sir Cain’s people.”
“But the war isn’t over yet. Something must have happened on the battlefield.”
“Shh, Liana. Quiet.”
Liana closed her mouth with a surprised face. Even so, she was ashamed of her carelessness to speak such things out loud.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
Cain was in the second-floor library, receiving reports from the knights. The news that pirates had appeared sooner than expected was troubling.
Despite thorough preparations to prepare for the pirate invasion before their return from the capital, the knights had come here, indicating a situation that couldn’t be stopped by any precaution.
Ethan and the other knights in the library were tense.
“With our current forces, we won’t be able to hold out for long. Captain, you should return as soon as possible.”
“How far can you last if you give it your all?”
