Chapter 18
The coachmen exchanged glances while keeping their heads lowered at Caesar’s question.
None of them had ever heard of such a village before.
Jingle. A gold coin fell to the ground.
“Whoever answers may take it.”
At those words, the overseer immediately lifted his head and responded.
“Harak Village? I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of it. Has anyone here ever come across a place called Harak?”
The overseer raised his voice, but the coachmen shook their heads.
“I apologize, but none of us are familiar with such a village.”
“…I see.”
Harak Village—razed to the ground by foreign invaders.
It seemed to have been completely erased from people’s memories.
Or perhaps, everyone who remembered Harak Village had perished.
By the time he returned to Herabrua, the village had already been reduced to ashes.
Odette was gone.
Recalling the sense of helplessness from that moment, Caesar clenched his teeth.
It was only now that he began to realize—finding Odette might be impossible.
She had nowhere to turn, no one waiting for her, and no one to help her escape.
Not to mention, she had no money.
He had ordered a pickpocket to steal every last coin she possessed.
“I shouldn’t have done that.”
For the first time, Caesar truly understood the meaning of the phrase “burning with anxiety.” His chest tightened with unease.
But he quickly steadied his breathing, forcing himself to regain his composure.
“I will find her—no matter what!”
Determined, Caesar decided to retrace Odette’s last known whereabouts and made his way to the hotel.
“Gather all the staff in the courtyard. Someone must have seen Odette.”
At his command, Aden ordered his subordinates to round up every hotel employee.
Being a prestigious hotel, it housed dozens of workers, all of whom now stood anxiously in the courtyard, bewildered and afraid.
“Aden, offer a thousand gold pieces to whoever saw a blonde woman with green eyes leaving the hotel.”
It wasn’t long before Aden returned, bringing forth a man who appeared to be a laundress.
“My lord, the laundress claims to have seen the lady.”
“Speak.”
Under Caesar’s piercing gaze, the laundress trembled as he spoke.
“I saw a young lady with golden hair, wearing a hood. Her vividly bright green eyes were unforgettable.”
“Continue.”
“But… she wasn’t alone.”
Caesar inhaled sharply and muttered in a low voice.
“A man?”
“Yes. She left in a carriage with a man—red-haired, with blue eyes.”
Maxcallion Saxen!
That wretched bastard had come all the way here to smuggle Odette away.
He dared to come to me when Odette was unconscious from the poisoned tea.
He had the audacity to demand her return.
And when his request was refused, he orchestrated this entire plot.
Using Marquis Denkart as a front, he had Caesar dragged out of his chambers—only to steal Odette away.
“To Saxen Manor.”
If he dangled Maxcallion upside down over a cliff, Odette would surely return.
Just as Caesar mounted his horse, another knight rushed toward him, out of breath.
“My lord! The Crimson Eagle, roosting at the Anderson Estate, has sent a letter.”
“Give it to me.”
Caesar reached out with a grim expression, swiftly unrolling the sealed parchment.
“The maid who had been sent in Lady Amelia’s stead has returned. Her name is Odette Vallon, and the Count has taken her in as his adopted daughter.”
He had never even considered the possibility.
That Odette would return to the Anderson Estate.
“Hah… hahaha.”
He had been thoroughly deceived.
Yet, rather than anger, he felt a strange sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from his chest.
“I found her.”
Where she was, who she was with—it no longer mattered.
“I’m going to retrieve my wife. Prepare to depart at once.”
“…Your wife?”
At Aden’s hesitant inquiry, Caesar smirked.
“You think I’d go through all this trouble for Amelia? My wife is Odette.”
Aden hesitated for a brief moment before his eyes widened in shock.
“The Crimson Eagle’s letter… does that mean the lady is at the Anderson Estate?”
“Yes.”
“N-No! My lord, what are you thinking—how could you possibly go there…?!”
“It’s because she’s Odette. No one else could even think of pulling off such a thing.”
Caesar’s eyes, which had been filled with laughter just moments ago, turned cold and expressionless.
“I will depart first.”
With that, he took off like the wind.
“M-My lord! What are you all standing around for? Move quickly!”
Aden and the knights mounted their horses in haste.
As the search party joined them, a massive cloud of dust rose in their wake, resembling an army marching to war.
“Hm, I’ll take everything from here to there.”
Odette pointed at the dresses displayed in the luxurious boutique.
The shop owner, barely able to contain her delight at such an unexpected windfall, clasped her hands together and beamed.
“How would you like the fittings to be arranged, my lady?”
“That won’t be necessary. The person wearing them will handle that part.”
The owner blinked in confusion at Odette’s response.
“Are you not the one who will be wearing them, my lady?”
“Why does that matter? It’s not as if you don’t want to sell them.”
“O-Of course not! Absolutely not!”
Afraid of letting such an opportunity slip away, the boutique owner bowed even lower, carefully watching Odette’s expression.
“Please allow me to escort you to the lounge. You may rest and enjoy some tea while we take the utmost care in packaging your dresses.”
Odette, whose legs were sore from walking, gave a slight nod.
“Lead the way.”
“This way, my lady.”
Being a high-end boutique, the lounge was both spacious and exquisitely furnished.
Ah, my legs…
After visiting seven jewelry stores and three dress shops, Odette sank into the most comfortable-looking sofa to rest her weary body.
Following silently behind her, Jovern wore a dazed expression, on the verge of tears.
“M-My lady… the amount you spent today is equivalent to the Anderson estate’s monthly budget.”
“That’s all?”
She had intended to bleed the Anderson family dry.
But it seemed one day of shopping wouldn’t be nearly enough.
“B-But what do you plan to do with all of this?”
Odette lifted her teacup and spoke nonchalantly.
“Sell it for a higher price.”
Keeping Jovern busy would prevent him from scheming anything malicious.
If he failed to sell the items, he would simply have to get them refunded.
But one thing was certain—he had to bring back more than the original cost.
“Well then, show me your loyalty.”
“…You are truly determined….”
“You might want to choose your words carefully.”
As Odette’s expression hardened, Jovern swallowed dryly and rephrased his words.
“I mean… I shall prove my utmost loyalty.”
“I’ll be counting on you. Now, off you go.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Suppressing a groan, Jovern left the boutique.
The moment he was gone, Emma—who had been standing silently nearby—stepped closer and whispered.
“Odette, I can’t deny it’s amusing to see the steward suffer, but… I can’t shake the feeling that he might try to harm you when the opportunity arises.”
“I’m keeping a close watch on him.”
Odette slowly shook her head and took out Jovern’s handkerchief, twirling it between her fingers.
During their carriage rides, she had dozed off from time to time—each nap allowing her to read Jovern’s thoughts.
But this last dream… it felt less like his subconscious and more like a glimpse into the future.
Jovern had been struggling to get refunds for the dresses Odette had purchased.
Not only that, but he had been running around frantically to gather the extra money he owed her.
Is my ability evolving?
“Emma, I’ll be leaving this place far behind in a few days. Will you come with me?”
Emma had been sold to the Anderson estate because of her father’s gambling debts. Until that debt was repaid, she wasn’t allowed to leave.
Countess Katarina, seeing Emma as the perfect maid to exploit, had claimed her as a personal attendant.
She had been forced to serve the countess day and night, enduring beatings whenever her mistress was in a foul mood.
No matter how much she tormented her, the countess must have thought, ‘What can you do about it?’
Maidservants who had been sold into debt bondage could not run away.
If they did, it was considered theft of their master’s property, punishable by severe punishment.
But even without that risk, escape was an impossible dream.
Her debt decreased only by the amount she was paid, and the only money she ever touched was the occasional coin the countess tossed her out of amusement.
Saving enough to buy her freedom? That was never an option.
“I’ll take care of your debt. Jovern will see to it.”
“O-Odette….”
Odette took Emma’s trembling hands in her own.
“Come with me. We’ll go to the warm southern lands and live freely.”
