Chapter 134
“Where could he have gone…”
Even after searching that woman’s house again, there was still no trace to be found. Trying to find Ares alone felt overwhelming, and she couldn’t help but sigh.
Since this was being handled secretly, it was difficult to decide whether she should report this as soon as possible or keep searching alone. She could only let out frustrated sighs day after day, feeling her blood run cold, unable to move in either direction—worried that asking for help might only give that woman an easier chance to escape.
‘No, this is exactly when I need to stay more alert.’
This was about Ares, after all. Though he had been suddenly kidnapped, he must surely be trying to find a way to escape.
‘I need more information.’
She needed to know everything about that woman. Then maybe she could find out where she had lived before the white mansion.
Calming herself, Kirine pushed aside her worries about Ares and headed to the most famous guild in the capital.
Though she thought they wouldn’t remember her since it had been so long since she’d frequented the place, the guild master recognized her as soon as she entered and welcomed her warmly.
“Oh? It’s been a while since I’ve seen this face.”
As the guild master made small talk, saying he’d felt neglected since she became a royal magician and hadn’t shown her face, Kirine got straight to the point.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
To the puzzled guild master, Kirine told everything she knew about that woman. The conclusion was that she wanted them to find her.
“Ah… this might take some time.”
There was too little information to go on. Gender, previous residence, and an uncertain social status—these three pieces alone wouldn’t make it easy to find someone.
As the guild master smiled apologetically, Kirine let out a long sigh before saying calmly:
“Money is no object.”
“Really?”
As the guild master looked at her as if this was unusual for her, Kirine responded gravely:
“The faster you find her, the higher I’ll pay.”
“Really? You mean it?”
“Have I ever lied about money?”
Though Kirine was known as a demanding client within the guild, she was also trusted because she always paid exactly what she promised when it came to money.
“This might take a while, but I’ll give it special attention.”
“You’ll need to give it ten times more attention. The more effort you put in, the more you’ll be able to fill your pockets.”
“When you put it that way, I’ll have to work even harder. You’ll be nearby?”
“Yes. I’ll be at the inn next door, so come find me as soon as you find anything.”
“Alright. I’ll show you what I’m really capable of this time.”
The guild master’s eyes sparkled as he told her to trust him.
And the next day, he came looking for Kirine first thing in the morning.
“Did you find her already?”
Kirine’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting him to find anything so quickly.
But the guild master shook his head.
“No, I haven’t found her yet.”
“What? Then why are you here?”
As her expectant expression sank into disappointment, the guild master handed her some documents, saying “Look at this.”
“I brought this first because I thought you might need it.”
Though somewhat disgruntled, Kirine accepted the documents. As she skimmed through them, hoping to find clues as the guild master suggested, one sentence caught her eye.
“Her real daughter died from illness…?”
“When she was 10? 11 years old, they say.”
The guild master, who already knew all the contents, explained kindly.
“Originally, she was a countess who took good care of the territory’s people in place of the count, but after her daughter died, she became… well, she lost her mind. There’s a portrait of the daughter on the next page.”
As soon as she heard this, Kirine turned to the next page. As the guild master had said, there was a portrait of that woman’s real daughter.
“I think I would have been shocked too if I were her mother. The territory’s people said the daughter was very kind and pretty, so they found it tragic.”
“…”
But Kirine couldn’t respond to those words. Her gaze remained fixed on the portrait.
‘They really do look alike…’
The girl in the portrait was the spitting image of Aria—that is, Ares as a child.
‘Is that why she’s so obsessed?’
She felt her blood run cold, her skin crawling. Looking just at the appearances of the real daughter and Aria, they were so similar they could be mistaken for twins at first glance. It made the woman’s obsession with Ares somewhat comprehensible.
‘The place most precious to her…’
The thought crossed her mind that Ares might be where that woman considered most precious.
‘If I were her…’
As Kirine carefully considered what might be the most precious place to that woman, something suddenly occurred to her.
“Then where did she live with her real daughter?”
***
Though the walls and door looked like they might break at the slightest touch, they wouldn’t budge even after ramming them with his shoulder several times. Finally giving up, Ares let out a deep sigh.
‘The walls seemed thin…’
The soundproofing was poor enough that he could clearly hear the voice of the woman trapped on the other side. Yet it was strange that only the walls and door had been enchanted to be unbreakable.
‘Does she think we won’t be able to escape anyway?’
Ares, who had been idly tapping the wall, turned around. An old bed and wardrobe.
Thinking there might be something under the bed, he checked, but only ended up covered in dust for his trouble.
‘The wardrobe…’
Even as he thought there wouldn’t be anything, he froze as soon as he opened it.
“Ha…”
Seeing the clothes hanging in the wardrobe, he suddenly realized who had captured him.
‘Still insane.’
He could tell they were dresses without even taking them out. Moreover, they were dresses suitable for young girls.
They were similar in style to the dresses that woman had made him wear when she kidnapped him as a child.
‘Damn it.’
Finally, he slammed the wardrobe door shut in irritation and collapsed onto the bed.
‘How much time has passed?’
Being stuck in the darkness with nothing to do was starting to make him feel anxious and suffocated. At the same time, he wanted to escape somehow, knowing Kirine must be worried about him, but he felt desperate with no apparent way out.
‘Think, think, think.’
The more helpless he felt, the more he would be playing into that woman’s hands.
Ares tried to stay calm, determined not to give her what she wanted no matter what. But it wasn’t easy to endure alone in a space barely larger than a small storage room.
‘I need to let someone know I’m here somehow.’
But the walls and door were magically reinforced and couldn’t be broken, and the room contained nothing but an old bed and a wardrobe full of girls’ dresses.
‘There must be some way.’
Just as he jumped up from the bed, suppressing the urge to give up—
Looking down as something on his wrist bothered him, Ares let out a defeated sigh.
It was the protective bracelet that Kirine had forced him to wear.
