Chapter 29
‘What’s the big deal about eating a meal…’
‘What? You’re not eating? Do you want me to stuff you with medicine until you’re full, or will you just eat quietly? Choose.’
“……”
Grace had always been unusually strict when it came to meals.
Whenever he whined about not wanting to eat, she would literally take out a pile of medicine bottles, as if she’d really make him swallow them all if he didn’t eat.
Recalling that old memory, Kainel stood up from his seat.
Come to think of it, when he had no appetite, Grace used to make him a certain stew…
“…This is…”
Was it a coincidence?
When Kainel finally looked closely at the food Del had brought, a strange expression crossed his face.
“Wouldn’t it be better if I prepared something fresh for you, Your Grace?”
“I’m not sure.”
“To think that an outsider’s food was served to the Archduke… If His Majesty were to find out, I’d be in serious trouble.”
The head chef still looked displeased. After all, Del had brought in takeout food from outside.
Even if it was a popular dish, how could someone serve that to the Archduke?
“People say it’s quite good.”
“But still…”
Clack.
The chef and Del, who had been waiting nervously outside the office, rushed over when the maid came out.
“Ah…!”
When they saw the plate she was carrying, both of them froze in surprise.
Then Del’s face slowly broke into a smile — the plate was completely clean. Not a single crumb left.
“Looks like I’ll have to line up again tomorrow.”
Whether it took one hour or two, it didn’t matter anymore.
Bang!
“……!”
Just then, the office door burst open and Kainel stepped out, coat in hand as if he were heading out.
“Where is it?”
“…Pardon?”
“That food — where did you buy it?”
“Big sis! A letter came from Dave!”
“A letter?”
Yulia came running, holding a small envelope.
Somehow, they’d managed to get in touch with Dave.
But despite the news she’d been waiting for, Yulia’s expression wasn’t bright — she looked rather downcast.
Ceres knelt down to meet the child’s eyes, gently patting her back.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well… it sounds like the man he’s living with now hits him.”
“What?”
“Look, see for yourself.”
Ceres took the letter Yulia handed her and began reading it. Her brows furrowed slightly.
The handwriting was clumsy and uneven, but the contents were far more concerning.
It said that his mother’s new boyfriend was violent and abusive, and that both he and his mother were suffering — even hinting that he might die soon.
“Dave’s mom got hit too. That man must be really bad.”
Yulia’s words came faster and faster, full of worry.
“Big sis, shouldn’t we tell Dave’s dad? He asked us to let him know if we ever heard anything.”
“…You’re right.”
Ceres nodded, folding the letter carefully.
“I’ll go tell him myself.”
“I want to come too.”
“No. You stay here with Colin.”
“……”
Seeing her sister’s expression, Yulia didn’t argue this time. She simply pressed her lips together.
The butler, Colin, watched anxiously as Ceres tossed her apron aside. Her face looked grim.
“My lady, are you sure you want to go alone? I could come with you—”
“No. I need to check something first.”
“Check something…? What do you mean?”
“At first, I thought about ignoring it. I didn’t want to pry into things that might just be suspicions… But now…”
Her hand clenched around the letter.
“How dare he try to use my sister?”
“…Pardon?”
Use?
Colin didn’t understand, but he instinctively stepped back, pulling Yulia with him.
The faint, cold curve forming on Ceres’s lips told him it was best to keep some distance right now.
“Big sis, are you mad?”
Yulia’s eyes widened.
That face — she’d seen it once before.
Back when Ceres had come to take her from the orphanage.
“I’ll be back.”
Leaving behind the uneasy pair who could tell something bad was about to happen, Ceres strode out of the shop.
Knock knock.
“Who is it?”
Unlike last time, the door opened right away, revealing Dave’s father.
“Oh? You’re…”
Recognizing her, he looked surprised.
“I got a letter. From Dave.”
“What? From Dave?”
“Mind if I come in?”
“Of course! Please, come in!”
The man hurriedly opened the door wider, ushering her inside.
“Dave really sent a letter?”
“Could I have a cup of tea first? My throat’s a bit dry.”
“Ah… yes, just a moment.”
He rushed to the kitchen and returned quickly with a drink.
Ceres then handed him the letter.
As he read it, his eyes began to glisten with tears.
“Dave… my poor boy…”
“It seems like the child’s in danger, doesn’t it?”
“Ugh… sniff…”
“Shouldn’t you report it? We have to find him.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Unfortunately, the letter doesn’t include an address. It would’ve been nice if he’d written one, considering how serious this sounds.”
“Then I’ll have to file a missing person’s report! I’ll find him no matter what!”
He wiped his eyes and declared firmly.
“You know, once a missing person report is filed, if there’s no trace of life or death for a certain period, they’re declared dead. It’s one year in the Black Forest area, and five years elsewhere.”
“…What?”
“Oh, you didn’t know?”
The man’s eyes widened at her casual remark — as if he truly hadn’t heard it before.
“In any case, you should hurry and make the report.”
“Y-yes.”
“I’ll just finish this tea and be on my way. Go on ahead — it’s not like I’ll steal anything while you’re gone.”
After a short hesitation, the man nodded briskly and rushed out, letter in hand, presumably to the guards’ office.
Clack.
A moment later, Ceres set down her teacup with a sharp sound and murmured coldly,
“I don’t steal.”
She smiled faintly.
“I just peek into the past.”
She looked around the house, then knelt and placed her hand on the floor.
At first, nothing happened — just dust and faint scuffs on the wood.
“……”
But after a few seconds, faint stains began to emerge.
Ceres didn’t stop. She kept rewinding the traces of time.
Gradually, the vague stains deepened in color.
And finally, when the scene from that time came into view—
“…Ha…”
A hollow laugh escaped her lips.
Just as she suspected.
A bloodbath.
There was no other word for it.
The floor, the walls — everything was soaked in crimson.
Ceres could only stand there silently for a long while.
“So it was the smell of blood remover.”
There’s a special chemical used to clean bloodstains when treating wounds — she knew that scent.
When she first visited this house, the same sweet, almost pleasant smell had filled the air.
Anyone unfamiliar with it might have overlooked it entirely.
Sure, maybe someone had a nosebleed, or cut themselves and cleaned up.
But then—
‘What about the insurance?’
He’d recently checked the insurance policies under the names of his runaway wife and son.
And he’d even asked how long it took for a missing person to be declared dead.
‘Is that how a normal person behaves?’
She couldn’t help but suspect.
Still, without authority or evidence, she’d decided to wait and see.
‘There wasn’t any proof back then.’
But now—
“How dare he try to use Yulia?”
After reading the “letter from Dave,” Ceres was speechless.
The handwriting was forced, as if someone had tried to mimic a child’s clumsy penmanship.
“For someone who doesn’t even know his own kid’s handwriting, he sure tried hard.”
She’d once seen Dave’s real writing — when he’d sent Yulia a small note along with a hairpin gift.
The letters had been neat and mature for a child, something she remembered well.
But the writing in today’s letter was different — the letters leaned slightly to one side, as if written with the left hand.
