Chapter 13
It had already been a week since Norman Winterile began searching for Charlotte. All he needed was a clue about where the noblewoman had gone, but it felt like someone was deliberately hiding her whereabouts. He was certain that the Marquis Blanche had done something to block his search. With a frustrated sigh, Norman rubbed the spot between his brows and roughly ran a hand through his hair.
“In the end, do I have to wait until Charlotte returns on her own?”
He bit his lip.
But he had no idea when she would return.
Charlotte had left with deep emotional wounds. And he… he didn’t fully understand the pain she was carrying. Maybe she would never come back. She might live out her life in that place. Of course, the Marquis wouldn’t let her disappear forever, but still—it wasn’t impossible.
Norman couldn’t stop thinking about the last thing Charlotte had said, and the expression on her face. He rubbed his forehead again, where a faint scar remained from when he’d thrown a glass ornament in anger. Just then, his butler knocked on the office door.
“Young Duke, a letter has arrived.”
“A letter? Give me all of them.”
“Pardon?”
Usually, the butler filtered out unimportant letters and only handed Norman the ones he needed to personally read. Ever since the Duke of Winterile began dumping his responsibilities on his son, Norman barely had time to read even short letters.
So this time, the butler had already sorted the letters on the way over. But now Norman was asking for all of them. Surprised, the butler just blinked until Norman spoke again.
“Hurry.”
“Ah, here they are.”
The butler handed over the bundle of letters, wondering if today’s workload was lighter than usual. As soon as the butler left, Norman took out a letter opener and looked through the stack. One old envelope stood out, tied with a red string.
The first line of the letter read:
“Report: We did not find a woman with white hair and navy eyes in the locations you requested.”
Norman nearly crumpled the letter but forced himself to take a deep breath.
He had used a fake name and paid a well-known information guild a hefty fee to find her. He hadn’t mentioned Charlotte directly, but a woman with snow-white hair wasn’t exactly common. He had thought the guild’s resources would help him find her quickly.
But they had failed.
He hadn’t expected instant results, but surely they should’ve found something in a week.
Leaning back in his chair, Norman calmed his anger and kept reading.
“However, we received a clue about a white-haired woman in the Nostri territory.”
He recalled the list of places he had asked them to search. Marquis Blanche had claimed Charlotte was going away for “rest.” That likely meant she had gone somewhere known for healing. He had asked the guild to focus on such places.
But Nostri?
“Wait… wasn’t it in Sandro territory that the High Priest recovered from wounds while fighting a dark mage? Sandro is close to the north.”
Even so, the marquis cared deeply for his granddaughter. He wouldn’t send her somewhere so dangerous. Maybe the guild was mistaken. Still, Norman continued reading.
“The woman was seen holding a small child…”
At that, Norman shot up from his chair. Without hesitation, he walked to the fireplace and threw the letter into the flames.
“A child? That’s impossible. Charlotte isn’t even married!”
He sank into his chair again.
“Was this a mistake? Should I hire another guild? Or find her myself?”
As he shuffled through the rest of the letters, one caught his eye. It was from the imperial palace—an official letter usually sent out for big events. But it felt early for such a notice.
He began to read, and his eyes widened at a familiar name.
“Theodore Arbelche is returning.”
Theodore was once the student of Charlotte’s father, Ronan. He had also been close to Charlotte and had spent time with her at Marquis Blanche’s estate when they were young.
Currently, Theodore was working abroad. If he was still in contact with Charlotte, maybe she would return when he did.
***
Meanwhile…
“Aria? Aria?”
Early in the morning, Charlotte was searching all over the castle for Aria. The child was small and fast, and once she hid, it took ages to find even a strand of her hair.
Charlotte passed the ballroom and headed toward the dining room. She bent down to peek under the tablecloth, but Aria wasn’t there either. She went down to the main staircase, looking around and calling again.
“Aria, where are you?”
“Mama!”
Suddenly, Aria popped out like a bunny and clung to Charlotte’s leg. Today, she looked especially fluffy and sweet—her white hair and soft blue dress with layers of lace made her look like a little cloud. The fur cloak wrapped around her shoulders made her even more adorable.
“Mama, we’re wearing matching clothes! We look pretty!”
‘It might not suit me, but at least she likes it.’
Charlotte had been looking for more clothes for Aria when she found matching dresses for mothers and daughters. The design felt childish for her, but it suited Aria perfectly. If Aria was happy, that was all that mattered. Charlotte hugged her and rubbed cheeks with her daughter, making Aria giggle.
“The Duke is coming to visit today.”
“Why?”
“I heard it’s about the castle wall repairs.”
But Charlotte was uneasy. The message had come through a mountain scout, not an official. And the Duke wasn’t leaving right away—he seemed to be inspecting the area. Had wild beasts come down the mountains?
“Mama, I wanna greet him!”
“My Lady, the Duke has arrived.”
“Perfect. Let’s go out and meet him together.”
Charlotte carried Aria outside. But the Duke hadn’t come alone—he brought the mountain scouts with him. And in his hands was a small cage. Charlotte frowned slightly. Why had he brought them?
As soon as Aria saw Pedro among the men, she squirmed out of Charlotte’s arms and ran to him.
“Mister!”
“Well, look who it is—it’s Aria!”
“So this is the girl you mentioned before?”
“She’s so tiny! Maybe three years old?”
“Seriously? Never raised a kid before, huh? She’s clearly five.”
“Quiet. Go fix the wall.”
The mountain scouts quickly crowded around Aria. Pedro picked her up, and Aria looked surprised by how tall he was. But soon she was laughing with joy. If Ash hadn’t stopped them, the scouts might have played with her all day. At his command, they patted her head one last time and went behind the castle to start the repairs.
When Aria looked a bit disappointed, Ash smiled and knelt in front of her. He held out the cage.
“Aria, this is a present.”
As soon as he opened it, a fluffy white fox with golden eyes peeked out. Its tail was as big as its body, incredibly soft and full. After scanning the area, it ran straight into Aria’s arms.
Charlotte had been worried, but the fox nuzzled Aria and wagged its tail happily. When it looked at Ash, it frowned—yes, even a fox frowned, which made her laugh. Maybe it didn’t trust adults.
Aria hugged the soft creature tightly.
“A fox!”
“It’s a northern fox that was separated from its pack. I thought you’d take good care of it.”
He must’ve remembered how Aria had wanted to see a northern fox last time. Charlotte smiled and patted Aria’s head.
“Aria, what do we say?”
“Thank you!”
When Aria beamed and shouted her thanks, Ash’s faint smile deepened.
“Go play with the fox in the garden, Aria.”
Holding the fox, Aria ran off to the playground in the back garden. Charlotte watched her fondly and turned back to speak about the wall repairs. But then her eyes caught Ash’s cloak, and she remembered the jacket and brooch he had lent her for the salon visit.
“Ah, I forgot to return your jacket and brooch. Please wait a moment.”
“It’s fine. There’s no rush.”
“But…”
“Really, it’s alright. By the way… how was the salon?”
“Thanks to you, I met many good people.”
“Sounds like it went well.”
“I heard many interesting things.”
She wasn’t just saying that to be polite. If Ash hadn’t encouraged her, she would’ve stayed withdrawn and afraid to meet new people. She wanted to thank him somehow. As she wondered what to do, her eyes noticed a cut near his eye.
“Duke, you have a cut…”
“Hm?”
“Are you hurt? If it’s not treated properly, it might leave a scar.”
It looked like a scratch from sharp claws. Without thinking, she reached out and touched his face. His skin, pale like porcelain, was warm and firm. She gently stroked the area around the cut. Without realizing it, she leaned closer.
As she moved in, Ash suddenly caught her wrist, gently but firmly.
