Chapter 30
Left alone, Seobold immediately roused all the household staff and ordered them to search for Eve.
“She might have tried to return to the Imperial Palace on her own. Search outside the estate thoroughly!”
The Ferdinand estate was surrounded by a high wall, guarded so tightly by Ferdinand knights that not even an ant could sneak in or out.
But that child was Astrid’s daughter.
Astrid Ferdinand had once eluded all the guards of Ferdinand and escaped the ducal estate at the mere age of seven.
If Eve was truly Astrid’s daughter, then perhaps she too could have escaped, slipping past the guards.
‘And even though word of Eve’s appearance hasn’t spread yet…’
As Neil said, there was still the possibility—however slim—that someone had truly taken Eve away.
When searching for a missing child, every possible scenario must be considered.
Seobold ordered the search to proceed with all options open.
In the middle of the night, lights lit up all across the Ferdinand estate.
“Lady Eve!”
“Lady Eve, where are you?”
“Lady Eve? Lady Eve!”
The maids frantically searched every corner of the estate, calling Eve’s name again and again.
“Eve!”
Neil, holding Eve’s sword Excalibur, ran around the estate like a madman, shouting her name desperately.
Seobold Ferdinand was no different, running around like a man possessed.
“Eve! Eve! Where are you?”
For the Duke of Ferdinand to personally search for someone like this—this was nearly unheard of.
And naturally so. He was the empire’s only duke and the head of its strongest noble house.
When had he ever needed to search for someone himself? He could simply order his knights to find them.
Thus, it was the first time the servants of the Ferdinand estate had seen the Duke so desperately and anxiously searching for someone.
Even the loyal knights who had served at his side for over thirty years had never seen their master behave this way.
All because of one small child—Eve Royce.
Before she came to the Ferdinand estate, such a thing would have been unimaginable.
A whirlwind of thoughts tore through Seobold’s mind.
‘Did she leave because of me?’
Was it because of the cruel words I spoke last night without even knowing her past?
Seobold genuinely wanted to apologize for what had happened.
He wanted to say sorry. He wanted Eve to forgive him.
Only after Astrid’s death did he realize just how worthless and petty a thing like pride could be.
He didn’t want to make a mistake he would regret again.
But now she was gone.
Eve had vanished.
Still in his nightclothes, Seobold searched through the estate himself, brushing past maids and servants in a frantic rush.
At that moment, he was no longer the “illustrious Duke Ferdinand,” but simply a grandfather who had lost his grandchild.
“There’s no sign of her going outside!”
“We’ve searched the entire grounds but couldn’t find Lady Eve.”
“No trace of her in the garden either…”
Report after report brought only despair.
With each passing update, Seobold’s expression darkened.
Neil was now clutching Excalibur, nearly in tears.
The sword vibrated lightly in his arms, as if frustrated, but since Neil couldn’t hear Excalibur’s voice, he didn’t understand what it wanted to say.
Two hours passed like that, with no sign of Eve.
“She doesn’t seem to be anywhere in the estate either…”
Charlotte, her face pale, reported to Seobold.
“Then what, the child flew up into the sky or fell into the ground? Keep looking!” Seobold shouted.
Charlotte nodded and hurried out of the duke’s office.
No sign of Eve in the gardens, the estate, or even beyond the walls.
Then where on earth could she be?
At that moment, a place flashed through Seobold’s mind.
“…No way.”
He muttered quietly.
With a doubtful look, he pushed open the door and stepped out of his office.
The same corridor Eve had wandered down, almost in a trance, just a little while ago.
Now Seobold Ferdinand was walking that same path.
He slowly made his way through the estate toward that room.
A room only the recognized head of the Ferdinand family could enter—Ferdinand’s secret chamber.
Which meant Eve certainly shouldn’t be able to enter. She’d only arrived at the estate the day before.
She had not yet been recognized.
But there was no other part of the estate left unsearched.
If Eve was still somewhere inside the mansion, then that chamber was the only possible place she could be.
Seobold’s pace quickened.
From walking, to a brisk walk, to nearly running.
Now he was sprinting.
Peter, Ferdinand’s chief steward, followed behind with a worried expression.
Seobold reached the entrance to the secret chamber in one breath.
At the end of the long corridor lined with fierce-looking dragon statues—
“…The door is open.”
There stood the door that Eve had entered.
Peter, seeing the slightly ajar door, gasped.
“H-how… Lady Eve shouldn’t have been able to enter…!”
The dragon statues in this corridor were no ordinary decorations.
These were ancient magical statues. If someone not recognized by a dragon tried to pass, the statues would launch a fierce attack.
Not maids, not servants, not even blood relatives of Ferdinand could enter at will.
Only those who were recognized could pass.
And typically, a dragon would acknowledge only one Sword Master per generation, so it was rare for even two people to gain access.
But there had been one exception.
Astrid Ferdinand.
Seobold’s daughter, Eve’s mother.
The one hailed as the greatest Sword Master in the empire’s history.
She was the only exception.
Astrid Ferdinand had received the dragon’s recognition and entered the chamber at the age of ten.
The fact that she, daughter of the mighty Seobold, had been recognized by a dragon was unprecedented in Ferdinand history.
But now—
“The secret chamber’s door is open.”
That meant someone had entered.
Which could only mean…
Seobold strode through the corridor.
The dragon statues’ eyes glowed faintly—then fell quiet.
Soon after, as Seobold stood before the door, it began to move.
KURR-RRNG—!!!
The heavy door creaked and the narrow gap widened.
Peter, unable to pass through the corridor due to the statues, watched from beyond in silence.
A moment later—
THUD!
The door opened completely, revealing the dark interior within.
Without hesitation, Seobold stepped inside.
FWAAAH—!
Instantly, lights flooded the room, as if welcoming their master.
Slowly, Seobold turned his head, searching for someone.
And soon enough—
“…G-grandfather?”
There, crouched before Astrid’s portrait, sat his granddaughter.
Eve, startled, jumped up from her seat.
Hurriedly brushing herself off, she began to stammer an explanation.
“G-grandfather! I didn’t mean to come in here on purpose—”
But Eve didn’t get a chance to finish.
Seobold, striding toward her, wrapped his small granddaughter in a tight embrace before she could say another word.
