Chapter 29
Roderick climbed the stairs, and everyone else followed behind him.
The mansion, which had seemed quiet, grew louder the higher they went.
The source of the noise was the third floor, where the Count’s office was located.
“Did none of you see her? No one saw where that girl went?!”
In the middle of the hallway, the butler was flailing and shouting, while the servants stood hunched like criminals.
“N-no! We didn’t see even a single mouse pass by!”
“We even took turns going to the bathroom! We swear we’re innocent, sir!”
“If you don’t know, then who does?!”
The butler cursed, pacing up and down the hallway.
Before the shouting could grow worse, the inspectors made their presence known.
“Seems like you’re troubled about something?”
“!”
Only then did the butler notice the crowd gathering in the hallway.
Moving quietly was the inspectors’ specialty, and the butler, who had likely never wielded a sword, was no match for them.
“Well… Lady Bella has gone missing.”
“Lady Bella? You mean Bella Rohiltern?”
“That’s right.”
“That room looks like the office. Why are you looking for her there?”
“Because while the Count is away, the young lady handles the family’s work as his proxy.”
“The Count is away?”
“And he even left his seal with her?”
Roderick, a veteran inspector, immediately spotted the seal sitting on the desk.
“This is suspicious, senior.”
“Very suspicious. I can smell the rot from here.”
Roderick smirked, and the butler tried to brush it off and lead them away.
“Aren’t your legs tired, gentlemen? How about we go downstairs, and I’ll serve you tea—”
“We don’t need tea. Once we arrest you and escort you to the Duke’s household, everything will be resolved.”
“What are you talking abou—”
“Do you think we came here without knowing how Lady Bella has been treated in this family?!”
The butler snapped his mouth shut as Roderick shouted.
The knights hadn’t come just for show. Someone had tipped them off that Bella might be framed for everything, so they came prepared.
‘And we also have a special order from the Young Duke.’
“That’s not all. Earlier, you were acting as if someone you imprisoned had escaped.”
“Well! Wouldn’t anyone panic if a precious young lady suddenly went missing?”
“Let’s be honest. You planned to blame the tax evasion on Lady Bella, but now that she’s disappeared, you’re panicking, aren’t you?”
The junior inspector laughed quietly.
The butler, hit directly at his weak spot, stayed silent as Roderick snapped handcuffs on him.
They would investigate further, but trying to frame a noble young lady was already a heavy crime. It wouldn’t be easy for the butler to escape with just a light sentence.
“What should we do next?”
“I’ll throw this man into the carriage myself. You search the mansion from top to bottom.”
Roderick sneered.
“If they planned to frame her, they’ll have left all their internal documents here. Find them.”
“Yes, senior!”
The junior inspector commanded the knights.
Although less experienced than Roderick, he knew how to have people search a mansion thoroughly.
The knights, following Roderick’s orders, spread out through the mansion.
“We found it!”
They managed to break past the servants guarding the basement and entered inside.
“No, stop! Don’t—!”
The butler struggled against his bound hands, but he couldn’t stop the knights from carrying the documents out.
As I had told Ahfwyn, the secret passage connected to the outside.
After walking down the straight passage,
I arrived in the Rotten Forest.
The Rotten Forest lay on the border between the Rohiltern County and another territory.
It used to be farmland, but after countless disputes, the two lords agreed to leave it as uninhabited land. Trees had been planted to prevent anyone from trying to settle there.
In other words, no one lived in the forest, making it the perfect place for an emergency escape route.
When I arrived, it was midnight.
Pushing away the falling leaves above me, I looked back and saw flickering lights coming from the Count’s mansion.
‘By now, they must have realized I’m gone.’
Were they searching for me now, or were they comforting themselves, thinking it couldn’t be helped?
I thought about it but couldn’t find the answer.
I turned my head back toward the forest.
“Haa…”
My breath mixed with the cold night air.
No one responded. No sound came back. At this moment, I was completely alone.
“Haha…”
I had survived.
I had finally escaped that hell and was now standing on my own two feet in this forest.
The chance I’d earned after being spit out from the flames—
I had finally turned it into life.
“Hahaha! Ahahahaha!”
As the joy filled my chest, I laughed loudly.
The fact that no one was there to react only made me more excited.
Of course, the Count’s family was still intact. My enemies were still alive, but I had unleashed a beast that would destroy everything in my place, so I was satisfied.
‘Now I just have to live somewhere unrelated to Rohiltern.’
Then my task would be complete.
I just had to forget everything that happened at the Count’s mansion and move on.
I thought it would be that simple.
I never imagined… that he would really come to find me.
