Night of the Abandoned Duchess

Chapter 49

‘Is that true? Are you sure…?’

Rosalind bit her lip, remembering the investigator’s voice. Once he had said everything he had, she had no idea if what she was doing was right or wrong. Even though she didn’t know, she thought she had no choice but to do something that was already done.

“…I don’t know either. There’s no going back now.”

Whether that was the right choice or not, she did what she thought was right…

…That was it.

With that thought, she nodded her head several times as if to shed some regrets and reassure herself.

“Anna.”

As soon as she got out of the investigation, she went and looked for Anna. Of course, Rosalind thought she would be waiting at the place where they had separated earlier, although she was nowhere to be seen.

“Anna…?”

As she glanced around, her surroundings were just plain blank. There weren’t many people coming and going. She remembered Anna’s words about stopping by the market and going to the market, but she couldn’t see her there either.

After wandering around for a while, she noticed something on her floor.

“Uh, this is…?”

The pouch embroidered with cute patterns was always carried by Anna.

She would put simple snacks like candy or dried fruit in it, taking them out whenever her mouth was bored. And, as a child, she used to comfort Rosalind by taking the snacks out of this pocket whenever she cried. Rosalind loved the rustic little treats Anna secretly gave her more than the expensive desserts in the house.

…Why was this pocket here?

It just felt a bit ominous to say that it was dropped by mistake. The next moment, Rosalind raised her voice even more than before and began to search for Anna.

“Anna…!”

The urgency was mixed in her voice that was calling for Anna as she walked through the bustling market and the crowd.

“Anna! Where are you?”

Rosalind, who ran into a remote place after running around with a heart that was getting more and more anxious, took a moment to catch her breath. She was getting out of breath because of the frantic running around though the tips of her eyes kept wandering here and there.

Should she go home first or look more? Perhaps, she shouldn’t have come here. Hundreds of thoughts popped up in her head, and for a while.

Suddenly, a voice was heard right behind her.

“Anna?”

The moment she turned her head, a figure much larger and darker than Anna covered her mouth.

“Heup—!”

Even though she screamed in surprise, her voice was only scattered through the clogged fabric.

Feeling something cold and sharp touching her neck, as she lowered her eyes a little, Rosalind could see the darkly gleaming blade.

In her mind, she wanted to hit the man with her elbow, and she wanted to get out of this situation right away. Still, no force entered her body. It wasn’t just the sword that threatened her as an instinctive fear covered her whole body.

Then, a low voice rang in her ear.

“It’s okay. You will fall asleep soon.”

She froze, unable to even fight properly.

But, even if she struggled, nothing would have changed. Her body, which had immediately hardened, sagged, and sleepiness began to pour. All the thoughts that had rushed into her mind like waves were fading away.

Within minutes of being caught by her assailant, she lost consciousness.

***

When she opened her eyes, her vision was blurry. She felt dizzy, and her head was spinning as if she had been drinking too much. Rosalind continued to blink her eyes and shake her head, but it was still only a haze.

Eventually, the shaky focus finally came into being, and long, unfamiliar legs caught her eye.

Who was it…?

Raising her gaze along the legs, she quickly swallowed her breath. She tried to spit the words out, but the words couldn’t come out because of the tight cloth in her mouth.

The man approached slowly and bowed his back to meet her eyes. As he drew closer, Rosalind frantically shook her head and struggled with her body. Her face was a mixture of wonder and fear. Unexpectedly, he grabbed her head and released the cloth that was covering her mouth.

As the cloth she was biting on disappeared, a breath burst out.

Ha… Ha…

She opened her mouth as she looked at the man as if she couldn’t believe it.

“…Albert?”

“Wrong. Albert… that’s not my name. My real name is Jade, not Albert.”

“…Jade?”

She barely pronounced the strange name.

Perhaps, she’d been tied up for quite some time or because of some medicine. Every time she spat her words out, it felt like the inside of her throat was torn apart. Her throat burns like she has swallowed the sand that has been heated in the sun.

Rosalind asked with a wary face at the eerie energy that was approaching.

“Why… Who are you?”

“Does it matter who I am? I think you should be concerned about your safety first.”

Her whole body was tightly bound. Seeing that he confidently released her gag meant that yelling at him was useless. Noticing Rosalind, who was trying her best, he laughed a little as though it was funny.

Waiting for her sight to return to normal, she exhaled calmly.

“Where is…Anna?”

“Anna returned home safely. When she opens her eyes, she will probably be in front of the house. By the way… now is not the time to worry about others.”

At that, Rosalind looked at Albert with a fearful face.

“Don’t be so surprised. I’m not going to kill you right now. You’ll be safe for a while, and we’ll soon disappear to a place no one knows about. There must be a letter on your desk.”

“Letter…?”

“A letter that you’re leaving with me. You point out your husband, Kyle, as the culprit who killed your father, and we eloped. You love me so much that you leave Leo and that damn ex-husband as well. That letter must have been written like that.”

…People must have found it by now, right?

Rosalind gazed at Albert, who was humming.

“You killed him… my father…”

“Right. Baron, I killed that man.”

Anger flashed across his face as he stared at Rosalind. Although it was a brief moment, it was an expression he had never shown before.

She did not avoid him. Still, she couldn’t hide her trembling chin and hands. Even the eyes that were opened with force were hot as if tears would fall if tapped. Rosalind seemed like a baby bird that suddenly fell out of the nest, trying to accept the situation.

“…Kill the father, and take his daughter. Could there be a more perfect revenge than this?”

Albert wrinkled her brow as though he felt sorry for her before smiling widely.

“At first, I approached you intentionally. I tried to kill you, too, but I changed my mind. I don’t think it’s bad for me to live with you. Even such a garbage human being must have been affectionate with his daughter. That’s what parent and child are like.”

Parent child…

Rosalind pondered his words. Leo had been floating around in her head since the moment she was caught by a stranger in the alley. She was more worried about Leo that was left behind, than a fear of what would happen to her here.

She didn’t care what happened to her — No, it didn’t matter. If he had a problem with her, who would take care of Leo? …To say goodbye to a child who was still young. As she thought of the rest of her life, her heart seemed to melt.

“Albert, what you wish… It’s not going to happen.”

“No. It’s already been done my way.”

She couldn’t leave Leo alone, so she’ll definitely get out of here.

With that thought, Rosalind bit her teeth to hold back the welling tears.

“The soldiers will be looking for you by now.”

It was still a trembling voice, but on the other hand, the blade was sharp like a sword with a clear target.

“What…?”

“I couldn’t figure out who you were, but… at least, I made the accusation.”

“What?”

“I’m not accusing Duke Kyle Spencer, it’s you.”

He wrinkled his face for a moment and sneered as if it was nonsense. With a crushing smile, he spoke to her.

“I’m sorry, but such stupid lies don’t work.”

“Whether it’s a lie or not, we’ll see.”

Kyle wasn’t the only one Rosalind had asked the back alley person to take a look at. There were two more people she asked to investigate.

Her father and… Albert.

As the daughter, she thought back on the events in her father’s life that she was unaware of, and she investigated Albert.

What was surprising, however, was that it was more difficult to figure out who Albert was than in her father’s past, where he was still entangled with high-ranking people. Just like a lizard with its tail cut off, only the name ‘Albert’ remained, though it was difficult to find the important body.

“Yes. It is something to look forward to.”

Albert nodded his head leisurely. He seemed carefree, as if he had not been affected in the slightest by Rosalind’s words. She was calmer than he had expected, but anyway it was going according to his plan.

Then, he heard a knock on the door. He answered without taking his gaze from her.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and a man in a black mask entered without a sound. Contrary to his huge size, his every move was agile. Rosalind stared at the man who suddenly appeared, but the man only glanced at her before heading straight for Albert.

“I have something to tell you. Give me your ears for a moment.”

The man approached Albert, lowered his body slightly, and began to whisper something in his ear. The longer the words, the more the relaxed expression gradually wrinkled.

—