Resetting Lady

Carynne fell to the floor, then she stared up at the man.

“One.”

“Two.”

He counted. Carynne had to think. She needed to make a choice. If things were to continue like this, at the very least, she would need to pretend to be a victim in front of Raymond—thoroughly. She shouldn’t just disappear.

Carynne regretted the last two days wherein she tried to escape reality. But what should she do?

Who was going to rescue her from the crown prince?

“How evil of you to sexually harass a woman like this.”

Then, like a miracle, a voice rang out. It was the assailant's son himself who had come to her rescue—the young royal who idolized Raymond.

Prince Lewis came in.

And, three knights followed.

The attendant went down on his knees. The young prince looked down at the man, then turned to one of his knights.

“Do you know who this man is?”

“…No, Your Highness.”

“Who are you?”

“Your Highness need not exchange words with him. He is a lowly man.”

One knight stepped up and proceeded to talk to the kneeling man in place of the young prince.

“State your identity.”

“I am someone who runs errands under the command of Crown Prince Gueuze.”

“Then, are you saying that Father had called Miss Carynne out at this time of the night?”

“……”

It seemed like the man didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Why have you come to this place at such a late hour, Your Highness?”

“Wow.”

Lewis laughed as if he thought it was funny.

“Despite saying that, you still don’t seem to know who I am. Sir Knight, did you hear what this man just said?”

“Yes, sir. He is trying to question a member of the Royal Family.”

“I-I am not, Your Highness!”

As he was suddenly turned into an interrogator of a royal, the man visibly sweated.

“But Your Highness, that woman…”

“Why has she been summoned?”

“…I do not know, sir.”

“Is the country in danger right now?”

“……”

Lewis kindly explained things to the man who did not understand what he was saying.

“If it is not a matter of national emergency and if we are not evacuating people at the moment, does Miss Carynne still need to go now?”

“It is what Crown Prince Gueuze has demanded. I am only acting upon his orders.”

“Shut up.”

The knight gripped the man’s head.

“It’s late at night, so she doesn’t have to go right this instant. Isn’t that right?”

“Your Highness… Please have mercy on me as well.”

The man’s voice started shaking, just like how Carynne’s voice did only a moment ago.

“Should I? Do I need to do such a thing?”

Prince Lewis exchanged a look with the knight, who then lifted the man by his head. As the young prince made eye contact with the man, he opened his lips to speak.

“You’d better think it over. Who exactly should you listen to?”

The man continued to grovel, however Prince Lewis turned to Carynne, who was bowing her head, and urged her to get up.

“You don’t have to change your clothes, Miss. We’ll be gone in a minute.”

“I extend my gratitude, Your Highness.”

But why was he here right now? Carynne was curious, but she wasn’t sure whether she was allowed to ask questions, so she didn’t ask any of them. Nevertheless, the young prince spoke up first.

“Sir Raymond sent over a carrier bird.”

“Even so, how…”

“For a son to be concerned about who his father beds, goodness, is that actually a national affair?”

Carynne just bowed her head down. The door opened, and Prince Lewis gestured for the knight to follow.

“I’ll come back again soon to meet Lady Lianne. If I stay here in this mansion, such a brute wouldn’t be able to step one foot inside.”

Then, Prince Lewis left without looking back, as if Carynne’s gratitude was not particularly necessary.

Carynne got up from the ground and sat down on the bed. That boy imitated Raymond a lot, including his attitude, his gestures, and even his hairstyle. The young prince seemed to be quite fond of the knight. Even though he still looked to be wet behind the ears in some aspects.

She wondered how much he’d change once he’s all grown up. She had never once seen him like that before.

“…Donna, tea.”

Had she not come back yet?

Carynne frowned.

She hadn’t been able to see her own personal maid for much too long. That girl was alright enough, so Carynne kept the maid next to her, but she was getting the feeling that Donna was becoming too insincere about her job.

Carynne clicked her tongue, recalled the other child she had used before.

However, the next day, Donna did not come back.

Compared to the concern, or lack thereof, she had about Raymond’s extended absence, Carynne became more anxious about Donna’s disappearance.

Donna was not here.

This had never happened before.

No, actually, Donna had never been her personal maid before. Carynne had no idea about Donna’s movements or her life thus far. Or where the maid would be around this time.

Carynne was curious.

“I’m not too sure… She didn’t come here to pick up the food today. Oh goodness, aren’t you Miss Carynne?”

The head chef of the household, a middle-aged woman, looked surprised as she realized who Carynne was.

Carynne just looked around the kitchen. It was extensively large, and there were many people working here, given that this was a count’s residence.

At her sudden visit here, the head chef asked Carynne in a slightly shocked voice.

“Then, you haven’t been able to eat, Miss? Good gracious, I’ll ask someone to bring your meal to your room in a jiffy. But still…”

“No, you don’t need to. I’m not hungry.”

Carynne shook her head at the nervous maids behind the head chef.

“Do you know where Donna has gone?”

“No, Miss.”

In the first place, Donna was Carynne’s personal maid. And she was only living here because the countess had extended some goodwill towards her.

Neither of them interacted with other people. Donna was a guest’s maid who simply takes food from the kitchen and delivers it. She was an outsider here, and other people were acquainted with her only to the extent of knowing the other’s name.

“Where did she go, I wonder.”

“When was the last time she was seen?”

“I don’t know… Two? Three days?”

Because of Crown Prince Gueuze, Carynne spent the last few days worrying so much to the point that she had practically become a cripple. She didn’t know when exactly Donna had disappeared.

“By any chance, did she not say anything?”

The last time Carynne saw Donna, she ordered her to deliver a letter. Where in the world did she disappear to? She might have stayed at the Evans manor for about a day, but it shouldn’t take any longer than that.

“No, she didn’t.”

“Then, I believe it’s going to be a bit difficult to find her.”

Carynne rubbed her eyes. And when she saw the head chef turn around and say, ‘Twelve boxes of bacon,’ to someone else, she stepped back.

The maids were filled with anticipation, agitation and tension. They had no interest in Donna—they were just waiting for Carynne to leave. So, Carynne decided not to waste any more time here.

“I’ll go to the laundry area.”

“You know where it is, Miss?”

“Yes.”

It’s not as if she’d been to this place only once or twice.

And so, Carynne headed towards the laundry area. The maids there seemed to have a lot of work as well.

When she arrived, the person in charge came forward and responded to her questions even though she was busy. The laundry maids, however, didn’t give much answers.

“I’m not quite sure. She’s not someone who works with us here.”

“Shall I send an exclusive seamstress to you, Miss?”

“Later.”

Carynne had nothing to say to the maids who only cared about her safety and not Donna’s. The laundry maids didn’t even know Donna’s name.

And this was only natural. Donna was Carynne’s personal maid. She wouldn’t have had to interact with them.

“Um… Miss.”

The person in charge of the laundry area spoke up. Carynne looked back to face her.

“Kids like her tend to quit. May I know how old she is?”

“She’s eighteen.”

“I’ve seen a lot of kids her age quit and run away. If she hasn’t come back after three days, then it would be better to forget about her, Miss.”

The head maid said the same thing.

Everywhere in the mansion Carynne tried to go, she encountered only maidservants who were uptight and quite old. The particularly obstinate housekeeper of this residence even resembled Helen from the Hare manor. Come to think of it, where was she now?

The housekeeper glanced down at Carynne and spoke.

“May I ask, do you know when she left?”

“I don’t.”

“I’ll contact the police. But please, I would be grateful if you don’t tell the other guests about this for the time being.”

“And when will you contact the police?”

“…I will contact them as soon as the other guests have left.”

If Donna had truly been kidnapped, then no one would know.