The Echanting Duchess

Chapter 11: An Encounter

"A peasant boy?" Atallie's beautiful cold eyes seemed to narrowed for a bit for some reasons.

"A peasant boy? Such a boy could accomplish to mess with a large crowd?" Lila asked in wonder. She was genuinely pondering of how old was the boy and how bad did the boy do to stir such trouble.

On the other hand, Leonor realized something upon hearing what the knight had reported.

"Hold on, where's my pouch?" Leonor paled the moment she realised that she must have been robbed.

"Oh no! Ma'am, the boy must have done it!" Lila exclaimed.

"We'll chase after the boy, Ma'am!" A few knights hurriedly went towards the direction where the crowd ran to.

"My, such a thing happened..." Atallie could only sigh.

"This is why it's truly dangerous, Madame! In under no circumstances that Your Grace should just casually stroll in crowded streets like this." With furrowed brows but still stiff and strict demeanor, Leonor still took the chance to get her point to Atallie.

After a few minutes, the few knights were still not yet arriving. Atallie, Leonor and Lila just waited inside the carriage.

And as the time passed by, Atallie's patience was thinning out on the inside, though her always calm and indifferent appearance didn't say so.

"Leonor, if the knights were not able to fetch the boy or the pouch, just let it go," she calmly said.

"But Madame, I'm afraid that if they won't be able to find the culprit, the reputation of the knights and duchy will be questioned," Leonor said.

Although there was no good reputation when it comes to the duke, it couldn't be denied that he has achieved some development and progress in the duchy through his ruthless and meticulous pursuit and battle. Thus, Atallie understood what Leonor was talking about. After all, her statement didn't particularly mentioned the duke.

After a few more minutes, three knocks sounded against the carriage door. Leonor slightly opened the small glass window.

"Have you found the thief?" she asked.

"The pouch has been retrieved but the boy disappeared," a knight answered.

"What? Where could that little boy ran off to?" Leonor was unreconciled.

"Ma'am, this is the pouch. However, it is truly our negligence that such thing happened," the head of the unit said as he carefully handed the pouch to Leonor.

"This is a lesson that we must all learn and remember," Leonor coldly said.

"Ma'am, there is another thing," the head spoke hesitantly.

Leonor snapped back and her brows furrowed even further. "What is it?"

"The pouch has not been retrieved by the knights. It was a passerby who was able to get it from the peasant," said the head.

"What?" Leonor became even more displeased. What an incompetence!

Atallie and Lila and even the knights could clearly hear and see the unhappiness between the deep and furrowed brows of Leonor.

"Oh my, we should personally thank that person, then," Atallie said to intervene.

"Madame, no need, Let me go down and thank the person instead," Leonor said.

"Oh, no need to go down, call him here," Atallie said and issue the command to the head of the knights who accompanied them.

"Madame -"