ITTWACP • NACP

Chapter 119

-Chapter 119-

Killian

"I told her to run north if she survived, and I also told her that this is Wellesley, south of the capital."

"North? Yes, right, thank you!"

I immediately turned around to run north, but the mercenary man stopped me.

"A- and this......"

In his hand was the ruby necklace I'd bought Edith one day.

"I paid a companion of mine to give it to me, but when I found out who she was...... I couldn't bear to sell it, so I kept it. I'll give you this, so please forgive me for once."

I felt like I was on the verge of tears for the man I didn't know.

Taking the ruby necklace, I ripped off all the gold buttons on my uniform and forced it on the reluctant man.

"My wife must be alive. She's not usually a weak woman. But you must be the reason she's alive, so you deserve this."

Then I gathered the knights scattered about the Wellesley estate and rode north.

'If I head north, I'll reach the main street, and there will surely be other knights who can help.'

Surely, Edith will be safe, I thought with a mixture of hope and anxiety while riding at full speed.

It was hard for the knights who followed me to work from dawn to dusk, except when it was pitch black, but they could hardly complain when they saw my eyes getting grimmer with each passing day.

"We took a break at the mansion, but Young Master Killian hasn't been able to rest since the territorial war, has he?"

"Yeah, well. He must really love Lady Edith to be so desperate to find her."

"But is she still alive? If a woman in a dress was walking down the street, she would surely have fallen prey to muggers......"

"Be careful what you say. If the young master hears, he won't let you go."

There was some chatter among the knights, but I was focused solely on finding Edith.

"It's almost night. Please get some rest!" The oldest of the knights tried to talk me down.

But I refused to listen, muttering strange words like a man in a daze. "She must be badly injured...... she has no money and no water with her...... and wild beasts or robbers might show up after dark......"

It had been days since I'd searched for Edith. Even without listening to what the knights were saying, my mind was already playing out all sorts of "worst case scenarios".

And with each passing day, regret and guilt took over my heart.

'It's all my fault. I should have hired a mercenary to protect Edith......'

No one had expected the Duchess, Lizé, and Edith to attend the Count Windham's banquet. That's why I had only gotten Anna to protect her in the mansion, but now that it was happening, I could only think that I had done everything wrong.

'Edith...... I did it wrong, I...... I did everything wrong, please stay alive. Please......'

All the way back to the capital from the territorial war, I hadn't been able to rest much, as I had to take care of the knights.

I'd been on the move for days, and my steely stamina was inevitably wearing thin.

Still, I couldn't stop searching.