<You said that after the promised half year, I can run away anytime.>
Rezette read the short letter over and over again, his expression unreadable as he sat in the cold bedroom. The woman he had held in his arms without trembling for the first time in their half-year marriage had disappeared without a trace in the morning, as if she had never been there at all.
<You said it was just a contract marriage.>
Rezette read the short letter over and over again, his expression unreadable as he sat in the cold bedroom. The woman he had held in his arms without trembling for the first time in their half-year marriage had disappeared without a trace in the morning, as if she had never been there at all.
“Did I really say that?” he muttered to himself, a red glow appearing in his eyes for a moment as he thought about the words written in the letter. There were a few more lines beneath the statement about their contract marriage, thanking him and apologizing for not keeping her promise, but he barely noticed them.
Instead, Rezette suddenly turned his head toward the window, his mind racing. They had gotten married in the spring, but now the land outside was rich with the golden hues of autumn. October had arrived, and with it, the end of their contract.
Alfreo, the general manager of the Rotir Castle, approached Rezette, looking restless. “Nothing is missing, Your Majesty,” he said. “Even if she didn’t bring extra clothes, she would have needed a helper. We should start by contacting newspaper publishers and…”
Rezette couldn’t bring himself to listen to Alfred’s words. He was too lost in thought, remembering the woman who had cried out for him desperately until dawn. The marks of their deep love affair that he had carved into her body were not something that could be easily erased.
Had she ran away from him, leaving behind her disheveled clothes and with no time to tidy up? Rezette couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
But his laughter was cut short as someone frantically ran into the room. “Your Majesty!” It was the castle’s doctor, his face overflowing with joy.
In that instant, Rezette had a feeling like a bolt of lightning crashing down on him. The castle’s doctor would never come running to him with such a happy expression unless there was a very good reason. And there was only one reason that could bring him such joy.
“Your Majesty, I congratulate you…!” The doctor exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement.
Rezette’s smile faded as he looked down at the doctor, realization dawning on him. He looked back at the contract and the small letters scattered on the table, the facts that had been hazy and unclear suddenly becoming clear. His wife has disappeared, with his child growing inside of her.
His bloodline, his dragon blood, would continue on through her. And as the cracks began to form on Rezette’s expressionless face, he couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. “Ha!” he stifled a laugh.
Rezette’s hands clenched around the crumpled note that Elise had left behind, his mind racing as he tried to process the implications of her escape and the fact that she was carrying his child. It was impossible to say which of these two revelations was more shocking.
“Leave?” he muttered to himself, his voice a low growl. Where had she gone, and why? There was still more than half a day left on their contract. Elizabeth Aseica should have been unable to leave his side, and yet she had managed to escape. But how much longer could she have borne his seed?
Rezette’s eyes turned black with anger, a cold spark flashing in his blue eyes. This was a breach of contract. “Find her,” he commanded, his voice low and menacing. The knight who had been waiting nervously straightened his shoulders at the command.
“Seal the estate. She would not have been able to go far with her weak temperament,” Rezette said, his voice tight with anger as he grabbed his cloak with a fierce grip and stormed out of the room, the knight following behind him. “Prevent anyone from entering or leaving the territory. Divide the knights and search every road a person could pass through.”
The knight didn’t even dare to ask if he should lead the search, and he certainly didn’t mention the fact that the envoys from the Van Yela imperial family were due to arrive in a few hours. He had seen the look in Rezette’s eyes and knew that the man’s reason had been cut off. He shuddered at the thought of what Rezette might do to cover this up.
“Oh my god, Her Majesty the Princess,” he muttered to himself, sighing as he hurried after Rezette. And so, a bizarre pursuit began between the missing Princess of Argan and the Archduke of Van Yela, who was determined to track her down.
