So the Duchess Disappeared

31. Identity of the Woman

For a moment, Cloud stared fixedly at Psyche, who seemed to have frozen.

He wore an expression of momentary loss for words.

Since he started gaining fame as a mercenary, nobles had occasionally entrusted me with tasks.

However, whether he didn’t want to give the impression of asking a mere mercenary for help, or whether nobles never revealed themselves, he had never met a noble in person.

Mostly, they would send employers or knights to discuss the job and provide an advance payment.

So, he rarely met or saw nobles in person.

If she was a Duchess, she was quite high-ranking even among the nobility.

It was hard to believe that such a high-ranking noble would be in front of him dressed like this.

It was evident to anyone that the current situation was not typical.

Psyche seemed to have some issues, but Cloud wasn’t someone who would ask about them.

First things first, getting out of here was the priority…

He turned his gaze away from Psyche and looked towards where the Duke and Alejandro were.

“Are you really sure?” 

Alejandro asked the old man who was kneeling in front.

The old man couldn’t bring himself to connect the robed woman with Psyche, and he was begging not to be killed for no reason.

Even if he thought about Psyche quietly, he could only beg for his life in panic.

“Yes! Yes! That’s right! I don’t know anything.”

“Hmm…”

Alejandro looked puzzled.

This was because Clint’s expression was getting increasingly stiff.

In such a place, one could only assume the worst-case scenario.

What if… she encountered a band of thieves on her way back to her homeland and met her demise?

Alejandro didn’t want to imagine that terrible situation and shook his head.

Then he quickly approached Clint.

“She might have already arrived.”

He deliberately tried not to provoke Clint and spoke positively.

“…,” 

Clint remained silent for a while.

He quietly looked around and slowly opened his mouth.

“I have a bad feeling. Dig a little deeper. There might be hidden people.”

“…,”

“Or she might have fainted in surprise… If left alone in this forest, life could be in danger. The night forest is very cold.”

He tried to act calm, but it was clear he was disturbed.

He didn’t explicitly use the term ‘master,’ but it was obvious who he was referring to without asking.

Alejandro nodded. 

“Understood.”

After dealing with the band of thieves, the knights began to gather where they were standing.

“You, you, you. Search deeper into that direction. I’ll examine the surroundings in case there are any fallen individuals. Follow me.”

“Understood!”

“Understood!”

The voices of the knights echoed loudly in the night forest.

Eventually, the direction Alejandro headed happened to be where Psyche was.

Fortunately, just when it seemed they had overcome this obstacle, the search started again!

Moreover, even the baby, who had been quiet for a while, now had a face that seemed like it would cry any moment.

Psyche seemed to know that she wasn’t the baby’s mother…

Looking alternately at Alejandro heading towards this direction and the baby with a troubled expression, she rocked her feet nervously.

Watching her, Cloud, as if determined, suddenly left Psyche and went through the forest.

“Wha…!”

About to call him back, she closed her mouth, fearing that her voice might be heard for no reason.

Cloud deliberately exaggerated his movements to draw everyone’s attention.

Alejandro, who quickly spotted him emerging from the forest, loudly exclaimed to Clint.

“My lord! There are people here again!”

Taking Cloud with him, Alejandro headed back towards the Duke.

With the wind caused by Cloud’s departure, Psyche sighed in relief again.

The surrounding commotion might make the baby cry again, but she remained seated, holding the baby and trying to comfort it by rocking.

It seemed like it was time for hunger to set in.

“What should I do… There’s nothing to feed it….”

With a troubled face, she looked at the baby and suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

If her child had been born properly, it would have been just about this size.

“My baby….”

She forcibly held back the tears that threatened to fall.

Avoiding looking at the baby, she turned her head towards Cloud, as if she didn’t want to cry unnecessarily.

❖ ❖ ❖

“Thank goodness! I thought I would die here without moving!”

Approaching Clint, Cloud deliberately raised his voice, capturing everyone’s attention.

Perhaps it was a consideration for Psyche.

He didn’t know anything else, but he sensed that she was in trouble and didn’t want the Duke to know of his presence.

Well…

If he had notified the Duke of her presence, there could have been various rewards…

He wasn’t someone who pursued such things.

If he had pursued honor or wealth, he wouldn’t have chosen the profession of a “mercenary.”

He might have become a knight instead.

Above all, two things bothered him.

Firstly, the image of Psyche, who had thrown herself toward the baby as if her life depended on it, left a deep impression on him.

She seemed to dislike people in general, sitting in the carriage without being friendly to anyone. It was unexpected to see her throwing herself towards the baby.

And the look in her eyes as she gazed at the baby…

To Cloud, it suggested that she had another story to tell.

And secondly…

He didn’t want to betray someone from the same origin.

In truth, he was from the Alistair region himself.

He, too, had moved elsewhere as surviving in the territory where the lord disappeared became difficult.

At that time, there were strange rumors circulating among the residents of the territory.

Rumors that Psyche, who had stayed in the territory as a deputy lord due to the interference of the Bonne family, disappeared as if sold to the nobles.

No one knew if it was the Duke.

But at that time, no one blamed Psyche. They roughly knew about her struggles. Instead, the Bonne family’s nobles became the subject of heavy criticism.

Perhaps, he didn’t want to betray her, who could have become his lord.

Cloud chuckled brightly, scratched the back of his head, and opened his mouth again.

“Oh… I really owe you my life! Thank you!”

When he raised his voice too loudly, Clint frowned.

Quickly intervening, Alejandro asked, “Were you riding the carriage by any chance?”

“Oh, yes! I was riding the carriage on my way to the Alistair territory, and suddenly, bang! Bandits attacked, you know? Well, bandits don’t seem to have a discerning eye. What could they steal from a carriage like this? Right, nobles?”

He laughed heartily, ridiculing the bandits.

“I see.”

As Cloud continued to make noise, Alejandro quickly raised his hand to stop him.

“Did you happen to see a silver-haired woman among those who rode the carriage?”

“A silver-haired woman…?”

As if he was struck dumb by the question, Cloud widened his eyes, stroked his chin, and made a thoughtful gesture.

“If it’s silver hair… She would have stood out even if she just sat there… Hm. I don’t think there was such a woman.”

He even blurred his words to the point of creating a performance.

“As expected… Is that so.”

Alejandro sighed disappointedly.

“What should we do?”

He asked Clint while clenching his fist and looking around.

With a worried expression, Clint raised his head and opened his mouth.

“It seems the lady is not here. Let’s depart immediately.”

Clint was in a hurry.

If Psyche wasn’t here, he only thought of departing quickly to catch up with her.

He might miss her. Or never meet her again. In various ways, his nerves were sharpened.

Alejandro gestured to the knights.

“Understood. Let’s depart right away. What about you? Since we’re heading towards the Alistair territory, would you accompany us? It might be dangerous alone.”

Cloud laughed again and replied, “Oh, no. Thank you very much for thinking of me, but I have a place to visit. Maybe those bandits will be more cautious now, as I’ve cleared them out for a while.”

“… I see. In that case, we’ll say our farewells. Please, ride with us for a bit.”

Alejandro gestured to a knight standing beside him, instructing him to lend Cloud a horse.

As Cloud received the reins from the knight, Clint, neither nodding nor smiling at Cloud’s farewell, quickly left the place.

After all the knights he led left, Cloud cautiously moved his steps only after making sure that nobody was visible.

Alejandro’s words seemed to be well-trained, as the horse under his control obediently followed.

The sound of hooves hitting the ground echoed crisply in the dry night.

Listening to the clattering sound, he moved towards where Psyche and the baby were.

As he got closer to Psyche, he heard a voice that seemed to be sobbing softly.

“… I wonder.”

He quickened his pace with an anxious expression.

Although he hadn’t spent a long time with the Duke and Psyche, this place was still a forest.

It was a place where anything could happen without seeming strange.

He hoped his thoughts were wrong.

But as he approached Psyche, the suppressed weeping sound felt even more prominent.

Eventually, he ran. And quickly pushed aside the tall grass.

There…