# 10
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“Even rural villages are not that rural.”
Late at night, just after sunset.
Matthias clicked his tongue as he smoked a cigarette away from the inn.
It took two full months.
To find any trace of the missing Charlotte.
‘Pleased to meet you for the first time, Your Highness. I'm Charlotte Winston.'
Matthias's first impressions of Charlotte were not special.
It was true that her delicate beauty attracted his attention, but that was all.
For Matthias, she was just a passerby.
Matthias began to care for her after experiencing her sacred power.
‘This is holy water that I purified myf. A small gift for Your Highness the Duke, I hope you will accept it.’
One day, Charlotte presented a small bottle containing holy water that she had purified herf.
Producing holy water was the most common method used by priests to enhance their holy power.
Perhaps this gift was the result of her training.
In fact, Matthias was not the only one to receive holy water from Charlotte as a gift.
‘Your Highness, the contaminated soil has been cleansed!’
But who would have thought that those holy waters would cleanse the demonic energy that was polluting the duchy territory.
Although small, about the size of a coin, the cleansing was clear and certain.
‘Where did you get this holy water? As Your Highness knows, no method has worked so far. But this is the first time the purge has happened. And with holy water we have tried hundreds of times!'
The demonic energy polluting the territory was an old problem for Duke Hilliard's family.
While they were desperate to find a solution, great hope emerged with this clue.
From then on, Matthias began monitoring Charlotte.
He needed her strength, so he tried to win her favor.
He sought to build a relationship with her and waited for an opportunity to invite her to the territory of the duchy.
To ascertain whether she could truly cleanse the land contaminated with demonic energy.
'You're saying that the Lady Duchess wants to meet me?'
'Yes. My mother is very religious and visits the temple regularly. When I told her that the lady I was dealing with was a candidate for sainthood, she showed interest.'
‘Really? This is an honor… but I heard that entering the duchy’s territory is forbidden for outsiders.’
‘There will be no problem as long as I, Territory Master, invite you myf. My mother is looking forward to meeting you. Can you make time?'
'If it's not rude, then gladly.'
He finally succeeded in luring her to the duchy's territory without revealing internal matters.
'...You say Miss Charlotte has disappeared?'
But her sudden disappearance spoils Matthias' plans.
'Charles, Charles is not here now! Come back later!’
When he sent people to Winston Palace later, the Count and his wife ignored a question about their daughter's whereabouts.
Matthias released his followers and discovered that she had escaped the capital at night with a holy knight.
Alexis Aubyn, Holy Knight.
He was one of the annoying people who were always hovering around her, including the Crown Prince.
Matthias was wary of him because of his looks that indicated his love for Charlotte.
'To lose prey I was about to catch.'
It was a painful mistake.
But there was no time for f-blame.
Matthias immediately began tracking Charlotte.
But he noticed something strange during the process.
'They say Winston's eldest daughter has returned to the capital as well?'
'Yes. There are those who saw Elinor Winston entering the palace. But no one saw her leave. It's as if she disappeared inside the palace.'
After Charlotte, her older sister mysteriously disappeared.
His intuition told him that following Elinor would lead to finding Charlotte, who had disappeared without a trace.
Charlotte was strangely disappearing without a trace.
When Matthias changed his target and found Elinor, she was accompanied by an infant.
'Baby?'
At first, he thought she might have gotten married.
The baby had red eyes that looked just like Elinor.
His bright blond hair resembled her maternal grandfather.
Just like the Charlotte Winston he was looking for.
‘…Is this really Miss Elinor’s child?’
Doubts arose.
But right now, she would have to have been pregnant in her final months while at the academy to have a child of that age.
But among the many rumors around her, there was nothing about pregnancy.
The academy's health inspection records secretly obtained by the Information Guild proved this.
So, the only conclusion left is:
'It's Charlotte Winston's baby.'
Charlotte, who was supposed to become a saint, must have gotten into trouble for having a child, which led her to disappear.
Most likely, the real father is Alexis Aubin, who ran away with her.
“Your Highness.”
A masked man appeared from the darkness, interrupting Mathias's musings.
He was a member of the Information Guild and one of Matthias's closest followers.
As Elinor expected, Matthias never moved alone.
He always had people to work as his arms and legs.
“Jonathan is here.”
"Good."
Matthias blew the smoke down and handed a small piece of paper to the man who introduced himf as Jonathan.
“Paper containing Miss Charlotte’s location.”
“Did you find it?”
"Good."
In fact, Matthias thought Elinor was lying.
Don't know where Charlotte is?
Surely you know.
Maybe you're still in touch with her in some way.
Because her child is with Elinor.
'Did she help her sister run away for love?'
Maybe keep the baby until they're safely settled?
'Still, you thank me for taking such good care of Charlotte.'
It's like she's saying she supports your love too.
Without knowing anything about the truth.
Matthias remembered Elinor's bold statement and laughed sarcastically.
“It needs to be verified. Send someone to confirm if Miss Charlotte is there. And send someone to the temple as well.”
“Is there anyone helping Miss Charlotte escape into the temple?”
“No. Just check if the holy relic, God Blessing Ruler, has disappeared.”
In fact, child use will be easier and faster.
If he threatens the baby's life, Elinor will be forced to reveal Charlotte's whereabouts.
It would also be easier to gain Charlotte's cooperation to cleanse the demonic energy.
But Matthias decided to take the longer route.
'Because he reminded me of my youngest brother when he was that age.'
His youngest brother is twelve years old now, and has started to grow hair on his legs.
His voice has become hoarse due to puberty.
But since there was a big age difference between him and Matthias, he carried him and took care of him a lot.
In his mind, the image of his sweet little brother remained as a vague memory, and the child with Elinor revived those memories.
'The baby won't do any good.'
Threatening an infant is not the only method he can use.
He can easily achieve what he wants by taking advantage of the other party's moments of inattention.
“Find Miss Charlotte. She is the priority.”
"Yes."
Matthias decided and extinguished his cigarette on the wall.
* * *
The next morning.
Elinor, carrying the child, cautiously left her room and scanned the hallway. Fortunately, there was no one there.
I looked at the stairs leading down. It was quiet.
She poked her head out to inspect the first floor. Sophie was busy getting the restaurant ready for business.
“Hoo.”
Elinor breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank God, not here.”
"from?"
“The Duke, of course... Ah!”
“Did you sleep well, mother of the baby?”