Chapter 20: Vol. 1 - Chapter 20

“I heard from Johann that your headache and insomnia had gotten worse.”

“I see that he already told you everything.”

“Please don’t be too hard on him. He’s only worried about you, Your Excellency.”

As Edmund slumped down the sofa, pressing on his throbbing temples with his eyes closed, the butler drew the curtains and opened the window.

He squinted his eyes at the sudden light pouring in.

“I heard that Madam… disappeared.”

Edmund’s hand, lifting his glass of whiskey, froze.

“There’s no need to worry. It will be sorted out soon.”

“Your Excellency is still the same.” The butler let out a deep sigh.

“I only hope that Your Excellency won’t regret it later.”

Edmund downed his whiskey in one gulp and slammed down the glass loudly.

“Bring me more whiskey. Something stronger.”

“You’ve already had enough.”

The butler tried to dissuade Edmund. There were more than five bottles scattered on the table.

“I never thought I’d see you this drunk so often lately.”

“... Lately?”

“Yes, a month ago… that would be the day before the subjugation, right after arriving in the North following the banquet.”

The butler pulled out a mana stone from his pocket and inserted it. Him opening the window made the room chilly but soon, it quickly became warm again. He then began tidying up the scattered bottles. By chance, he spotted a portrait of Daphne lying on the table but pretended not to notice it and continued cleaning up the bottles.

“Did something happen today for Your Excellency to be this drunk inside your office?”

“...”

Edmund blinked. Just as the butler said, Edmund had returned to the mansion completely drunk the day before the subjugation.

“You reeked of alcohol just as strongly as now, yet you went up to your bedroom just fine.”

The butler carefully thought back.

“And you were in your office early the next morning.”

“I… don’t remember.”

“It happens when one drinks a lot.”

“This has never happened before.”

Edmund muttered, his face clouded with confusion. He wasn’t the type to avoid alcohol, but he had never experienced anything like this.

He remembered lying in a bed – small, soft, and warm.

Edmund suddenly realized something odd in his memory and sobered up. His bedroom was large, his bed hard and devoid of warmth. At that moment, a fragment of an ardent memory surfaced – sharing breath, sharing warmth, and embracing each other passionately.

“Butler.”

“Yes.”

“Bring me the maid who cleans my bedroom.”

The butler found Edmund’s sudden order puzzling but promptly brought the maid. Despite the room being somewhat ventilated by now, the maid staggered slightly upon entering the office.

“I greet Your Excellency.”

“Do you recall cleaning my bedroom on the day of the subjugation, about a month ago?”

“I did clean it, but it was unusually tidy so I barely had to touch anything.”

“... You can go now.”

He dismissed the maid.

The first memory after his blackout was being in the office. He had assumed his hazy recollection was due to the lingering effects of a hangover.

“That maid who reported Daphne’s disappearance, bring her to me.”

Despite growing curiosity over Edmund’s repeated requests to summon people, Benjamin obediently brought Anna.

“I-I greet Your Excellency.”

Summoned while in the middle of laundry, Anna bowed deeply. Her legs kept on trembling, so she tried her best to stay alert by keeping her eyes wide open.

“Tell me everything odd that happened before Daphne disappeared, specifically after I left for subjugation.”

Edmund asked, suspecting that something was definitely strange.

Anna racked her brain desperately.

“That… I’m not sure if it was strange, but a few days before Madam disappeared, she borrowed my clothes and left the mansion briefly. She wasn’t out for long.”

“Where did she go?”

“I wasn’t told to, but… I think Madam had a faint smell of herbs on her at that time.”

Smell of herbs. There was a high chance she had gone to a clinic.

“Butler!”

Edmund called Benjamin as soon as he got up from his seat. Having sensed that something strange was unfolding, Benjamin had been waiting by the door and swiftly entered the office.

“Summon the doctor from the village. No, I’ll go to him myself.”

“Pardon? What do you mean… Your Excellency!”

Benjamin hurriedly followed as Edmund strode past him.

By the time Benjamin had reached the stables, Edmund had already mounted his horse and was riding through the front gate. The butler quickly mounted his horse and gave chase.

“Your Excellency! Please calm down for a moment!”

Whatever was driving Edmund, he didn’t stop despite Benjamin’s persuasion.

“You need to turn right at the third alley!”

Realizing there was no way to stop him, Benjamin called out directions as he followed. Edmund followed them, and soon, he found a small herbal shop. Before the horse had even fully stopped, Edmund jumped off and flung the door open.

“Goodness! That surprised me. What’s the rush—Your Excellency?”

The physician grinding the herbs jumped back in shock.

“About a month ago, someone from the castle must have visited you.”

“P-pardon?”

“What prescription did that maid ask for?”

Momentarily stunned by Edmund’s barrage of questions, the physician quickly regained his composure under the pressure of his presence.

“P-please wait a moment.”

The physician began flipping through a stack of prescription records.

Given the monsters and the land’s harsh conditions, it was more common for physicians using modern treatments to outnumber herbalists. Few visited the herbal shop, which was the last one remaining in the village, so it took some time to locate the record.

“H-here it is.”

Edmund accepted the paper the physician handed him.

“What is this herb used for?”

“That is…”

At that moment, the door burst open, and Benjamin, panting, entered the herbal shop. However, having already heard what he needed, Edmund brushed past Benjamin and mounted his horse again.

“Your Excellency!”

Despite Benjamin’s desperate call, Edmund didn’t stop and headed straight back to the castle. Word quickly spread throughout the estate that Edmund and Benjamin had suddenly ridden off, and many people gathered, including Alec and Johann.

“Your Excellency, is something the matter?”

Alec, who calmed Edmund’s anxious horse, asked.

“Alec, gather the Black Knights right away.”

“What?”

“Hurry!”

Without explaining, Edmund issued the order and headed to his office. Sensing he was about to change clothes, Johann followed him.

“Your Excellency, you need to calm down for now.”

Johann blocked Edmund.

“Johann, move.”

“Your Excellency!”

“Daphne…”

Johann’s face hardened at the mention of the Madam’s name. Edmund suppressed his rising anger.

“Daphne, she…” Edmund took a deep breath.

“That is… a herb to confirm one’s pregnancy.”

“Daphne is pregnant with my child.

“What…?”

Johann was in disbelief.

It took two to conceive a child, and there hadn’t been any conjugal relations between them in the past five years. Since their wedding night, they had lived in separate rooms.

How could she suddenly be pregnant?

The Edmund that Johann had served all his life was not the type to indulge in physical pleasures or act on impulse.

“Why do you think Daphne left?”

“That…”

Johann couldn’t answer Edmund’s question immediately. It was also frustrating for Johann to have no way of knowing either. But the revelation of the pregnancy made everything fall into place.

A thought suddenly flashed in Johann's mind.

*‘What if Madam was kidnapped? Or what if the Bleds found out about her pregnancy and intended to use it to turn His Excellency into a puppet?’ *

The Winter family bloodline was rare, with only one child born per generation. Even then, it was often late in life or illegitimate, and the members’ fate rarely ended well. Given this, abducting the woman carrying the Winter heir was far more serious than a mere missing Lady of the House.

“Now, Johann. Move.”

Edmund brushed past Johann and entered his office. Though a sudden surge of urgency overwhelmed him, Johann forced himself to calm down.

“Your Excellency, please wait a little longer. If no one comes from the Bled family today, it will be clear that the Madam has been kidnapped. You can act then.”

“You’re asking me to wait half a day longer?”

“If you act hastily, you’ll only tip off the Marquis Bled, who might be unaware of this till now.”

Johann took a moment to organize his thoughts. Perhaps this was all part of Madam’s plan.

Madam loved His Excellency, but His Excellency did not love her. What if she staged this to gain even a sliver of his attention?

Moreover, there was no guarantee the child was Edmund’s. It could have been a mistake, a one-night stand. After all, they hadn’t shared a bed in five years.

But Johann kept these thoughts to himself. The most important thing now was calming the overly agitated Edmund.

“Besides, Your Excellency, your Godmother is still here. Stirring up unnecessary trouble won’t do anyone good.”

“...”

“Your Excellency, please think carefully,” Johann earnestly requested.

Edmund stopped unbuttoning his shirt to change his clothes.

“… Very well.”

Johann, who had anxiously awaited Edmund’s response, let out a shallow breath. He was so desperate to stop this situation that he even invoked the name of the absent Godmother.

Though Johann had successfully averted disaster for the moment, if no one from the Bled family appeared tonight, there would be real trouble. He needed to find another solution before then.

After Johann left, deep in thought, Edmund secretly summoned Alec through Benjamin. After some hesitation, Edmund gave his order.

“Search the territory thoroughly.”

“Your Excellency.”

“It doesn’t matter if you have to recheck the same areas. Deploy as many people as possible. And.”

“...”

“Don’t let anyone know, including Johann.”

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Damian stopped walking.

“It’s noisy, isn’t it?”

Vent, who had come to assist Damian after his lesson, stood beside him. As Vent said, the mansion was in a state of commotion. He quickly addressed Damian’s curiosity.

“Father?”

“Yes, I heard he suddenly went to the village.”

Without even wearing a coat, in just his shirt? Through that snowstorm?

……