I sat down in the chair, a dejected smile on my face.
âHow long ago was that?â
âTwo days ago.â
Until today, I kept getting reports that she was nowhere to be found, but Liliana had arrived in the duchy two days ago. It was both depressing and astounding at the same time.
âIs she still in town?â
âIâm not sure. She probably left. I havenât seen her since that day.â
It would have been nice if she was still in the duchy, but it was okay as we could find enough traces to track her.
âNanabi, you mentioned that if you have any trace of her, you can find her, right?â
âYes, Milady.â
Even without much explanation, Nanabi understood the situation through our conversation and extended her hands towards him.
âEugene, can you give me that bracelet for a moment?â
âSure! Will this help?â
âYes, very much.â
I was still taken aback by the fact that we had discovered a trace of her in such an unexpected place. I was a little concerned about what I would do if I couldnât find it, but it just materialized in front of my eyes. Now, all of my worries felt absurd and pointless.
I decided to put all of those negative emotions aside and focus on the joy.
âThanks to you, we can find her now. Tell me what you want; Iâll grant it.â
âNo, thereâs nothing, Milady. Your kindness is more than what I deserve.â
âWhen I give something, just take it.â
âThen, I will just accept your goodwill.â
I could have granted anything Eugene wanted now, but he refused. Since he stated that he didnât want anything, I stopped pushing for it, since I did not wish to force him.
âI have to go and tell Sihael. Iâm sure heâll be delighted.â
A huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. My steps back to the room with the good news were light. But as soon as I walked into the empty room, all of my excitement was gone. Sihael was not in the room.
âDid he leave the house again? My puppy really doesnât listen to me.â
Because I was worried about him, I had told him not to go out alone. I couldnât stop myself from worrying about him, so I went out to look for him. I walked back the way I had come, but Sihael was nowhere to be seen. I looked for him in the promenade, gardens, and even deep in the mountains, but I couldnât see a single strand of his tail hair, let alone his mountain-like body.
âI donât think heâs here.â
The last place I headed to was the training grounds, but he wasnât there either. When I looked at the location shown by the tracking device installed on Sihaelâs leash, it showed he was in the mansion.
Oh, you were definitely out. When did you go back in?
Someone called me when I was turning toward the mansion.
âMilady!â
âAllen.â
Allen approached me with a beaming face. After Lanoaâs escort order was revoked, he returned to the Knights Order. The face that I was sick of felt pleasant now after not seeing for a long time.
âHow have you been?â
âGood. You look much better now.â
He used to be so frightened that he only uttered sounds like âhiikâ, âheukâ or âahâ whenever he saw me. Allenâs face turned red as I playfully teased him.
âWhy are you roaming around during the training time? Donât you knights get suspended because of it? â
âItâs open training time.â
âHmm, really? By the way, did you happen to see Shasha?â
âDidnât he go to the back gate with a maid earlier?â
I frowned at Allenâs answer. Did Sihael have a maid he was close with? He was not trying to seduce her, right?
It would be embarrassing if he was begging for snacks by cutely wagging his tail.
âThen, Iâll get going. Work hard.â
After seeing Allen off, I walked to the back door. I could hear Sihaelâs voice in the midst of hushed voices.
âShe keeps on treating me like a dog. If it were you, what would you do?â
âIf it was me, I would become the young ladyâs dog and be doted on by her!â
âNever mind. Itâs my fault to ask you.â
The voice that followed was Hannahâs.
âWhy are these two together, no, more than that, the two of them are talking with each other?â
As I turned around the corner, I couldnât hide my surprise and asked the two.
âWhatâs going on? Did you two talk to each other?â
âMilady, youâre here!â
Unlike Hannah, who welcomed me warmly, Sihael was still grumpy. He didnât even look at me. I grabbed Sihael and asked again.
âDid you speak consensually, or did you get caught?â
Seeing my blank face, Hannah trembled and stuttered as if she was terrified.
âI, I will never say anything to anyone! I have already promised Sir Shasha that I would keep this a secret until the day I die! Â Please trust me, Milady!â
âLeave her alone. Sheâs just a little fool who knows nothing.â
âYes, right! Iâm a fool!â
Judging by Sihaelâs casual reaction, it seemed that he had resolved it well. I grabbed Hannah, who was about to kneel down to her knees, and patted her trembling shoulder.
âOkay. Iâll trust you. And the apple pie was good. I enjoyed it.â
Then Hannah, who stopped trembling, raised her thumb at Sihael with sparkling eyes. Sihaelâs reaction was still not good, but Hannah didnât care much.
âThen Iâll get going. You two can talk.â
Hannah entered the mansion with  light steps. I crouched down next to Sihael after confirming that Hannah had gone away.
âWhat were you two talking about?â
âItâs a secret.â
âHo, now you are keeping secrets. Youâve really grown up!â