11

"There are hundreds of people here in the house, yet no one saw the Duchess escape?"The servants in the hall trembled, their fear palpable, as they had never witnessed Duke Henrick this enraged before.

Days passed, and Duke Henrick relentlessly searched through the entire Audovera estate and even ventured beyond its borders, refusing to stop. Evanders, his most trusted right-hand man, grew increasingly concerned. The Duke hadn't rested or slept in days.

It wasn't until the emperor summoned him that the Duke finally received vital information regarding the Duchess's whereabouts.

Without hesitation, the Duke departed for the palace to meet the emperor.

"Duke Audovera, this is probably the fastest you've arrived after being summoned," the emperor remarked.

"Where is she?" the Duke asked, his voice cold and direct.

"Straight to the point, are we? But I must say, I'm curious. Why did Veronica suddenly run away?" The emperor's tone shifted when he heard the Duke refer to the Duchess by her name.

"That's Duchess Audovera to you," Duke Henrick corrected him sharply.

The emperor chuckled, though his amusement quickly faded at the sight of the Duke's stern expression.

"Hahahaha... Anyway, I also heard that the saintess ran away. What a coincidence, don't you think? Hahaha... heh... ehem!" The emperor's laughter faltered as he noticed the seriousness in the Duke's demeanor.

"The Duchess was last seen in Ruiledo City, aboard the White Tundra Express Train. I'm not sure exactly where she went, as she bought tickets for all the stops. However, I did receive an unusual building permit from Marquis Cosimo a few years ago, and as far as I recall, it was for a location in Charringtown—" Before the emperor could finish, the Duke stormed out of the room.

Emperor Darius rubbed his forehead, exasperated. "The Audovera couple sure is entertaining..."

When Duke Henrick arrived at the express train station, he immediately rented the entire train to ensure a faster journey.

Because the train never made any stops, they arrived in Charringtown in no time. The Duke brought only a small group of knights with him. They scoured the small town, searching for any leads. It wasn't until a delivery man pointed them toward a peculiar house that they found their first clue.

Following the directions given, the Duke approached the uniquely described house. As he raised his hand to knock on the door, it swung open, and to his shock, the missing saintess stood before him.

The look of surprise on their faces was unmistakable. The Duke momentarily wondered if the emperor had played a trick on him, but before he could process further, Irene suddenly shouted, "Veronica!"

---

It's only been two days. How on earth did he find me so quickly? What the heck!?

Whoever gave away the location of this place better be ready to face my wrath. Seriously!I began to panic as Duke Henrick started making his way toward me. I was about to run, but before I could, I slipped and fell right into the pool.

"Veronica!" I heard Duke Henrick call my name as he jumped in after me. But damn, water rushed into my ears.

'Do I have a birthmark on my butt? I should check that later.'

"Ahh... Duke?" I looked at where the Duke had landed, but he was just floating in the water.

"Duke?" I called out again, but when there was no response, I immediately swam toward him.

"Duke?" I gently slapped his face, but then I froze, my hands pressing against his forehead... it was burning hot.

'Is he sick?'

I quickly scanned the area. It was clear that we were alone. Who could I possibly ask for help? I dragged his unconscious body to the side of the pool and pushed him toward the edge.

I ran to the gazebo and grabbed my towel. Once I had it, I hurried back to him, wrapping it around his body. I was struggling, exhausted, because I wasn't strong enough to carry him easily. How was I supposed to get him inside? Should I just roll him over?

With no other choice, I managed to piggyback him to my room since it was the closest. I didn't know how long it took me to get him there, but it felt like forever.

I was struggling under his weight, especially with the height difference between us, not to mention the heavy breaths coming from him, which made it even harder.

When we finally made it to my room, I dropped him onto the bed, then stretched to relieve my aching back.

Before anything else, I changed out of my wet clothes. Afterward, I looked for something he could wear. I couldn't leave him in wet clothes—he would get sicker. But why did he have a fever in the first place?

I had searched through every available item of clothing in the house, but couldn't find any men's clothes or anything that might fit him.

My eyes landed on my pink pajamas. It wasn't just pink—it was hot pink. Since it was stretchy, it should fit him, right?

I grabbed them, thinking it would be better than letting him stay soaked. But now the problem was... how the heck was I supposed to change him?

I checked his face to make sure he was actually asleep. Fortunately, he was out cold. With shaky hands, I began unbuttoning his shirt.

This was the most nerve-wracking thing I'd ever done in my life. Why did it feel like I was committing a crime? I was just removing his wet clothes!

But then I almost fainted when I saw his abs. How could he have such a perfectly sculpted body?Is this some kind of torture?!

Slap

I slapped myself. This was the first time I'd seen a man's naked body in this life. That must be why I was so startled. But seriously... he had a perfectly toned body.

I quickly slapped myself a few more times, trying to shake off the embarrassment, before managing to change his shirt. But now, a new problem emerged—how the heck was I supposed to change his pants?!

I could leave them and just let them dry, but he might feel uncomfortable. And what if his condition worsens? He might blame me.

After a moment of contemplation, I decided to go ahead and remove his pants. After all, he wasn't aware of anything. I could hang them up to dry and once they were dry, I'd put them back on him—just like nothing ever happened. Haha!

I made the sign of the cross before I reached for his belt. To all the saints and angels, please don't let him wake up right now.

Slowly, I started to undo his belt, but then suddenly...

"V-Veronica?"

My heart skipped a beat as I looked up. Duke Henrick was wide-eyed, staring at me with shock in his eyes, while my hand was still gripping his belt.

"AAAHHH!!!"

I couldn't help but scream in mortification.