Chapter 33
Despite distributing flyers throughout the surrounding area and asking for help, no information had surfaced.
“Is it really possible for there to be no witnesses at all?”
“Exactly. It’s like they vanished into thin air or sank into the ground…”
To make matters worse, there was absolutely no information about the man said to be living with them, which only hindered the investigation further.
“Could they… already be dead…”
“Hey! It’s too early to jump to conclusions.”
“I’m sorry.”
The rash comment from a young soldier was met with rebukes from the others. Their eyes then shifted back toward Nox, who had already walked some distance away.
Supported by a neighbor, his staggering steps looked especially pitiful today.
“Take care now.”
“Yes, brother… Thank you so much for today.”
“We’ll find them, so don’t worry too much.”
“Of course.”
Nox responded to the comforting words of his neighbor with a bitter smile before turning away.
But as he turned, a fleeting smile crossed his face and quickly disappeared.
Click.
“…!”
Bang!
“Nox? What’s wrong?”
The neighbor, who had been watching Nox enter his home, found his behavior suspicious when Nox suddenly slammed the door shut and stepped back in shock.
His face had turned pale, as if he had seen something he wasn’t supposed to.
“Ah, it’s nothing. I just suddenly felt unwell… I think I’ll step outside for some air. Please, go in ahead.”
“Come on, you must be tired too. Get some rest.”
“Yes.”
With an awkward expression, Nox nodded exaggeratedly, standing completely still until the neighbor disappeared from sight.
“Huff… Huff… What… What was that?”
Left alone, Nox finally exhaled the breath he had been holding, slowly turning back toward his house.
His gaze trembled uncontrollably as he stared at the firmly shut wooden door, as though an earthquake had just struck.
“…It must’ve been my imagination.”
Yes. It was definitely a mistake.
With all the acting he’d been doing lately, constantly wary of the eyes on him, his nerves must have been on edge.
After checking one last time to ensure no one was around, Nox cautiously grabbed the doorknob with a trembling hand.
Click.
Creaaak.
“Wh-What the…!”
As soon as he entered, he locked the door behind him, terrified that someone might see.
The first thing that hit him was the overwhelming stench of blood.
“What… What the hell is this?!”
The house was a sea of blood.
It was a disturbingly familiar scene.
Pools of blood were scattered across the floor.
Bloody streaks splattered across the walls.
And even scratch marks on the door, left by someone desperate to survive.
All of it was the aftermath of what he had done.
“But I cleaned it all up!”
He had scrubbed with all his strength to erase it.
He had poured countless chemicals to ensure every trace was gone!
“Then why is it still here?!”
Was this a dream?
Yes, it must be a dream!
Nox crawled toward a pool of blood, his trembling hand reaching out to touch it.
“Gah!”
It was real! Not an illusion, not a dream!
The sticky blood stained his hand, and Nox collapsed to the floor.
“This… This is impossible…”
What was this? What the hell was going on?!
Thud!
Despair lasted only a moment before Nox sprang to his feet.
He didn’t know what was happening, but he knew there was only one thing he could do now.
Erase all evidence!
He began frantically scrubbing the blood.
Cleaning and cleaning again, pouring every remaining chemical he had onto the stains.
Time seemed to blur as he cleaned, over and over.
“Mm…”
At some point, Nox collapsed in a corner and fell asleep.
In his hand was a tattered rag, evidence of his all-night cleaning frenzy.
Feeling the sunlight seeping through the windows, he slowly sat up.
“What time is it…”
Drip.
“……”
The rag slipped from Nox’s hand and fell to the floor. His hollow eyes widened in disbelief.
“A-Ah… AHHHH!”
A guttural scream erupted from his mouth.
“Why… Why…!”
Hadn’t he cleaned it all night?
Scrubbed and scrubbed until his hands were raw!
_
“Lady Ceres, where are you coming from so early in the morning?”
“A walk.”
“A walk?”
This early in the morning?
Jay tilted her head in confusion.
Ceres, who had left the estate even earlier than her, had just now opened the door to the shop and walked in.
“I thought you’d gone to the shop ahead of me.”
“I intended to, but the weather was just too nice. On days like this, it’s better to be outside…”
“Ce-Ceres! You’re bleeding! Your nose is bleeding!”
“…Seriously, damn it.”
What’s wrong with this body?
Just a little exertion, and now a nosebleed? What a pathetic body.
“Here, use this handkerchief! What should we do?”
“It’s fine. It’s nothing.”
Ceres reassured the panicking Jay while casually wiping away the blood with the handkerchief.
It had been a while since she last had a nosebleed.
Ding.
“Huh?”
At the sound of the shop door opening, Jay turned her head, her eyes widening. She instantly recognized the face of the person entering.
She had only seen him once, but his striking appearance made him unforgettable.
“Ah, I’m sorry. We’re not open for business yet.”
Jay quickly spoke, trying to stop the guest from coming in.
Ceres, who also turned her head, widened her eyes slightly.
“It’s fine, Jay.”
“What?”
“Go inside and finish organizing the kitchen.”
“Oh, alright.”
Jay didn’t know since she wasn’t in the shop every day, but this person had been showing up quite often recently.
‘Don’t you have anything better to do?’
Should a duke have so much free time to visit a shop like this so often?
Why do you keep coming here?
What’s the reason? Stop making it so embarrassing for someone who thought they’d never see you again!
‘I thought that would be the last time.’
Who would’ve thought she’d end up seeing him so often, nearly every day?
And why did he come so early today, before dawn?
“You’re here early.”
“You told me to.”
‘Come early in the morning or late at night, so you don’t bother anyone else.’
‘…Wait, was he actually listening to that?’
Since the mercenaries would scatter whenever he showed up, Ceres had no choice but to suggest specific times for him to come.
Ceres quietly shook her head.
This guy really has no middle ground.
“Take a seat here.”
Ceres gestured toward a seat for Kainel, who was standing idly.
“…….”
Kainel, however, continued staring at Ceres, who was still holding her nose with one hand.
“You’d be better off staying still and not moving.”
At his casual advice, Ceres couldn’t help but laugh softly.
‘Please stay still, Grace.’
‘Yeah! The bleeding won’t stop!’
‘It’s fine. A nosebleed won’t kill me.’
‘It will! Blood is spilling out! Why wouldn’t it kill you?’
‘Grace, are you dying? Are you? No, you can’t die!’
‘…Kainel, stop scaring the kid. He’s crying.’
She remembered the two boys who would always panic whenever she had a nosebleed.
‘…She’s smiling again.’
Kainel’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The woman’s occasional enigmatic smiles as she looked at him were irritating.
‘No.’
What irritated him more was the fact that he even felt annoyed in the first place.
Why should it matter to him if someone else smiled?
“Do you want food?”
“…….”
That tone annoyed him too.
It wasn’t formal, but it wasn’t informal either—a strange mix she only used with him.
“The stew isn’t ready yet.”
“I’ll wait.”
Kainel took a seat, assuming a relaxed posture as though he could wait all day, and closed his eyes.
As he listened to the sounds of Ceres moving toward the kitchen, he sank into deep thought.
‘A recipe passed down through generations.’
On the first day he visited the shop, Kainel had naturally asked about the stew’s recipe.
‘It’s a recipe that’s been passed down in my family… sir.’
No matter how it came to be, this stew was undoubtedly the same one Grace used to make for him.
‘Grace did occasionally share her recipes with others.’
But even so, the fact that the taste remained unchanged after 300 years was astonishing.
Even with a recipe, how could it taste exactly the same after such a long time?
Was that even possible?
Tap.
“……?”
Kainel opened his eyes at the sound of something being placed before him.
Steam was rising from an omelet.
“Eat this while you wait for the stew to be ready.”
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