While Riley examined the report on the two largest marquessates’ missing immigrants, Liliana was taking afternoon tea. Her usually cheerful handmaiden seemed unusually subdued—and when Liliana asked what troubled her, she received a strained reply.
“My younger brother is visiting Hudore. He came with a friend, but they’ve apparently lost contact.”
“As in, his friend has gone missing?” Liliana asked. That was rather troubling news.
“Indeed. His friend was staying with him in our town house. Two days ago, he went out to see the sights and never returned. At first, my brother wasn’t worried, and neither was the boy’s family. He’s a commoner, so they assumed he was simply wandering around. But when he didn’t return last night either, that sentiment quickly changed.”
“Is your family that close with commoners?” Liliana asked, not quite able to follow. Marianne was the daughter of Marquess Kenneth, after all.
The handmaiden gave an awkward smile. Few nobles ever grew close to commoners. Some weren’t overly conscious of the difference in rank, but genuine friendship between the two classes was unthinkable in most circles. A noble and a commoner sightseeing together would raise eyebrows no matter how charitably one viewed it.
“My family is special in that sense,” Marianne said. “The barrier between nobles and commoners is far less severe than in other domains. Our knights’ order, in particular, values individual merit above all—whether you’re a noble or a commoner doesn’t matter. My brother works there as a knight in training, and that’s where he met his friend.”
Marianne had previously explained that her father’s unconventional views were the reason she, a marquess’s daughter, served as Liliana’s handmaiden. If that hadn’t been surprising enough, it seemed the Kenneth marquessate was even more liberal than Liliana had imagined.
“I see. Did you submit a request to search for him?”
“We did, but...” A bitter expression crossed Marianne’s face.
“They won’t search for him because he’s a commoner?”
“That’s right,” the handmaiden said, irritation creeping into her voice. “And an immigrant on top of that. They didn’t refuse our request, but that doesn’t help at all.”
The only reason the request hadn’t been dismissed outright was because it came from House Kenneth. Any other noble would have been rejected immediately. If they hoped to find the missing boy, they would have to rely on the marquessate itself—but no one would mobilize an entire domain for a single child. Marianne wanted to help her brother, now pale and sleepless with worry, but she couldn’t think of a way to be useful.
“Do I have anything scheduled in the next two days?” Liliana asked, making up her mind on the spot.
“No, nothing in particular...” Marianne answered, startled by the abrupt question.
Liliana smiled brightly. “In that case, Marianne...can you introduce me to your brother?”
“My lady...?”
The handmaiden tilted her head in confusion, trying to parse her charge’s intentions. Her puzzlement turned to astonishment when she saw what Liliana wrote next.
“I’ll try to help. Let’s look for your brother’s friend together.”
Marianne reread the message again and again in disbelief. Her eyes really weren’t deceiving her. Before she could object, Liliana had already rung the special bell to summon Gildo and Olga.