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ALBERT strolled down the corridor that housed the palace handmaids.
Am I a little too early? he wondered nervously upon reaching his destination.
Today, he and Mary would spend almost an entire day together traveling by carriage to McClain—Albert’s new territory.
Thirty-six years old, and I’m this nervous to be going out with the girl I like? Albert thought, chuckling to himself. I’m not used to this.
Albert abandoned the idea of romance in the distant past. Or so he’d thought, at least. As of late, feelings reminiscent of a young man going through puberty smoldered within him. Even now, he was visiting Mary’s room because he wanted to see her as soon as possible, despite their planned meet-up time not being for a while longer.
I hope I’m not being a nuisance, Albert worried while knocking on her door lightly.
Strangely, she didn’t answer. It was too late for Mary to still be sleeping, and if she was getting ready, she would have responded.
“Mary, it’s Albert,” he called out, raising his voice slightly and knocking again. “Are you there?”
An odd sense of unease wormed its way into Albert’s mind. Well aware of his discourteousness, he placed his hand on the doorknob. It wasn’t locked.
“Sorry, but I’m coming in,” he said.
If Mary was in the room and hadn’t heard him, he would apologize. Yet what if that wasn’t the case and she was in trouble? Compelled by this apprehension, Albert entered the room uninvited.
People had been speaking ill of Mary behind her back due to her closeness to Albert and Reynaldo. Albert had refuted all the lies about her. Likewise, he’d done everything in his power to stop her poor reputation from spreading. Along with Reynaldo, he’d kept a watchful eye on Mary to prevent as much harm from befalling her as possible. Regardless, rumors would inevitably arise in a place like the royal palace.
Surely nothing happened to her, right?
Unease overcame Albert. Once inside the room, it was evident that Mary had prepared to leave. She’d even organized her luggage for the trip. If she were here, they’d be able to depart. Yet, no matter how many times he called out to her, she didn’t respond. From what Albert knew of Mary’s personality, he couldn’t imagine her leaving when she knew he would visit soon. In that case, a third party might have forced her to leave her room.
Albert dashed out of the room with no particular destination in mind. While deciding on his next course of action, he ordered a knight stationed in the palace to search for Mary. Appearing to have understood the situation, the knight ran off to relay similar instructions to his colleagues.
Where might she have been taken? Albert wondered.
A person living in the palace would choose a secluded location. If the perpetrator were committing a malicious act, they would want to do so away from prying eyes, whether they were merely harassing Mary or worse. However, if the perpetrator wasn’t a palace resident, they would probably take her outside. Then again, anyone from outside the palace would have been apprehended immediately and thrown out.
More importantly, Mary wouldn’t open her door for a stranger. Besides, there were no traces of her room being ransacked. Even if the attacker had surprised her, the room should have been at least somewhat disturbed by her attempts to flee. In that case, the perpetrator must have been an acquaintance.
Albert dashed through the castle. “Have you seen Mary?” he questioned each staff member he passed. Unfortunately, none of them had.
Eventually, Albert crossed paths with a woman named Liella. When their eyes met, he sensed a reaction from her. Her face was pale, and she avoided Albert’s gaze.
“Lady Liella,” Albert called out to her, simultaneously blocking her path.
When she kept her head down and didn’t respond, Albert repeated her name. He spoke in a low tone laced with intimidation. That voice belied his usually gentlemanly behavior towards women.
“Tell me where Mary is,” he demanded.
“I-I don’t know…” Liella mumbled in response.
Albert closed in on her, not hiding the murderous glint in his eyes. “Tell me—where did you take her?”
As he considered using physical force if she held her tongue, Liella burst into tears. A mere handmaid couldn’t withstand a menacing interrogation from the high commander of the knights. Not for long, at least.
“The storage room,” Liella answered through sobs. “I was threatened and told to bring her there. I’m so sorry…”
“Understood,” Albert responded, suppressing his desire to race there right away. Instead, he handed Liella to a nearby guard. “Bring her to Sir Eva. Tell him to interrogate her about the situation surrounding Mary. Oh, and may I borrow your bow and arrows?”
After taking the guard’s bow and quiver, Albert raced toward the storage room. Though he always wore a sword, he’d borrowed the other weapon just in case.
Since Liella took Mary to the storage room, she’s probably trapped inside, but I need to consider what to do if she’s been taken outside.
Something even more disastrous could occur. Anticipating this, Albert borrowed the equipment. Having a horse would have been preferable as well, but time was of the essence. Albert hadn’t fully grasped the situation, but he knew one thing: he needed to act fast. Judging from Liella’s terrified expression, she hadn’t just imprisoned Mary as a form of harassment. Liella also admitted to being threatened, which meant someone was targeting Mary.
Who would be targeting her? Albert wondered. Either way, I can’t allow anyone to steal her from me.
Albert ran to the storage room while suppressing his rage. After darting down the stairs, he found the door to the basement room locked, even though he hadn’t crossed paths with anyone on his way there.
No one else came this way? Albert asked himself, puzzling over the situation. Does that mean they’re already inside?
Had Mary been locked inside the storage room, or had someone else followed after her and locked the door from within? Setting aside his questions, Albert kicked the door with all his might. It wouldn’t break easily due to its sturdy construction, but after he’d rammed his heel into the wood countless times, it bent somewhat. With one last powerful kick, the door collapsed.
“Mary!” he shouted.
No one answered. A faint light streamed in from farther back.
“A hidden passageway?” Albert muttered to himself. “In a place like this?”
Despite his surprise, Albert pressed on. At the end of the passageway, he found a small storage shed built on the edge of the castle some time ago. Before, he’d wondered why the shed had been placed in such a deserted location, but evidently, it served as an emergency exit.
Albert found traces of people having come and gone, including a broken window. After climbing outside to follow, he detected signs of people in the distance. According to his sharply refined senses, these individuals meant to cause others harm. While sprinting in a direction based on his intuition, he spotted a man in the distance.
As soon as Albert saw the man pinning someone down, he came to a halt, nocked an arrow, and drew back his bowstring. He could hit the target even from a distance. Moreover, he would eliminate anyone who meant to cause Mary harm. After taking a few deep, calming breaths, Albert released his arrow. It flew straight, striking the man and causing him to fall over.
He raced over to Mary. When she noticed him, tears poured from her eyes, all the tension draining from her body.
Thank God I wasn’t late, he thought. I was able to save her this time.
He embraced the still-sobbing Mary, trembling with heartfelt joy.