***

***

That’s why Perso chose to stay away from the imperial family.

He dodged and ran away.

He knew it’s not the best, but he didn’t have the will or the energy to fight it.

“Heya!”

Perso ran at full speed towards Bern where the Imperial Palace was located.

The thought of finding the missing Anna made him completely forget what he was avoiding now.

Rumors circulated that the ghost of the former Empress roamed the capital.

Because of that, the half-crazed emperor was said to be anxious about failing to pay tribute to her.

In this state, it was clear that if Anna entered the imperial palace defenselessly, one of her limbs would inevitably disappear.

If she was unlucky, her neck could fall.

Then, unpleasant goosebumps rose behind Perso’s back.

The warm, strong, luminous brown eyes contorted with pain.

An unexplained nervousness choked him.

Perso ran down the road while holding the reins.

“It’s Gertium. Get out of the way!”

Perso held out a sword with a family seal and quickly ran through the outer castle.

The gatekeepers were surprised by the shout of Gertium and the vicious force, and opened the gate quickly.

The soldiers of this country were memorizing the seal of the ‘Gertium’ family and the sword that the headmaster was carrying until dry and worn out.

The horse of Perso, who had run over a distance that would have taken more than a day in just a few hours, let out a wild breath like a monster.

The moment he broke through the castle, the word that Gertium had arrived in the capital would reach the imperial family.

It was a moment when all of the past efforts that had been hard to hide and pretend not to know about the imperial family’s calling were all in vain.

But he didn’t think anything of it was strange.

All he could think of was the need to quickly find and protect Anna.

‘Why am I so anxious?’

After watching her for quite some time, Anna was a strong person, and she was not foolish.

She must have had a reason to sneak away from him.

Still, Perso was not comfortable.

It was even more confusing because it was the first time he had been worried about other people like this and wandering around without regrets.

There were only old people around, so he couldn’t figure out how to treat a young, noble, and fragile woman like Anna.

Without hesitation, Perso drove his horse to Anna’s mansion.

His horse almost collided with people walking through the city several times.

He finally arrived at Anna’s mansion while scattering his words.

“This is Duke Perso Gertium. I’m to find Anna Rotrega.”

The old butler greeted him with a visibly bewildered face when he heard the name Perso Gertium.

“I’m sorry. My master is not currently in the mansion.”

“Are you sure? Lying to a noble can be severely punished.”

The old butler trembled and bowed his head at the threat of a person with a huge body and ferocious eyes.“Really. My master is not in the mansion.”

“Then…… Has she ever visited her mansion?”

The butler bowed his head and did not answer.

In fact, it was not possible to punish the servants of other nobles with small lies.

However, the opponent was the Duke of Gertium, the pillar of this country.

Gertium’s power was actually said to be just below the imperial family, so he would have been able to control the treatment of the servants of others.

“She’s not currently in the mansion, but she did come.”

Perso read what the butler’s silence meant.

Anyway, the thought of finding out Anna’s whereabouts gave him a sense of relief.

He lowered his bulging chest slowly and asked in a much calmer voice than before.

“When is she coming back?”

Also, the butler could not answer.

Upon arriving at the mansion, Anna opened a letter and left immediately. She left the mansion really straight away, with no time to change clothes or to drink a glass of water. Of course, she didn’t say when she would come back.

After saying that he understood, Perso waited for her in the parlor.

While waiting, his men left to inquire nearby.

Since it was a townhouse in the capital, the mansion was not that big, but it gave a cute and cozy feeling.

There were lace curtains and veils everywhere, and stuff like knitting dolls.

It was a completely different aspect from the Gertium House, which was overflowing with only stone walls, armor, weapons, and alcohol.

Even the sofa he was sitting on was red velvet and hung over it with a small floral cover.

For some reason, he felt like he would rip or break even if he touched a little, so he couldn’t even sit comfortably on the sofa and stood up stiffly.

An hour passed, and Anna still hadn’t come.

Perso called the attendant who had come to clean up the tea.

“I heard that Miss Anna received a letter this morning. Do you know who delivered the letter?”

“Yes?”

As if she did not know she was asked such a question, the servant stumbled with a puzzled face.

Perso took out money in his pocket and held it out. Ten jingle gold coins fell on the table.

“If you bring back the person who delivered the letter, all this money is yours.”

At first glance, it was more money than an individual servant’s several months’ salary.

The young servant’s eyes fluttered in bewilderment. She had only been working in this mansion for five months. She had worked in other mansions, but she had never been more comfortable with body and mind than here.

‘What if I get fired after receiving this?’

She knew of the maid, who, fortunately or unfortunately, handed Anna her letter. The maid was also a newcomer just two months ago, and she did a good job and was nimble.

At first glance, she heard that the maid had worked for quite a long time in the Sunset family that has now disappeared from history.

When they saw the introduction letter, she remembered that the strict grandfather hired her right away without saying anything.

Clink.

A few more gold coins fell on the desk.

“You are only carrying out the orders of the powerful duke, so there will be no problems. Or do I have to pull out my sword, not money, for you to hear what I’m saying?”

Startled, the young servant quickly bowed her head. She added in a quivering voice.

“I’ll bring the maid who delivered the letter, but I won’t take any money. I love working here.”

Perso looked at the servant as if interesting.

The servant, not daring to look up at Perso, quickly stepped back and left.

“I heard you were looking for me.”

And after a while, a maid came into the parlor with calm steps.“Are you the maid who handed Miss Anna the letter this morning?”

“That’s right.”

“What is written in the letter?”

“I learned that the servants do not open the master’s letters.”

Even without saying many words, Perso could tell that the maid in front of him was not normal.

He laughed again as if it was funny.

The fact that there were quite a few useful servants in this small mansion seemed to indicate the dignity of the owner.

Or the butler’s ability was better than expected.

“Then where did you get that letter?”

“It was delivered by an outside messenger.”

“Is that it?”

“Yes. That’s it.”

The maid seemed nervous at Perso’s interrogation, but she remained calm until the end.

Perso, who had been staring at her for a moment, stood up.

“Right. The servants of this house don’t seem to know anything. If so, tell your master I was here when she comes back.”

“Yes, Duke.”

The maid replied docilely, with her swiftly lowering her head.

Perso glanced at her again and turned around without regret.

A storm called Gertium passed over.

Anna’s mansion had been frozen for hours because of Perso, and only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.

After that, it was a peaceful time as usual.

Afternoon cleaning the mansion, preparing lunch, and taking care of the necessities of the mansion.

As dusk fell, the commuting servants came out of the mansion.

Among the crowd, one of them secretly looked around and disappeared at the end of a sparsely populated alley.

Perso, who was watching the mansion from afar, followed the maid’s shadow and moved silently.

***

After a few battles, he had better sense.

Perso thought that the overly calm maid in front of him was very suspicious.

There was nothing wrong with her words, and her answers were convincing enough, but she was more than that.

She was too bold and calm for an ordinary maid working in such a small mansion.

Even the perfect example of the servant seemed to have come from working in a large mansion.

The circumstance that she delivered the letter as if she had waited for Anna as soon as she arrived, and Anna who came to the capital avoiding the eyes of Perso, were both suspicious.

Perso followed the maid, without his knights.

‘…… Besides, she wandered around several times as if she was conscious of me following her like this.’

No matter how he looked at it, it wasn’t an ordinary maid.

Finally, after passing through several buildings, the maid knocked on the door of a mansion.

It took an hour to come here, but it was actually a mansion less than 30 minutes away.

As soon as the door opened, the maid quickly went inside.

After staring at the closed door for a moment, Perso looked at the mansion owner’s nameplate hanging on the gate.

‘…Temporary residence of Tamon Krasis?’

Tamon Krasis.

If Perso’s memory was correct, it was the name of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Amor.

Perso looked at the nameplate with confused eyes, then knocked on the door of the mansion without hesitation.