The Abandoned Baroness is one of the Black Knight’s favorites

It was the chef who first noticed Sofia's absence at the Marquis de Forster. It was when I got back from a longer-than-usual purchase and went into the kitchen. Cookware lined up neatly, and dishes lined up carefully. It hasn't changed much since before I left, which is why I care about small changes.

It turns out that the dishes that were not used for lunch are placed on a dry shelf, and only one grapey fruit is rolled in the shadow of the cooking table. But there were no grape branches or skins in the trash.

Originally, today's purchase was planned to take time. I was visiting a few distant specialty stores to buy some varieties of vanilla. Last night, I asked the apprentice cook to tell Sofia and Carina about it.

"What, this discomfort..."

When I open the refrigerator, there are more vegetables I wasn't supposed to buy. While tilting his neck, the chef looked over the counter into the prep room. Two sets of tea set that are left unwashed. One of the elegant ones was chosen for Sofia.

The chef rushed to the chef's room where he contacted him last night, anxious to get past his head. Run up the stairs to the third floor of the room occupied by the servants. The man's room was unlocked. I opened the door, but there's hardly anything personal in it.

"You're lying."

The cook was still an apprentice, but he had been working at the mansion for over a year. In an apparent anomaly, the chef ran straight to Hans's office in the basement. He knocked on the door violently and entered without a moment to breathe. Hans seemed to be writing something, but he stopped looking at the chef.

"What's up, chef? In such a hurry ─ ─"

"Where is your wife!? Carina is fine. Hans doesn't know where he is right now!

Keep your words shut and keep your momentum. Hans rose suddenly with his face blue.

"Isn't this your time?"

"I contacted you yesterday. I bought herbs today ─ ─"

"I never said anything like that this morning."

Hans also noticed the situation and immediately began searching the residence for Sofia, Carina, and the cook's man. According to Hans, the cook's mother had talked to him about his illness and lack of money. I talked to Gilbert and he said that a few months ago, he sent a letter to the man's parent's home with the right amount of money for his medical name.

"Maybe he didn't want the money for his mother."

Hans shared the current situation with the chef and further tightened his expression. If a man needed money for other reasons, it could be a reason to help with a crime. The chef also held his head.

It was the gardener who found Carina. When I was heading to the cabin to clean up the shears I was using when the sun was about to go completely dark, I heard a bang from the warehouse next door. The strange gardener cleans up before heading to the warehouse. The door, which had no key, had a gripping rod attached from the outside.

"Is anybody there?

When you call through the door, a screaming voice returns from inside.

"Grandpa!? I'm Carina!

"Carina!

The gardener opened the door by removing the gripper stick so quickly that it was unlikely that he would be over sixty. As soon as she did, Carina rolled out. Looking at the gardener's face, Carina distorted her face.

"What should I do, Grandpa? Sofia, Sofia...."

Carina was just in a hurry, not worrying about her dusty uniform or her disturbed hair. Hans told me to find Sofia and Carina. Though he thought it was nothing more than that, the gardener still slapped his shoulder in an attempt to calm down.

"Calm down. ─ ─ If it were your wife, everyone at the Mansion would be looking for it now. Hans is in the office, so go talk to him."

Carina nodded at the words with her face raised. The steps are firm and the gardener is a little relieved. But I was disappointed that Carina and Sofia weren't together at the same time. If only you two had stayed together, Sofia would not have been alone. Probably the mistress of the Marquis of Forster. The gardener who worked for a long time regretted Gilbert's misgivings becoming a reality.

Hans got a report from Carina and left the mansion immediately. Grape fruits stored in boxes and envelopes that are told to be used only in emergencies. The solo carriage was fast, and I was able to rush into the royal castle in a tight time to close the main gate soon. Go to the Knights of the Guard 2nd Platoon and show Arbel the envelope you brought. Arbel, who had begun to return home, stopped and looked seriously at the envelope.

─ ─ What can I do for you, Messenger of the Marquis of Forster?

It is an envelope for the Marquis of Forster to offer a secret behind-the-scenes encounter with Prince Matthias. There will be no such thing in any house of great nobility. This exists because Gilbert and Mathias trust each other. Only Arbel and Matthias' closest associates know of this presence in case they ask for help.

"Looks like our family's been kidnapped. I'd like to see you."

Arbel chewed his lips and his eyes fell down. Hans sat still and waited for Arbel's reply.

"Your Highness would still be in the office today. I'll show you around."

"Thank you."

Arbel pushed his personal belongings into a locked drawer. Hans warmly thanked him for reweaving his jacket and rushed to Mathias after Arbel's guidance. There were already many stars blinking in the sky.