maid's night (r19) | completed

Chapter 36

The longer the princess was absent, the quieter the castle became. People were whispering, but no one had the temerity to talk about the princess in Alec's presence.

If it was a kidnapping, there would be demands, if it was a crime, a body should be found, but since none of these were forthcoming, the idea that the princess might have escaped began to be more certain.

In addition, one of the servants brought up the story that he had seen someone slipping out of the garden that night. At first he thought it was a ghost, but then he suspected that it might have been the master's wife, so the people agreed that he had a point.

When Astina was informed of the princess' news, her father sent a letter expressing his regret, but mainly saying that any promises between the two countries must be publicly announced.

People clucked their tongues as they said, "He's really a heartless father when he doesn't even know where his daughter has disappeared to." He said he would look around for another couple of months and eventually be recorded as dead or missing.

Some people felt sorry for Alec whose wife had run away, but Alec didn't mind such a reaction one bit.

He just went about his business as usual, training and going to the Imperial Palace. The soldiers who went to look for the princess would still be searching everywhere, but at least the castle was flowing quietly as if nothing had happened.

Sitting at his desk in the office, Alec brought his cup to his mouth. Then he called out her name.

"Evely."

As he called Evely's name again, another maid opened the door and walked in.

"Evely's not here at the moment, she's on vacation."

'Oh, that's right.'

"When will Evely come back?"

"I'm not sure exactly. .... She's just gone, so probably a few more days."

Alec asked the exact same thing yesterday. It was dated the day after Evely's departure.

Alec added in a slightly annoyed tone.

"It's been a while since she left. Am I wrong?"

"It's not that long......."

The maid sneered and slurred her words.

"All right. Get out."

Alec was rubbing his temples tiredly when he spotted a bookmark in his book. And in that moment, the bright voice of the person he had been calling came to mind.

A girl who was so diligent that he thought she was very noisy.

"...Are you sure?"

When she was told to leave the bookmark and go, he could see her smiling brightly and rejoicing at the words.

What's the big deal about that? Even if it wasn't that day, Evely chatted about many things by his side. At first, she seemed a little self-conscious, but after that she became more talkative.

"Master!"

That was what Evely used to call him and smiled. May those sad eyes become a crescent moon....

"...It's so quiet without you."

The air seemed to get heavier somehow since Evely, who had been so noisy, was not there.

"Let's stop here."

Alec raised his body as he put away what he was looking at. As soon as he left the room, the servant began to follow him. Perhaps Evely was shorter and smaller than the other maids, which made her to walk around easier than the others. The little sound of her shoes used to ring the floor.