His body, which usually looked fit, now seemed rather swollen. And his skin, which had always been smooth and had even color, was now blotchy. Verdic now looked his age, really. He was a middle-aged man.
Water dripped down along his unmanaged beard, making him look quite disheveled. Verdic scolded a bewildered Carynne with a stern expression.
“Heavens, damn it… Why were you drowning in such shallow waters when it’s not even that deep? Are you crazy?”
Verdic angrily removed his soaking wet clothes and wrung them out like a rag. Dirty water splashed from his mouth.
Verdic. Him getting angry at Carynne was something she was used to, but this time it was entirely different.
“Have you gone so crazy that you want to die at such a young age?”
“Miss, at your age, shouldn’t you know how to live modestly? Starve yourself tonight.”
“Why on earth were you in the creek?”
“Did I not tell you to follow Isella’s whims?”
Carynne remembered what Verdic used to say when he got angry with her. It was something he often said. To him, Carynne was Isella’s servant—a thief who stole from him.
“…Can’t you hear me? Why the hell were you here in the first place?”
When Verdic asked again, Carynne finally snapped out of it. It was then that she realized how she had just stood there dumbly without responding.
“The creek isn’t even that deep.”
Verdic seemed to think that Carynne was scared and intimidated by him, and so he softened his tone. His changing attitude was a strange sight. Perhaps when a person lives for a hundred years, they naturally encounter things.
However, even during that 117th year when he killed people, he hadn’t changed. That he had changed so much now was truly astonishing.
“Thank you… sir.”
But what needed to be done now wasn’t reminiscing about the past. Carynne imitated a cowering posture and replied softly, as if she was in shock.
She considered whether she should acknowledge that she could recognize Verdic, but for now, she chose to act as if she didn’t know him—to delay any interactions as much as possible. She needed to avoid getting entangled with him.
“My hat flew away… I was just trying to get it, but I slipped… and fell into the water.”
She truly looked like she was cowering because he had been shouting at her. Carynne felt her body trembling weakly, perhaps because she had come out of the cold water. Even in the summer, the water was cold.
“My skirt got tangled, so I couldn’t get out properly. Thank you, sir, for your kindness.”
Why was Verdic here? Of course, Carynne had a guess at the answer. This was the first time he was like this, but it wasn’t hard to deduce why he was here.
Why was he here? Why was he in such a miserable state?
Carynne had gone to find Verdic only a few months ago.
The time for Verdic and Isella to appear had passed, but they hadn’t arrived. And he had given up his business at a loss. It wasn’t just that Raymond had refused to marry Isella.
He still hadn’t found Isella Evans.
So, he came here.
* * *
Isella.
At first, Verdic Evans thought it might be his daughter. When he saw the hem of a dress fluttering in the water, he thought it might be her. Perhaps it’s Isella. Perhaps it was his own daughter in the water. His legs were practically immobile, but he jumped into the water immediately.
However, it wasn’t her.
As he ran towards the water and lifted the woman up, Verdic’s tension soared when he realized it wasn’t Isella. The girl was the same age as his daughter, but her hair was vivid red, unlike Isella’s golden blonde locks.
It wasn’t his daughter.
Seeing the young woman coughing and vomiting water, Verdic was furious. The first emotion that surged through him after seeing the girl’s hair was anger. Since she had already entered the water, the force that brought her out was purely inertia, but Verdic couldn’t find any joy in watching the girl breathe and cough up water.
Why are you here like this when you’re not my daughter.
Verdic felt like tears were about to come. However, he couldn’t distinguish whether the liquid running from his eyes was just the stream’s water or his own tears. It had been so long since he had cried that he couldn’t sensitively recognize the muscle movements of shedding tears.
But this was not the time to shed tears.
Verdic Evans’s one and only daughter, Isella Evans, disappeared, and time passed.
Before he knew it, the seasons had already changed.
One day, on a cold spring day when flowers hadn’t even bloom yet, his daughter disappeared out of the blue.
Isella left no words or traces behind and vanished from the world. Isella had never done something like that before. So, it was as if Isella had never existed in the world from the beginning.
But Verdic had no idea why Isella had disappeared.
Why did Isella vanish?
It was just like any other day. The piano teacher had arrived for Isella’s regular lesson, and in the afternoon, as usual, she begged him to go downtown, and she then went with her maid.
It was a typical, ordinary day.
Verdic was preoccupied with the possibility of receiving the money he had lent to Crown Prince Gueuze on that day. He hadn’t even eaten dinner and was holed up in his room, pondering over documents, bills, and consulting with lawyers.
“Is Isella still asleep?”
“M-Master… Milady is still…”
“She hasn’t woken up yet? She’s excessively lazy. Hurry up and wake her and bring her here.”
“However…”
The maid confessed to Verdic, trembling.
“Milady hasn’t returned home yet.”
“…Where did she go without saying anything?”
Verdic scowled at the thought that his daughter was causing a ruckus now. She went out without asking permission from him?
Especially with the recent mess in his business, his head was already aching. She must learn some discipline once she’d return.
“But why didn’t you go with her? Who did she go with?”
“Master, Miss Isella, she… She left on her own.”
Verdic felt his head turn white for the first time.
Why didn’t she say anything? Why didn’t she speak in time? Why were these stupid things in his house?
And Isella, right now…
“What on earth is going on here?!”
When Verdic snapped out of his thoughts at his wife’s cold voice, Isella’s maid was clutching her stomach and kneeling. Foam was forming around her mouth. Verdic raised his boot and kicked her again.
“Aaargh!”
“Evans!”
Rage could take its time. Verdic took a slow, deep breath.
On the first day, both worry and anger arose simultaneously.
On the second day, he couldn’t do anything all day.
From the third day onwards, Verdic began to negotiate with people. He could trust no one.
Where could Isella have gone?
Verdic negotiated with people, and at the same time, he waited. Isella was Verdic Evans’s daughter. Many people held grudges against Verdic. But at the same time, Verdic also owned many things. Verdic expected that whoever had taken Isella away would contact him in some way.
Ransom or revenge?
Verdic prepared a significant amount of cash first. This was the first time Verdic’s daughter, Isella, had been kidnapped, but Verdic had seen such cases many times before.
People like Verdic knew how to thrive on grudges.
People like Verdic always had to pay attention to their security. For the wandering tribes they belonged to, cash and jewelry were the only weapons to protect themselves. They despised the many people who kidnapped family members, friends, used legal pressure, and seized property.
Whoever took Isella would receive a price, along with money.
Verdic swore it.
But there was no contact.
Verdic waited.
There was no way there wouldn’t be any contact. Verdic’s fortune was by no means insignificant. Moreover, Isella was Verdic’s one and only child. Verdic’s fortune would undoubtedly pass on to Isella.
It couldn’t be true. Verdic waited. He trusted and waited. It was a firm belief in human desires. Verdic’s fortune would never, ever be wrong.
His body, which usually looked fit, now seemed rather swollen. And his skin, which had always been smooth and had even color, was now blotchy. Verdic now looked his age, really. He was a middle-aged man.
Water dripped down along his unmanaged beard, making him look quite disheveled. Verdic scolded a bewildered Carynne with a stern expression.
“Heavens, damn it… Why were you drowning in such shallow waters when it’s not even that deep? Are you crazy?”
Verdic angrily removed his soaking wet clothes and wrung them out like a rag. Dirty water splashed from his mouth.
Verdic. Him getting angry at Carynne was something she was used to, but this time it was entirely different.
“Have you gone so crazy that you want to die at such a young age?”
“Miss, at your age, shouldn’t you know how to live modestly? Starve yourself tonight.”
“Why on earth were you in the creek?”
“Did I not tell you to follow Isella’s whims?”
Carynne remembered what Verdic used to say when he got angry with her. It was something he often said. To him, Carynne was Isella’s servant—a thief who stole from him.
“…Can’t you hear me? Why the hell were you here in the first place?”
When Verdic asked again, Carynne finally snapped out of it. It was then that she realized how she had just stood there dumbly without responding.
“The creek isn’t even that deep.”
Verdic seemed to think that Carynne was scared and intimidated by him, and so he softened his tone. His changing attitude was a strange sight. Perhaps when a person lives for a hundred years, they naturally encounter things.
However, even during that 117th year when he killed people, he hadn’t changed. That he had changed so much now was truly astonishing.
“Thank you… sir.”
But what needed to be done now wasn’t reminiscing about the past. Carynne imitated a cowering posture and replied softly, as if she was in shock.
She considered whether she should acknowledge that she could recognize Verdic, but for now, she chose to act as if she didn’t know him—to delay any interactions as much as possible. She needed to avoid getting entangled with him.
“My hat flew away… I was just trying to get it, but I slipped… and fell into the water.”
She truly looked like she was cowering because he had been shouting at her. Carynne felt her body trembling weakly, perhaps because she had come out of the cold water. Even in the summer, the water was cold.
“My skirt got tangled, so I couldn’t get out properly. Thank you, sir, for your kindness.”
Why was Verdic here? Of course, Carynne had a guess at the answer. This was the first time he was like this, but it wasn’t hard to deduce why he was here.
Why was he here? Why was he in such a miserable state?
Carynne had gone to find Verdic only a few months ago.
The time for Verdic and Isella to appear had passed, but they hadn’t arrived. And he had given up his business at a loss. It wasn’t just that Raymond had refused to marry Isella.
He still hadn’t found Isella Evans.
So, he came here.
* * *
Isella.
At first, Verdic Evans thought it might be his daughter. When he saw the hem of a dress fluttering in the water, he thought it might be her. Perhaps it’s Isella. Perhaps it was his own daughter in the water. His legs were practically immobile, but he jumped into the water immediately.
However, it wasn’t her.
As he ran towards the water and lifted the woman up, Verdic’s tension soared when he realized it wasn’t Isella. The girl was the same age as his daughter, but her hair was vivid red, unlike Isella’s golden blonde locks.
It wasn’t his daughter.
Seeing the young woman coughing and vomiting water, Verdic was furious. The first emotion that surged through him after seeing the girl’s hair was anger. Since she had already entered the water, the force that brought her out was purely inertia, but Verdic couldn’t find any joy in watching the girl breathe and cough up water.
Why are you here like this when you’re not my daughter.
Verdic felt like tears were about to come. However, he couldn’t distinguish whether the liquid running from his eyes was just the stream’s water or his own tears. It had been so long since he had cried that he couldn’t sensitively recognize the muscle movements of shedding tears.
But this was not the time to shed tears.
Verdic Evans’s one and only daughter, Isella Evans, disappeared, and time passed.
Before he knew it, the seasons had already changed.
One day, on a cold spring day when flowers hadn’t even bloom yet, his daughter disappeared out of the blue.
Isella left no words or traces behind and vanished from the world. Isella had never done something like that before. So, it was as if Isella had never existed in the world from the beginning.
But Verdic had no idea why Isella had disappeared.
Why did Isella vanish?
It was just like any other day. The piano teacher had arrived for Isella’s regular lesson, and in the afternoon, as usual, she begged him to go downtown, and she then went with her maid.
It was a typical, ordinary day.
Verdic was preoccupied with the possibility of receiving the money he had lent to Crown Prince Gueuze on that day. He hadn’t even eaten dinner and was holed up in his room, pondering over documents, bills, and consulting with lawyers.
“Is Isella still asleep?”
“M-Master… Milady is still…”
“She hasn’t woken up yet? She’s excessively lazy. Hurry up and wake her and bring her here.”
“However…”
The maid confessed to Verdic, trembling.
“Milady hasn’t returned home yet.”
“…Where did she go without saying anything?”
Verdic scowled at the thought that his daughter was causing a ruckus now. She went out without asking permission from him?
Especially with the recent mess in his business, his head was already aching. She must learn some discipline once she’d return.
“But why didn’t you go with her? Who did she go with?”
“Master, Miss Isella, she… She left on her own.”
Verdic felt his head turn white for the first time.
Why didn’t she say anything? Why didn’t she speak in time? Why were these stupid things in his house?
And Isella, right now…
“What on earth is going on here?!”
When Verdic snapped out of his thoughts at his wife’s cold voice, Isella’s maid was clutching her stomach and kneeling. Foam was forming around her mouth. Verdic raised his boot and kicked her again.
“Aaargh!”
“Evans!”
Rage could take its time. Verdic took a slow, deep breath.
On the first day, both worry and anger arose simultaneously.
On the second day, he couldn’t do anything all day.
From the third day onwards, Verdic began to negotiate with people. He could trust no one.
Where could Isella have gone?
Verdic negotiated with people, and at the same time, he waited. Isella was Verdic Evans’s daughter. Many people held grudges against Verdic. But at the same time, Verdic also owned many things. Verdic expected that whoever had taken Isella away would contact him in some way.
Ransom or revenge?
Verdic prepared a significant amount of cash first. This was the first time Verdic’s daughter, Isella, had been kidnapped, but Verdic had seen such cases many times before.
People like Verdic knew how to thrive on grudges.
People like Verdic always had to pay attention to their security. For the wandering tribes they belonged to, cash and jewelry were the only weapons to protect themselves. They despised the many people who kidnapped family members, friends, used legal pressure, and seized property.
Whoever took Isella would receive a price, along with money.
Verdic swore it.
But there was no contact.
Verdic waited.
There was no way there wouldn’t be any contact. Verdic’s fortune was by no means insignificant. Moreover, Isella was Verdic’s one and only child. Verdic’s fortune would undoubtedly pass on to Isella.
It couldn’t be true. Verdic waited. He trusted and waited. It was a firm belief in human desires. Verdic’s fortune would never, ever be wrong.
