Verdic broke through the door with dozens of stalwart men.
What is the meaning of this?
Carynnes voice, sharp and accusatory, challenged Verdic.
Indifferent to whatever Carynne might say, however, Verdic made his way in.
Dont we have much to discuss?
At this hour of the night? What audacity! Leave at once!
Of course, Verdic paid no heed to Carynnes words. Pointing at Carynne with his finger, he commanded the men standing behind him.
Carynne or should I say, Carrie. Take that woman away. Bind her so she cannot move.
Yes, sir.
Let me go! How dare you invade a home without its master Youre no better than bandits!
And gag her as well.
Yes.
The men approached the struggling Carynne. Rough hands bound her, and soon, her mouth was also gagged with cloth. Carynne was forcibly seated on the sofa in the parlor, and Verdic pointed at his men.
The first five of you, start from the ground floor, and Mister Sailun, begin from the upper floor. Search every corner.
Should we start with places like the attic and boiler room?
Why was that man here? Carynnes eyes widened in recognition. She had seen his face before.
He was a subordinate of Crown Prince Gueuze. Were Verdic and Crown Prince Gueuze more deeply connected than she thought? Was Raymond aware of all this?
That man instructed Verdics goons.
No, first perform a general sweep of the regular rooms, then move to the special chambers.
Do we have blueprints?
No.
Then well have to search manually.
The men dispersed. Verdic moved with them. Verdic Evans literally ransacked the house. Numerous men scoured every nook and cranny. Looking for any trace of Isella.
* * *
Its been a while Well, only two days, but still.
Mmph.
You must be missing him terribly during this time.
Verdic gazed down at Carynne. It was hard to think of her as any other woman. And the reason a young woman would defend a young man alone was obvious.
His own daughter had lost her senses over Raymonds face. Young girls often fell for whatever shone brightest, regardless of what lay within. He didnt know how far this woman had fallen.
Even if you dont speak, theres much that can be done. Stay quiet.
Verdic looked down at Carynne, then ascended the stairs himself to join the search. The library was his first stop. The men who entered before him were rummaging inside. They were sent by Crown Prince Gueuze. One of them noticed Verdic and raised one hand to halt his approach.
Mister Verdic Evans, you should not move any further.
Whats the issue?
Theres a trap set up.
What?
Verdic halted and peered down. The darkness of the night obscured his vision. However, as he squinted, he slowly discerned something twinkling.
What is this?
Its a wire saw. Well, its not like itll immediately slice off a leg, but its perfect for tripping someone.
Whats with these childish tricks?
Perhaps its because its dangerous for a woman to be alone? Had we not been here, you might have been injured.
Im thankful, then.
Verdics eyebrows twitched. Raymond was indeed dripping with suspicion, laying traps in his own estate, almost as if he had anticipated their intrusion.
Can we not move a bit faster?
Yes, since weve found a wire saw, we dont know what else might be there. Thats why Im preventing the people working under you from moving too.
Baron Saytes might return at any moment.
Verdic was feeling jittery.
He didnt know when Raymond would return. He wanted to search the house thoroughly before Raymonds return, but these childish pranks by Raymond were delaying them.
It would be more dangerous once Raymond returned. But the crown princes subordinate remained nonchalant, as it wasnt his problem.
Verdic gnawed on his lip.
* * *
Carynne, bound, thought to herself.
There was nothing I could do now.
Raymond had set various traps, but they werent thoroughly prepared.
Hell never find his daughter. Ive already checked everything.
But that was when Carynne was away.
In the past, Carynne had tried to kill Dullan and died early. Raymonds experiments, his revenge, succeeded after that. It succeeded because Carynne wasnt in the house.
Damn it!
From a distance, Carynne heard Verdic, unable to contain his anger, shouting. Had he been caught in one of Raymonds traps?
When entering a room, avoid the study and the kitchen Ill organize them separately, so dont enter those areas.
Whats this?
Just a little prank. I didnt set up anything lethal in case you accidentally get hurt by the traps, but theyre still dangerous.
I see.
However, the traps were really quite simple. In some rooms, needles would spring out, pricking a hand, and in others, a desk might topple over and bruise a foot, but there were no traps where guns would spring out or axes would suddenly drop.
Why did Raymond set up such things?
Verdic was not a man to be taken lightly.
He was persistent and experienced. He would grab any minor evidence and return to seek revenge on Carynne. He would find Raymond through Carynne, and Isella through Raymond.
And then, he would return to exact his revenge on them. Carynne thought about that fingernail. If the owner of the nail was Isella, had Raymond dealt with her sufficiently? Had he ended it perfectly?
Sir Raymond, youre not really good at cleaning, are you?
Carynne sighed.
Raymond spoke with confidence, but sometimes he was careless. Under normal circumstances, over fifty servants should be managing this manor. As Raymond was just one man, he inevitably had to focus on just the more noticeable areas, sweeping and cleaning them.
Like how she discovered the nail, he might have made a slight mistake.
But he should have at least disposed of the body properly.
Carynne worried that Raymond might not have done a thorough job.
And she mulled over whether Isella was the only concern.
But what could she do now?
Carynne felt a bit pathetic, bound and helpless as she was, but she knew there was nothing she could do.
More than twenty strong men had come.
Whatever Raymond had done, subduing all these men was something only Raymond could achieve. No matter what she did, some things were just not possible.
Her thoughts turned into dissatisfaction with Raymond.
What on earth was he thinking?
Carynne Hare!
Verdic Evanss angry voice calling her from above made her stomach churn. It seemed Raymond had been up to something.
* * *
Verdic glared at Carynne Hare and hurried down the stairs. Carynne stared back at him intently.
What exactly is your relationship with Sir Raymond? What are you doing here?
But Carynne couldnt answerafter all, her mouth was gagged.
Realizing he had asked a foolish question, Verdic roughly tore off the cloth covering her mouth.
Cough, cough
Tell me what you are hiding in this mansion. Now!
Carynne grimaced and coughed. The position was uncomfortable. Her throat hurt.
Suddenly coming to the Tez Manor when the owner is absent What are you doing here, sir?
Dont pretend you dont know me, Carynne Hare.
I am not Carynne Hare.
Carynne recalled the name she had given previously.
My name is Carrie.
Drop that insincere alias, Carynne.
I cant admit to something thats not true. I am Carrie.
She almost tripped over her words. Clearing her throat, she spoke again.
He Lord Raymond saved me. I encountered bandits in the forest, lost my family, and was about to be killed, when he rescued me and allowed me to live in this mansion.
Verdic broke through the door with dozens of stalwart men.
What is the meaning of this?
Carynnes voice, sharp and accusatory, challenged Verdic.
Indifferent to whatever Carynne might say, however, Verdic made his way in.
Dont we have much to discuss?
At this hour of the night? What audacity! Leave at once!
Of course, Verdic paid no heed to Carynnes words. Pointing at Carynne with his finger, he commanded the men standing behind him.
Carynne or should I say, Carrie. Take that woman away. Bind her so she cannot move.
Yes, sir.
Let me go! How dare you invade a home without its master Youre no better than bandits!
And gag her as well.
Yes.
The men approached the struggling Carynne. Rough hands bound her, and soon, her mouth was also gagged with cloth. Carynne was forcibly seated on the sofa in the parlor, and Verdic pointed at his men.
The first five of you, start from the ground floor, and Mister Sailun, begin from the upper floor. Search every corner.
Should we start with places like the attic and boiler room?
Why was that man here? Carynnes eyes widened in recognition. She had seen his face before.
He was a subordinate of Crown Prince Gueuze. Were Verdic and Crown Prince Gueuze more deeply connected than she thought? Was Raymond aware of all this?
That man instructed Verdics goons.
No, first perform a general sweep of the regular rooms, then move to the special chambers.
Do we have blueprints?
No.
Then well have to search manually.
The men dispersed. Verdic moved with them. Verdic Evans literally ransacked the house. Numerous men scoured every nook and cranny. Looking for any trace of Isella.
* * *
Its been a while Well, only two days, but still.
Mmph.
You must be missing him terribly during this time.
Verdic gazed down at Carynne. It was hard to think of her as any other woman. And the reason a young woman would defend a young man alone was obvious.
His own daughter had lost her senses over Raymonds face. Young girls often fell for whatever shone brightest, regardless of what lay within. He didnt know how far this woman had fallen.
Even if you dont speak, theres much that can be done. Stay quiet.
Verdic looked down at Carynne, then ascended the stairs himself to join the search. The library was his first stop. The men who entered before him were rummaging inside. They were sent by Crown Prince Gueuze. One of them noticed Verdic and raised one hand to halt his approach.
Mister Verdic Evans, you should not move any further.
Whats the issue?
Theres a trap set up.
What?
Verdic halted and peered down. The darkness of the night obscured his vision. However, as he squinted, he slowly discerned something twinkling.
What is this?
Its a wire saw. Well, its not like itll immediately slice off a leg, but its perfect for tripping someone.
Whats with these childish tricks?
Perhaps its because its dangerous for a woman to be alone? Had we not been here, you might have been injured.
Im thankful, then.
Verdics eyebrows twitched. Raymond was indeed dripping with suspicion, laying traps in his own estate, almost as if he had anticipated their intrusion.
Can we not move a bit faster?
Yes, since weve found a wire saw, we dont know what else might be there. Thats why Im preventing the people working under you from moving too.
Baron Saytes might return at any moment.
Verdic was feeling jittery.
He didnt know when Raymond would return. He wanted to search the house thoroughly before Raymonds return, but these childish pranks by Raymond were delaying them.
It would be more dangerous once Raymond returned. But the crown princes subordinate remained nonchalant, as it wasnt his problem.
Verdic gnawed on his lip.
* * *
Carynne, bound, thought to herself.
There was nothing I could do now.
Raymond had set various traps, but they werent thoroughly prepared.
Hell never find his daughter. Ive already checked everything.
But that was when Carynne was away.
In the past, Carynne had tried to kill Dullan and died early. Raymonds experiments, his revenge, succeeded after that. It succeeded because Carynne wasnt in the house.
Damn it!
From a distance, Carynne heard Verdic, unable to contain his anger, shouting. Had he been caught in one of Raymonds traps?
When entering a room, avoid the study and the kitchen Ill organize them separately, so dont enter those areas.
Whats this?
Just a little prank. I didnt set up anything lethal in case you accidentally get hurt by the traps, but theyre still dangerous.
I see.
However, the traps were really quite simple. In some rooms, needles would spring out, pricking a hand, and in others, a desk might topple over and bruise a foot, but there were no traps where guns would spring out or axes would suddenly drop.
Why did Raymond set up such things?
Verdic was not a man to be taken lightly.
He was persistent and experienced. He would grab any minor evidence and return to seek revenge on Carynne. He would find Raymond through Carynne, and Isella through Raymond.
And then, he would return to exact his revenge on them. Carynne thought about that fingernail. If the owner of the nail was Isella, had Raymond dealt with her sufficiently? Had he ended it perfectly?
Sir Raymond, youre not really good at cleaning, are you?
Carynne sighed.
Raymond spoke with confidence, but sometimes he was careless. Under normal circumstances, over fifty servants should be managing this manor. As Raymond was just one man, he inevitably had to focus on just the more noticeable areas, sweeping and cleaning them.
Like how she discovered the nail, he might have made a slight mistake.
But he should have at least disposed of the body properly.
Carynne worried that Raymond might not have done a thorough job.
And she mulled over whether Isella was the only concern.
But what could she do now?
Carynne felt a bit pathetic, bound and helpless as she was, but she knew there was nothing she could do.
More than twenty strong men had come.
Whatever Raymond had done, subduing all these men was something only Raymond could achieve. No matter what she did, some things were just not possible.
Her thoughts turned into dissatisfaction with Raymond.
What on earth was he thinking?
Carynne Hare!
Verdic Evanss angry voice calling her from above made her stomach churn. It seemed Raymond had been up to something.
* * *
Verdic glared at Carynne Hare and hurried down the stairs. Carynne stared back at him intently.
What exactly is your relationship with Sir Raymond? What are you doing here?
But Carynne couldnt answerafter all, her mouth was gagged.
Realizing he had asked a foolish question, Verdic roughly tore off the cloth covering her mouth.
Cough, cough
Tell me what you are hiding in this mansion. Now!
Carynne grimaced and coughed. The position was uncomfortable. Her throat hurt.
Suddenly coming to the Tez Manor when the owner is absent What are you doing here, sir?
Dont pretend you dont know me, Carynne Hare.
I am not Carynne Hare.
Carynne recalled the name she had given previously.
My name is Carrie.
Drop that insincere alias, Carynne.
I cant admit to something thats not true. I am Carrie.
She almost tripped over her words. Clearing her throat, she spoke again.
He Lord Raymond saved me. I encountered bandits in the forest, lost my family, and was about to be killed, when he rescued me and allowed me to live in this mansion.
