Culprit

THE NEXT DAY Freya couldn't stop from walking back and forth in the same pace in her chamber while Tia just stood there waiting for her lady to speak.

What could've happened?

Where is Scarlet? Scarlet isn't cheap, so I think Lucas has a point.

"Tia you said yesterday that Scarlet was already in place, but she disappeared as soon as you looked back, right?" Freya asked.

Tia nodded. "It also bothered me milady, she was just there then the second I looked back. . . She was gone."

Freya bits her bottom lip as she sat on her chair, still baffled by the idea of Scarlet  suddenly all gone missing.

What is happening. .

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In a decent house in town, Aurelia knits a childs hat as she sits by a huge window. It turns out Felix had given her a place to stay for her to take her worries away for the meantime as she waits for her child to be born.

Although Felix insisted she keeps the house, Aurelia still stuck up on her words.

She finds Felix, misunderstood. After hearing all the rumors about how cold and merciless he is, she found his good side.

Lord Felix is such a good person, the lady who he would marry soon will be lucky. So so Lucky.

After a while she hears knock on the door, she stood up and went to see who was it. It was none other than the Emperor.

Her eyes widened, seeing the Emperor infront of her, wearing a black robe.

"Aurelia, are you seriously running away from me?" The emperor stated as he enters Aurelia's Place and looked around. "I guess, Felix took care of you . . . Just like how I told him to."

She blinks for a second, trying to process what she just heard. . . 'Just like how I told him to.'

Aurelia's heart sank. I thought Lord Felix was being. . . Genuine.

"What's wrong dear?" The Emperor asks her as he holds her arm. Aurelia couldn't upset the Emperor, if she upsets the emperor what'll happen to her? To her child. . .

Aurelia is the Emperor's Mistress in secret. The Empress is a very cruel woman that'll do anything to her power to destroy someone that'll upset her in any way.

That is why she couldn't be held as an official concubine out of the Emperor's fear, especially now that the it's the Emperor's child she's carrying.

"N-no I'm fine." She said and went to get some water.

The emperor followed her. "Are you sure? I don't want anything to happen to my child." He said worried.

"Then make me an official concubine." She blurted out of nowhere.

It had too the Emperor by surprise and sighed. "Haven't we talked about this befo–."

"Well I'm done. I'm so fed up already of surviving on my own." She said cutting the Emperor off. "I can't take care of our child while having to deal with whether tomorrow I'll still wake up."

The Emperor could only took a deep breath before caressing Aurelia's cheek before kissing her. "You know I can't Aurelia, with Ellaina's eyes on me I won't be able to do anything. I promise to take care of you always, I can't risk the life of our child and yours on the line."

She does understand the situation. But, Aurelia couldn't stand being in such situation anymore. She feels lonely and pretty much neglected, she just wants her place.

"When is this coming to an end?" She asked looking down.

"I don't know, no one knows dear. Please, bare this with me." He said as he hugs her from behind.

"Okay." Aurelia finally managed to utter then the two share a kiss before his majesty left.

—————

"It's Contessa." Freya said to Lucas.

Vik isn't around because of some important matters so he sent Lucas to meet with the two.

"Lady Contessa?!" Lucas gasped in shock with his eyes wide open.

Freya nodded. "Tia got around the guests in banquet and some did saw Contessa with a lady in red which of course is Scarlet. So we thought that it might be Contessa." She explained.

Lucas grinned. "If it's Lady Contessa then. . . I might just know possible places where she could hide Scarlet."

"Sir Lucas, you worked in the Fontaine Household before, right?" Tia asked which the man nodded.

"I was a scholar of the Count Fontaine before I was taken in the Grand Duke's henchman." He said then.

"We should create a plan." Freya suggested.

Then the two agreed by nodding. And after some time of planning and considering the events that might and could happen they finally created their plan.

Lucas and Tia will be the only ones to go, since it might be too dangerous for the lady to come along with them. Along with the Grand Dukes private Knights to protect them at any cause.

Freya didn't like the idea of being left. She wanted to go with them, but since the two kept on pushing her to not come because of the circumstances she couldn't do anything.

———————

"Tell me you mere commoner, is Freya your boss?" Contessa asks interrogating the woman tied in a wooden chain in an old cabin in the middle of the woods that is Scarlet.

"Like I will allow her to boss me around." Scarlet spat out.

Contessa signals one of her men to slap Scarlet. She was in a terrible state, with a bruised eye and a bleeding lower lip. She dare not spill any information about what she was doing there.

Contessa sighed. "Aren't you tired of getting beaten up by my men? TELL ME INFORMATION!" she yelled, frustrated by Scarlet not giving her anything useful.

"Beat her up till she says anything about Freya. I'll be leaving." She tells to his men before going out of the old cabin.

As she hops onto the carriage she saw knights from the distance, she began to panic and told the coachman to whip the horses more for them to be on a much faster pace.

She looks out of the carriage window seeing her men being held on the ground. She trembles in fear and anxiety of what might happen to her.

How'd they know? This is Freya's doing once again is it? She bits her nails with her hand trembling.

They won't point it out on me, won't they? She thought pertaining to her men.

She took deep breaths. "Calm down Contessa, everything's gonna be alright." She muttered to calm herself down.