Seeing him so belligerent, Eugene sensed he wouldn’t just let it go. Not wanting to stir up trouble, he pulled out a few gold coins.

“Will this be compensation enough?”

Dion stopped wringing his clothes and froze.

‘What kind of nobleman is he to hand out gold coins so freely?’

The amount was extraordinary. The gold coins jingled and danced before Dion’s eyes.

But he had his pride. He sneered and scoffed.

“Oh, really, oh! What, you think this will make up for it, huh!”

Thunk. The counted gold coins fell into Dion’s palm.

“I’ll accept it gratefully.”

He decided to set his pride aside for the moment. Having lost his own money pouch to a thief, he wasn’t in the mood to starve out of sheer stubbornness.

Dion cleared his throat awkwardly and tucked the coins deep into his pocket. He couldn’t afford to be robbed again like last time.

“Cough, hem. Be thankful I’m someone who’s swayed by money. Otherwise, fists would have flown in this area.”

“Do you know this place well?”

“After rummaging around looking for someone, I’d have to try hard not to know it. Why, are you looking for someone too?”

“…….”

The silence conveyed affirmation. Dion narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

“Well, if you wish, I could be your search companion. It’s quite a large area, being a trading route, so you’ll have a tough time alone.”

It was a seemingly considerate offer, but Eugene was adamant.

“No. I have no hobby of torturing my ears. I decline.”

With that, he turned around without a moment’s hesitation.
Eugene quickly distanced himself from the grumbling Dion behind him. There was no time to waste with a fool who bathes in the sea for a wash when he needed to find Helena.

“If I don’t find her in about a fortnight…”

Organizing a search party wasn’t difficult. A few official documents would mobilize the security forces of the entire Evergale region.

Yet, Eugene hesitated to make such a decision. He couldn’t afford to tarnish Evergale’s reputation with this affair.

The rumors would spread rapidly: not only had his wife notified him of a divorce, but she had also vanished without a trace.

But more than smearing his own name, it was the erasure of Helena’s place that concerned him more.

“What a position I’ve built up over time.”

Even if she returned willingly, things wouldn’t be the same as before.

To regain her position as the Duchess, she might have to start all over again. Eugene had to bring her back himself, however arduous it might be.

He gritted his teeth and sent his knights out again, dividing the area.

“So appear before that, Helena. Before I truly go mad.”

His usually firm golden eyes were uncharacteristically jittery with anxiety.

Uniform steps echoed through the quiet streets.

Helena glanced at the man walking beside her and then focused ahead again. They had arrived in a bustling area with upscale salons, having traveled by carriage.

Unlike the lower town, this path was impeccably clean, just like the clothes she wore.

‘Has he been coming here alone all this time?’

The clothes Ian bought for her were simple in design but of exceptional quality, comparable to the dresses she wore at the Evergale mansion.

The inn where they stayed, though off the central area, was comparable to a small villa. It felt like a vacation rather than an escape from home.

Spending time with Ian, Helena gradually regained her sense of reality and realized how much he had been looking out for her, although his intentions weren’t entirely pure.

“Gold coins have appeared again.”

Helena frowned at the jingling sound from Ian’s pocket.

“You run a small trading firm but have so much money?”

“I was being modest. On second thought, it’s not that small.”

Ian replied as he pulled open the door with a silver handle. Helena didn’t entirely believe his words.

She found it hard to trust that he was entirely benevolent, even though he had not harmed her.

‘Surely the money is not… Oh.’

Just then, as she harbored a sliver of doubt, she was suddenly pushed forward.

Ian, who had been holding the door for her, suddenly hurried her inside. He quickly closed the door behind her and grabbed her wrist, leading her swiftly to the back of the store.

“Why are you rushing?”

“Excuse us for a moment.”

The large glass display window at the front of the store receded into the distance.

Ian continued deeper into the store until the clothes displayed in the front no longer obscured their view and stealthily peeked outside.
A man was checking the faces of every woman in a hat he came across.

He was someone Ian recognized, someone Ian had personally sought out before.

A faint look of disappointment crossed Ian’s face.