Even though the situation was busy, he should have taken care of her first. Regardless of whether she was an emperor or a lord, it would have been right to bring Ines and keep her by his side. It was a mistake to think that a quiet lady who might turn in any direction would be waiting for him.

Carson picked up the coat he had draped over the chair.

“What are you doing?”

“I’ll go myself.”

But Noah stopped him.

“The situation hasn’t stabilized yet. The empress’s influence has not been completely eliminated. Why are you leaving the palace when you might encounter trouble at a time like this?”

As Noah said, the empress’s influence was not easily removed. Because she had ruled for a long time, her power reached everywhere she held a position. And most of them showed a strong stance against Carson.

“Step aside.”

But Carson was obstinate.

“Seiteville is not far from the palace. Besides, it’s a top-notch hotel. It’ll be safe. So just stay here. I’ll personally go and bring her back.”

“Do you think you’ll be safe?”

“What?”

“You are my right arm. As dangerous as I am, you are equally in danger. If you’re really worried, come with me.”

At the mention of the right arm, Carson, momentarily stunned, easily pushed Noah aside and went outside. Because of the lord who roamed the castle like a lord of a single territory, Noah had to move faster than him.

But when he hurriedly reached the hotel, Ines was not there.

The hotel explained that she had packed her bags and left just yesterday.

The hotel owner brought a maid who knew Ines in front of Carson. But she didn’t know either.

“What did Lady Swenden usually do and enjoy here?”

In response to Noah’s question, the maid answered, trembling.

“She used to go to the dressing room every day. She would either admire the view all day or have conversations with people and come back to the hotel.”

“Which dressing room?”

“She didn’t stick to one place, but she usually stayed in the most famous place in the city.”

Carson immediately confirmed the location of the dressing room and sent people.

“Was there anything else besides that? Did she go to another hotel or perhaps to someone’s house?”

“She didn’t say anything special to me. She just sighed once, saying she felt like someone from her hometown had been sent.”

“When was that?”

“It was more than a week ago.”

With no more clues, Carson immediately returned to the palace. And soon after, he ordered knights throughout the jurisdiction to search for Ines.

It was clear that she had come here to find herself.

Where on earth had she disappeared?
For days, there was no progress in finding Ines.

Carson could only think that the woman he saw at the Jacohena Square that day might not be the real Ines. As time passed, he became more anxious, but he tried to find composure.

Recalling the last conversation they had in Monstera was all he could do.

“I’ll go find her soon, wherever the lord is.”

She promised with a fragile smile, as if she might disappear at any moment. And he didn’t respond.

I’ll wait quietly.

Folding and folding his heart in half, every time the moment came when nothing remained, Carson revisited that day.

Ines entered the royal palace faster than expected.

As planned, Ines, who safely became Kacey’s ignition, stayed at the Crown Prince’s residence.

Naturally, not only other maids but also the palace servants who worked in the Crown Prince’s residence ridiculed the two. The situation in the palace was worse than what he had seen in the dressing room.

Ines became a maid with the secretary maid’s initiation. As it was an empty and abandoned palace, Ines didn’t have much to do.

But both Ines and Kacey were in a hurry. It was an uncertain situation when Kacey would be expelled from the palace. Ines also had to vacate the palace with Kacey if she didn’t become a maid.

The initiation maid who shared the room with Ines was an 18-year-old woman who had just turned 18 this year. She was much taller than average and slightly larger in build. She didn’t talk much, so Ines didn’t feel uncomfortable being with her.

Unlike the close attendants, the secretary maids didn’t need to worry about being expelled from the palace. They worked by traveling around the palaces once or twice a year.

“Heidi, are you going out at this time again today?”

After finishing dinner, the initiation maid went out for the secretary maid’s errands. It was her daily routine for the past week since Ines entered the palace.

“I’ll be back late tonight, so don’t worry and go to sleep.”

The place where the two stayed was a two-story building attached to the Crown Prince’s residence, where maids responsible for bathing and dressing of the aristocracy also stayed. Like Kacey, they were also on the priority list for expulsion. The longer the maids stayed in the same space as the Crown Princess, the easier it was for them to be pushed aside.

“Yeah. Have a safe trip.”