Now the ring finger was empty, but she recalled the sensation in her memories and softly murmured the name of her yearning.

“Caeron…”

I miss you so much. You.

All this time, she had suppressed, endured, and held back…

The moment she knew that Joy had safely escaped, her dam of longing for him broke and flooded over her.

Simultaneously, the drowsy effects of the anesthesia completely overcame her. Ultimately, unable to fight off the oncoming sleep, Idel’s eyelids slowly closed. A clear tear slipped out between her closed lids and rolled down her cheek.

Though her face was sorrowful, wet with tears, a faint smile graced Idel’s lips. It held a steadfast belief that the one she was eagerly waiting for would soon arrive.

(This is a time separator.)

Maris’ Chief of Security saluted the Duke with a tense face.

“I greet Your Grace.”

Shortly after, the Chief of Security respectfully presented a small pouch to Caeron. Caeron opened the pouch and took out the item within. A small, shiny object fell into his palm.

It was a green diamond ring with the Duke’s family crest engraved on it.

“Is this indeed Her Grace the Duchess’s ring?”

“……Yes.”

Caeron replied in a subdued tone to the Chief’s question. It was the engagement ring that had been on Idel’s left ring finger. He clenched the ring tightly in his palm.

“Bring the one who brought this ring.”

“That is… the witness has fainted from exhaustion.”

A security officer brought a witness before the Duke. Lying asleep in the officer’s arms was a child, too young to be called a girl.

“This child came to the security force holding the Duchess’s ring.”

The Chief of Security recalled what had happened yesterday.

“She reported that she had been kidnapped along with Her Grace the Duchess. She said the ring was evidence.”

The ring was obviously expensive, bearing the Duke’s family crest. Presenting the ring, the child gave her testimony.

Upon hearing the child’s testimony, the security forces were in shock but immediately contacted the Ducal house. If the ring was verified, then the child’s testimony would also be confirmed.

“This is her testimony.”

The Chief of Security promptly handed over the investigation report based on the testimony to the Duke.

Caeron quickly scanned through the contents of the report. His face twisted as if gripped by a clenched fist.

The content was a plea for rescue sent by Idel. Who the culprit was, the purpose of the kidnapping, the location, and where they would go next… Information she would have struggled to collect was written there.

He could only imagine how hard it had been for Idel to understand her situation… A piercing pain shot through his heart.

‘Douglas Baron… and Duke Shale…’
As unbearable anger surged, thinking of the people who had endangered her, Caeron clenched his teeth tightly. Every muscle and tendon in his body tensed, and his heart pounded fiercely.

“How dare…”

How dare they exploit his woman and covet her…!

“I shouldn’t have left a loophole in the first place…!”

He regretted not properly dealing with them in the past. His body trembled as he was engulfed in an intense urge to tear them to shreds.

With his eyes reddened by rage, Caeron barely suppressed his swirling emotions and asked the Chief of Security.

“……Is the Maris port sealed off?”

“Yes, as Your Highness ordered, it has been sealed off since yesterday.”

“What’s the status of the search?”

“We are searching around the port for any likely hiding places for the culprit. We’re especially checking all the places that look like warehouses.”

“The fact that they haven’t been found until my arrival in Maris suggests they are likely already on a ship.”

Caeron sharply ordered the Chief of Security.

“Go to Maris port right now. Search every anchored ship thoroughly.”

The Duchess was still in Douglas’s grasp. Considering this, Caeron added another command.

“However, proceed under the guise of inspecting ships suspected of smuggling. Do not reveal that we’re looking for the Duchess.”

He was careful, calculating that Douglas might make an extreme decision if cornered, threatening the Duchess’s life.

“The first priority is the Duchess’s safety. Catch Douglas only after her safety is confirmed.”

“What should we do about Duke Shale?”

Gregory, who had reviewed the investigation report, asked in a voice filled with rage.

Both Douglas, who had executed the Duchess’s kidnapping due to his grudge against the Duke, and Duke Shale, who dared to take the Duchess as a slave, were unforgivable.

“I’ll go to the Duke of Shale’s territory myself, taking Douglas with me.”

“Understood.”

Hearing the Duke’s words, Gregory nodded as if immediately convinced. Without needing to hear the details, he understood fully the Duke’s intention to catch the criminal and go to Duke Shale’s territory.

‘His Highness the Duke…’

It was clear he intended to deal with both of them personally.

Gregory looked at the side profile of the Duke, heading to Maris port. Due to the sea breeze, his hair fluttered, revealing his straight forehead and eye shape.

His expression remained as cool as usual, but deep within his dark blue eyes, a fierce light blazed.