The door swung open abruptly. Cain, who was discussing new technology with Royd, frowned.

“Nathan, you forgot to knock.”

Despite Cain’s remark, Nathan seemed not to hear as he barged into the office.

Cain then carefully observed Nathan’s state. He was chewing his lower lip nervously and repeatedly tapping his thigh with his hand. And he kept glancing at Royd.

“Your Excellency.”

At Haste Corporation, Nathan called Cain “boss.” It was to distinguish between official and personal matters.

Although he appeared clumsy, Nathan was actually very meticulous and thorough, never making mistakes with titles.

This meant that he now had something to report regarding Cain’s personal life.

“Royd, I apologize. Would you mind giving us some privacy? I’ll seriously consider your proposal about replacing the railway tracks.”

“Understood. Seems like there’s an issue.”

Royd stood up, slapping his knee.

“I was starting to get bored anyway. Please talk comfortably.”

Royd stretched and gathered his reports as he left.

“Your Excellency, we have a problem.”

“Skip the obvious parts I can tell from your face. What is it?”

Cain asked for a cigar. He intended to calm his nerves in advance.

However, Nathan didn’t wait for the cigar smoke to rise.

“Well… The Duchess has been kidnapped.”

A moment of silence fell. Cain’s lips parted, and the cigar dropped to the floor. Nathan lowered his gaze to the fallen cigar.

“What should we do, Your Excellency? Should we request assistance from the constabulary?”

“Wait.”

Cain staggered and leaned on the desk.

It took Cain a while to process Nathan’s words.

“What did Sor do?”

When Jane recently mentioned Joseph’s kidnapping issue, Cain had asked Sor to escort Jane again.

This time, it was literally an escort. He swore there was no intention of monitoring her.

That’s why he said there was no need to report unless something dangerous happened, even if she went somewhere unexpected.

Remembering this, Cain waved his hand.

Right now, the process of Jane’s kidnapping wasn’t important; finding her was the urgent matter.

No, assessing the situation came first.

Cain fumbled on the desk with slightly trembling hands.

“Pen, paper… Nathan!”

Cain couldn’t see the pen and paper plainly in front of him.

Nathan rushed over and placed a pen in his hand.

“Your Excellency… Let’s think calmly.”

Yes, calmly.

Cain repeated Nathan’s words internally as he found a chair to sit on. He rotated his wrist to steady his trembling hand.

As Cain exhaled deeply, Nathan abruptly offered him a cigar.

“Calm down, sir.”

Cain glared at Nathan before snatching the cigar and putting it in his mouth. Nathan quickly lit it.

The fig scent mixed with the heavy cigar smoke calmed Cain’s mind and body.

He inhaled deeply a couple of times, then exhaled before moving the pen.

After hastily scribbling a message to send out the Black Hawks, he handed it to Nathan and opened his desk drawer.

Cain packed a revolver and magazine, then put on his outer coat.

“Are you going to move personally?”

Nathan asked urgently as he followed.

Cain ignored the question he deemed unworthy of an answer and asked instead.

“Is Sor on the move?”

“Yes. Sor is leaving traces.”

“We’ll catch up within an hour.”

Cain looked at his watch. He turned the timer to set the time.

“Should we request assistance from the constabulary?”

Cain gritted his teeth. The constabulary was noisy. They had a talent for blowing things out of proportion. There was also a high possibility they would report directly to the Queen. It was obvious things would become complicated in many ways.

After pondering for a moment, he shook his head.

“Send out all the Black Hawks.”

Ten Black Hawks were better than a hundred constables. If they all moved, it was only a matter of time before Jane was found.

“Move.”

Cain commanded.

“I’ll stop by the Gentlemen’s Club and join you right after.”

Nathan informed Cain of the location of the printing district where Sor had left markings.

Then the two men rushed out simultaneously.

As the corridor quieted down, the door of the room across from the office, which was thought to be empty, slowly opened.

The person who emerged was Royd. His steps were unsteady as he turned towards the laboratory.

‘The Duchess… was kidnapped?’

He staggered and leaned against the wall.

* * *

The carriage carrying Jane sped well along the narrow and rough road. Although it was a death ride for the passengers due to being a converted cargo carriage, there was no worry about it breaking down even on treacherous paths.

Of course, the people inside could get hurt.

Thud.

As the carriage hit a rock and bounced greatly, Jane’s body slammed against the wall. Jexie fell hard on her bottom. To top it off, her crown hit the carriage ceiling.

Jexie kicked the carriage wall that was surely touching Augustus’s back.

“Drive properly!”

Augustus didn’t respond. Instead, the driving became even rougher.

“Ow!”

Finally, Jexie gritted her teeth and clung to the carriage wall. She ignored Jane’s body rolling around.

Her tailbone was sore and her crown was throbbing, making her dizzy.

While Jexie was absorbed in her own pain, Jane regained consciousness.

The first thing she felt was pain. And her vision, barely open, changed rapidly regardless of her will.

One moment she saw the fluttering carriage ceiling, then suddenly pain rushed in, and the next moment the musty carriage floor was right in front of her nose.

After repeating this situation a few times, Jane finally realized she had been kidnapped and was being transported somewhere while tied up.

“How much longer are we going!”

At the shouted voice, Jane slightly opened her eyes to confirm the face. The person grumbling and clinging to the handle was indeed Jexie.

Oddly enough, Jane felt relieved.

‘So they gave up on Joseph and kidnapped me instead.’

If it had to happen anyway, it was better that she was kidnapped, and she was glad it actually turned out that way.

Jane thought that far and relaxed her body. Now she needed to figure out how to escape from Jexie. So Jane continued to pretend she hadn’t regained consciousness.

Instead, she wedged one leg into a gap in the carriage to stop rolling around.

Jane recalled the guidelines for behavior when kidnapped that she had heard from Count Whitney when she was very young.

‘He said not to be surprised. To do as told. And if possible, to leave traces.’

Her parents said they would surely find her, so if possible, leave traces, even just a strand of hair.

Remembering her parents made her nose tingle. But there was no time to indulge in sentimentality.

Jexie would keep her alive to demand a ransom.

But for how long? Would she keep her alive even after receiving the money?

Jane believed Cain would come to rescue her. If not for her sake, then at least because he would be upset by Jexie’s actions.

So for now, she should leave traces.

Would it be possible to leave traces on the road from a moving carriage? Jane pulled her foot out of the gap and rolled her body when the carriage bumped.

“Oh come on, move over. It’s cramped! This one’s annoying me even while unconscious.”

Jexie pushed Jane’s back with her foot. Although it was unpleasant and angering, Jane endured.

Jexie kicked Jane a couple more times before leaving her alone. Feeling the gaze move away, Jane slightly opened her eyes.

Then she rolled her eyes to carefully check inside the carriage.

‘They converted a cargo carriage.’

Perhaps because of that, there were gaps here and there.

If she could drop something to identify herself through those gaps, if she had such an item…

As Jane was pondering, a ray of light crossed her face.

The necklace! Jane had a pearl necklace!

Jane tried to put the necklace in her mouth, using the carriage’s shaking. She failed a few times but eventually got it in her mouth.

Breaking the string was easier than putting it in her mouth. Then the pearls scattered on the floor.

“What’s this? Why are there pearls? Did she wake up?”

Jexie pushed Jane with her toes. Jane’s body swayed limply.

“Must have caught on something and broken. Oh, what a waste of pearls! Hey! Slow down a bit!”

Jexie shouted at Augustus. Her mind was filled with thoughts of picking up the pearls rolling on the floor.

However, Augustus, unaware of the situation inside the carriage, increased the speed even more, and Jexie, who had momentarily let go of the handle to pick up the pearls, fell backwards.

In the end, Jexie could only helplessly watch the pearls rolling around on the floor.

Augustus drove the carriage excitedly. Whether the women inside got hurt or not, whether the rolling pearls fell to the floor or not.

He knew nothing of it.

* * *

“The clouds look ominous, Your Excellency.”

At Nathan’s words, Cain looked up at the sky. As he said, dark clouds were rapidly covering the mountain with their heavy bodies.

“The sun will set soon. And it will rain too. Entering the mountain now is futile.”

“You stay here.”

Cain gripped the reins even more tightly.

“Your Excellency! It’s dangerous. You know that, don’t you?”

“And Jane isn’t in danger?”

“We’ll get a contact. The culprit is expecting it too, aren’t they? It would be better to move after receiving the contact…”

“Nathan, that’s enough.”

Cain could also judge that it might be better to wait for contact. Perhaps negotiating with money would be the best choice.

But he felt he would go crazy if he didn’t see Jane right now.

Moreover, Jexie wouldn’t treat Jane well, would she?

She would surely mistreat her. That small and delicate woman…

Cain’s Adam’s apple bobbed greatly up and down. At that moment, raindrops began to fall one by one.

Cain’s jaw clenched tightly. When it rains, traces disappear. Cain’s actions quickened.

“Follow me when the rain stops.”

“This rain won’t stop easily. We should wait for contact… Your Excellency!”

Whoosh, the rain poured down heavily. Cain rushed into the rain without hesitation.

The traces would soon be washed away by the thickened rain streams. Just then, a fork in the road appeared, and Cain urgently pulled the reins to stop the horse.

Unable to overcome the speed, the horse pawed the ground several times with its front legs.

Cain stroked its mane to calm it down before dismounting.

He pushed back his wet hair and observed the surroundings.

Even the tiniest trace would be fine, please, please let there be something left.

However, traces were not easily found. Cain’s heart was burning up, and his eyes were consumed by despair.

At that moment, something caught Cain’s eye. It was so small that at first he thought he had seen wrong.

A tiny pearl.

A pearl that had been hiding in the dirt road revealed its fair face.

It was an object that absolutely didn’t belong here, so it must be a signal left by Jane.