“Kent, the store is calming down, isn’t it?”
As closing time approached and the number of customers dwindled, the store began to feel deserted. With a little more free time, Catherine spoke to Kent.
“That’s right. We’ll be closing soon, so can we start preparing to tidy up?”
“Well then, I’ll start tidying up little by little. Al, let’s go.”
“Understood.”
Catherine took Al and began preparing to tidy up.
“Oh, you’ve finally settled down. You must be tired. By the way, what was that about today? … Right. I understand. Be careful on your way home. Tell everyone else the same thing… Yes. See you later.”
As I went towards the workshop, I found Marie talking on the phone.
“Kent. I thought for a moment there we wouldn’t make it, but it seems we managed to keep the store running, which is good. That call was from Rachel. She said the second store has finally settled down too.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief.”
It seemed the person Marie was talking to on the phone was Rachel. The second store had also settled down, and she was just starting to tidy up.
“Burae, Antoni, Till… Hanako… isn’t here. You can all go home now. You worked hard.”
Marie spoke to Patty’s younger siblings who had been working harder than usual. Then, they quickly finished tidying up and went back to their rooms above the workshop.
“Master, Shopkeeper, I don’t know who it is, but it feels like several people are heading towards this store.”
“What do you mean?”
Kent had just finished talking to Marie when Emily burst in looking flustered.
“Excuse me for the intrusion.”
Suddenly, the shop’s entrance opened, and several guards entered the store.
“Excuse me, do you need something from our store?”
Although surprised by the sudden turn of events, Marie, the shopkeeper, stood before the guards and asked their purpose.
“Ah, the shopkeeper Marie. As beautiful as ever… Ahem. I couldn’t help but speak my mind. I apologize for the suddenness, but we have an order to appear at the castle, so we’d like you to accompany us.”
“Me…?”
Marie asked at the guard’s words.
“No, not the shopkeeper… This order states to bring an employee named Catherine.”
“Did my daughter do something?”
“We’ve only been told to bring her, and we don’t know the details. I’m sorry.”
The guards answered Marie’s question impersonally.
“What if we don’t comply?”
“We’d prefer not to resort to force, so please hand her over peacefully. However, if you refuse, you’ll have to be prepared for the consequences.”
“Ugh…”
As Marie hesitated, the guard made a gesture like he was drawing his weapon and spoke.
“I am Catherine. Mother, it’s alright now. I haven’t done anything wrong, so it must be a mistake. Kent, don’t worry. Emily, Al, please look after my mother and the others.”
“Understood.”
“Then please come with us.”
“Yes.”
With that, Catherine was taken away by the guards and put into a carriage waiting outside, disappearing somewhere.
“Ugh, why my daughter…”
“Marie, cheer up. I’m sure everything will be alright.”
Kent spoke to Marie, who was depressed by her daughter’s sudden departure.
“It’s tough that Ernet and the others aren’t here for this kind of situation.”
Kent regretted that Ernet and Josette, who were from the Duke’s family and could speak on equal terms in such situations, were not here. The regular customers who had witnessed the commotion, showing courtesy, had left the store. The store, with only Marie, Kent, Emily, and Al remaining, fell silent.
“I’m back. Wow, I was so surprised by how many customers we had… What’s wrong? It feels like a wake in here?”
Rachel and the others returned after the commotion had subsided and closing time had arrived.
“Welcome back, everyone. You must all be tired. Something troublesome happened…”
Kent explained what had just happened to Rachel and the others.
“Catherine was taken away? Why?”
“She wouldn’t do anything to be taken by guards. Why did this happen?”
Rachel and Patty said, looking surprised. In contrast, Ernet and Caro were calm.
“You didn’t use ropes or anything, did you? Then it seems okay.”
“This time, it seems she was just called, but we don’t know what the purpose is for Catherine.”
Ernet, who didn’t seem too worried, and Caro, who was thinking, spoke.
“Well, it’s natural to worry, but we might get some news tomorrow. If not, we’ll inquire directly from our house. So you should go home and rest today.”
“Yes. I’m sure it will be fine, so please don’t worry.”
With Ernet and Caro’s words, Emily began tallying the sales instead of Marie, who was dejected after closing the store.
“Leave the rest to me, Master and the others should go rest first.”
“I understand. Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Leaving the rest to Emily, Kent and Marie returned home.
“Master, Marie, welcome home. Dinner is ready for you.”
When they returned home, Al, who had returned earlier, had prepared dinner and was waiting. Marie, who was in low spirits, didn’t say a word, and Kent, being considerate, didn’t try to strike up a conversation, so Kent and Marie ate in silence.
“I’ll go get some rest now.”
After finishing dinner and bathing, Marie took a moment to compose herself and then retired to her room, saying so. Kent and Al could only watch.
“Marie is depressed because she’s worried about Catherine. What should we do?”
“I think it’s best to leave her be for tonight, as something might happen tomorrow. If you’re worried, I can quietly check on her tonight.”
Kent consulted Al, and surprisingly, he received a reasonable answer.
“Then, could I ask you to do that?”
“Understood. I’ll report if anything happens. I think you should get some rest too, Master.”
“I will. Well then, Al, good night.”
“Good night, Master.”
After saying good night to Al, Kent entered his room and collapsed onto the bed.
“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I slept alone.”
Recently, Marie had been beside him when he slept, so being alone felt strangely lonely.
“I was waiting because I thought you’d be lonely on your own.”
“Huh?”
The futon of the bed, which I thought was empty, stirred, and someone emerged.
“Fufufu, I’m here!”
“Oh, it’s Hanako. Where have you been all this time?”
“I’ve been waiting here.”
Hanako, whom I hadn’t seen at the store, appeared. Strangely, no one seemed to notice Hanako’s absence, and it didn’t cause a stir.
“Come to think of it, why didn’t anyone, including me, think anything of it when a young child went missing?”
“My presence is faint.”
“Patty is worried about you. Shouldn’t you go back to your room?”
“It’s fine. You don’t need to worry. I’ll sleep with you tonight. Good night.”
“Wait.”
With that, Hanako lay down and began to snore.
“I can’t help it… I should at least contact Patty.”
Saying that, he took out his terminal and called Patty.
“Yes. What is it so late at night?”
“Patty, I’m sorry for calling so late. Actually, Hanako is here with us…”
“Who was Hanako again?”
“Huh?”
“…Ah, my apologies. You mean my sister, right? Come to think of it, she’s not in her room.”
He spoke with Patty, who answered the phone. There was a slight oddity in their conversation, but Patty returned to her usual self as if she had realized something.
“She’s already asleep, so she’ll be staying the night with us.”
“Understood. I apologize for all the trouble. Please take good care of Hanako.”
“Roger that. Well, that’s that, so I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.”
“Yes, good night.”
Having contacted Patty, Kent felt relieved and decided to rest.
“Good night, Hanako.”
He spoke to Hanako, who was already asleep, turned off the lights, and went to sleep himself.
