VIP Chapter 134: Only the Fuse is Missing (2)
“I think there are other possibilities,” Treya said slowly after Liya finished speaking, negating the idea of QUN〰琉ling弍〜貳⑶寺〮覇⑻⑷ Liya had just proposed.
She held her paper cup of milk, which was now empty—she always drank quickly, perhaps because she was the one who consumed the most energy in the group.
“Hmm? What is it? Do you agree with Iaar’s explanation more?” Liya pointed at Iaar.
“Uh… Iaar also feels it’s a bit rash now…” Iaar, being pointed at, had listened carefully to every word Liya had said. She now felt that Liya’s explanation did have some merit.
“No. It’s just that I don’t think Teacher Will is the kind of person you described, Liya.”
“Oh, you? You still call him ‘Teacher’ at this point. As his teacher, shouldn’t you call me ‘Teacher’ too?”
“You don’t teach me swordsmanship or the art of royal infighting.”
“Oh?”
In Will’s absence…
The group of four became three, and the balance became unusually delicate. It was like three wooden sticks where the sum of two sides couldn’t be greater than the third. After probing and overlapping, they couldn’t form a stable triangle.
Seeing their eyes lock, ready for a fight, it was Iaar who stepped in to stop further arguments—
“Alright, alright, Princess Treya… Miss, what are your thoughts?”
“We all know what a cautious person he is. He can handle even the complex human relationships and situations within the royal family very well.” Treya gazed at the empty milk in her cup. In her eyes, Will had always been like this. He could navigate smoothly through all sorts of complex crowds. And he always seemed to be the first to detect the ulterior motives behind different people. Yet, he still willingly trusted and helped her without reservation. It was as if even after understanding all of that, he could maintain his original intention with his cautious and careful attitude. Will, who found a path for her in such a dark royal family… How could he be someone who couldn’t even see through a three-year pen pal arrangement?
“Even if someone set a trap, spending three years on it and even sending a beauty like that. How could he not see through it? You underestimate his abilities too much.” Treya crossed her arms again, giving Will a very high evaluation.
“Therefore, I think he had to leave without saying goodbye because he encountered an urgent matter that he had to handle with that woman. As the young master of the Hysterm Family, it’s quite normal for him to be kidnapped halfway. Surely many people above care about his whereabouts.”
But…
There was a fatal flaw in what Treya said, one she herself was aware of but didn’t voice. If Will had truly encountered an “urgent matter,” especially one related to family politics, the person he should have sought help from should have been… the Ninth Princess of the Entak Royal Family, who was becoming increasingly influential in the royal family and was now his publicly acknowledged fiancée?
Yet, at this moment, he left with a woman whose identity was a complete mystery, whom none of them had ever seen. He didn’t even say a word to her… She saw Will as the color she couldn’t abandon. But what did he consider her?
*Crunch.*
Treya realized the paper cup in her hand had been crumpled into a ball without her even noticing.
Iaar looked at Liya, who believed “Will wouldn’t abandon their newly formed adventuring team, so he must have been abducted.” Then she looked at Treya, who believed “Will wouldn’t be kidnapped; it must be for some unspeakable political urgent matter.” Judging by the evaluations they gave Will, which they usually kept to themselves, but now expressed after his departure…
“I feel you two have some strange confidence in the young master?”
“Mmm, I am indeed quite confident in him,” Treya nodded, arms crossed.
“To put it bluntly… this team was also formed because of him,” Liya twirled her blond hair with her fingers.
“So, Miss Iaar, do you still stand by your opinion?” Treya then threw the question back to Iaar.
Iaar gazed at the surface of the dining table. It was very clean because she had been nervously wiping it with the nearby rag the previous evening. Come to think of it, she had been by Will’s side the longest. In terms of understanding him, she shouldn’t be any less than these two! But why was she the only one who felt it was “Will who ‘voluntarily’ took that woman away”? Perhaps it was because… when she saw the young master playfully acting with “that person,” the smile and expression he showed were genuinely happy, and she could feel that he did it willingly.
Hmm…
But wait, she had seen that look on the young master before! Could it be…
“Iaar has a new idea. Hmm… Could it be that we’ve misunderstood all along, and that unknown woman is actually… the S that the young master has been corresponding with?”
“And, although the young master is a very cautious person, he often acts on impulse and does things he feels happy doing.” Iaar touched the collar around her neck. She suddenly felt that this line of reasoning was becoming clearer and more correct! It was rare for her to use her ‘understanding the young master best’ in her deductions!
“So, maybe he got drunk and went out to play with S? He might come back in a few days, bringing us new material?”
…
After Iaar finished speaking, she looked at the other two. Liya and Treya looked at her with solemn expressions and complex gazes, not speaking. Had Iaar said something wrong?! This deduction didn’t seem particularly far-fetched.
“Absolutely not!”
“Impossible…” But in the next second, the two of them vehemently refuted it with completely different tones. They didn’t exchange glances or speak, but they understood each other perfectly. If Iaar’s guess was correct, that S, who had provided so much help and possessed such great ability, was a woman… Liya understood that in his heart, the person who existed as “Teacher” would no longer be just her. Treya also understood that in his future life, there would be another person who could be his support, far surpassing that of a “fiancée.” Therefore… This must not happen! It was impossible for it to happen!
“Wuwu… Alright. It seems Iaar was too naive.” The three of them fell into silence, facing the table again.
The bread was gone, and the milk was finished. But Will, who would normally appear energetically after they finished eating, to describe the day’s mission and reassure everyone, didn’t come bouncing down from upstairs. The empty spots were the biggest change in the unchanging daily routine of this small cottage.
“So… what should we do in the end?” Iaar didn’t let them continue in silence; instead, she actively guided the direction of the situation.
“Iaar, have you checked where the train goes?” Iaar nodded. She wasn’t completely foolish; after leaving the station, she had immediately rushed to the train schedule and checked the direction that train had departed. She finally discovered…
“That direction leads to two final destinations. One to the south, and the other to the north. They should be Seyurtse Town and Mosi Town.”
“Alright, I’m leaving too. As long as I can catch the train, I’ll catch up with them.” Liya raised her hand, took the rubber band she had used to tie her twin tails from her wrist, and quickly tied her twin tails, tugging them to make sure they were even.
“You’re going to chase after them?” Treya asked, seeing Liya’s enthusiastic demeanor.
“The truth as I see it is that he was abducted. As his teacher, how can I just wait here? I must take the initiative to rescue him. If that’s not possible, at least I’ll get a clear explanation.”
“However, Miss Liya, the next train from Nov leaves in two days.”
“Then I’ll go to their destination to chase them.” Liya twisted her wrist.
“Then I’ll join you.” Treya stood up. “Although I don’t fully agree with Miss Liya’s explanation, according to my hypothesis, he might have encountered… a problem that even I can’t help with, but I want to offer some assistance.”
Only Iaar remained. She didn’t have the firm conclusion the other two did because, as the actual “witness”… she was hesitant. The young master’s expression didn’t look like he was lying. Perhaps, as she had seen, he had really chosen to leave on his own?
“Iaar… you stay here.” Clenching her hands, she still raised one to speak. “Because if the young master is truly alright and returns here, Iaar doesn’t want him to see an empty cottage, and she doesn’t want him to be as lost as we are now. At least… when he returns, there will be someone to brew him a cup of black tea.”
Treya and Liya looked at the maid, whose thoughts were simpler than theirs. As expected of Will’s maid. While her concern was different from the proactive approach of the other two, in some ways, she seemed to think more deeply. She was more like a maid who had always taken care of him.
“Okay. Then I’ll pack. I’ll choose the southern destination – Seyurtse Town,” Liya pointed to the map pasted on the wall of the cottage.
“I’ll go to the north, Mosi Town,” Treya also nodded.
“Alright, Iaar will wait for you here. Come back as soon as you find him.” Iaar nodded, feeling tired, and rubbed her eyes.
On the surface, it seemed like three “good teammates” had discussed and agreed on a plan. But… In Liya’s red eyes, the shining hearts grew larger. A faint black mist, belonging to a demon, swirled around Treya. Cold frost formed on Iaar’s fingertips.
—If that kid dares to look at others…
—If his fiancée finds someone else to rely on…
—If the young master gets hurt this time…
—Then I will definitely take him down!!!
In their hearts, only a fuse was needed to ignite the emotions that had long been buried.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the observation car of a train piled high with goods, moving slowly along the tracks…
“Huff… Huff… Shuna… How is it? Look… I’ve trained really hard…” Will, suffering from a hangover, was sleeping soundly.
