A Fake Marriage? Sure! …Wait, Is It Actually Fake? Something’s Not Right Here! - Chapter 28

Alex Reading was a man strict about appointed times.

While he could tolerate other things to some extent, he absolutely could not forgive those who were late for appointments.

This had been the case since his childhood, and even as an adult, he disliked people who were careless about time.

“It’s just a little late, isn’t it?”

He had been placated with such words many times, but it still made him angry, so there was no helping it.

He was the one who had gone out of his way to set aside time and prepare.

It felt like his efforts were being disregarded.

Therefore, Alex kept his distance from people who easily broke promises or were late, and those around him knew that Alex was strict about punctuality.

That’s why.

He felt uneasy that Lidoria, who had left a message with the royal guards saying, “I have something to ask of my husband, so I’d like to drop by for a moment,” still hadn’t shown up after all this time.

Rather than “Why hasn’t she come yet?”, the thought “Did something happen?” came to him first.

Although they hadn’t known each other long, Alex didn’t feel any discomfort when he was with Lidoria. That meant their sensibilities were similar.

He couldn’t imagine Lidoria, who operated with a similar thought process to his own, going against the content of her message.

If she were going to change it, she should have sent another communication.

“Eh… Why hasn’t she come? We still haven’t found Sir Evan either,” a junior knight who had met with Lidoria said, flustered.

Alex left the guard post, where an uneasy atmosphere was beginning to spread, and headed toward the Crown Princess’s office.

“Lidoria should have gone to the Crown Prince’s office.”

“I thought she was taking a long time to return, but Sir Alex is there. I thought they might be having an engaging conversation.”

Crown Princess Sophia and Sheila exchanged glances.

“But it certainly is strange. We can’t imagine that diligent Lidoria neglecting her duties,” Sophia said, furrowing her willow-leaf eyebrows.

“So, she really hasn’t arrived at the Crown Prince’s office?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Alex replied, then let out a faint sigh.

“And Sir Evan is missing.”

“Evan? Who is that?” Sophia asked.

Sheila responded, “He’s the fiancé of Lady Sena Marverick and a member of the Winged Lion Knights.”

“Sena… that would be…” Sophia’s brow furrowed even more.

“Wasn’t she Princess Melissa’s maid?”

“Yes, that’s right. And Princess Melissa held a grudge against Lidoria, who married Sir Alex.”

Sheila nodded deeply, then leaned closer to Sophia.

“Lady Sena and Sir Evan’s engagement is currently in a very precarious state. Because of that, Lady Sena also holds a grudge against Lidoria.”

“Sheila, I’m glad you’re so well-informed,” Sophia said, exhaling a heavy breath before slowly rising from her chair and turning her gaze to Alex.

“I’m sorry to trouble you, but please seal off the royal castle’s entrances and exits in my name. I will now go explain the situation to Their Majesties and the Crown Prince. Sir Alex.”

“Yes.”

“My apologies, but could you please search for Lidoria along with my royal guards? I believe she’s still within the castle grounds.”

“Understood.”

And so, the Lidoria search party was formed.