Find the One Who Abandoned Me - Chapter 42

“Find out exactly how the second son of the Esteban family is treated within his household.”

“Understood.”

“And if necessary, figure out how we might offer him some help.”

“Of course.”

This was the greatest consideration the Anastas family could show Calliope after forcing an unwanted engagement onto her.
In truth, calling it “consideration” was generous.
If Calliope hadn’t liked her fiancé, she would have faced each day with a dark, gloomy expression.
Ah—

If she hadn’t liked him, she probably would have found a way to get rid of him somehow.

Circe thought of her strong-willed adoptive daughter and felt grateful that Calliope had taken a liking to her fiancé.
Only after the maid departed to gather detailed information about the second son of the Esteban family could Circe finally focus on her paperwork again.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long to arrange a meeting with Isaac.
At first, he seemed hesitant, trying to push the time back— but when Calliope made a few tearful complaints, his reply came almost immediately.
Men like him were soft-hearted when it came to these things.

Today, Calliope had dressed with more care than ever.
Their meeting was scheduled for two o’clock, but it was barely past one, and she was already fully prepared.

The reason she had gotten ready so early was— “The young master of Glayderth has arrived.”

“I see. Please show him to the drawing room.”

Otis Glayderth had sent a letter requesting to meet.
Though Calliope didn’t know what had suddenly prompted him to want “friendship,” he had written that there was something he wanted to discuss face-to-face.
Since it happened to be on the same day she had made plans with Isaac, she briefly considered postponing it.
But in the end, she thought it would be better to deal with it quickly and put it behind her.

Otis was already seated in the drawing room, sipping the tea that had been brought out for him.
There were two reasons he had sought her out in such a hurry:
One was, as he had written, to firmly make clear that he had no romantic feelings beyond friendship;
The second was to find out how she had learned about the growing number of monsters in the Dorota territory.

Later, he had received an official report from Dorota.
The report said that while the number of monsters had increased slightly, it wasn’t serious enough to threaten the upcoming festival.
Still, even though trusting the lord of Dorota was more rational than believing vague rumors, Otis couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at him.
That’s why he had come personally.

After about five minutes of waiting, a soft knock sounded and the door opened.
Calliope entered.

Her white hair paired with a bright yellow dress was almost dazzling.
But the only thought Otis had upon seeing her was:

“She really went out of her way to dress up.”

Trying to impress me, he thought, though he left the words unsaid.
Calliope knew exactly what he was thinking.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting,” she said politely.

“It’s fine. I was only planning to take care of business and leave immediately anyway.”

Otis answered bluntly, wearing a face that clearly said, of course.
You’re only pretending to be sorry so you can make me stay longer.

But contrary to his expectations, Calliope merely nodded and sat down across from him.

“That’s good. I have another appointment soon myself.”

Watching her calmly take her seat, Otis felt slightly thrown off.
He couldn’t tell whether she was being sincere or not.
Calliope simply smiled lightly and asked the maid to bring her a cup of tea.
When her tea arrived, she sipped it and then spoke in a dry tone.

“I recently got engaged.”

“What? Engaged?” Otis repeated, confused.

Well, she couldn’t blame him.
After what had happened between them, it was only natural he thought she had feelings for him.

“To the Count of Esteban’s second son,” she said.
“It was arranged by our families.”

“Ah…”

Otis nodded as if he understood— though to Calliope, he didn’t seem to understand at all.

Otis, for his part, was secretly relieved.
Now that she was officially engaged, he wouldn’t have to worry about her harboring unrealistic hopes.
An engagement with a Royalist noble so soon after the broken engagement with Glayderth…

“Congratulations,” he said.
“After all, engagements are about alliances between families.
I’m sure you already know that marriages built purely on love are rare.
Take comfort in that.”

“Thank you,” Calliope replied coolly.

Otis felt a strange mix of relief and confusion.
He had expected her to look at him with longing or regret—
but instead, she was so indifferent that it didn’t even feel like she was restraining herself.
It was as if she genuinely didn’t care anymore.

Once the empty pleasantries were out of the way, Calliope smoothly shifted back to business.

“So,” she said, “what was it you wanted to discuss today?”

Now that he no longer needed to firmly reject her, Otis felt awkward.
Still, he cleared his throat and said,

“I wanted to thank you for the advice you added to the documents I left behind.
It was very helpful.
But… I do have a few questions.”

Calliope smiled warmly at his words.

“You must mean the part about monsters increasing in Dorota territory.”

Otis unconsciously nodded at how precisely she had pinpointed what he was curious about.
Calliope quietly set her teacup down, thinking for a moment.
Since she planned to involve him in small tasks later, it would be best to offer him something in advance.

“Are you familiar with the legends passed down by the Empire’s Temple?”

“The Temple of the Empire?”

“Strictly speaking, the legends are spread across the continent through the Temple.”

Otis, who had read almost every book he could get his hands on as a child, quickly recalled what she meant.

“Are you talking about the legend of the Demon King who revives every 500 years?”

“Yes. The Demon King will be resurrected soon.
Well, not immediately—there are still about seven years left.”

Otis forgot to maintain his expression and grimaced heavily.
The story of the Demon King, who supposedly revived every five centuries, was famous enough that even children knew it.
But because five hundred years was such an unfathomable span, no one seriously worried about it.

“As far as I know, most records regarding the Demon King’s revival are either lost or damaged.
No one can predict the exact time,” he said.

“Believe it or not, it’s up to you,” Calliope replied indifferently.
“But Dorota is a territory surrounded by mountains.
It wouldn’t hurt to fortify the defenses now.
Mountainous areas are ideal for hidden monsters to suddenly surge forth.”

Listening to her, Otis could only think one thing:

‘She’s completely insane.’

Maybe agreeing to become friends had been a mistake.
Still, he had to admit that the notes she had added to his documents had been genuinely helpful.
Reluctantly, he decided to uphold at least basic noble courtesy.

“Even so, with seven years remaining, isn’t it too early to start making preparations?”

“I’m not so sure. If you delay much longer, it might be too late.”

From what Calliope remembered, Dorota bordered a mountain range connected to the mountain where the Demon King would revive.
When the monsters exploded forth, it would become total chaos.
Hardly anyone survived that disaster.

She gestured for the maid to clear away the teacups.

“I’m telling you this specially, just for you.”

“I see… how generous,” he said with a faint smirk as he rose from his seat.
Calliope stood as well to escort him out.

“And please,” she added lightly, “don’t mention this conversation to anyone else.
It’s the fastest way to be labeled crazy.”

“…You do realize it yourself,” Otis muttered, unable to stop himself.

Calliope simply smiled again without answering.

Soon, they reached the front gate.

“If the Demon King were really going to revive so soon, the Imperial Temple would have warned us by now,” Otis said.

“They will,” Calliope replied.
“About a year before it happens.
Of course, they’ll pretend they just found out even though they’ve known for a while.”

“You speak as if you already know the future,” he said with a mocking laugh.

Calliope didn’t respond.
Otis thought he had finally offended her, but when he turned to glance at her, he realized her gaze wasn’t on him at all.

Her eyes were fixed on a carriage parked a little distance away.
Watching her face slowly change, Otis felt a sudden flash of realization.

“Don’t tell me…”

“You should get going now,” Calliope said, finally looking back at him.
“My fiancé is here.”

Although she turned her head to speak to him, her gaze never left that shabby carriage.
The radiant smile that bloomed on her face when she saw it was incomparable to the polite one, she had shown Otis earlier.

It was easy to tell a fake smile from a real one once you saw them side-by-side.
Her crimson eyes, almost the color of fresh blood, shone as brightly as the desert sun.
Overflowing with an affection whose source Otis couldn’t even guess.

He stood there, dumbfounded, forgetting to even head toward his own carriage. He simply stared at her.

Then suddenly, he noticed something odd.
Her bright smile twisted slightly. Her eyes narrowed, the corners of her lips lifted faintly, and her eyes opened wide.

That expression stayed frozen until the man in black stepped down from the carriage and approached.

Otis knew who it was.
Isaac Esteban—the second son of the Esteban family, sometimes called the “ghost of the Count’s house.”

“What happened to your face?” Calliope asked, completely forgetting Otis was even there.

Without hesitation, she reached out, took Isaac’s face in her hands, and pulled him closer.
Isaac looked startled and tried to step back, but Calliope only leaned in closer.

Watching this strange scene, Otis couldn’t help but frown.

“What does she mean, ‘what happened’? Isn’t that a bit harsh?” he thought.

Isaac might have pale, ghostly eyes and an outcast reputation, but he certainly wasn’t ugly.
In fact, he was rather handsome— not quite as handsome as Otis himself, of course, but still.

As Otis’s gaze ran over Isaac’s face without thinking, he noticed something.

A wound.
A fresh wound, hidden beneath Isaac’s hair still red and raw, as if it had only just been made.

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