Find the One Who Abandoned Me - Chapter 72

She ended up receiving thirty-two daggers, none of which were of any real use to her.

Her maid grunted and struggled to lift the heavy bag filled with them. Isaac stepped in, easily picking it up with one hand and sliding it into the carriage. Then he said,

“I only have a short leave today, so I need to return now. I hope one of them suits you. Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

And just like that, he shut the door and left.

Nina stared blankly out the window, feeling deflated.

“My lady…”

Her maid looked at her with pity. Nina, overwhelmed by frustration, slammed her fist against the carriage wall. Taking that as the signal, the coachman flicked the reins, and the carriage began moving.

“Seriously… he really just…”

“You didn’t expect him to be that devoted, did you?”

“…”

Nina didn’t answer. She stayed in that same position—head bowed, fist still against the wall. It was a complete loss.

A perfect defeat.

He was the first man who hadn’t reacted at all to her beauty.

But she knew the truth. It wasn’t just his stoic nature that made him immune to her charms—it was because he had already been completely won over by someone else: Calliope.

“That’s enough. I’m just drained. Let’s go back.”

With a sigh of resignation, she ran her hands through her perfectly styled hair and messed it up without a second thought.

She had lost, utterly and completely, to a woman who hadn’t even shown her face today.

While Isaac was out—on what barely counted as a date—with Nina Viroantz, Calliope was lying on her stomach across her bed, a few sheets of paper spread out in front of her.

She seemed to be organizing something, but her handwriting was such a messy scrawl that it was hard to read.

She usually had neat, elegant handwriting. Something was clearly bothering her. Susan, her maid, had a feeling she knew what it was and asked cautiously,

“Are you upset because Sir Esteban went out with another woman?”

Calliope, lost in thought and scribbling something down, looked up a few seconds later with a confused expression.

“What? Of course not. Do you know how carefully I raised Isaac?”

“Well… yes, I suppose you could say you did raise him.”

“I even assigned someone to follow him, just in case. He’ll be back soon—assuming nothing unusual happens.”

“Someone? Who did you send?”

“Who do you think?”

“…Ah.”

Only then did Susan remember the person who’d been suspiciously absent today. She’d just assumed they were off somewhere napping.

“Anyway, while you’re up, could you bring me a few more sheets of paper? I’m running out.”

Susan sighed.

“You always seem like you have everything under control, and then you go and do something like this.”

“You’re getting used to me. You didn’t even blink when I said I sent someone to follow him.”

“Huh. You’re right. I must be growing up.”

Calliope twirled her pen in her fingers and said with a small smirk,

“Maybe. Now go fetch the paper.”

“Yes, yes.”

As Susan left, Calliope continued jotting notes in the corner of the remaining page. Then she tapped her chin, thinking.

“For now, if she’s not the Saint, there’s zero chance Isaac would look at another woman.”

That much was certain. Before the Saint appeared, Isaac had eyes only for her—just as he did now.

But…

“The problem is the Saint herself.”

There were only a few years left before she arrived. The Demon King’s resurrection wasn’t far off either. The Saint would appear in one year. The Demon King, in two.

Calliope scribbled something quickly over her existing notes, then rested her head beside the paper.

Aside from the Hall incident, nothing has changed much from before. I just hope there won’t be any new surprises.

She chewed lightly on her lip as she absentmindedly doodled on the margins.

The only thing I can do now is prepare for the Saint’s arrival. I know the exact date. That won’t change. The Demon King’s resurrection is fixed—it’s not something that shifts.

She finally put down her pen.

The paper was filled with meaningless doodles and fragmented thoughts. She hadn’t been planning anything in particular—she was just trying to clear her head.

“I’ve done well so far.”

She had rescued Isaac from a household where he was mistreated. She had killed Ditron Anastas. She had inherited parts of the family business. She had completed her debutante ball and secured her place in high society.

Given her background, there was no reason she couldn’t establish herself in the social world.

“So why do I still feel this anxious?”

It had to be the variable. The sudden explosion. The strange vision that had flashed before her.

“What is really going on?”

Calliope gently pushed the papers aside with one hand.

I just hope… it’s not something I won’t be able to handle.

She lay back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. With a deep breath, she stretched her arms wide. The glow of the large chandelier above filled her view.

“Isaac, my love… could you please notice how much I’m doing for you?”

The light made her squint, but a small smile formed on her lips.

When she closed her eyes, his face from the past came to her effortlessly—like it was still etched in her memory.

“This time, I’ll make sure you choose me. No matter what.”

Her smiling face darkened as her hand cast a shadow over it, making her look cold and unsettling—almost chilling.

Shortly after, Isaac returned from the early outing he’d taken with Nina Viroantz.

The moment Calliope heard he was back, she jumped to her feet. She listened carefully—not only to Isaac’s brief recount of the day, but also to Jack’s secret report. Jack was the man she had quietly assigned to follow them.

Only then did she allow herself a satisfied smile.

Knew it.

That was the end of it. Nina Viroantz quietly stepped back and never approached again after that day.

To Calliope, Nina had always been just one of many small variables. With her gone, things returned to a peaceful routine—and she found herself enjoying a rare sense of calm.

Susan let out a silent yawn.

Her lady’s mornings always started early.

Calliope wouldn’t like to hear it, but Susan suspected she took after the marquis. She was already working before seven.

Several years ago, she had suddenly decided to invest in a mine. To everyone’s surprise, the mine began producing rare minerals used for swordsmithing. Now, it brought in steady profits.

It was a peaceful time, yes—but monster sightings had been rising lately, likely driving up demand for weapons.

The marchioness had since entrusted Calliope with even more of the family’s business matters. She was legally an adult now, so it wasn’t unusual. Still, it was surprising that she had no tutor.

Yet even without one, she managed everything skillfully, and their income continued to grow little by little.

“Our lady really is talented,” Susan muttered.

“She is,” Jack replied in a lazy voice, yawning again without even pretending to hide it.

Susan nearly stomped on his foot in annoyance, only stopping herself because she remembered—he was technically a noble.

Calliope rarely took breaks once she got to work. She usually kept going until lunchtime without pause. Today was no different—until…

“My lady?”

Calliope, who should’ve been focused on paperwork behind her glasses, was staring into space. Susan followed her gaze, but all she saw was a blank wall.

“My lady?”

She called again, but there was still no response.

A quiet worry crept in. Had she overworked herself? Was she feeling unwell?

But Calliope wasn’t seeing her office at all. She was lost in one of those strange visions again—the ones she had no power to stop.

This time, she saw Otis Glayderth in a carriage, along with his maid. Both of them were slowly drifting into sleep.

The carriage rolled on for some time, eventually coming to a stop deep in the woods. But it was hard to tell exactly where they were. The only distinguishing detail was the pale white branches of the trees outside.

It didn’t seem to be outside the capital—but she couldn’t be sure.

The inside of the carriage was silent. Time passed.

Then—

“Ah.”

She blinked back to the present, her office coming into focus again. Susan had stepped closer and was watching her with concern.

“My lady, are you alright? You look pale.”

“No, I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

Calliope gave her head a small shake, as if to clear it.

Something about this… it felt familiar.

She thought back—and then it hit her.

The Hall incident.

That same disorienting feeling. That moment when it felt like the building itself was shaking. She had dismissed it as stress or imagination, but now she realized: that, too, had been a kind of hallucination. So was the vision of the chandelier falling.

She had nearly forgotten about it—nothing similar had happened since. But now, out of nowhere…

“Now that I think about it…”

Otis Glayderth had an incident when he was nineteen.

His kidnapping.

“I think I need to go.”

“Go? Where?” Susan asked, startled.

“Jack, get ready. We’re going to House Glayderth.”

“Wait—right now?”

“Quickly.”

The kidnapping had involved Dolly, the maid who had cared for Otis since he was a child.

She had abducted him, and when she was eventually found, she took her own life. All she left behind was a note, saying that she loved him too much. A simple, pitiful reason.

“Also—bring me my dagger.”

The incident had only ever been whispered about among the lower circles of society. Almost no one knew any details, aside from the fact that it had happened when Otis was nineteen.

But now…

Could it really be happening again?

Otis Glayderth felt a strange throbbing in his head. A dull, pounding pain that slowly worsened.

His migraines were nothing new—he’d lived with them for years—so he didn’t think much of it. Lack of sleep? That was normal too.

But today, the exhaustion hit him harder than usual.

Across from him sat Dolly. Her eyes looked narrower than usual, but he couldn’t quite place why.

“How much longer until we arrive?” he asked.

“About fifteen minutes, young master.”

“That’s a relief.”

He thought a short nap wouldn’t hurt.

Leaning his head against the carriage wall, he closed his eyes.

He often napped during short rides like this. A month ago, his previous aide had taken leave, and since then, he’d been working with a new one. But the new aide was hopeless—either due to inexperience or lack of skill.

So, he started taking Dolly with him instead.

She’d looked after him since he was a child and knew his schedule better than anyone.

Feeling safe in her presence, he let his body relax.

Right before drifting off, he noticed her body lean slightly in his direction.

Then his eyes closed and sleep took over completely.

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