Find the One Who Abandoned Me - Chapter 74

She kicked the horse hard in the side, urging it into a gallop as she sped past the gates of the Duke’s estate.

“Huh?”

“M-My Lady! Where are you going?!”

Susan and Jack, who had been waiting near the entrance, looked on in confusion. But Calliope didn’t stop. She charged straight toward the forest.

“My Lady, you’re in a dress! What are you thinking?!”

Susan’s panicked shout couldn’t reach Calliope, who had already disappeared into the distance. Jack quickly untied the reins from the carriage and jumped onto a horse.

“Well then, I’ll be off.”

“And where do you think you’re going?!”

“Where else? Wherever the Lady goes, that’s where I go.”

Jack rode off in pursuit, his voice fading with the wind. Susan was left standing alone. Frustrated, she stomped the ground and shouted at no one in particular.

“Seriously—where is everyone going?!”

Calliope’s horse ran faster than any she’d ever ridden. They had called it the finest horse, and now she understood why—it was blindingly fast. Even with her skilled riding, it was just barely manageable.

“Whoa!”

“Sorry!”

She narrowly avoided people as she raced through the streets and reached the forest. Despite riding as fast as she could, over thirty minutes had already passed.

‘I think I saw a search party on my way here.’

But since they had to move as a group, they were slower than she was alone. Her horse was clearly superior, too. Hopefully, this wasn’t the Duke’s prized stallion.

Calliope didn’t hesitate as she galloped into the forest. The deeper she went, the softer and wetter the ground became—evidence that a carriage had passed through. But halfway in, the soil dried up and the tracks vanished.

She began scanning her surroundings, searching frantically for a white tree branch.

‘White branch, white branch…’

By now, the Duke’s search team had probably entered the forest. Sure, Otis could be found without her, but Calliope wasn’t about to leave it to chance. She needed to remove any variables—and make sure the Glayderth family owed her. Driven by urgency, she pressed on. Then, in the distance, she saw something pale glowing in the dark woods.

“There it is…”

Among all the blackened trees stood one dull white branch that seemed to glow faintly. She rushed over and began searching the area more closely. If they had taken two people, there had to be somewhere to hide them. But there was no cave nearby, and though the grass was tall, it wasn’t enough to hide a person.

After nearly twenty minutes of circling the area, she finally spotted something.

“A cabin?”

It looked like it might collapse any moment. Scattered nearby were an old axe and piles of firewood—likely used during winter. Calliope dismounted and tied her horse at the front, then stepped up to the door.

Clunk.

The door didn’t budge. It was locked. She tried rattling it a few times, then stepped back and kicked hard near the handle.

Bam!

The old door shook. Bam! Bam! After the third kick, the rusty lock gave way, and the door creaked open.

“Thanks, Master Bellona…”

Bellona had been a mercenary, full of useful knowledge—this was one of those handy tricks she’d passed down.

Inside, she saw Otis and Dolly tied up, hands and feet bound. She rushed to Otis first and shook him hard.

“Lord Glayderth!”

No response. Had they used a strong sedative?

“Otis Glayderth, wake up!”

She raised her hand and slapped him sharply.

Smack!

“Wake up! We don’t have time!”

Smack! Smack! Smack! She slapped him four times in quick succession. His cheeks turned red. Finally, he let out a groan. She couldn’t tell whether it was from the drug wearing off or the sting of her hand.

“Huh… Lady Anastas?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Now, any guesses where we are?”

Otis looked around, and his eyes went wide with shock.

“W-Where are we?”

“Where do you think? This is where the person who kidnapped you locked you up.”

“What?!”

“Now that you understand, get up. We have to get out before the real culprit shows up.”

She lifted her skirt up to her thigh. Otis flinched, flustered—but from inside she pulled out a simple dagger. Without caring about his embarrassment, she used it to cut through the ropes around his wrists and ankles.

“Hurry, wake your maid. We’re running out of time.”

“D-Dolly was taken too?”

“She was with you, wasn’t she? Of course she was. And if I hadn’t come, she probably would’ve been blamed and killed.”

“What are you talking about?!”

“There’s no time. Just wake her up.”

While Otis tried to rouse Dolly, Calliope moved to cut the ropes around the maid’s wrists. But just then—a voice rang out behind her.

“…Am I too late?”

Calliope and Otis both whipped around at the same time, startled—leaving behind Dolly, who still hadn’t shaken off the effects of the drug. Calliope immediately raised her dagger and stepped in front to shield them.

Standing there was Otis’s newly appointed deputy officer.

“Where the hell did this guy come from…?”

“I’m the daughter of a Marquis. You’re not. So maybe try speaking with a little respect?”

“Respect? What kind of lunatic worries about manners at a time like this?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. A lunatic being told she’s rude? You’re really something.”

The tip of Calliope’s dagger trembled slightly. She had trained in swordsmanship for a long time now, but this was her first real fight. There were three of them, technically—but Otis didn’t have a weapon, and Dolly wasn’t even conscious.

“Thanks to you suddenly popping up, my whole plan’s going to hell.”

“Plan? What plan? The one where you set Otis up, frame Dolly, and walk away clean?”

“…You figured that out too?”

His expression darkened, but Calliope didn’t flinch. She kept her blade pointed steadily as she spoke.

“With a dumbass like you, the plan was easy to guess. And let me take a wild guess at what you’re planning now. Since I’ve gotten involved, you’re thinking you’ll pin the whole kidnapping on me—say I manipulated Dolly, kidnapped Otis, and then, when things got out of hand, killed them both and took my own life to cover it all up. That sound about, right? You’re not just a coward, you’re unoriginal.”

“You—!”

“But think for a second.”

Calliope gave a cold, mocking smile.

“You didn’t actually plan to kill Otis, did you?”

His shoulders twitched.

“You just wanted to mess with him. Sure, you went a little overboard, but hey, you’re an idiot—so I’ll let that slide. You never had the guts to actually hurt a noble. All you wanted was to mess with his trauma a bit, get him rattled, and get rid of that maid who kept outperforming you and following him around, right?”

“…”

He didn’t respond. And Calliope wasn’t interested in waiting for one.

“And now you’re going to kill me? The daughter of a Marquis? Do yourself a favor and get on your knees. Maybe Lord Glayderth will be merciful.”

Behind her, Otis mumbled quietly.

“Not likely.”

“Shut it. Not helping.”

The deputy gave a humorless laugh.

“Yeah… that’s about right.”

But then, his eyes turned wild as he reached for the old axe lying near the entrance.

“But that was when I didn’t have anything to lose. Now that you’ve interfered and put me at risk, I have to kill you all. Like you said—I can pin it all on you. I’ll lie low for a bit and say I was off searching when it all went down.”

His voice turned theatrical, almost like he was performing on stage.

“Oh no! What a tragedy! My lord, are you alright?”

“You really want to play the victim? You miserable coward.”

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have to kill three people!”

“So, killing one was fine?! You absolute scumbag!”

And then he charged.

Calliope raised her dagger. His stance was a mess—clearly, he’d never had formal training—but behind her were two people she had to protect.

Clang! The dagger and axe collided with a harsh ring. Calliope let out a pained grunt as she staggered back a few steps. Normally, a dagger would break against an axe, but this one was old, rusted, and dull. Somehow, it held. It was an expensive dagger, after all—worth every coin.

He didn’t stop. He raised the axe again and swung. Bang!

Calliope barely held him off, her arms shaking violently. For all his madness and ragged appearance, he was still physically stronger—and it was starting to show.

“Take Dolly and get out, now!” she shouted.

“I’m not leaving you behind!” Otis yelled back.

“Who said anything about leaving me?! Just get outside, grab a stick, an axe, something, and come help me!”

“O-Okay!”

Otis struggled to lift Dolly onto his back and slowly made his way through the cramped cabin.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

But the deputy wasn’t about to let him. He was desperate now. The search team had made it into the forest faster than he’d expected, and they could arrive any moment. He had to clean up and disappear—fast.

He swung the axe toward Otis.

Calliope reacted instantly, slamming her foot hard into his leg to block him. Clang! The weapons clashed again, and a jolt of pain shot through her hand.

“I said GO!” she screamed.

“I’m trying!”

“You little—!”

As he tried to turn toward Otis again, Calliope landed a sharp kick to his unguarded side. He tumbled backward—and, unfortunately, landed right near the entrance, blocking the exit.

Calliope wanted to smack herself. Why didn’t I just go for his shin and break it?!

The deputy staggered to his feet, clutching his stomach with one hand and gripping the axe with the other.

“I’ll kill you. All of you…”

“Go ahead and try.”

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