In A World Full of Silence, My Heart Will Find Its Way To You - Chapter 51

Eric, who did not even attend the wedding, thoroughly searched the streets leading to another area, scanning the busy parts of town.

However, the bustling streets only smelled of dust.

“Damn, where could she have gone…”

Eric, on his horse, roughly swept his black hair that was blown by the wind. His eyes were completely fixed on the people around him.

Merchants working hard to attract customers, the overflowing energy and noise of the market. Yet, there was no sign of Aria anywhere.

Even if he walked quickly, it would take a fragile woman a while to pass through the vast, busy streets. But Aria was nowhere to be found.

Eric’s gaze fell upon something as he continued to scan the crowd.

It was the line of carriages standing in between the crowds. His gaze darkened as he stared at the carriages.

“If it’s a carriage, things might be different…”

The only way Aria could have passed through here quickly was by riding a carriage.

But to ride in a carriage, one had to pay a hefty price. How could a maid without money get a carriage to run away?

This wasn’t Aria’s independent action. Someone’s strong pressure was surely involved.

The only person who could make Aria disappear in the blink of an eye and throw him into this nightmare-like reality.

His sharp thoughts gradually turned toward the Bailey family.

As Eric gazed at the carriages, a faint image of Aria’s face appeared in his mind.

A smile brighter than the flowers in his arms. Her shy face as she pulled at the hem of his clothes, her cheeks blushing.

He feared that her delicate beauty might be the very thing that would hold her back. Eric’s brows furrowed tightly.

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. The veins in his hand gripping the reins started to stand out.

The desperate gaze searching for Aria slowly turned into something much darker.

He should have been able to forget her by now, but instead, an obsessive madness had completely overtaken him.

Perhaps it was because he knew it was too late to forget her. Every part of her seemed to fill his body, consuming him.

A week had passed since Eric began searching for Aria. Despite his efforts, he could not find her. He had searched nearby areas through his guards, but there were no reports of any new maid being hired.

In the end, Eric had to return to Bailey family empty-handed. Once inside, he immediately headed toward the line of carriages beside the garden.

He scanned the carriages before turning the reins toward the main building, toward anyone who might know where Aria was.

Dismounting swiftly, Eric headed straight for Count Dennis.

The count, who had anticipated his visit, was calmly waiting for him in his study.

When Eric entered, the count was reading some documents on the table. He soon glanced up at Eric with a lazy look in his eyes.

“Your face is filled with resentment toward your father. Well, where have you been all this time?”

“Where did you send Aria?”

“Send her? How can you say that after leaving business unattended for a whole week?”

The count slightly furrowed his brows and set his glasses on the table.

“How would I know where a maid who left on her own went? You know very well why she ran away from here. She probably didn’t want to cause trouble for you.”

“Without a carriage, a woman can’t cross a vast forest alone. And sure enough, one of the stablemen was missing. Should I cut off his neck to get the truth from him?”

Eric’s cold voice echoed in the room. His eyes, now darkened, were filled with an anger that was hard to describe.

The count had suspected that Eric would doubt him. The stableman who had taken Aria had already been quietly dealt with by the butler.

So, as long as the count kept quiet, no one would ever learn where Aria was.

For a while, the count’s gaze lingered on Eric, who seemed to have lost his reason.

To the count, love was merely a fleeting spark. No matter how tightly you grasp it, it slips away like sand through your fingers.

He had simply thought that Eric could be soothed and warned. But now, facing that face, he had a hunch that the situation was more complicated than he imagined.

“If this continues, it seems like you’ll be ready to kill your father. How foolish.”

“If the stableman remains silent, my blade will turn toward the butler’s neck.”

The count sighed deeply after watching Eric, his hand pointing toward the documents on the table as if to show him something.

“Even though this is giving me a headache, must you make me worry too? Do you know what this is? A letter from Count Cecil. It seems he’s trying to intimidate us to stop the expansion of our business.”

“Count Cecil would never try to stop our business.”

“A person who’s been looking for a maid for a week wouldn’t know anything. If you’re going to say nonsense, just leave me alone, I want to be left alone.”

“Father!”

As Eric raised his voice, the count slammed his palm onto the table.

“Even if you kill the stableman, the butler, or even cut my throat with that sharp blade, you’ll never find out. If you want to become the true head of this family by driving out Edward, you must make the right decision now.”

Having no more words to say, the count cleared his throat a couple of times before focusing again on his documents.

Eric’s eyes darkened as he stared at the count. A cold silence hung between them.

Eric knew well that the count would never speak, but he couldn’t give up on Aria. He was determined to do whatever it took to achieve his goal.

But the count’s will seemed stronger than he had expected. It felt as solid as a massive stone wall.

Why would Count Cecil, who was connected by marriage, aim a blade at the Bailey family? For a brief moment, Eric felt a curious pang, but he then turned and walked away.

As he left the study, he saw a familiar figure in profile ahead. It was the countess.

He wasn’t sure how much of their conversation she had overheard, but her face was cold and tense.

Her sharp gaze locked onto Eric.

“Remember this. If you covet a position you can’t have, it will bring you great misfortune.”

With those cold words, she turned and started to climb the stairs. As Eric stepped outside, her footsteps stopped on the stairs.

She bit her lip tightly.

“If Eric really ends up taking over the family… Edward, you fool! What made you do such a thing?”

Her resentment was directed at Edward. Even if she tried to control Eric and push him out, her husband would never allow Edward, who had tarnished the family name, to become the head.

With a deep sigh, she thought about her son, who hadn’t even shown up at the wedding, and muttered to herself.

Eric, having ordered everyone to stay out, sat lazily at the table, skimming through the letter from Henry.

In the past few days, Henry, following Eric’s orders, had hired many guards to search for Aria, but there had been no results.

Each time he heard that they hadn’t found Aria, an increasing impatience filled his chest, urging him on.

“Ugh…”

A groan escaped from his clenched teeth, his face twisted in pain. The sharp agony from the past few days had returned, gnawing at him again.

Blood dripped from his lips as he clenched his mouth tightly. He swallowed the blood, his throat tightening.

Ever since the severe fever had returned, Eric had realized something. The only thing that could cure his fever wasn’t medicine, but Aria.

She had barged into his life, stirred everything up, and then vanished without a trace, as if nothing had ever happened.

Thoughts of Aria tormented him again today.

Eric grabbed the glass of water in front of him and drank it in one go. His thirst was unquenchable. If only he could drink her up and fill the emptiness she left in him.

His eyes, devoid of life, were filled only with obsession and malice.

Then, he heard a commotion from the hallway.

“Get out of the way, now!”

“Young master, I’m sorry, but no one is allowed in. If you keep this up…”

“How dare you block my path!”

It seemed that Edward had come after hearing that Eric had returned. Despite the maids’ attempts to stop him, Edward barged in without hesitation.

“Young master! I’m sorry. I tried to tell them…”

The maid was shaking with fear, worried she would get scolded by Eric. Eric waved his hand toward her, signaling her to leave.

Once the maid hurried out, only Eric and Edward were left in the room. Edward’s eyes were filled with nothing but hatred.

Eric coldly eyed him and turned back to his letter.

“So, you still have time to waste after the wedding. If you’re busy, just get to the point.”

“What…?”

Edward’s face twisted immediately at the dismissive attitude. But then, his expression softened as he raised one side of his mouth.

“It seems you haven’t heard the news yet. But then again, there was no reason for father or the servants to tell you. Unfortunately, we couldn’t have the wedding. I didn’t attend. Now, Count Cecil is scolding me for it.”

“It was supposed to be a wedding blessed by everyone. If only Aria had been there.”

Eric’s eyebrows immediately furrowed upon hearing that Edward had ruined the marriage with Count Cecil for the sake of power. He finally understood the count’s words to him.

“I’ve lost everything because of you. My position, my father’s love, and…”

Edward’s voice trailed off, and his eyes filled with venom. Eric, who did not even attend the wedding, thoroughly searched the streets leading to another area, scanning the busy parts of town.

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