In A World Full of Silence, My Heart Will Find Its Way To You - Chapter 57

In the early dawn, rain-soaked leaves, heavy with water from the night’s storm, rustled softly. Only after the dim light of dawn passed did the groans of pain from Eric’s bedroom begin to quiet down.

Inside the window soaked with rain, Eric lay on the wide bed, his sweat-drenched body trying to cool off.

His lower body was barely covered, and his exposed back was marked with claw-like wounds left by a beast.

The wounds had faded thanks to Aria’s treatment, but now they were becoming clear again.

The more the curse lingered, the more pain awaited Eric. His lips were torn and bloody from how hard he had clenched them.

As the breeze from the window dried his damp body, his eyes slowly opened beneath his long black hair.

His blue eyes shifted slowly until they landed at the corner of the bed.

There, a woman had dozed off with her head resting on the edge. Her pale face, long lashes, and brown hair spread around her.

A memory so hazy yet unforgettable, impossible to let go. A strange thought that kept filling him and made him thirst.

A memory he wished would vanish, but instead kept dragging him back to her.

Eric’s gaze, still buried in the bed, softened.

“In the end, only you can fill this emptiness in me.”

Muttering to himself, he sat up and quickly drank the glass of water on the table to quench his growing thirst.

As his Adam’s apple moved, his mind flashed back to Jacob’s face from yesterday.

Sweating and stammering, Jacob’s nervous expression clearly showed he was hiding something.

Eric clenched his calloused hands in frustration.

“If you still won’t talk today, I’ll snap your neck without hesitation.”

Grinding his teeth, Eric sighed.

With a twisted expression, he casually threw on the robe from the table.

Soon, he stood up and walked to the wardrobe.

As he took off the robe, sunlight from the window outlined his chiseled muscles and strong thighs beneath his narrow waist.

Just as he began buttoning his shirt with gold buttons over his broad chest, the sound of loud hoofbeats came from outside.

Eric’s gaze moved from the mirror toward the noise.

A white horse, bearing the imperial crest, galloped to a stop in front of the annex. Its rider pulled the reins and dismounted in one swift motion.

The man had messy brown hair from skipping haircuts due to work. His pale skin and small frame made him look unlike a typical knight. He was Henry Somerset, Eric’s direct subordinate.

Henry entered the annex and walked straight to Eric’s bedroom. Before he could knock, Eric called out.

“Come in.”

Startled, Henry stepped in, his curly brown hair a mess from the ride.

Bowing awkwardly, he greeted Eric.

“Captain of the Guard, it’s good to see you. How have you been? I heard unsettling rumors about House Bailey.”

“Just answer one thing.”

“Ah, sorry! I’ve had many questions piled up. Haha.”

As Eric turned his head slightly, Henry scratched the back of his head, his eyes wide with curiosity. Eric narrowed his gaze.

“There’s no way the empire’s top informant wouldn’t know something like that.”

“Th-then is it true the eldest son of House Bailey broke off the engagement with Lady Cecil? But why?!”

“You came all the way here to ask that?”

“N-no, of course not.”

Eric gave him a sideways glance, and Henry flinched without realizing it.

Trying to hold back more questions, Henry quickly changed the subject.

He handed Eric a document from inside his coat.

“I looked into the matter you asked me about a few days ago. I hired the best trackers in the empire to see if anyone from House Reynolds is still alive. But they had completely disappeared without a trace, so it wasn’t easy.”

“Wasn’t easy? Meaning…?”

Eric asked with interest, and Henry smirked proudly.

“Come on, it’s me. I found Count Frederick Reynolds’ mother Charlotte Reynolds.”

“His mother?”

“After the family’s downfall, she’s been living alone in the northern region of Hamilton. It’s a major trade port. She’s been staying at a monastery in a small town called Burgley. I hear she now lives in a cabin provided by the monastery.”

Eric’s expression darkened. If she was the count’s mother, then she was also Aria’s grandmother.

The fact that someone from her family was still alive was a rare glimmer of hope in this bleak situation.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t share that joy with Aria.

“However… she’s bedridden due to worsening illness.”

“Bedridden? So she might die soon?”

“Yes. No one escapes time, after all.”

Eric gave a slight nod. For a woman who had once lived in elegance, surviving in such a poor place must have been difficult.

If Henry was telling the truth, Eric didn’t have much time left to learn about Aria’s past.

He undid one of the buttons he had just fastened, feeling the pressure rise in his chest.

Henry looked around and lowered his voice.

“By the way, where is that maid? The one who served me tea last time. She had brown hair and big eyes…”

“Why do you ask?”

When Eric frowned, Henry stopped himself from saying, ‘Because the way you looked at her was different.’

After a short silence, Eric finally lowered his sharp gaze.

His mind was full of questions, but there wasn’t much he could do at the moment.

Every thought led him back to the one person who could unravel it all. Eric spoke with a meaningful expression.

“If someone is truly loyal, they wouldn’t speak carelessly about their master to anyone.”

“Y-yes? Well, of course, that’s obvious.”

“Then how would someone like that act in front of the master they searched so hard to find?”

“Well, of course they would…”

Henry trailed off, blinking as he glanced at Eric’s face.

Eric’s expression alone was enough to stir curiosity.

“They’ll speak… once they finally see their master.”

At those low, heavy words, Henry’s pupils trembled.

Just as he was about to suggest they have breakfast, Eric grabbed the documents and headed out.

Henry, left staring blankly, narrowed his eyes.

“Right… as if he ever sat down for a proper meal. I was hoping to ask about the rumors surrounding Duke Charles’ daughter too. Ugh, stupid me for expecting anything.”

Shaking his head with a short sigh, Henry was interrupted by a maid announcing a visitor and setting down tea.

He quietly asked her:

“Where’s the maid who was here last time? I haven’t seen her.”

“Ah, that… She suddenly disappeared.”

“Dis-disappeared? Did she run away?! Why?!”

Henry’s face instantly twisted at the unexpected answer.

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