In A World Full of Silence, My Heart Will Find Its Way To You - Chapter 94

The evening grew dim. The sky, perhaps due to the cloudy weather, was unusually dark, and heavy clouds surrounded Bailey and me.

A large and magnificent carriage arrived in front of the main building.

Edward, returning from the workshop, threw his brown frock coat off angrily as soon as he entered his bedroom. His green eyes clearly showed his anger.

“How dare they! They don’t even acknowledge me, their master, when I come in?!”

Edward’s face turned red as he carelessly brushed his hair back and muttered to himself.

“How can they just listen to that vulgar fool? The master of the Bailey family is me, after all! How dare they act so disrespectfully!”

Edward bit his lip tightly. The looks directed at him were filled with contempt and anger.

It had all started after he heard the rumor that the family head was handing over all business authority to Duke Charles.

“One day, I’ll make them bow down before me.”

As the room remained filled with cold air, the maids quietly entered, carefully watching him. They busily moved around, preparing tea and clothes for their master.

While the maids were changing his clothes, Edward’s indifferent gaze remained fixed on the window, unmoving.

He shot a disapproving glance at the dark annex, which was now empty without its master.

“I’ll see if that arrogant fool can maintain his high status before the Emperor.”

The close bond between the royal family and Eric wasn’t exactly beneficial to me, but it was clear that the angry Emperor Carlos was now questioning Eric’s qualities, which he had once held in high regard.

If Eric didn’t make peace with the Emperor soon, he would be kicked out of the palace in an instant.

‘Will you choose power, or the worthless love that won’t help you at all?’

A nasty smirk spread across Edward’s face.

“I was proposed to by Sir Eric. It will be a modest ceremony, but we’ll have the wedding soon. So, I can’t stay by the Count’s side anymore.”

He remembered the words that Aria had spoken to him, and a sly smile appeared on his face.

She, too, had eventually been abandoned by that foolish love.

Edward’s face was filled with cold derision and a winner’s smile as he recalled Aria hurriedly wiping her eyes with her sleeve, trying not to show the tears left around her eyes.

The woman who had betrayed him, yet somehow had come back to him.

Rather than obsessing over the past, he decided he would embrace her with an open heart.

“Count, it is already.”

At the maid’s words, Edward absentmindedly turned his gaze to the mirror. He checked his face and clothes in the reflection.

In a simple shirt, his golden hair swept back gently, he looked no different from the time he had enjoyed with Aria.

Though his expression was colder than before, he was confident it would still please her.

Satisfied, Edward subtly relaxed his face, nodding slightly. The maid, having finished adjusting his attire, quickly left the room.

In the quiet room, Edward’s thoughts were filled with Aria. He took out a ring box from his pocket.

It was something he had bought on his way to the workshop, in a busy street market.

He intended to replace the bothersome ring on Aria’s finger with his own, filling that empty space with his.

“Finally, you and I will become one today. The moment I’ve longed for has come…”

Just then, there was a knock at the door. It was the butler. Edward, still focused on the ring box, spoke without looking up.

“Come in.”

The butler quickly entered, but he was alone, without Aria.

Edward, glancing at him sharply, immediately asked, “Where is Aria?”

“Sir, it’s… well…”

“Is she refusing? If she resists, bring her before me, even by force.”

“That’s not it…”

“Then what is it?”

The butler hesitated, and Edward raised an eyebrow in suspicion. The butler, carefully watching his master’s expression, spoke cautiously.

“Aria is nowhere to be found. It seems she must have run away last night.”

“What? Run away? Are you telling me Aria has fled?!”

Edward’s brow furrowed in disbelief as he stared at the butler.

“They’re searching the area with the guards, but she’s not in the nearby market either.”

“Is that what you’re telling me? While the maid ran away, what were you doing?!”

Unable to contain his anger, Edward slammed his hand down on the table. A sharp, loud crack echoed through the room.

The butler quickly lowered his head.

“I didn’t expect Aria to run away again…”

“I told you to keep her under close watch!”

“Please forgive me! It’s all my fault!”

Edward, swallowing his frustration, carelessly ran his hand through his hair. His face red, he glared at the butler.

“If she’s not in the market, then she didn’t leave today. How could a weak woman have passed through such a busy place so quickly?”

“Well, I don’t know either…”

“A maid who disappeared since yesterday, and you didn’t know? After all these years as a butler, you still have these gaps?”

Edward’s narrowed eyes drilled into the butler. His chilling glare made the butler tense up.

The butler bowed deeply but could not escape the intense gaze.

As Edward’s anger turned toward him, the butler silently swallowed, his nerves frayed.

“Find her. If not, you’ll be held responsible for this.”

“Yes, yes, of course!”

“Now go.”

The butler, sweating, hurriedly left, his lips dry as he fled.

Standing in the hallway, he let out a breath he had been holding in.

Edward’s eyes were filled with suspicion toward him. While he might buy some time now, it wouldn’t last long.

The butler’s gaze darkened as he turned his attention to the faraway sky.

Looking toward the annex, only complex and bitter feelings filled his eyes.

“Master, please be safe. If you make it, I’d give my life without hesitation.”

The butler murmured softly, his eyes closing slowly, revealing the years of hardship reflected in them.

Even as time passed, Aria had not returned. It was clear she had run away, especially during the time Edward was absent.

“We searched the market and the castle walls, but there was no sign of her.”

At the guard’s report, Edward’s expression hardened.

He had tried to give her a chance, whether as his mistress or as the Countess.

But Aria had rejected everything he offered and disappeared.

Edward instinctively suspected Eric. If they were together…

Just imagining Aria and Eric together filled Edward with boiling rage. He quickly shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought.

Eric had already left for the palace. There would be no time to come back here, not with the Emperor’s anger still needing to be dealt with.

Edward exhaled sharply to calm the rising anxiety in his gut, though an unsettling feeling continued to gnaw at him.

He dismissed all but one of the guards. In the quiet room, Edward spoke in a cold voice.

“Have we received any messages from the knights chasing Eric?”

The guard looked around nervously before leaning closer to answer quietly.

“Not yet, my lord. But once we get a message, the knights will be able to distract Eric and get ahead of him.”

“By now, they should be near the halfway point.”

“Yes, the guards should be waiting at the designated point. As soon as they get a message, they’ll hurry back.”

“Check if Aria is with them.”

“Understood.”

The guard quickly bowed and left. After he had gone, Edward turned once more toward the window, his bloodshot eyes narrowing as he gazed at the annex, suppressing his anger.

Edward had long ago placed someone within Eric’s group who was secretly working with him. A sly grin spread across his face.

“If Aria is there… I won’t let you live.”

As Edward gritted his teeth, the butler hurriedly knocked and entered.

“What’s going on?” Edward asked sharply.

“My lord, the lady has returned.”

“My mother?”

“Yes.”

Edward turned to look outside. As expected, a carriage had already arrived in front of the main building. It was his mother’s carriage.

Before he had time to be surprised, his mother quickly made her way to his study. As she entered, Edward hurriedly stood up.

“Mother, why didn’t you let me know you were coming? I would have sent the knights to escort you safely.”

“That’s not the problem right now. Why is it so chaotic with the guards today?”

“That’s…”

“I don’t want to hear that this is about Aria!”

His mother’s sharp gaze pierced through him.

“Tell me it’s not true that you intend to make Aria your Countess?”

“I do.”

“What? That’s absurd…”

Edward raised an eyebrow and looked at his mother with a defiant stare. Then, as if to confirm that he was serious, he nodded slightly.

His mother stared at him for a long time, her vacant eyes fixed on him.

Cold, icy expression. It wasn’t the usual obedient son she knew.

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