# Chapter 58
“What did you just say?”
At Shaki’s expression turning grim, the servant held his breath and just bowed his head. Unfortunately, this servant happened to encounter Shaki, who had come out to eat, and was in the situation of having to report Asher’s absence.
“The young master… has disappeared…”
The servant dragged out his words while watching Shaki’s reaction. Shaki Anest. The fact that he cherished Asher was known to all servants in the Anest household. That’s why they had been pushing the responsibility of reporting Asher’s absence onto each other.
“Asher suddenly disappeared? For what reason?”
“I-I don’t really…”
He was about to say he didn’t know, but Shaki tightly grabbed the servant’s shoulder and closed the distance between them. His eyes had clearly changed, bulging in a way that made him look like a madman.
“You’ll be held responsible for those words. If he’s not missing but just went out, you won’t be able to keep your life.”
Shaki, who had applied such strong pressure that it seemed he might crush the servant’s shoulder at any moment, pushed him away and headed to the second floor where Asher had been staying. Each time, the servants who encountered Shaki bowed their heads and flinched with their shoulders. Shaki paid them no mind and walked quickly toward the room.
“Step aside.”
At Shaki’s cold and bleak voice, the servants gathered at the entrance to the room parted into two lines. Then, after exchanging glances with each other, they hurriedly left the place to avoid trouble.
The inside of Asher’s room was pristine, as if he had declared he would leave. Shaki scanned the undisturbed interior of the room with sharp eyes and walked to where the table was.
“Was there no message left or letter behind?”
Shaki asked the female servant, Nui, who was following him. He judged that given Asher’s personality, he wouldn’t just leave without a word, but sadly, Asher had left nothing behind.
“Ha… this is maddening.”
With a rough curse, Shaki ran his hand roughly through his hair and then burst into a hollow laugh.
“He disappeared like dust from the Duke’s residence, where there are eyes and ears for even the slightest movement? You’re telling me to believe that?”
Although Shaki was speaking while suppressing his anger as much as possible, anyone could tell how furious he was. But it seemed his patience had reached its limit, as Shaki struck Asher’s desk forcefully, baring his teeth.
“Find him immediately!”
Despite Shaki’s roar echoing like a fierce beast, the room was filled only with cold air, as if it had been permeated with frost. In the suffocating fear that had descended, Shaki struck the desk forcefully once more.
BANG-!!
He hit it so hard that the desk made a cracking sound and split. This was not an object that would easily break even if struck like this. The servant and knight waiting behind Shaki swallowed their breath and only gulped dry saliva.
“What exactly were you all doing? What were you doing that you didn’t even know the master had disappeared?!”
“We-we’re sorry.”
“Is this something that ends with an apology?!”
In the increasingly heated atmosphere, Shaki forcefully grasped the inkwell on the table. At the same time, the Alpha’s pheromones that filled the room surged as if ready to kill someone, and the inkwell in his palm shattered into pieces and fell to the floor.
Drip, drip-.
Black ink mixed with red blood flowed down Shaki’s palm.
“From now on, those who find Asher will be rewarded. So make sure to find him. Without fail.”
Shaki recited in a low voice, cutting each syllable. As if they had been waiting for this, everyone in the room quickly left, leaving only Arian, Shaki’s guard.
“…Please calm yourself.”
Arian took out a handkerchief from his chest and wrapped it around Shaki’s palm. Shaki stared at Arian with a dry gaze and said in an agitated voice:
“Where is Toms?”
“His Grace the Duke has taken him.”
“Ha…”
Shaki ran his hand through his hair as if he had anticipated this. After all, the person who would react first to Asher’s absence would be his father.
“If I stay like this, Toms’ life won’t be safe. I have to go there right now.”
“But, young master… His Grace doesn’t know that you’re aware of that place. If you go there…”
“There will be consequences. But that doesn’t mean I can just leave it be. He was a guard that Asher cherished, and above all, he would have been one of the first to know about Asher’s absence.”
In this regard, he couldn’t allow his father to locate Asher first. For Asher’s protection, he had to find him before his father and hide him from his father’s eyes. At least until he inherited the Ducal family. Shaki instructed Arian to guide him with determined eyes.
“Young master, you might get hurt.”
“It doesn’t matter. From the beginning, my intention to inherit the title was to protect that child.”
So until Asher returned, he would protect Asher’s people. Shaki patted the shoulder of Arian, who was looking at him with worried eyes, and left the room.
*
A fishy and musty smell filled the basement. Rune, the leader of the knight group hidden by the Duke, had covered Toms’ eyes with cloth so he couldn’t deduce where he was, and bound his hands and feet with magical restraints to prevent him from escaping.
Creeak-. With a sound so eerie it made the hair on one’s skin stand up, the rusty iron door opened, and the Duke entered.
“You’ve arrived.”
At Rune’s words, the Duke raised his hand lightly and descended the stairs. Then he went to a chair that had been prepared in advance, sat down, and ordered Rune to remove the cloth covering Toms’ eyes.
Swish-. As the cloth was removed, Toms blinked rapidly as if trying to deduce where he was and who had brought him here. He looked around, then discovered the Duke in front of him and opened his eyes wide.
“Toms Ryan.”
At the Duke’s calling voice, Toms’ shoulders flinched. He had expected to be interrogated first when Asher disappeared, but this was very different from the interrogation method he had imagined. In a place so gloomy that no one would know if he died, Toms pulled at the chains binding his hands and feet, trying to break them.
“It’s useless. You will never be able to break that with your strength.”
The Duke leaned back in his chair and lightly crossed his legs as if to exude intimidation, and added:
“From now on, you should answer my questions well. Otherwise, you won’t be able to leave this place alive today.”
The Duke smiled sinisterly, holding his staff as if this was the only moment he would show mercy. But Toms sent a gaze indicating he knew nothing and continued to pull at the chains.
“I don’t know anything.”
Perhaps it would have been better if he had left immediately when Asher told him to leave. But Toms didn’t do that. If he left first and couldn’t protect Asher, it would be as painful as the current situation, so Toms chose to stay. Even if it meant becoming disabled because of it, Toms stared at the Duke with a stubborn gaze, as if he wouldn’t bend his will.
“Look at this? If you’re going to be that way, I have no choice.”
The Duke gave a nod to Rune as if to tell him to begin. Rune struck Toms’ cheek hard as if he had been waiting for this, then struck the same area hard again.
“Kuk…!”
Toms let out a painful groan at the strong pain that made his vision turn white. After just two blows, his lip was split, creating red blood.
“Let me ask again. Asher Anest. Where is my son now?”
“I-I don’t know.”
Toms spoke with difficulty, barely parting his lips, looking as if it was hard to talk. But the Duke sent a chilling gaze with snake-like narrow eyes.
“If you, his guard, don’t know, then that would also constitute a serious crime. Your duty is to assist your master well. That’s not something that can happen in my ducal household.”
The Duke stood up, holding his staff.
“From now on, you will not be able to live as a knight. I will make sure of that.”
With a bleak gaze, the Duke approached Toms, who was bound in chains. At the same time, the Alpha’s distinctive pheromones filled the basement, but they had no effect on these Betas.
“This is your last chance. Let me ask once more. Asher Anest. Where is my son now?”
“I really… don’t know!”
Watching Toms speak as if making a last struggle, the Duke struck him with the staff he was holding. He mercilessly struck Toms’ back area along the spine like a madman, and then started laughing, revealing deep madness.
“You don’t know? You said you don’t know?!”
The Duke started striking even more madly, listening to the sound of chains from Toms trying to escape. He hit him again and again so much that Toms’ clothes were completely filled with red blood, and red blood gushed out of Toms’ mouth. But Toms endured even that, not letting out a single groan, thinking of Asher, and enduring.
“Speak now. Otherwise, I will cut off your tongue and throw it in a cage!”
Despite the Duke’s words filled with madness, Toms repeatedly said he didn’t know with an unwavering face. Honestly, he had somewhat guessed that he would leave. He had felt it from the moment Asher told him to go on a journey, but if his buying time like this would allow Asher to travel far away, that was enough.
“Really? If that’s what you wish, I have no choice but to cut off your tongue.”
The Duke revealed the blade hidden in his staff and pointed it at Toms.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
