Free Web Novel"Wait."
Pavela said.
"Victoria is missing?"
Her voice was more urgent than she had expected.
"Since when?"
"How did she go missing?"
"Why haven't I received any news at all?"
The Marquise turned around.
She looked at her.
There was no ripple of emotion in those ice-blue eyes.
"Sit down first."
She said.
"I will tell you everything in due time."
Pavela realized she had already half-risen from her seat.
She took a deep breath.
She sat back down in the chair.
But her fingers gripped the armrests tightly.
"The time of Victoria's disappearance."
The Marquise walked back behind the desk and sat down.
"It was the twenty-sixth of the last month."
"That is, the day before the great fire in Eisenburg's Old City."
Pavela's mind raced.
The twenty-sixth of the last month.
What was she doing that day?
She was preparing for the White Dove's first operation.
She was confirming the location of the Children of Dawn's warehouse with Katya.
She was discussing infiltration routes with Reinhardt.
And Victoria—
Had already gone missing.
"The last time she was seen was in the dormitory of St. Sophia Academy."
The Marquise said.
"She attended classes normally that afternoon."
"She ate dinner at the cafeteria."
"Her roommate said everything was normal after she returned to the dorm; she was even writing letters."
She paused.
"The next morning, she was gone."
"The bed was made neatly."
"Clothing, jewelry, books—everything was there."
"Only the person had vanished."
Pavela fell silent.
The bed was neat.
Everything was still there.
This meant Victoria hadn't left of her own accord.
Or—
She had been taken away for some reason she couldn't refuse.
She left in a great hurry.
So hurried that she didn't have time to take anything.
"Why wasn't I told?"
Pavela asked.
Her voice was kept very low.
"Why did no one tell me about this when I was in Eisenburg?"
The Marquise looked at her.
"Because Marquis Hohenheim did not want to make it public."
She said.
Pavela frowned.
"Immediately after Victoria went missing, Marquis Hohenheim received a letter."
The Marquise said.
"An anonymous one."
"The letter stated that Victoria was safe, but if he wanted his daughter to return unharmed, he was not to call the police, not to make it public, and not to let the Military Police intervene."
"The letter also said they would continue to contact Marquis Hohenheim later to present their conditions."
"Once the conditions were met, Victoria would be released."
Pavela raised an eyebrow.
"A kidnapping?"
She said.
"Yes."
The Marquise nodded.
"And a premeditated one."
"The other party knows Marquis Hohenheim's weakness very well."
"They also know exactly how to exploit that weakness."
Pavela leaned back against the chair.
She stared at the ceiling.
The gears in her head were turning frantically.
"So Marquis Hohenheim chose to cooperate."
She said.
"He claimed to the outside world that Victoria was unwell and resting at home."
"St. Sophia Academy also cooperated in suppressing the news."
"He is waiting for the other party to set their conditions."
"Hoping to bring his daughter back safely through {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} negotiation."
"Exactly."
The Marquise said.
"If he had let the Military Police conduct a massive search, Marquis Hohenheim feared it would provoke the kidnappers."
"In case they were driven to desperation—"
She didn't continue.
But the meaning was clear.
Pavela closed her eyes.
She could understand Marquis Hohenheim's choice.
As a father.
His daughter's safety would always come first.
But—
"Did the other party set their conditions?"
She asked.
The Marquise was silent for a moment.
"No."
She said. free𝑤ebnovel.com
"The day after Victoria disappeared, Dr. Lovelace took the initiative to act."
"She strongly suspected the Pro-war faction was involved in Victoria's disappearance."
"So she contacted the leader of the Pro-war faction, Duchess Erwina, and went straight there to demand an explanation."
"And then—"
"And then she died?"
Pavela said.
"And then the annex exploded."
The Marquise corrected her.
"Being dead and the annex exploding are not necessarily the same thing."
Pavela looked up.
She looked at the Marquise.
The Marquise's expression did not change.
But Pavela understood the hidden meaning in those words.
It was just as she had told Eleanor on the train.
Dr. Lovelace was not someone so easily killed.
"After that, there was no more news from the kidnappers."
"No more conditions set."
"No more demands for ransom."
"Not even proof that Victoria is still alive."
"As if she had vanished from the face of the earth."
...
"So, the current situation is—"
Pavela organized her thoughts.
"Victoria is missing."
"Dr. Lovelace went to see Duchess Erwina to find her daughter."
"Then the annex exploded, and everyone died."
"A so-called ghost of caldberg appeared at the scene with the Soul-Eater Sword."
"The Pro-war faction used this to turn the tables."
She paused.
"But Victoria's whereabouts are still unknown."
"Yes."
The Marquise said.
"So, this is your mission."
"Find Victoria."
Pavela truly couldn't find a reason to refuse this mission.
Victoria, the girl as enthusiastic as a large golden Cat, had also been swept into this storm along with her family.
"I accept."
She said.
The Marquise nodded.
"Very well."
She took an envelope out of the drawer.
She pushed it toward Pavela.
"Inside is all the information provided by Marquis Hohenheim."
She said.
"Victoria's movements before she disappeared, people she had contact with recently, and some potentially useful leads."
Pavela picked up the envelope.
She didn't open it immediately.
"Do you need any other support?"
The Marquise asked.
"Manpower, funding, intelligence networks."
"The Schwartz Family can provide—"
She didn't finish her sentence.
Because a bird flew in through the window.
It was white.
Its feathers were clean and neat.
Its wings carved a sharp arc through the air.
It passed through the half-open French window like a precision-guided bullet, flying straight toward Pavela.
Then it landed steadily on her left shoulder.
A White Dove.
The Marquise's eyebrows twitched slightly.
This was the first time Pavela had seen an expression of surprise on this woman's face.
The White Dove tilted its head, looking at the Marquise with its round eyes.
Then it gently pecked Pavela's ear with its beak.
It was very affectionate.
As if saying, I've arrived.
Pavela reached out her hand.
The White Dove obediently raised its right foot.
A small copper tube was tied to its ankle.
Pavela unscrewed the cap of the copper tube and pulled out the paper note rolled into a thin cylinder inside.
She unfurled it.
She took a glance.
The Marquise watched all of this.
She didn't speak, but her gaze became even sharper.
Pavela folded the note.
She tucked it into the pocket on her chest.
Then she looked up at the Marquise.
"Thank you, Mother."
She said.
"However, I don't think that will be necessary."
The Marquise looked at her.
Then she looked at the White Dove on her shoulder.
"You certainly came prepared."
She said.
Pavela didn't explain.
She simply stood up.
She put away the envelope. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
The White Dove hopped from her shoulder to the back of her hand, then back to her shoulder, and finally simply squatted on top of her head, as if it had found a satisfactory spot.
Pavela didn't bother with it.
"Mother."
She said.
"I will bring Victoria back."
The Marquise looked at her.
In those ice-blue eyes, the sharpness of scrutiny faded slightly.
In its place was something more complex.
"Go then."
She said.
"Be careful with everything."
