Regis’ (Gabrielle’s father) Point of View
A month has passed since my beloved daughter Elle disappeared.
We still have no news about her.
I was told a week ago that Her Highness Cyril, Elle’s fiancé, had run away from the castle to look for her.
It seems that he soon returned, but he didn’t get any information.
I don’t know what happened, but I heard that when he came back, he declared that he would definitely bring Elle back.
However, there was no new information.
“So it was no good, after all…”
I muttered to myself in my office.
In the first place, is Elle still alive?
It is my desire for her to be alive.
I have been looking for her for a month now, and I couldn’t find her using the power of the Duke or the power of the royal family. I can’t get any information.
No one knows if she is actually alive or not.
“Elle, where did you go…”
I remembered the picture I kept on my desk.
It was a picture of my family in happier times.
However, I threw it away because I found it unpleasant while I was under the charm spell, and it is no longer with me.
Yes, nothing of Elle’s remains in this house.
After she left the country, I made the servants get rid of all of her things as if she had never been here in the first place.
That’s what I ordered them to do.
“What would Elle say if she saw me crying over someone I abandoned?”
She is a kind-hearted woman.
Would she embrace me and tell me, “You did nothing wrong, Father” with a smile and tears in her eyes?
Or would she coldly push me away saying, “It’s too late now”? No, that child wouldn’t do this. I want to believe she wouldn’t do it.
“Sir, I have a report for you.”
The person who entered after knocking was one of the people that took part in searching for Elle.
“What is it?”
“I got information that someone who resembled Young lady Gabrielle was seen in Arburn.”
“What?”
Arburn is the official capital city of the Principality of Agreable.
Is that where Elle is?
She must have been on foot. How did she get to such a faraway place?
“Is that the truth?”
“I cannot make the conclusion. There were, however, several people who saw someone that resembled Young lady Gabrielle over there.”
It was the first eyewitness account since Elle had left, and I felt relieved that she might still be alive.
My whole body relaxed as I leaned back in my chair.
“Sir?”
“… I will go.”
“Pardon?”
I know that I would be setting a bad example to Andre, whom I have told not to go himself several times before.
Even so, I cannot stand still after having first witness account of Elle’s sighting.
I felt the urge to run out of the mansion right away.
“I will leave for Arburn immediately. Try to appease Andre with some good words.”
“Un, understood…!”
It would take about a week to get to Arburn if I rode my horse without resting.
I immediately began the preparations.
At that time, Elle had stopped remembering her family and was sipping on a glass of wine.