We’re in a Contract Marriage, But I’ve Imprinted - Chapter 145

Afterwards, he went upstairs to change his clothes. Just as he was leaving his room, the nanny came towards him, holding Díers.

“Your Grace.”

“Dadda!”

“Día…”

He carefully contained the sharp energy around him and embraced Díers. The child’s warm, comforting scent and body heat were even more fulfilling than he had imagined.

Every time he looked into the child’s beautiful violet eyes, he thought of Melissa. He had hoped that Díers would not inherit his own eyes. So, he felt relieved when he first checked Díers’s eyes and saw they were different.

He disliked the golden eyes he inherited from his mother but loved Díers’s eyes.

The nanny watched Ian’s tender expression towards Díers, her cheeks flushed as she gazed at him with a sense of awe. Ian, known as the extremely dominant Alpha, shattered her previous belief that he was no different from a Beta.

Her preconceived notions were completely overturned by the elegance and cool demeanor Ian displayed. She found it impossible to look away from his captivating face. On days like this, being among such beautiful Alphas, she felt an elation as if she was the Omega in their midst.

Lost in her thoughts, she was brought back to reality when Ian returned Díers to her.

“Since I might be late today, please take extra care of Día.”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

Ian finished speaking, then went straight to his room to change and prepare his sword. When he descended to the main gate, the knights were already waiting for him.

He was about to set off without hesitation when a sudden thought made him call for Henry.

“Has the coachman who drove the carriage returned?”

“…I looked for him just in case, but he could not be found in the mansion.”

“Ha, I can’t believe the coachman didn’t return and you didn’t know.”

Ian couldn’t suppress his displeasure from earlier and let it show.

“You’re unfit to be the butler of the Duchy. If you find it difficult to do your job, I suggest you hand over your position to someone else.”

“…I’m very sorry, Duke.”

Henry, unsure of what to do, could only apologize. He reproached himself for his negligence, but the damage had already been done.

He hoped Melissa wouldn’t fade away as uselessly as Nicola had. He deeply regretted his past leniency with Nicola. If he had felt compassion for her, he should have either helped her become independent or stayed out of her affairs entirely.

He only realized too late that his half-hearted approach and intervention had led to further complications.

Yet, it was problematic that no measures had been taken in response this time. Henry could only watch anxiously as the Duke and his knights departed, hoping nothing bad happened.

* * *

Ian regretted his actions as he drove his horse roughly.

The fact that the coachman had not returned indicated that something significant had likely occurred along the way. Although the distance was not far, and he had instructed that only main roads be used, his main regret was not assigning escort knights.

He had divided the knights and ordered a thorough search of the route the carriage had taken. Despite investigating all the villages along the way, they had found no information about the luxurious carriage.

It didn’t make sense. The village on the way to the villa was not large, so someone should have remembered a carriage of that quality passing through.

“Duke! You need to come see this!”

“What’s the matter?”

“A young man saw a carriage in the mountains while gathering wood.”

“The mountains?”

“Yes.”

Although puzzled by the unexpected mention of a carriage in the mountains, Ian hurriedly rode towards the area. The young man, fearful of Ian, began to explain what he had seen in detail.

“I went deep into the mountains that day. I was looking for wood, but I also happened to find some mushrooms, so I went further in to see if there were more.”

Ian frowned as the young man’s explanation dragged on with unnecessary details. The young man, more frightened now, continued in a trembling voice.

“I was climbing the mountain for a while when I saw a very expensive-looking carriage going up a very narrow path. I couldn’t see exactly where it was going from a distance, but I know that the path leads to one specific place.”

“Where is that place?”

“There is a deep gorge on the other side of the mountain over there. The water is clear and there are many fish, but it’s so deep that we don’t go there alone. We’ve gathered people a few times to fish there, so I remember it well.”

“A gorge?”

“Yes, yes, there’s a waterway down there.”

“…Why would it go there?”

The more Ian investigated, the greater his doubts became. Deciding to first head to the place where the carriage had been spotted, he pulled a few gold coins from his pocket and handed them to the young man, murmuring:

“This information must not be shared with anyone.”

“Yes, of course.”

“If what you’ve told me turns out to be a lie, be prepared to risk your life.”

“It’s not a lie! I really saw it.”

“I hope what you’re saying is true.”

Having found a lead, it was time to verify it. Ian led the knights up the mountain path, and as described by the village youth, a narrow trail appeared.

It was precarious, but the path was wide enough for a carriage. As they followed it, they saw the gorge and a road stretching along a steep cliff.

“Could it be that the carriage passed through here?”

Ian grew anxious at the thought of Melissa having traveled such a dangerous path. He found it hard to believe that the situation had deviated so drastically from his plan.

Why hadn’t the coachman followed the instructed route?

Anxiety of unknown origin wrapped around him. He hurriedly followed the path and soon discovered a place marked with suspicious traces.

The marks were just the right size for a carriage, leading to a spot where it seemed to have fallen into the gorge. His hands trembled as he tried to convince himself that it couldn’t possibly be what he feared.

Just then, one of the knights dismounted and examined the marks in the ground closely.

The moment Ian slowly raised his gaze and met the knight’s eyes looking up at him, a chill of foreboding seized the knight’s entire body.