I’m in the Arms of the Cursed Grand Duke - Chapter 22

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 22

At the same time, in Sidhet Village in the Northern Region.

The place was in complete chaos right now.

“The children are missing!”

It had already been 2 hours since Ruby’s shrill voice echoed through the village.

Lora and Lu were nowhere to be found in the village.

Ruby turned pale and collapsed to the ground.

A rare day off. Rare heavy snowfall.

She had wanted to play with the children, building snowmen and having snowball fights.

While preparing breakfast, the twins had disappeared.

“H-Honey! Ruby!”

Ruby’s husband came running belatedly. Ruby bit her lip, holding back tears before finally striking her husband’s back.

“I told you!”

“Ack!”

“Until I finished preparing breakfast!”

“W-Wait, honey!”

“I told you to watch the kids properly, didn’t I!”

Knowing his guilt, Ameti screamed but obediently took the beating, then helped Ruby up from the cold ground.

“I’m sorry. I was wrong. But we need to find the kids, right?”

Ruby nodded while wiping her tears.

“Do you know anything?”

Ameti answered while watching Ruby’s expression. His voice trailed off.

“Well, it seems like the kids took what I was researching…”

“That heat concentrator thing or whatever?”

“Yeah. That… something went wrong and it developed a strange function.”

“What kind?”

Ameti’s lips twitched. He could already predict Ruby’s reaction when she heard this. His back was already aching in advance. But he had to tell her.

He was their father, after all.

Ameti squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.

“It makes you invisible!”

“…It makes you invisible?”

At Ruby’s tone that felt hot rather than cold, Ameti spoke rapidly as if reciting a prayer.

“If you hold the glass I was developing and cover yourself with it… you can’t be seen, can’t be found.”

“You fool! You should have kept something like that safely stored!”

Ruby’s scream struck Ameti painfully. His back literally caught fire once more.

Feeling like if they stayed like this he’d just keep getting beaten and finding the kids would be delayed, Ameti asked urgently.

“B-But! Do you have any idea where the kids might want to go while invisible?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“The kids have been eyeing it for days… I thought they just wanted to play with it, but it seems that wasn’t it.”

Ruby remembered something after hearing Ameti’s words. The twins’ behavior that seemed suspicious but she couldn’t quite put her finger on, so she just let it pass.

Practicing taking something out.

Practicing making strangely shaped snowmen and destroying them.

Finally, even hugging a doll and practicing running away.

Ah.

Her maternal instinct was pointing to one place.

“Let’s go to the castle. I think they went to find Clemente.”

She had told them just a few more nights and she’d take them, but they couldn’t wait!

Ruby’s face alternated between pale and flushed. Ameti patted her shoulder.

“Right. Just in case, let’s hurry. It’s a problem if they’re not there, and it’s a problem if they cause trouble too.”

At this rare sight of her reliable husband, Ruby nodded.

‘Please let there be no major problems…’

**

Clemente stopped reading her book and fell into thought. Seeing the greenhouse being built outside the window made something feel like it was about to come to mind.

‘Medicinal herbs… Northern Region’s development…’

Her thoughts kept circling around this, but she couldn’t remember what came next.

“Clemente. It seems like it’s about lunchtime now.”

“Ah! Food!”

“Yes, go bring some food.”

Ignoring Zephyrus’s tone, Clemente asked.

“Didn’t you say a caravan was coming?”

“They’re scheduled to come next week. Why do you suddenly ask?”

“Is there only one road leading here?”

“There’s only one road that carriages can travel on.”

Clemente closed her eyes and thought back to when she first came to the Northern Region.

The reason she had collapsed and been found by Ruby.

It was because she had been walking on the main road, then turned toward the mountain to avoid the rocks blocking that path.

‘…Still, quite some time has passed, so wouldn’t it have been cleared by now?’

She wanted to think optimistically. Rossia had even brought a physician, so it wouldn’t make sense for the road to still be blocked.

But somehow an ominous feeling kept poking at her mind.

“I’ll go get the food.”

“…Come back quickly.”

Clemente ran out. It seemed like she needed to talk with Rossia about this.

It didn’t look like any reports had reached Zephyrus.

“Wh-waaah!”

“D-Don’t cry! Shh!”

As she was running, she heard familiar voices from somewhere.

She turned around but no one was there.

“Be quiet. We’ll get caught.”

“Where’s the fireplace? Fireplace!”

It’s uncomfortable, cold, scary!

Still, various complaints came out in cute voices.

She remembered the presence she had sensed in the morning.

Could it be they had been hiding here continuously since then? But how exactly?

She pushed aside the natural questions that arose. That wasn’t what was important right now.

Clemente clutched her startled heart and smiled gently.

“Oh my. Where have I heard these voices before~?”

The wall rippled and stirred. The children’s shoes, maple leaf-like hands, even round eyes poked out.

Their eyes met.

“Fireplaaaaace!”

Lu suddenly burst out from the empty corridor.

“Lu! Ugh, I give up.”

Lora threw something on the floor and glared at Lu with an annoyed expression.

Finding out what had happened could wait. Clemente crouched down and spread her arms wide.

“Who wants to come to the fireplace?”

“Huuung!”

Lu ran over crying and hugged her. Lora walked over primly and grabbed Clemente’s cheek with a pat.

“My fireplace… Found you.”

Lora tightened her grip on Clemente’s hand. After looking around and confirming no one else was there, she whispered softly.

“We came to rescue you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. Mom said she brought the monster because even monsters need a heater. It was all lies.”

“Ehehe. I like the heater.”

Lora grumbled at Lu’s laughter that broke the mood, but soon suppressed her anger with a sigh.

“Monsters don’t need heaters. Right? Let’s run away!”

Clemente was dragged along by Lora’s grip on her hand.

‘I thought Ruby was on vacation today.’

This morning, the butler was doing the work that Ruby should have been doing.

So what was she to do about this.

“Kyahahaha!”

“Lu! Don’t laugh! Ahahaha!”

The children giggled as they ran.

Troublesome things were troublesome.

But hearing the children’s laughter naturally brought a smile to her face.

At that moment, in Zephyrus’ Room.

The sound of children’s laughter could be heard from outside the window.

It was familiar laughter.

The head maid’s children.

‘The head maid is resting today.’

With a worried heart, he slightly pulled back the curtain and looked outside.

“Clemente?”

He could see Clemente walking in the middle, holding one child’s hand in each of hers, half-bent over.

“I told her to come quickly, so why is she over there…”

He could roughly picture what had happened.

She must have discovered the children while going to get food.

Unable to just leave them alone, she ended up taking care of them and going that far.

“What’s this! Wow, what is this?”

“It’s the Greenhouse.”

The child’s high, bright voice pierced Zephyrus’ ears.

He could see their faces chattering and laughing brightly.

Children who stepped freely toward wherever they wanted to go.

‘Is that what freedom looks like.’

If he too could go outside, he would be among them, holding a child’s hand with one hand.

And with the other hand, he would hold Clemente’s hand…

Zephyrus shook his head violently. He cut off the thread of imagination that was blooming like clouds.

Even while he was having such improper thoughts, it was noisy outside.

“Greenhouse? What do you do there?”

“You can grow plants.”

“Wow! Then, you know~ can you grow flowers too?”

She barely managed to stop Lora, who was jumping around trying to enter the Greenhouse, by hugging her.

Lu, who had been sucking his fingers, suddenly ran into the Greenhouse at high speed.

Since all her attention had been on Lora, her reaction was delayed.

“Lu! No!”

It’s still under construction, so it’s dangerous! There’s nothing inside yet!

“Me too! I’m going too!”

Taking advantage of the moment when one hand was freed, Lora also entered the Greenhouse.

Clemente, who had lost her balance and fallen, got up like a roly-poly toy and chased after the children.

“…”

Zephyrus, who had been watching that scene in a daze, drew the curtain again.

It was the first time he thought it was fortunate that he wasn’t free.

‘Stamina. I need to build up my stamina.’

He didn’t know why he had this thought, but somehow it seemed like something absolutely necessary to achieve the future he desired.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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