The Countess's Body Has Disappeared - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 16
This time, Cecilia couldn’t hide her surprise.
Sare’s throat seemed to cough, and her face paled slightly.
“You were… a soldier?”
“Yes. I graduated from the Royal Ocktree Army Military Academy. I’m retired now due to circumstances, though.”
Until now, she’d been telling her colleagues that her husband was a retired soldier whenever they asked about Arcan’s profession—but it turned out to be true after all!
Good heavens, and the Royal Ocktree Army Military Academy at that. What were the odds of such a coincidence!
To hide her flustered state, Cecilia quickly looked ahead. She’d heard that Davion graduated from that same school. Their ages seemed similar too—could they possibly know each other?
“You don’t… happen to know my husband, do you?”
Properly adjusting his crutches again, Arcan limped forward with a soft, audible laugh.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure we don’t. I was closer to a commander’s rank.”
Though come to think of it, Davion would have been on the commander side as well.
Still, Cecilia held her tongue. She decided to change the subject before any more questions about her husband could arise.
“You don’t seem to come from an ordinary family either. As far as I know, commoners don’t get admitted to military academy so easily.”
“I wouldn’t call my family ordinary, but I’m an illegitimate child. It caused me considerable hardship. Without my younger sister, I never would have endured that household.”
There was no hint of inferiority in the way he spoke of his circumstances. Arcan seemed like someone who had already overcome great trials—or perhaps had endured even harsher ones, so that his origins had become almost trivial.
“Then your sister, perhaps…?”
“She’s my half-sister. My parents loved and raised her well. It’s fortunate, really.”
“She must be happy, having a brother like you.”
“I’m not so sure. She went through her own trials growing up. But this is something of a secret—she was wounded on the battlefield, and the truth is her right hand doesn’t move very well anymore.”
Arcan held up his right hand to show her. Just as he’d said, some peripheral nerve damage seemed to have affected it; even when he made a fist, his pinky stuck out awkwardly on its own.
She hadn’t noticed before, as he concealed it well. Cecilia found herself absently touching her left ear, then gathered courage to speak.
“Actually, I also…”
“I apologize, but we need to conduct an identity check.”
A security official, whom she’d taken for a parking enforcement officer, suddenly called them over from the main street.
Arcan wrapped his free arm around Cecilia’s shoulder and pulled her close. She didn’t panic. Contrary to what she’d said a moment before, she felt relief at his presence beside her.
The security official recoiled at the sight of Cecilia’s face, covered with pockmarks. A few seconds passed before he realized his rudeness; he cleared his throat awkwardly, put away his camera, and addressed Arcan.
“As long as you cooperate, there shouldn’t be any trouble. Do you happen to have identification?”
“One moment. Dear, could you get the ID out for me?”
The security official’s tone was polite. He’d apparently made a correct judgment about Arcan being a retired soldier, seeing his upright bearing.
Cecilia pulled out the forged ID from her handbag. As she handed it to the security official, Arcan smiled easily and projected complete ease.
“The issue date is from last month. You lost it?”
“Ah, we moved here last month. We heard this is quite a nice neighborhood for newlyweds. Isn’t that right, dear?”
Arcan laughed and kissed Cecilia’s forehead.
Cecilia silently rolled her eyes. By now his acting ability was positively admirable.
“Confirmed. You’re free to go.”
“Thank you.”
The moment they got past the security official, Arcan released his arm around her. Cecilia quickly pulled her hood down to cover the back of her head.
She’d been seriously considering dyeing her hair lately. Nagi and Ruby would certainly hate the smell, but her white hair was too conspicuous, and once people saw it, they rarely forgot it.
“I wonder how much longer they’ll keep doing these checks. There must be some extremely vicious criminal on the loose out there.”
“That’s what I’m thinking. They should catch whoever it is soon.”
To Arcan’s joking remark, Cecilia smiled and agreed.
“It’s cold—everyone’s working hard these days.”
As they made small talk and headed into the Hotel building, two men suddenly emerged from a nearby alley.
* * *
“Captain.”
The security official saluted, and Davion gave a light nod in return.
Liam always walked two paces behind Davion. He emerged from behind the alley and smiled warmly at the security official.
“Working hard in this cold weather, I appreciate it.”
“Not at all, sir.”
Watching a woman pushing a stroller across the opposite sidewalk, Davion positioned himself on the main street.
While he smoked a cigarette, Liam checked the security official’s records. For some reason, the official kept glancing back nervously, and finally worked up the courage to speak to the focused Liam.
“Has there been a resurgence of chickenpox lately, sir?”
“I haven’t heard anything about it. Why do you ask?”
“Well, a chickenpox patient just walked by here. They were heading that way.”
As he spoke, he pointed with his thumb over his own shoulder.
‘Chickenpox?’
Liam narrowed his eyes and surveyed the desolate Hotel entrance. Then a familiar cough made him start, and he turned around sharply.
The hem of Davion’s long coat fluttered in the winter wind. He pointed at a parked car with the toe of his shoe and spoke.
“It’s scratched.”
Across the smooth black surface of the car, several white scratches were etched sharply.
Oh, good heavens. Liam broke into a cold sweat and hastened to defend himself.
“You know I’m a novice driver. For someone like me, parking in an alley isn’t easy. Especially parallel parking—I really can’t manage it no matter how much I practice…….”
“Yes, it’s my fault for trusting you with a new car.”
Davion sighed and opened the driver’s-side door. Worried that lingering any longer might invite fresh criticism, Liam offered a quick salute to the Commander and swiftly climbed into the passenger seat.
Davion was still holding Cecilia’s handbag.
Even after settling into the driver’s seat, he did not start the engine. Instead, he tapped the handbag’s handle with a peculiar rhythm, his gaze lost in deep thought. Seeing this, Liam carefully broached the subject.
“Do you suppose she’s remarried in the meantime?”
In that instant, the hand tapping the handbag’s handle went rigid. Afraid even to swallow, Liam kept his eyes fixed ahead.
After a long pause, Davion placed the handbag on the back seat and answered.
“I had to propose to my wife almost every day just to get her to marry me. She’s that cautious about marriage.”
“So you think this ‘husband’ fellow will contact you?”
“Perhaps. I’d like to think so, but it’s better not to hold my breath.”
Davion admitted to himself that Cecilia had gotten the better of him. If she’d had a companion, all the effort the Commanders had poured into searching—focusing primarily on women traveling alone—would have come to nothing.
“She seems to be moving between hotels. Wouldn’t it be worth searching every hotel in the city?”
“If we do that, my wife will certainly notice. There’s a greater chance she’ll flee before we can gain the hotel managers’ cooperation.”
Scars on her face, a husband, and … I’ll take back calling her a foolish woman.
By some method he couldn’t quite fathom, Cecilia had altered her appearance. In that brief span of time, she’d also secured a loyal accomplice willing to pose as her husband.
If she hadn’t happened to lose her handbag, she would have bought herself time to flee while he kept flailing uselessly in place.
Davion now tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. After a few minutes had passed, as if a clever idea had struck him, a flash of resolve crossed his dark eyes.
“The fact that Cecilia is still in this city means she’s been following my movements through the press. So if I can’t find her…….”
At last, the engine roared to life with a decisive thrust.
“Then I’ll make her find me instead.”

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