The Fake Madam Disappeared

“She said not to appear before her again. Never again.”

Edmund put down the note he was holding. Beside it lay a letter, worn from having been read countless times. The handwriting on both the note and the letter was identical. It was undoubtedly Daphne’s.

A wave of nausea welled up inside him, as if something was tightening around him. This indescribable sensation left Edmund feeling uneasy.

I despise you. I’m sick of this place.

‘Not to appear in front of her, ever again?’ 

Edmund recalled both the note’s message and the words the maid had delivered. He then opened a drawer and pulled out a letter that he had never once unfolded. The real letter. As he stared at it, a strange thought crossed his mind. 

‘Why have I been hesitant to look at this?’ Lately, Edmund often found himself in this kind of frustration. Living by predetermined rules and routines, he disliked grappling with questions that had no clear answers.

Fzzzt.

The cigar lit up, smoldering, sending wisps of smoke into the air. By the time the cigar had nearly burned out, Edmund finally reached for the letter. Despite the smoke clouding his vision, he didn’t blink once. His gaze remained fixed on one spot. 

A blank letter. Nothing was written on it. No trace of erased words, no sign of hesitation. It was just a blank, white piece of paper, filling Edmund’s field of view.

‘Why did she leave this letter?’

His mind felt just as blank as the white letter in front of him. His eyes naturally drifted toward the side of the table, where the portrait of Daphne was placed.

‘What exactly was she trying to say?’

Edmund suddenly stood up from his chair.

— — — 

Alec raised his head to the sky. The snowfall throughout the day had stopped in the evening, but by dawn, thick clouds had gathered again.

‘Looks like there will be another blizzard soon.’ Alec thought, narrowing his eyes. ‘Since it is just His Excellency and me, we’ll arrive quickly, but the return trip will likely take longer.

Fully prepared, Alec moved quietly to report to Damian. However, something passed by him even faster.

“?”

Blinking in surprise, he saw Edmund mounting a horse.

“Alec, follow me immediately.”

Alec called out to Edmund, but he had already vanished, the sound of hoofbeats growing distant.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

‘Why?’

Marinda watched as the two figures quickly disappeared from view. With an anxious click of her tongue, Marinda chewed at her nails. Normally, she wouldn't do anything that would ruin her nails, but now her mind was racing.

‘The plan was perfect’.

Contrary to her expectations, Edmund was persistently searching for Daphne.

After much deliberation, Marinda had devised a plan: write a note pretending to be Daphne, one that would make Edmund give up. She couldn’t perfectly mimic Daphne’s handwriting, so she had deliberately scrawled on the note, which ironically made the situation feel more dramatic. Her plan had been nearly flawless. Edmund had turned back with a hardened expression, and Marinda was sure her plan had succeeded.

But… 

‘Why is he still searching for her?’ 

‘Was the note not harsh enough? Should I have included some insults?’ Regret started to creep in, but by then, Edmund was already gone.

Marinda tasted the metallic tang of blood in her mouth and stopped biting her nails. She shook her head and grabbed her throbbing forehead. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on this. If Daphne returned to the mansion, her chances of getting close to Edmund would diminish. She had to act before then.

As she pondered, Marinda suddenly recalled something she’d forgotten and furrowed her brow.

‘But why hasn’t a letter arrived?’ 

It was long past the time when she should’ve received one. She had been so busy plotting that she hadn’t checked last month’s letters as well. The reason Marinda had volunteered to come to this desolate northern land with Daphne was simple. While it was true that she had fallen in love with Edmund at first sight, her primary role was to relay information about what was happening here. Of course, nothing particularly significant had happened over the past five years, so she had grown lax.

Marinda glanced at the deep midnight sky and the quiet hallway, muttering to herself.

“Maybe I should go check…” 

“Where to?” 

“Ahh!” 

Startled by the sudden voice, Marinda let out a scream.

“Wh-Who’s there?”

A masked man, his face drowned in the darkness, emerged from the shadows at her panicked question. It was Nick, Edmund’s guest who had appeared only a few days ago.

When she first heard the name Nick, she had briefly thought of Nick Archer, but he had died in a Ruvuz prison. Besides, Nick was a common name. Marinda quickly forced a smile upon realizing it was Nick.

“Is something bothering you?” 

“No, I’m fine.” 

The man gave her a quick once-over and then disappeared. Only after the sound of his footsteps faded did Marinda lift her head and frown in confusion.

‘Strange. Why does he seem familiar?’

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

The bitter wind bit into their clothes. Just as Alec had feared, the heavy clouds in the sky soon unleashed a blizzard. The snow that had fallen lightly at first gradually intensified, making visibility nearly impossible as the blizzard worsened. By the time they were halfway to their destination, the accumulating snow began to slow the horses. If they had been ordinary horses, they would’ve already collapsed, but the northern cold had toughened both humans and animals.

“Your Excellency! We need to rest for a moment!”

Alec shouted as he looked at the froth foaming from his horse’s mouth. Only then did Edmund dismount for the first time. While Alec tended to the horses, Edmund gazed out beyond the horizon where the sun was beginning to rise. Suddenly, his head throbbed.

“Ugh.” Edmund let out a faint groan, grimacing. Thankfully, the headache soon subsided, and the nausea that had made him feel sick earlier vanished, leaving him eerily calm.

Daphne’s departure was a clear violation of their contract. He was only searching for her to address that breach. There were no personal feelings involved.

‘None. And there shouldn’t be.’

‘Again.’

It was happening again. The nausea and frustration. It crept up from beneath his feet like a snake, slowly consuming him. Like a swamp, he only noticed once it had almost fully engulfed him.

“!”

With a jolt, Edmund snapped back to reality and mounted his horse again.

“Your Excellency?”

Alec, who had been resting, jumped up at Edmund’s sudden movement.

Edmund checked his horse. The steed, one of the fastest and most enduring in the North, had recovered significantly in a short time.

“Alec. I’ll go ahead. Follow at your own pace.”

“What? Your Excellency! Your Excellency!”

Ignoring Alec’s call, Edmund spurred his horse into a gallop, charging across the snow-covered ground. He rode faster and faster, not stopping for anything.  Through the blizzard, Edmund spotted the outline of the border village and urged his horse forward.

— — — 

When Edmund reached the village entrance, he came face to face with a member of the Black Knights pacing there.

“Your Excellency, you’re early.”

“Where is Daphne?”

Edmund dismounted, asking immediately. “Where is she?”

“Eugene is watching over her.”

His subordinate led Edmund to the train station. Although the blizzard had calmed, the snow was still thick, and few people were around. Because of that, it stood out more.

“Your Grace, you’ve arrived….”

Without responding to Eugene, Edmund walked straight ahead, lost in thought.  Snow gently fell onto her neatly parted brown hair. Her green eyes, gazing through the fog of breath escaping her lips, sparkled.

It was Daphne.

“Daph….”

The moment he called her name and took a step forward—

Baaang!

The train’s horn blared, and the previously empty station was suddenly crowded with passengers transferring between trains.

Amid the bustling crowd, Edmund turned his head urgently, but Daphne was nowhere to be found.

“Find Daphne!”

Edmund called out to Eugene as he pushed through the throng of people. Daphne had clearly been at the station to board a train. If he lost her here, he didn’t know when he’d get another chance to see her. Edmund pushed his way through the crowd, weaving through bodies until he finally reached out.

Grabbing her wrist, he firmly wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her close.

The moment their eyes met – her wide green ones – relief washed over him.

“… Daphne.”

She was finally found. Her eyes went wide. Holding Daphne in his arms, Edmund quickly scanned her face. ‘Why did I forget this face?’ The small body in his arms trembled. 

“Edmund, why are you….”

Edmund couldn’t help laughing at her embarrassed face as if he had come to a place he shouldn’t have.

“Why? You’re asking as if I shouldn’t have come here.”

Daphne bit her lips. She was silent as always.

“Did you think I would just let you go?” Edmund’s hand rested on Daphne’s stomach. 

Edmund’s hand moved to rest on her stomach.

“You dare?”

And with some force, he hugged Daphne, feeling through her thick clothes. Daphne’s eyes slightly trembled when she realized what he meant. 

Watching her reaction, Edmund spoke in a low voice, “With my child in your belly?” 

“... What are you talking about?” 

Daphne stared at Edmund blankly.

“Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

Edmund let out a faint laugh. If Daphne had become an actress, she would have made her mark in history as one of the greatest of her time. Even now, caught in this situation, she kept acting until the very end.

Baaang!

The train horn filled the space between them. Jolted back to her senses by the sound, Daphne began to struggle.

“…I’m leaving. Let me go.”

As expected, her goal was to board the train and leave the North. However, Edmund, who had no intention of letting her go as she wished, tightened his grip around her waist.

“With my child in your belly, where do you think you’re going?”

Amid the confusion, Daphne finally grasped what Edmund had been repeating. She stopped struggling abruptly.

“Hah,” and then, she let out a faint, bitter laugh. “Child….”

……