Backlund, Empress Borough, Earl Hall's residence.
Does Mother really not know what happened either... Audrey walked dejectedly out of Madam Caitlyn's room and gently closed the door behind her.
Over the past two days, Earl Hall and Hibbert had been out almost constantly, leaving early and returning late. She had found no opportunity to get even a scrap of information about Alfred from them.
Her mother seemed to be in the same position. Apart from joining her in expressing their concern for Alfred with reddened eyes, she knew nothing and had been kept just as thoroughly in the dark.
This was far too unusual.
Clearly, her father and brother were deliberately concealing something, unwilling to let the two of them learn some terrible truth.
Considering the chaos in Balam, something might really have happened to Alfred. Something extremely serious-far more frightening than the political scandal caused by the newspapers falsely accusing him of "opening fire on civilians."
Could it be... Alfred had already...
No! Impossible!
Audrey shook her head sharply, forcibly cutting off that terrifying thought. She dared not follow it any further.
Whatever else, he's an active-duty colonel in the Loen Empire. Even if only out of respect for Father, the military would, at most-at the very most-place him under house arrest for an investigation... How could his life possibly be in danger?
As she stood in the corridor, worrying silently and trying to reassure herself,
she looked up and saw Earl Hall, dressed in formal attire, hurrying toward the front door with his personal valet. It seemed he was going out to another event.
"Father, are you going out again?" Audrey softly called after him.
Hearing his daughter's gentle voice, Earl Hall stopped. He turned around and forced a kindly smile onto his weary face.
"Yes. I received