Lady to Queen

When Rafaella returned to headquarters, leaving the set amount of time for an hour or so, she completely fell into a panic when she realized that both the Emperor and the Empress were not there. Then someone caught onto her strongly.     

"Sir Rafaella!"     

"Ah… Father."     

It was her father, Marquis of Bringstone. As soon as she saw her father, Rafaella was so startled that she almost dropped what she was hiding in her hand. The Marquis of Bringstone took her to a private place that had nobody around. After confirming that no one was around, the Marquis of Bringstone questioned Rafaella with a quiet voice.     

"What happened? Both Majesties are not visible. Let's say it's fine with His Majesty, but even then, what happened to Her Majesty?"     

"Father, that is… Her Majesty said she wanted to ride alone..."     

Rafaella replied frankly while being intimidated, but what returned was a severe reprimand.     

"So, you call yourself Her Majesty's knight, and yet you let Her Majesty go off on her own, alone? Are you sane right now? Do you not know how the situation is going, for you to be taking it so easy like this!?"     

"I am sorry, Father."     

Because all these words were correct, Rafaella genuinely had nothing to say in response. There was nothing wrong with how the Marquis of Bringstone was saying she was being overly comfortable. Originally, the compassion she felt for the life that Empress Patrizia had to lead was the reason for her actions.     

Rafaella had to see Patrizia as a Queen rather than a Lady, but as a young woman, it was hard to see her as a woman in such a serious position.     

Only then did Rafaella fully realize the current situation, and soon there was a tremendous regret about what she had done.     

The fear was then unleashed and she began to shake her hands, but the Marquis of Bringstone gave her an order with a stern look that was different from usual.     

"It is a command not to my daughter, but Knight Rafaella. Find Her Majesty no matter what. If this somehow goes wrong, you will know what kind of chaos will come to the Imperial Family, even if I do not tell you. Right?"     

"…"     

She nodded silently, and the Marquis of Bringstone sighed. It wasn't just anyone but the pair of man and woman who supported the empire, that had disappeared at the same time. Fortunately, there was still time left, so there weren't any strange rumors floating around, but after an hour or two, the time for commotion would be an instant.     

Then there would be nothing good for the authority of the two of them. The Marquis of Bringstone struggled to shake off the anxiety that was creeping in and asked his daughter a question.     

"It's an order and a favor, Ella. It's very urgent. If you don't find and bring back both of them, as your father, I don't know exactly what will happen in the future. You know?"     

"Yes, Father. I must… I will definitely return with them."     

Fortunately, the surrounding forest that was designated as a hunting ground was only cloudy and not raining, unlike the place where Patrizia was, and Rafaella hid Patrizia's hunting suit without revealing it.     

It should not be made public. As soon as this was to be revealed, it was obvious that it would cause the waves that the Marquis of Bringstone said would happen. Rafaella was determined to look for the two, and she firmly resolved her will.     

As time passed, Patrizia became increasingly nervous. The rain was close to stopping, but Lucio was still asleep without any movement. Patrizia nervously looked alternatively at him lying and stared up at the sky outside.     

"Damn it. I feel like I am going crazy."     

Patrizia touched her forehead and facially expressed a headache. She felt like she wanted to move him on her own, but she didn't know what kind of variables she would face, and she wanted to avoid them because she didn't want to appear suspicious.     

Slowly, she walked towards the side where he was. He was not some kind of a sleeping prince in a forest, and the princess certainly had done something like a kiss, so with this much, he should wake up. Patrizia's expression changed strangely, as she had a frustrated heart mixed with an unknown kind of sorrow.     

"…"     

To be honest, it was a lie if she said she didn't feel sorry. That she didn't feel guilty, this was also a lie. Whoever the other person would have been, she would have been sorry. It would never happen, but even if that person had been Rosemond. Patrizia let out a complicated sigh and put her face on her knees. What if… What if he didn't wake up like this? How...     

"Haaa…"     

At that time, a slight sound of breath stimulated her ears.