Chapter 172
All of a sudden, the same thought struck both Matthew and Anthony like a punch to the gut. Their expressions turned dark in an instant.
“How dare she,” Matthew growled.
“She would never do that,” Benedict shot back, his voice firm, his trust in Eliza unshaken.
Fury burned in Benedict’s chest, rage flaring in defense of Eliza. “Eliza may have caused trouble before. She’s made her fair share of mistakes, but she’s never gone looking for it. And she would never cross a line like that.
“Father, I know you have always favored Sophie, but Eliza is your daughter too. Don’t you think this is completely unfair to her?”
“I am merely stating a possibility, not a certainty,” Gabriel replied coolly after taking a sip of cold water. His tone was as flat as
ever.
Benedict stared at him, stunned. “A possibility? That’s what you call it? You’re accusing your own daughter. Is that what you think facts are? Father, Eliza is not a criminal.”
Only now did it finally make sense to Benedict–why Dylan had made the decision that day to leave home without so much as a backward glance. This had not been their home for a long time.
‘Why is Father always so biased toward Sophie?‘ he thought bitterly. ‘Sophie and Eliza are both his daughters. Eliza grew up right under his nose; she’s the legitimate daughter of the Duke’s estate. How can he be so cruel to her?‘
“Benedict, can you just drop it for now?” Matthew snapped, irritated. “What matters right now is not who’s being accused. It’s finding Sophie. If you have something to say, save it for later, alright?”
The more Matthew thought about it, the more furious he became. The idea that Sophie might have been dumped somewhere by Eliza made his blood boil.
He wanted nothing more than to storm over to Saint Grace Nunnery, drag Eliza out, and demand answers. He wanted to force her to confess where she had taken Sophie. But Matthew knew better than to act on impulse. He could not afford to show up there again.
The last time he had gone, he had barely escaped with his life, poisoned, even if only mildly.
‘I can’t go, but Father can,‘ Matthew realized and wondered.
He turned sharply to Gabriel. “Father, maybe you should go to Saint Grace Nunnery and speak to Eliza.”
Gabriel shook his head, “I cannot.”
“Why not?” Matthew frowned.
“Because he falsely accused Eliza the last time,” Benedict cut in with a cold laugh. “If he shows up there again, His Majesty might actually lose his temper.”
Gabriel’s fingers tightened slightly around his cup.
“So what now?” Matthew muttered, exasperated.
Anthony, even more impatient than Matthew, finally exploded. “We need to send people to look now. Search every inch of the road to Plutonville. And even if Father can’t go talk to Eliza in person, can’t he just send some shadow guards to sneak into Saint Grace Nunnery and look around? No one said we had to confront her face–to–face.”
If Eliza had really kidnapped Sophie, there were only two likely outcomes, either she had abandoned Sophie on the road to Plutonville, or she had brought her back and hidden Sophie somewhere inside Saint Grace Nunnery.
Either way, they had to find her. Without wasting any more time, the Stonor family mobilized a search team. Most of them set out from Hasen City, sweeping every stretch of road between there and Plutonville.
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At the same time, a few carefully selected shadow guards were dispatched under the cover of night, silently slipping into Saint Grace Nunnery.
Meanwhile, Tina kept close watch outside Eliza’s courtyard. Her sword gleamed faintly as she watched the intruders sneak in.
By the next morning, none of the shadow guards the Duke’s estate had sent to Saint Grace Nunnery had returned.
Gabriel’s expression turned grim. He had not expected the shadow guard protecting Eliza to be that skilled.