Chapter 107.2

Luan sighed heavily, extending his arms as if reluctantly. Canilia accepted his offer of an arm, and they proceeded as escorts.

As they got into the waiting car after leaving the checkpoint, the outskirts of Del Casa spread out before them, not much different from the surrounding plains.

“You resemble your mother a lot.”

“First of all, let me express my gratitude. Thank you for saving my mother.”

“It was your mother’s choice, and she had a strong will to live. Those people eventually find a way to survive.”

“Still, thank you, Luan.”

Luan’s ears reddened at hearing his name after such a long time. He mischievously proposed, trying not to reveal his embarrassment.

“Then, can I have a kiss?”

“That’s not possible. Absolutely not,” Canilia retorted firmly, her cheeks tinged with a blush. Luan shook his head and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Grand  Duke Ihar must have taught you wrong.”

Tutting and moistening his lips, he eventually burst into laughter. Despite becoming another man’s woman, Luan missed her so much.

They didn’t need to intertwine their bodies or exchange kisses. Just seeing her sparkling smile was enough to make his heart flutter as if he possessed the world.

It was an irrational emotion, but Luan’s feelings for Canilia were filled with something pure and inexplicable, far beyond mere desire or fondness.

Canilia’s face, which had been gazing out the window with a lonely expression, began to brighten.

The flag of the kingdom fluttered, revealing the grand duke’s residence in the distance. Her tension transferred to him, making his heart pound. Unbeknownst to himself, Ian tightly grasped Canilia’s hand.

They had arrived at the main entrance of the grand archduke’s residence. Crossing a somewhat barren garden, Canilia finally faced the face she had longed for.

Although she seemed uncomfortable walking, she couldn’t take her eyes off her mother, who was wearing a beautiful dress and waiting by the car.

“Mother…”

Tears burst forth before the car door even opened.

Laura was the same. As soon as she spotted Lia, Laura clung to the car window and shed transparent tears.

“My baby…”

*****

Owen quietly left his study after confirming that the documents he had piled up on his desk the previous night had been neatly organized and delivered to each department. This phenomenon continued even after Canilia left for Geore.

Although he was usually devoted to his work, these days the master behaved as if he couldn’t survive without it.

It was far better than drowning himself in alcohol or pursuing women and descending into debauchery, but it still consumed his lifespan.

Perhaps it would have been more comforting for the people around him if he had indulged in alcohol or entertainment.

When Owen stood in front of Claude’s bedroom, Jasmine called out to him from a distance.

“Don’t wake him up. The study light has been on all night. Is he busy?”

“Yes, he has a lot of work, but… I think he’s having trouble sleeping.”

“Hmm, it must be because Lady Lia isn’t here.”

“Because he loves her so much.”

“Well, my father was like that, so there’s no way his son wouldn’t be the same.”

Both of them turned to look at the portrait of Maximilian hanging on the wall.

“I heard they brought in new miners at the mine. The mining operations are going well, and they recently found black diamonds. I suppose he’s trying to catch up on the backlog of work.”

“Take good care of Claude.”

“Don’t worry.”

Jasmine smiled bitterly and left. Owen, instead of waking up Claude, went to Carso’s room.

Even though the sun was already at its zenith, Carso’s room still carried a strong scent of perfume. He had left the mansion last night to attend the opera and returned with the scent of a woman clinging to him.

“Ahem, Lord Carso. Please wake up.”

Owen woke Carso up while thinking about the tasks he needed to take care of. But Carso only tossed and turned, unable to get up.

This time, it was when Owen pulled the rope to wake Carso that he heard a faint knocking sound from the tightly closed window.

Tap, tap.

A small knock came from the firmly shut window. There, a carrier pigeon was perched, tying a note to its leg and grooming its feathers.

Owen opened the window and untied the note attached to the carrier pigeon’s leg.

“Lord Carso, did you send a carrier pigeon?”

After throwing food to the carrier pigeon, Owen looked at the black ash-stained note and surmised that it must have come from the Valencia Mine.

“Lord Carso, you really need to wake up.”

As Owen shook Carso again with a growing sense of urgency, he rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly, scratching his throat.

“Owen, yawn… Isn’t it too early? Give me a break for a day. There won’t be much for me to do since my brother has a lot of work.”

“That’s your opinion, Carso. A carrier pigeon has arrived.”

Carso, who regained his senses at the mention of a carrier pigeon, also noticed the dove perched on the top shelf. He unfolded the note handed to him by Owen.

With his eyes half-awake, he began reading the note. His expression gradually hardened, and soon he turned pale.

“U-Urgently wake up my brother! Immediately!”

Carso quickly changed into his outdoor clothes and roughly combed his hair.

“Partial collapse in the mine. Ten trapped. Requesting rescue.”

In an instant, drowsiness vanished.

Carso rushed out of the room toward where the Duke was. When he rudely opened the door to Canilia’s bedroom, he saw Claude, who had just woken up and sat up in bed.

With an unfocused gaze, he stared straight ahead and tilted his head. Claude’s brow furrowed as if he didn’t appreciate Carso entering this room.

“Why are you here at this hour…?”

“Something terrible has happened!”

“Terrible?”

Carso rose from his bed and handed the note delivered by the carrier pigeon to Claude, who was dressed in a robe.

“The mine collapsed, and the workers are trapped!”