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Join the ServerBetty Lane’s request came abruptly. “Your Highness, I wish to resign.” Her expression was crestfallen as she spoke, like a lost maiden reeling from a profound blow.
“Resign?” Prince Rod murmured, his gaze intently scrutinizing Betty Lane.
After the Angel’s disappearance, Betty Lane, who had served as the Angel’s Guardian Knight, was neither neglected nor punished. Instead, she was heavily relied upon as the person most familiar with the Angel.
One could say that Betty Lane had leveraged the Angel’s disappearance to rapidly advance her career. To voluntarily resign at this juncture was tantamount to forsaking her entire future.
“Are you relinquishing your post as the Knight-Captain tasked with searching for the Angel?” Prince Rod countered.
“I failed to protect Her Excellency, the Angel, which led to Her being abducted.”
“Both His Majesty and Your Highness have been merciful to a degree that shames me. Instead of holding me accountable, you promoted me to Knight-Captain, charged with finding Her Excellency’s whereabouts.”
“Yet, I have once again betrayed the trust of His Majesty and yourself, failing to recover Her Excellency, the Angel.”
“I… I wish to resign from my duties as Knight-Captain and Guardian Knight.”
Betty Lane recited her well-prepared speech, replete with ample justification, painting the picture of a subordinate in despair, ready to give up.
Prince Rod pondered for a moment before speaking. “His Majesty the King mentioned that you served as the Angel’s Guardian Knight for eight years?”
“Yes. As of the day Her Excellency was abducted, it was exactly eight years, two months, and three days.”
“Indeed.” Hearing such a precise figure, Prince Rod was exceedingly pleased with Betty Lane’s ‘diligent and responsible’ attitude, and he couldn’t help but regard her with even higher esteem.
“The villains were too cunning; it was not your fault.”
“His Majesty has praised you in my presence, stating that Viscountess Betty Lane performed her duties as Guardian Knight with utmost dedication, never faltering for eight years, not even taking a single day of leave.”
“Your unwavering loyalty to Valga has been observed by the royal family, and you are truly worthy of the honor of being ennobled as a Valga knight.”
Betty Lane remained silent. Prince Rod continued, “Finding the Angel is your heartfelt desire, and it is also an imperative for the Valga royal family. However, the villains are too sly and wicked, and we have temporarily lost their trail.”
“You may rest for a period and await His Majesty’s new orders.”
Prince Rod did not accept Betty Lane’s resignation, instead granting her a leave of absence.
He held Betty Lane in high regard, considering her the prime candidate for the task of recovering Lucia.
Unable to decline, Betty Lane agreed and departed the royal palace. She returned to her private estate; her Lucia was still awaiting her.
Upon arriving at the mansion, Betty Lane instructed the servants to heat water for her bath. She could appear before His Highness the Prince covered in sweat, but she refused to let Lucia see her in such a state.
While the servants prepared her bathwater, Betty Lane enjoyed some pastries and inquired about Lucia’s condition.
A man, who served as the de facto butler of the private estate, approached and recounted Lucia’s day to Betty Lane.
His description of Lucia’s morning began quite normally, rather uneventfully, detailing mundane activities like eating a fruit platter and drinking a glass of juice. Yet, Betty Lane listened with rapt attention.
As he spoke of the afternoon, Lucia suddenly requested numerous materials and tools from the servants. This was when things began to grow peculiar.
Upon hearing this, Betty Lane couldn’t help but smile. ‘Could this mischievous little Angel not shed her playful habits even here with me?’ she thought.
“You gave them to her?” Betty Lane asked the butler, a smile playing on her lips.
The butler retrieved a list from his pocket and presented it to Betty Lane.
“The items underlined below were delivered to Miss Lucia this afternoon. All are simple and harmless. Please rest assured.”
“However, among the items Miss Lucia requested, there is one I dared not provide and another I could not. Your decision, my Lady, is required.”
Betty Lane nodded, quite satisfied with this servant who was, in essence, her butler. Her gaze swept over the list.
The materials on the list were mostly alchemical or potion ingredients, such as mandrake root, young Hagen beast tailbones, and dried blood grapes.
The tools listed were, without surprise, alchemical apparatus: potion stands, test tubes, beakers, and the like.
This reminded Betty Lane of the time Lucia set the National Library ablaze. It was all due to the materials she’d secretly gathered, combined with the inexplicable knowledge in the Angel’s little mind, leading her to conduct magic experiments hidden within the library…
‘Lucia wouldn’t try to burn down my house, would she?’
Betty Lane’s eyebrow arched, her smile still lingering. She commanded, “I agree. Go and prepare them.”
“Yes.” The de facto butler departed.
Betty Lane stretched languidly before heading to the bathroom. In short order, she was clean, dressed in fresh attire, and holding two jars.
One contained the highly toxic catfish tentacles, sealed within a glass jar due to their extreme danger.
The other jar held Blue Rosabella jam. As it was an exclusive delicacy for nobility, the servant had not dared to provide it to Lucia, wisely awaiting the decision of Viscountess Betty Lane, a noble herself.
Carrying both glass jars, Betty Lane knocked on Lucia’s door.
“I’m home.”
A thud echoed from within the room, followed by a rapid drumming of footsteps.
Just by the sound, Betty Lane could envision Lucia leaping from a high-backed chair and scurrying to open the door.
The door swung open. Upon seeing Betty Lane, Lucia suddenly suppressed her excitement, turning her face demurely to the side. With composed grace, she hummed, “Mm.”
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