As time ticked by, second by second—
Eventually, the head of the Orden family, father of the missing noble boy, could no longer hold back.
He stood up from his seat and walked straight to his wife's side, patting her gently as she sobbed uncontrollably.
"I mean, cry if you need to, but why cling to our eldest like that? Come on, let go!"
"I won't!"
"I've already lost one son—I'm not letting go of this one no matter what!"
The lady of the house shouted, full of emotion, not only dodging her husband's hand but tightening her grip around her son even more.
"Ugh…"
The lord sighed in helplessness. So troublesome. Where had that gentle, demure charm she had before marriage gone…
Seeing his direct order had no effect, he had to try a different tactic. So he softened his tone, leaned close, and began to reason.
"Look, our eldest just got back from battling monsters. He hasn't even taken off his armor—hasn't even had a drink of water."
"How about a trade? Hug me instead, let me be the hostage, and let him rest for a while."
The lady of the house, despite being lost in emotion, was still a noblewoman. She wasn't entirely unreasonable or hysterical. After a moment's hesitation, she finally let her eldest son go and crouched on the floor, continuing to sob quietly.
But the eldest still stood there, frozen. Staring at his weeping mother, he didn't know what to do—until he caught his father's wave, and finally bowed beside her.
"I'll stay home for the next few days. I won't go out."
And with that promise, he exited the room.
Once he left, the lord turned to his wife still crouched on the ground, patted her shoulder, and opened his arms.
"Come on now, I've swapped places with our son. You can hug me."
"Get lost!"
She snapped back with the crisp elegance of the Imperial dialect.
"As long as our son isn't found, don't even think about touching me."
"You heartless man! If it weren't for you constantly pressuring our second son to become a warrior, he never would've gone missing!"
"And what kind of father are you? It's been three days since he vanished after your training session, and you didn't even notice!"
"At first, when I suspected something was wrong, you wouldn't even let me put up missing person notices!"
"If not for you, I'd have found him already!"
Faced with his wife's fury, the once-imposing Lord Orden could only crouch beside her, trying to explain, trying to console.
"Don't say that—I'm his father, not his enemy."
"I noticed something was off the first day he disappeared. I just didn't take it seriously at the time. After all, skipping training and running off wasn't exactly new for him."
"And most times, he'd run straight to you, or you'd send someone to hide him away, terrified I'd catch him and discipline him."
That seemed to hit a nerve—the sobbing paused.
"Well, of course I'd protect him. That's my son. If he came back hurt and exhausted, of course I'd take care of him…"
The lord's eye twitched slightly—but now wasn't the time to argue.
Seeing his approach was working, he kept his voice soft.
"Stop overthinking."
"I've had people go over the city's magic defense barriers and gate guards multiple times—even I checked myself."
"No trace of demon infiltration on the barriers."
"And the city guards didn't see any suspicious individuals coming or going."
"So the only possibility is that your precious second son left on his own. No warning."
"That's because you kept pushing him!"
She stood up and pounded her husband's chest with her fists.
"You knew he didn't have the talent to be a warrior like his brother. Why keep forcing him?"
"If the Orden family can't afford to feed him, fine! Let my family raise him. I'll change his surname!"
"My parents will love him! I'll make sure he inherits a portion of our family's businesses—he'll never have to worry about a thing!"
Lord Orden's brow twitched again. A flare of anger rose in his chest—but in the end, all he could do was exhale it in a weary sigh, leaning back against the wall.
"Yawa, you know as well as I do."
"That child carries the blood of the Warrior's Homeland. Becoming a warrior is the vow of our ancestors. Letting him train was my bottom line."
"Yawa, I know you love our children."
"But if you spoil him and raise him soft, then when the demons attack, what's he going to do? Hide behind civilians and run?"
"..."
Yawa's sobbing quieted. She fell silent.
He was right.
It was that strength of his that made her fall for him in the first place—made her defy her family's wishes and marry him, moving to the dangerous frontier of Vorig.
"But… that's still our son…"
Now she fully softened, leaning into his arms and letting her tears flow silently.
Seeing her like that, Lord Orden's anger vanished completely. He gently wrapped his arms around her waist.
"There, there."
"I've already listened to you. We've posted notices all over the city."
"And you—you really are a noble heiress. You didn't even flinch at the price."
"For that boy, I thought ten Strahl gold coins was already outrageous. I even agonized over it."
"But you—you sneakily bumped it up to forty."
"Now look—this reward isn't just attracting adventurers and citizens. Even the Empire's rumored shadow mercenaries might take interest."
"My guards are practically drooling over the bounty. They're checking every wagon like their lives depend on it."
"…Do you think they'll find our son, Mut?"
Yawa's voice trembled slightly.
"They will. Don't worry. You go get some rest. Word of him will come soon."
After putting her to bed, Lord Orden stepped outside, leaned against the wall, and quietly lit a cigarette.
"Don't get into trouble, kid."
Inside—
Yawa stared at the smoke drifting past the window, her eyes brimming once more with tears.
But this time, she pressed her hand to her mouth—so no one could hear her cry.
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Powerstones?
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