bdsm-fiction Chapter 42 Kidnapping Case
Chapter 42 Kidnapping Case
Even though the Delascos's crimes were later proven, Leosley was still sentenced to imprisonment in Mero Petersburg.
After becoming the administrator of Mello Petersburg by a twist of fate and acquiring the title of Duke, he tried to find those friends who had been sent away.
The Delascos had a notebook specifically for recording the whereabouts of the "goods," which allowed him to trace everyone involved.
Except for Ventura.
The girl's whereabouts were not recorded in that notebook.
Leosley searched everywhere but couldn't find a single piece of information related to her.
He had considered the worst-case scenario: that Ventara might have been killed like some of the other children for discovering something amiss with the Delascos, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
Ventara's appearance hasn't changed much compared to a decade or so ago, and she seems to be doing quite well in another place, at least in terms of food.
Aside from his increasingly cold personality and impressive fighting skills.
Leosley wanted to know where she had gone, why she had become like this, and why she was special to the Delascos.
Although Ventara has always avoided discussing this issue, perhaps she will give him a break and resolve the problem that has been bothering him for so long, since he had a relatively good day.
Leosley hoped.
Unfortunately, Ventara was unmoved by either soft or hard tactics.
She stopped stroking Hutta and stared straight at him: "There's no need for this testing, Leo. Because no matter how you ask, I'm not going to tell you."
Leosley was extremely distressed: "Even if I'm your lover, you won't tell me?"
Ventara no longer denies their relationship, and she knows that this issue may make the man uncomfortable, but she can't bring herself to say it.
I simply can't bring myself to say it.
She rarely showed a look of distress: "Leo, you have to understand that everyone has things they find hard to talk about, and I'm no exception. If you want to know, just look it up yourself. Isn't that what you've been doing all along?"
Ventara had always known that someone was secretly investigating her, and she could almost guess who it was without much thought.
Leosley shrugged, not bothered to admit he had gained nothing: "The people I invited didn't provide me with any useful information other than finding out you came from the direction of Sumeru."
Although Sumeru and Fontaine are neighboring countries, most of Sumeru's territory is desert, extremely sparsely populated, and there is almost no one to ask about things, so his investigation was forced to stop there.
Ventara seemed lost in thought.
In the end, she refused Leosley's request, instead tapping him on the head: "Then please, our dear Duke, keep up the good work. Who knows, one day a clue might just come to you?"
Unfortunately, bad news often arrives before good news.
The next day, on their way back to Melló Petersburg from Fontaine, the two encountered Melousin, who looked hurried.
As if lost in thought, she kept her head down as she ran forward, not even looking where she was going, and bumped straight into Ventara.
"I-I'm sorry!" Melosin jumped up in surprise.
Although the Melusens look similar, each one of them is actually unique.
Ventara rubbed her aching chest, recognizing her as the girl who had been following Serge in yesterday's tour group. Hesitantly, she called out her name, "...Galena, where are you headed?"
Galena looked up, and upon realizing it was them, the tears she had been holding back immediately welled up.
She was sobbing uncontrollably, but still managed to express herself: "Ventara, Duke! Sister Serki and the others are gone! Everyone in the upper levels is gone!"
The terrain of Haimo Village is complex. It is located in an airspace above the sea, and in the water below the airspace. Although most of the Merus can adapt to the underwater environment, some of them prefer to live on the land above.
Seulgi was one of them, but Galena preferred the lower levels.
This morning, as usual, she went upstairs to find Serge, hoping to hear her story about the Shadow Court, but found the upper floor in chaos, as if it had been the site of some kind of terrorist attack, and everyone had disappeared.
Perhaps it was because the passage between the upper and lower levels was a hidden water tunnel that the attackers failed to discover the lower level of Haimo Village, thus saving them from disaster. However, it was also because the water blocked the sound that they failed to notice the anomaly on the upper level.
Galena was very worried about Seulgi and the others.
"Don't worry, Galana, Serge and the others should be safe for now," Ventara reassured her.
If she guessed correctly, Melusin and her friends had likely encountered a kidnapping case. If the kidnappers didn't act immediately, it meant they had other intentions, and they probably wouldn't act directly under these circumstances.
But no matter how I think about it, I can't figure it out.
Given the special status of the Melusens and the Supreme Judge's favoritism, the protection they receive under Fontaine law is practically blatant. Anyone with a brain wouldn't dare to harm them. So why is this happening now? Who would risk doing something like this?
She exchanged a glance with Leosley and saw the answer in his eyes.
There's only one possibility—the perpetrator wasn't a Fontainebleau resident.
*
At this moment, in a grove of trees in the Iliye Forest, a group of people are preparing to set off.
"Ashpar, it's time to go!"
The man called Ashpar kicked out the campfire, covering up any trace of their presence, and lazily replied to his companion's greeting, "We're here, don't rush us."
A well-dressed man in the crowd seemed to disapprove of his attitude and said sarcastically, "If you keep dawdling and delay the trip, can you afford to take responsibility?"
Ashpar didn't mind his attitude at all, walking behind with a blade of grass in his mouth: "Lord Vladimir, if you're not satisfied, you can leave our trail as it is, but it's hard to say whether the Momang Palace will send people to catch up then."
Vladimir certainly didn't want to be caught up, otherwise he wouldn't have kept urging him to hurry up. Now, his words had stifled him, and he felt a surge of anger rising in his chest, almost making him vomit.
"You! You!"
Ashpar glanced at him: "I hope you don't die of anger. I don't want to end up with no one paying my wages."
Their gilded guild in Sumeru only cares about money, not people. He didn't want to have traveled all the way to Fontainebleau only to not get a single penny.
Vladimir secretly regretted that he had been bewitched to have gone to such a thing on someone else's recommendation.
If he weren't actually quite capable, as that person had described, he would have kicked him out long ago. But now, he has no choice but to cling to him!
Vladimir took a deep breath and managed to swallow it back down. With the help of his men, he set off on his journey, albeit unsteadily.
Their destination was Ruo Deng Port, where they had already arranged for people to go ahead and prepare the boats to return to winter.
Ashpar didn't care what his next plans were; he just wanted to finish his mission and return to Sumeru as soon as possible.
Sigh, if it weren't for the fact that he had a little one at home to raise, and that Vladimir was giving him too much, he would never want to come all this way to this godforsaken place to do things for such a troublesome boss.
Last night, this guy went out with a group of people behind his back. When he came back, he was soaking wet. I don't know what he did. Today, the large group of people parted ways.
He didn't care why, and looked up at the sky, wondering if his little one at home had been eating properly lately.
*
Ventara's nose was itchy, and she felt like sneezing, but the occasion was not suitable for making a sound, so she could only suppress the feeling with a straight face.
Leosley, who was standing next to him, was discussing matters concerning Seafoam Village with Navelette.
Although this matter was not within the warden's purview, if he was not mistaken, the person who did it must have followed Meloshen and the others from Mero Petersburg all the way to the secluded village of Haimo, and he simply could not ignore it.
The Shadow Court has already retrieved the files of foreigners who recently entered the country, but it is difficult to tell from the documents alone who exactly targeted Meiluxin and the others. The only option is to have the Legal Court investigate the situation one by one.
However, investigations take time, and diplomatic issues must be considered when dealing with personnel from various countries involved. Coercive measures are not feasible, and the investigation will only drag on longer…
Ventara worried that the perpetrators were taking advantage of this time difference to commit the crime against the wind, since as long as the Merus were transported out of Fontainebleau, they wouldn't have to worry about the aftermath.
What she could think of, Villette and Leosley could certainly think of as well.
The Supreme Judge's face was ashen.
Identity can be a convenience or a constraint; when there are insufficient clues, he cannot intervene directly.
"Then I'll handle it." Seeing his predicament, Leosley suddenly said, "Melo Petersburg's existence is shrouded in secrecy, so it's most appropriate for me to step in on this."
"They can't travel too fast with such a large number of Melusin, not to mention they can't possibly take the main route. Without the help of patrol boats, they can't possibly reach the port so quickly. We just need to wait at the port and wait for them to walk into our trap."
He is right, but Fontaine is a country of water, surrounded by the sea, and has countless ports. It is simply impossible for them to have enough manpower to guard every single port.
"...We have no choice but to gamble." Leosley pondered for a moment and said slowly, "They dare not go through the major ports, as that means stricter inspections, and they may not be able to get through. Only the smaller ports can allow them to take advantage of the chaos."
The nearest small port is only one, namely Softlight Port.
"While we can't rule out the possibility that they might choose a more distant port to be on the safe side, under the current circumstances, they have no choice but to take a gamble."
Villette's grip on her cane tightened and loosened, finally letting out a sigh: "...Do as you say. But Duke, remember, do not act before you are certain they have targeted Melusin."
Fontaine is a land of justice, and one must not act arbitrarily before having a legitimate title.
Leosley knew what he meant and teased, "Don't worry, I'm all grown up now, and I would never make the same choice again."
Even so, Ventara could still sense the murderous intent hidden in his eyes.
(End of this chapter)