Chapter 21
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Chapter 21
As Armand and I returned from our walk, Lydia Augusta, who had been waiting in the courtyard, greeted us with visible agitation.
"Goodness, where on earth did you disappear to? Bianca and Collin said you and Mr. Rochefort vanished in the blink of an eye."
Lydia Augusta's voice carried a note of gentle reproach. Before I could respond, Armand stepped forward to defend me.
"The conversation with Miss Charlotte proved far more engaging than anticipated, and I'm afraid we lost track of our surroundings entirely. My sincerest apologies, Mrs. Augusta."
Lydia Augusta, unable to resist Armand's earnest manner, nodded in resignation and turned back to me.
"Charlotte, Philip Oslo is waiting in the drawing room. When he heard that you and Mr. Rochefort had gone for a walk and hadn't returned, he was about to set out searching for you."
"Philip Oslo?"
Armand and I followed Lydia Augusta into the drawing room, where Philip Oslo rose from his seat with formal courtesy. His brilliant golden hair caught the light, and he wore a navy naval uniform with distinguished bearing.
"Miss Charlotte Augusta, it has been quite some time. And beside you is..."
Philip offered his greetings with proper deference to a lady, then turned his gaze toward Armand.
"Mr. Armand Rochefort, I presume."
I detected a subtle shift in Philip's tone—a hint of hostility had crept into his voice. He continued with evident curiosity.
"I was unaware that you and Mr. Rochefort were acquainted. At the ball last time, there was no indication of..."
Armand abruptly cut him off.
"Ah, does a young man and woman truly require some profound reason or considerable time to become acquainted? Would you not agree, Miss Charlotte?"
Philip found himself watching with visible displeasure as Armand leaned forward, bringing his face close to mine.
"Ah, well... yes, on our last outing into the city, I happened to become indebted to Mr. Rochefort for his assistance..."
Charlotte averted her gaze slightly from Armand's burdensome expression as she spoke. She had just revealed to Armand that she was Leopold's lover, and seeing Philip arrive to find her, she worried he might suspect her again. On the other hand, she also hoped that Philip wouldn't misunderstand the situation between her and the philandering Armand.
Armand regarded Charlotte's uncomfortable expression with evident pleasure before speaking.
"I've finished my business here anyway, so I'll take my leave. But first, I must pay my respects to the lovely Augusta sisters. And this..."
Armand grasped Charlotte's hand suddenly and placed something upon it.
"A fan I left on my sofa."
Charlotte noticed how Armand had deliberately emphasized "my sofa" rather than the Drawing Room or the estate itself—a phrasing laden with suggestive intimacy. It was as though he wished Philip to believe the two of them shared a closer bond.
"...."
Philip's delicate brow furrowed. His gaze remained fixed upon Charlotte's hand, which Armand held captive. Armand savored Philip's scrutiny with leisurely amusement, then whispered to Charlotte.
"A lady so careless as this—someone ought to keep a close watch, wouldn't you agree, Charlotte?"
Armand was clearly issuing Charlotte a warning that he would be watching her. Whether this stemmed from doubt about her being Leopold's lover, or from a desire to protect the prince he served, remained unclear.
Soon Armand departed the Drawing Room with a cunning smile, leaving silence between Philip and Charlotte.
Philip spoke first.
"I hear you lost your way during a walk—are you quite well?"
Rather than inquire about the obviously suspicious dynamic between Armand and Charlotte, he showed gentlemanly concern for her welfare. Charlotte felt anew how thoughtful and kind Philip was, and she nodded in affirmation.
Philip smiled with evident relief and continued.
"You've been exposed to the cold air for quite some time, so I believe it would be better for us to converse here instead."
Philip glanced briefly at Charlotte, whose nose had taken on a faint rosy hue from the long walk with Armand, then proceeded.
"You may recall that I served aboard the HMS Undaunted, the vessel that transported Napoleon into exile."
(*HMS Undaunted: The British naval ship that transported the deposed Napoleon to Elba Island in Italy in 1814)
"Ah, I believe Count Oslo mentioned it."
Charlotte recalled Count Oslo proudly introducing his son at the recent ball, and answered accordingly. Philip nodded in agreement.
"Precisely. There were several naval officers who attended alongside him, and those friends are visiting London. So the Earl's household has decided to host a ball this week in their honor."
Philip paused for a moment before continuing with a courageous tone.
"I would like to invite not only Miss Charlotte Augusta, but all of the Augusta sisters to the ball. And if you have time, I would also like to introduce my friends to Miss Charlotte separately."
Philip cast a sweet gaze toward Charlotte—utterly different from the look he had given Armand.
"This ball is a small affair held for a friend who could not attend His Highness Leopold's recent welcome reception. Of course, since Prince Leopold was unable to attend, those who cancelled their attendance at that ball were spared a wasted journey."
Charlotte was startled by Philip's remark and spoke up.
"Most people were desperate to receive an invitation to that welcome reception, yet you're saying some actually cancelled their attendance?"
Philip answered Charlotte's question kindly.
"Ah, yes. I was rather surprised myself. As you said, the invitation to the welcome reception was highly coveted. However, about three of those who received invitations cancelled their attendance—and only days before the reception, at that."
In that moment, Philip furrowed his brow slightly, as if something seemed amiss, and continued speaking.
"Now that I think about it... it was quite improper, yet curiously, all three of them refused to provide any reason for their cancellation. I do hope nothing grave has befallen them. I myself have been so preoccupied with Prince Leopold's disappearance that I haven't managed to pay my respects to them since."
As Charlotte listened to Philip's murmured words, a swift thought crossed her mind.
'They could have sent other family members, yet they cancelled entirely? As if they somehow knew His Highness would not attend the reception...?'
While Charlotte pondered this, Philip released a soft sigh and spoke.
"In any case, I'm concerned that there's no sign of resolving Prince Leopold's disappearance. At the last gathering of noble officers, a strategy meeting was held to find Prince Leopold, but no one offered any worthwhile suggestions or showed any initiative."
Philip spoke with genuine worry in his tone. Charlotte then recalled the fact that Leopold was the person Philip respected most. She asked Philip a question.
"The search parties from Holland and England are combing through London, aren't they? There's also the command of noble officers from the Royal Navy like Count Oslo... yet they haven't found any clues at all?"
"That is precisely the problem, Miss Charlotte. His Highness disappeared without leaving a trace, as if he had turned to smoke overnight. If it were the work of an enemy, there should be signs of struggle, but the place where His Highness Leopold was staying before his disappearance...."
Philip hesitated, then, seeing the sparkle in Charlotte's eyes, he uttered the next words.
"...Everything was arranged in perfect order, and her personal belongings and clothing had disappeared, or so I'm told. As if His Highness had made the decision to depart for somewhere."
"What? Are you saying that Prince Leopold isn't actually missing?"
Charlotte was taken aback upon hearing Philip's final words. The Search Party was operating under the assumption that Prince Leopold hadn't been abducted at all, but had deliberately chosen to vanish. Charlotte, who knew better than anyone that this wasn't the truth, spoke with urgency in her voice.
"Did the Search Party investigate the correct locations? After all, members of the royal family often keep their residences secret, don't they? The places where Leopold is publicly known to stay, or even the dates when His Highness arrived in London—all of that could be wrong, couldn't it? So...."
Philip listened to Charlotte's anxious words and spoke with an expression that mingled surprise and admiration.
"Indeed... Miss Charlotte, you are far wiser than I gave you credit for. It's remarkable that you would think of such a detail so quickly—something most search parties and officers wouldn't have considered."
Philip stepped closer to her, genuinely impressed by her reasoning. As he did, his beautiful golden hair caught the light of the setting sun and gleamed.
"You are quite right, Miss Charlotte. It appears that Prince Leopold came to England under an assumed identity before the reception. Likely for sensitive political reasons. Because of this, only a handful of people knew where the Prince was staying while concealing his true identity."
Charlotte bit her lip upon hearing Philip's words. Fortunately, unlike Armand, Philip didn't seem to find it suspicious that she knew of Leopold's confidential schedule.
Philip continued in a melancholy tone.
"However, according to our investigation thus far, among those whom His Highness met while under his assumed identity, there was no one who would have reason to abduct or harm him. The investigation has become increasingly muddled, and now speculation has even arisen that perhaps Prince Leopold disappeared of his own volition."
"But that couldn't possibly...."
Charlotte let out a small sigh, her expression growing sorrowful.
'I thought that with the Search Party mobilized, whatever had happened to Prince Leopold would be resolved quickly. But they haven't found a single clue so far, and now they're thinking that His Highness disappeared of his own accord.... The investigation seems to be heading in a far more mistaken direction than I feared.'
Philip, observing Charlotte's disappointed expression, decided he should change the subject of their conversation. While he enjoyed discussing politics and current affairs with Charlotte, the topic of Prince Leopold seemed only to sadden her.
"Miss Charlotte...."
Philip spoke carefully. A gentle smile played upon his pink lips.
"I don't believe I've yet heard your answer regarding whether you will attend the Ball. I do hope you will attend, Miss Charlotte. We made a promise before, after all...."
"A promise?"
Charlotte ceased her thoughts about Leopold and turned her gaze to Philip. At the innocence in her eyes, Philip's smile deepened. He spoke in his courteous manner.
"At the welcome ball, I promised Miss Charlotte Augusta that I would dance with her, and I vowed to create another opportunity for us to do so."
"Oh!"
Charlotte let out a soft exclamation upon remembering Philip's promise. The dance with Philip that she had been unable to perform when Leopold went missing—she had thought at the time that he was merely being polite, yet it seemed Philip had carried that promise in his heart all this while.
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