Just Like Magic

Chapter 14: Mysterious Women and Missings

As the sun rose on Vumaedal, Lord Isembart awoke on his bed. He rubbed his eyes and turned over in the bed but jumped slightly when he turned to face a woman in his bed. At first, he thought it was his fiance, but immediately, he knew it wasn't when he remembered that she went home sick during the ball, while the woman in front of him was bare. Lord Isembart sat up and felt a tremendous draft blow by, and he realized he was also in the nude, lying underneath the sheets. 

   ' Did I? '

Bobby Isembart leaned over and slightly turned the woman around, showing her face, and he felt his spirit sink when Eve's face was revealed, and it wasn't yours. Quickly, Lord Isembart stood from the bed but gasped, seeing his clothes on the floor, with the woman's ripped emerald dress, lying on the floor. His heart continued to sink further, and he picked up his clothes and shoved them in his dresser before grabbing new garments. 

After changing, he left the woman in the bedroom and went to the living room. The fire in the fireplace had gone out, and the burnt wood logs were sitting on the fireplace with no energy left in them. 

   " Arlutrix! "

Lord Isembart pounded on the wall where the hidden door was, trying to get his servant out of the quiet room. However, there was no response, and the door didn't answer. Lord Isembart stepped back from the door, angry, but soon his attention was drawn to the corner of the fireplace, where a note lay. He grabbed it, reading the cursive handwriting. 

My Lord, I discovered that Y/n ran off last night. I informed you last night, but you said that it could wait until the wedding to be handled. So I decided to run after her, seeing as your mind would change this morning. I will be as fast as possible to retrieve her and return her to your estate.

Lord Isembart's shoulders sagged, feeling better after reading the note. Now he only had one other person to deal with, and he had time to make a deal with her to keep their nightly affair a secret.

In the woods, miles from the town, you traveled through the woods, feeling free. Finally, you had gotten an impressive mile away from the kingdom on foot. The boots you wore protected your feet from damage, but your feet moved sluggishly as you grew tired. Without any sleep from the night, you were yawning, growing more tired by the hour.

   ' If I can make it to a decent spot, I can rest for a few minutes. '

You knew that everyone in the Isembart Manor knew you were gone, so you had to keep moving, but you were so tired. After another hour of walking, you found a small place to sleep. You stumbled upon a tiny village made up of only seven buildings. Further into the town, you spotted a barn and decided that would be the best place to sleep for an hour before continuing your journey through the kingdom. 

Being so sleep-deprived, you didn't knock on the owner's house door and instead went into the barn, collapsing on a pile of hay and falling asleep quickly.