Their assumptions were correct. The man who was slumped on the floor was Mischa. He was holding the body of a beautiful girl covered in blood.
His body was battered and there was a gunshot wound on his chest. They saw a pool of blood in the corner of the room and signs of a body being dragged towards Mischa.
Nicolae immediately concluded that Mischa was tied in the corner of the room and the perpetrators tortured him and then forced him to see the woman he loved being killed cruelly. Once satisfied, they then left.
Then, Mischa must have freed himself and dragged his own body to approach Lisa, who was lying lifeless. He must have frozen in his place while hugging the girl's body, which was now getting cold.
Nicolae felt there was no need to interrogate Mischa about what happened. What's important was taking care of his wounds and taking the man away from there.
Nicolae immediately crouched down and examined the wounds on Mischa's body. The man's condition was very severe, but not life-threatening. Nicolae was both relieved and impressed.
On the one hand, he was happy because Mischa would not die, but on the other hand, he was surprised and worried ...
Why did the bad guys deliberately let Mischa live?
If they really wanted to stop Mischa from preventing their accomplices to kidnap Vega, wouldn't it be safer for them to finish him off together with Lisa?
What was their real intention?
All of this made him wonder. Nicolae turned to Marion, who had looked around and made sure there were no other people besides them at the inn. The girl also took many photos for later use as investigation material.
"Marion ... We have to take Mischa away from here. Did you bring any medicine with you?" Nicolae asked. Marion approached them and nodded.
"I brought wound medicine. Apply it to the wounds, so they don't get infected and can heal quickly." The girl pulled out a small bottle from her pocket and handed it to Nicolae. "By the way, all this looks very suspicious to me..."
Nicolae nodded in agreement. Apparently, Marion thought the same. "I think so too. Please get some water from the sink."
Marion took the bowl from the table and filled it with water from the sink and handed it to Nicolae. The girl then took a towel from the bathroom and put it next to Mischa. "Clean the wound first. I'll take the first-aid kit from the car."
After saying that, Marion left immediately. She returned five minutes later with a first aid kit box and opened it on the floor. She took out bandages, scissors, and so on. Nicolae had undressed Mischa and very gently asked him to release Lisa's body from his embrace.
"Mischa ... let me treat your wounds. Later, you can avenge Lisa's death. Now, you must recover first. We need you to track and chase those people ..."
Mischa did not answer. His face froze, and his eyes grieved. But he understood Nicolae's words. When the man pulled Lisa away from his arms, Mischa did not hold her back. Tears streamed down his face as he closed his eyes and mourned Lisa's death silently.
With a clean towel given by Marion, Nicolae cleaned the wounds on Mischa's upper body and then applied the wound medicine. Because Mischa's clothes were all covered in blood, they took a robe from the closet and draped it over his body.
"We must leave as soon as possible," Nicolae said. He signaled to Marion, and the girl swiftly took Mischa's clothes and removed all traces that showed their presence there.
Nicolae handed the car key to Marion's hand and led Mischa out of the inn.
"Lisa ..." Mischa muttered weakly. He tilted his head, trying to take look at the woman he loved once more before he left.
"Sorry, we can't take her. She's gone," Nicolae said gently. His voice was filled with sympathy. "Let the police take care of the murder case here. Later, we will arrange for her body to be brought to Paris, and you can see her there."
Mischa was stunned again. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He closed his eyes and held back his emotions. He realized, his priority now was to recover so that he could avenge Lisa's death.
Finally, he nodded. Silently, Nicolae led him out of the inn to his car which was parked on the side of the road. Marion followed behind him, erasing their every trace.
Ten minutes later, they had left downtown Provins and returned to Paris.
***
Everyone was tired and distraught, but no one wanted to rest. Elios and Aleksis haven't slept at all since they received the news of Vega's abduction. Elios' body was stronger physically, but Aleksis started to look weak. When she got up from the chair to get a drink, suddenly her body staggered and she fell to the floor.
Elios, who was beside her, quickly held his wife's body and hugged her. He knew that Aleksis was experiencing extreme mental stress.
"Honey ... you should rest. Let me take care of all this. You must stay healthy for our children," he whispered in a soft voice. He felt the same pressure, but he tried not to show his emotions in front of people. "I will accompany you in the bedroom. You must sleep."
Without waiting for Aleksis's answer, he carried her body in his arms and brought her to the room. Aleksis wanted to refuse, but then she realized that Elios was right.
After Elios laid Aleksis' body on the bed, the girl pulled his hand and gripped it with all her might. "What ... what if something happened to Vega?"
Her voice sounded so heartbreaking that it tore Elios' heart into little pieces. He deeply regretted letting his children live life like ordinary people. Although he provided security, still, things like this could happen.
According to him, the safest place in the world for his children was within his sights. After all, this had passed, he would not have let them be in danger again. He would never take his eyes off of them.
"Nothing will happen," Elios persuaded. "I'll make sure Vega will be fine ..."
Aleksis really wanted to trust her husband. However, this morning she was forced to see that Elios still had not been able to obtain any information about who Vega kidnappers were. Elios didn't know what they wanted, why they were doing it, and what was their daughter's fate.
All this makes the dam of emotion she tried to hold back all night, now crumbled. Aleksis started wailing in deep grief. Her cry was so poignant that everyone who heard it immediately felt sad.
Lauriel and Caspar especially felt like their hearts were being stabbed with a knife. Lauriel was her godfather, and Caspar was her biological father, and they loved her to bits as the only daughter in their big family.
The daughter they loved so much, whom they were willing to die for, was now experiencing grief worse than death. They really understood how it felt to lose a child. Thirty-five years ago, they had to face such a dangerous situation when Aleksis was kidnapped by Alexei, Caspar's nemesis, and she almost died.
Really ... they did not expect Aleksis to experience such misfortune like this. Losing her only daughter and not knowing what happened to her...