"STILL NOTHING?" Daniel asked as he entered the library.
He was finally able to step away from Geoffrey after he fell asleep. He made sure there were knights guarding him, both inside and outside the room.
"They are definitely using a blockage spell," Laya answered. "I can't locate either of them."
Daniel sighed. "Geoffrey has been asking for his mother, is there any other way we can use to locate them?"
"I'm afraid that if they don't want to be found, the only way would be to break that blockage spell." Laya shrugged.
"Can you?"
"I am not a God." Laya sighed. "I can try, but I have very little to work with here, Daniel."
"Please, just do your best."
Daniel knew that he was asking too much of his old friend. She even postponed her return to the Tower for his sake, knowing that she would be scolded when she finally went back. But he really needed to find his wife, to tell her about Geoffrey and warn her about Titus.
"I promise you that I will do my best." The mage nodded in confirmation.
"Thank you, Laya." Daniel squeezed her shoulder before starting to walk toward the door. "By the way, still no word from Henry?"
"He hasn't returned yet." Laya shrugged. "Do you want me to do a locating spell on little Henry?"
"No need, I believe I know where he went." Daniel pressed his lips in a thin line.
'Family business, who are you kidding?'
The duke walked back to his room and lay next to Geoffrey after dismissing the knights. The poor boy jolted many times through his sleep. His body was tense and the expression on his face hinted at the horrible nightmare he was having.
'He'll probably need time to recover from the kidnapping.'
Daniel brought him closer to him and patted his back. "Shh, it's alright now," he whispered to his son a few times. The action seemed to be working. Geoffrey relaxed his body and his expression softened.
THE NEXT MORNING, everyone in the house was surprised to see Geoffrey. They were not sure what happened, but they were delighted to see him alive. Especially after the rumors of how his body was returned to the duke and duchess all burned and disfigured.
"Good morning," Daniel greeted Laya, who was already in the dining hall.
"Good morning." Her eyes shifted to Geoffrey in the duke's arms. "Good morning, Geoffrey." But the boy did not answer, he just buried his face in his father's chest.
She looked at Daniel who just shook his head at her.
He placed Geoffrey in his seat, then brought his chair closer to his. He had asked him if he wanted to have breakfast in the room, but he did not want to.
Daniel reckoned that after being held captive in one place, his son could not stay in the same room for a long time. He recalled one of his subordinates who was imprisoned and tortured by the enemy during the war and how agitated he got whenever he stayed in the same place for too long.
As instructed by the doctor, the chef prepared a soup and food that is easy to chew and swallow for Geoffrey.
He could barely finish a few bites the night before. Breakfast was no different, but at least he finished his bowl of soup.
"We will leave back to Salicera in an hour," Daniel announced. "Please make the necessary preparations," he ordered the maids.
"Right away, Your Grace."
"Is mama back at the castle?" Geoffrey asked.
Daniel looked at him with gentle eyes. He did not know what to tell him. The boy needed his mother but there was no way of finding Magnolia's whereabouts.
He also did not want Geoffrey to worry about his mother, to think that something had happened to her or that he might not see her again.
"Your mama is on a trip, dear," Daniel told him. "We have already sent her a letter," he lied. "It'll take some time for it to reach her, but she will return as soon as she gets it." The boy frowned. "Do you trust me, my dear?" Geoffrey nodded. "Then let's wait for Magnolia for a couple of weeks, I am sure she will come back as soon as she can."
"Alright."
"Now, I need to take care of a few things before we leave. Do you remember Victor?" Daniel asked as the knight stepped closer. "He's the commander of our knights and the strongest out of all of them," the duke added. "He will keep you company and protect you while I do some work, is that alright?"
Geoffrey hesitated for a moment, but he remembered Victor and how strong he was when he went to the training grounds. He nodded at his father before taking Victor's hand and leaving. Daniel sighed in relief.
"I was thinking," Laya started, getting the duke's attention. "Since magic is not working in locating Magnolia or Killian, maybe we should use normal ways to track them. I'm sure we can get information about the Phoenix's movements. We know that they are with them." Daniel pondered the thought for a moment.
"I shall send a few people, then."
"Actually, I would like to go myself," Laya said. "I can contact you right away if I find anything. It would make things easier."
"You're right, that sounds like a great plan." Daniel nodded.
"Then, I'll be leaving right away." The mage pushed to her feet. "I will notify you as soon as I find something."
"Thank you, Laya."
"Well, I might need a favor from you someday, so just remember how grateful you feel toward me right now."
Daniel chuckled. "Of course, I will help with whatever you need," he told her.
Laya smiled at him before she disappeared.
As Daniel left the dining hall to walk to his office, he found Henry sneaking around.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the man who had some family business to deal with."
Henry's face reddened. "I'm sorry, it took longer than I had anticipated," he apologized.
"Henry, you are playing with fire," Daniel told him. "You are a married man now, you ought to cut ties with your mistress."
"It was a marriage that was forced on me," Henry snapped back.
Daniel sighed. "You're a grown man, I cannot lecture you, nor do I have the desire to do so. But whether you wanted this marriage or not, it happened. You, your honor, your family, everything is linked to Florence now and vice versa, whether you like it or not. If you continue with this affair, you might lose more than you think."
"I'm not the first nor the last man to have a mistress, Daniel," Henry said with an exasperated tone. "You're lucky you married the woman of your choice. My wife trapped me in a marriage I never wanted. I hope you see the difference and drop this subject."
"Fine." Daniel held his hands up in surrender. "I won't bring it up again."
"Thank you."