"Now then. About your sister going missing."
After keeping an eye on Clara until she actually walked inside the building, Adrianna breathed out and said.
As she did, she also walked past Ace and casually grabbed the bathing utensils that her younger sister threw at the green-haired man and beckoned him to approach the tub he slept in.
"It's okay. I can talk and groom myself."
"And I can aid you in that and listen. It actually helps me concentrate, while on the off chance you will cut yourself while shaving, it might cause suspicion. Make it seem that you were in a hurry, and given your skill, it would require a half-wit to fail to make a connection."
Ace approached Adrianna and reached out his hand, but the brown-haired woman moved her full arms out of the way and pointed out.
"Compliments are my weak spot, and I concede. Although about that skill of mine, hardly anyone believes it, so I wouldn't be suspected even going out like this."
The green-haired man chuckled before shrugging his shoulders dismissively and obediently taking off his upper clothes.
"...!"
Since he had just taken off every layer at the same time, the full brunt of his body pulled Adrianna's gaze with the gravitational force of a black hole.
Even with all her experience as a maid, her face flushed pink, and her gaze scattered to the sides in an attempt to compose herself, although it was for naught as her eyes kept darting back as if starved for the sight.
She did manage to mostly compose herself in time for the monarch to cast aside his clothes and kneel down, sitting himself on his feet before the tub.
"..."
"Well then…"
Adrianna still wouldn't be able to speak if not for the somber look on Ace's face, getting her head back to what was important.
"Doyen was leading a caravan to Koboldia town. Nothing unusual. Already completed half a dozen of such voyages. But this time, the whole caravan went missing. There is no contact with any of the members. There were no attempts to contact us back either. Her caravan never made it to Koboldia town. The kobolds have no idea what could have happened, either. Since we were forbidden from sending a search expedition, we asked for their help. They discovered a battleground around a week away from their town, but no traces of the caravan. Iro did say something felt off about it, though. As if there should be some traces left, but there were cleared out by someone."
As Adrianna began assisting him, Ace explained, staring into the distance with a bitter expression.
"...you think that Emeraldios Empire did something?"
"Why else would they explicitly forbid us from sending in a search party?"
The woman asked while foaming up the green-haired man's stubble and waited for his answer before putting a razor to his face.
"Would there be any reason for them to single out a member of the Adonis family?"
Adrianna asked, shaking off the foam mixed with hair off the blade and waiting for an answer before her next move.
"Hundreds, actually. Most likely more. But all of our informants claim that it isn't the case. So either they all were discovered and fed false info, or the Empire is making things hard for us just for the sake of it."
Ace snickered bitterly as Adrianna lifted his chin to shave his throat and pressed the top of his head against her stomach.
"There could be a valid reason for it too, though… not that I can think of one off the top of my head, but still… Have you considered asking for help from my lady?"
Adrianna said with hesitation before asking, stopping her blade.
"Her Grace? Of course. I sent three urgent letters, but since you are asking, it means none have reached her."
Ace said in a dispirited voice, letting the woman turn his head to the side.
"Something about this situation feels off… What about your sister? Does she have enemies? Or maybe the enemies of your family would target her specifically?"
Adrianna furrowed her brows and slid her finger across Ace's cheek, checking for the stubble she might have missed.
"No, for the first one. Yes, for the second one. It wouldn't be the first time Doyen was kidnapped, Although it makes it only so much more infuriating."
"...how so…?"
The green-haired monarch shook his head while the woman was cleaning his face from the remains of the foam and began to work on his hair.
"Doyen was a merchant prodigy since birth. Keen business sense, decisive, even her ability, Winner's Intuition, although a common type, would give her a general sense of whether something would be a good or bad choice. It wasn't omnipotent, though, and listening to it too much led to the first abduction…. You're doing that with a razor? You don't intend to clean shave my head, do you?"
"Beggars can't be choosers, Your Highness. And no, I'm only trimming. About the first kidnapping, could it be that the same people have something to do with this one?"
Ace said before furrowing his brows and inquiring about a haircutting method he wasn't familiar with, making Adrianna roll her eyes at him before asking.
"Impossible. They are dead."
The answer was short and sounded bitter.
"...how can you be so sure about it…?"
"Because after the rescue operation failed, leaving Doyen's forehead scarred and causing one of her eyes to be permanently stuck in the corner, we discovered that a branch family of ours is involved..."
Adrianna froze up and asked, but Ace only shrugged as he revealed in a flat voice.
"And I killed them all. The branch family and the thugs they hired, that is. I didn't have this weapon back then, so I had no means of properly incapacitating them… not that I would even consider that back then."
"...eh…?"
Ace added, showing off the golden weapon now in its basic knife form, causing Adrianna to let out a baffled gasp.
"But… but my lady… she said that you try to never kill humans…!"
"Oh? She's aware of that, I see."
She mumbled, making the man smirk dismissively.
"That policy of mine was a direct result of me rescuing my sister. I am ashamed to say that at least part of her trauma is connected with me killing the thugs in front of her and then walking with her through the corpses of other accomplices. That's why I vowed to her that I would do my utmost best not to kill members of intelligent races if I could help it. Of course, that didn't make her trauma disappear, but I would like to believe that it helped a little bit… I mean, after she had confirmation that I am keeping my word."
Ace revealed with a cold look in his captivating eyes.
"Wait... how... how old were you when that happened...?"
Adrianna flinched in sudden realization and inquired in a worried voice.
"Eleven."