* * *
The Grand Duke chuckled and sat up, pulling Ed into his lap in one swift motion.
“Well, we do this.”
Ed stifled a laugh, leaning his face against the Duke’s shoulder and closing his eyes.
Meanwhile, Ronen was deep in thought, flipping through the pages of a small notebook.
Finally, he set his pen down with a thud.
“What should I do, Roa?”
The fox sprawled lazily on the sofa perked its ears.
“I have no idea what animal my mask should be.”
Ronen puffed his cheeks slightly, leaning deeply into the backrest of the sofa.
Jaynon had described the northern masquerade ball as an exciting festival, where people, deprived of social interactions during the cold winter, would gather and celebrate together.
Swinging his legs lightly off the edge of the sofa, Ronen picked up a fairy tale book from the table and opened it to a random page.
On it was an illustration of a small cat sitting daintily.
“Look, Roa! Isn’t it cute? It kind of looks like you.”
Ronen held the book up to the fox, who was yawning lazily with its head on its paws, before sighing softly.
Though he’d gone back and forth to the library, browsing countless animal illustrations, he still hadn’t found the perfect one.
“But I’m going to match my mask with my brother’s, so cute animals might not work.”
Flicking through the book idly, Ronen’s gaze drifted over the illustrations.
“They said they’d tailor my outfit to match the mask, so I really need to decide soon.”
Determined not to leave things unresolved, Ronen sprang to his feet.
With books and his notebook tucked under his arm, he headed out of the room with Roa trotting by his side.
The darkened hallway felt chilly, but the sound of Roa’s steady footsteps beside him made it less daunting.
After walking for a while, Ronen stopped in front of Ed’s room, pressing his ear to the door.
Roa, curious about his actions, mimicked him by poking its snout against the door.
Laughing quietly, Ronen said, “Ed was sick not too long ago.”
Roa let out a soft whine, as if understanding.
“That’s why I need to check if he’s inside. He might still be resting… huh? Roa, I can’t hear anything.”
Was he really asleep?
Ronen tilted his head in confusion as Roa began pawing at the door. Then, quite by accident, the door creaked open.
Startled, Ronen stepped back before cautiously peeking inside through the narrow gap.
“Ed’s not here. Where did he go?”
Ronen glanced around the room, scanning every corner before murmuring softly with a small exclamation.
“Could he be working with my brother?”
‘If that’s the case, maybe I should just head back and try again tomorrow morning. He might be busy,’ he thought.
But when Roa, the small fox at his side, walked a few steps ahead and looked back at him as if urging him to follow, Ronen changed his mind.
“Alright! Let’s go!”
Kang-kang.
Roa answered briefly and began walking ahead, prompting Ronen to quietly follow.
However, when Ed was nowhere to be found in his brother’s study, Ronen grew pensive.
“Could he be at the dining hall?”
Recalling Ed’s increased appetite lately, Ronen spun around, only for Roa to stick close to his heels.
“Let’s check the dining hall one last time.”
As Ronen crouched and whispered, Roa brushed against his leg as if agreeing.
Still, Ed wasn’t at the dining hall either.
Wandering cautiously through the quiet northern castle, Ronen eventually slumped his shoulders in disappointment, dragging his feet as he walked.
Roa tugged at his pants with his teeth.
“Why, Roa? Are you saying we should keep looking because it feels incomplete to stop now?”
When Roa tugged at his trousers again, Ronen hesitated briefly before nodding resolutely.
“Alright! Let’s search just a little more!”
This search led them through the reception room, the greenhouse, and even the storage room prepared by the duke, but Ed was nowhere to be seen.
Ronen tilted his head in confusion.
‘It’s late at night… Where could he have gone?’
As he opened the heavy storage door to peer inside, Ronen realized the book he had been holding was now crumpled.
‘This is a library book—I can’t let it get damaged.’
Entering the storage room cautiously with Roa, Ronen found a useful item.
“This should work.”
It was a pouch designed for travelers who needed to carry many items.
Ronen picked it up, placed the book and a notebook inside, and slung the pouch across his shoulder with its strap.
After lightly patting the now-bulging pouch, Ronen looked up to meet Roa’s gaze.
“Shall we head out again?”
Kang!
Encouraged by the fox’s reply, Ronen stroked its back before leaving the storage room.
“Places Ed might go… the dining hall, reception room, greenhouse, storage, laundry room, research lab…”
Muttering about the unexpectedly long list, Ronen met Roa’s eyes with determination.
“We’ll find him somehow! Roa has a sharp nose, and I…”
He paused for a moment before exclaiming confidently, “…am great at hide-and-seek!”
Roa barked affirmatively, making Ronen grin as he gave his magical lamp a small shake.
“Where should we go first? Maybe back to the main building—Ed might have returned to his room. Or should we check the outer building since we haven’t been there yet?”
As Ronen pondered aloud, Roa, trotting alongside him, suddenly stopped.
The fox sniffed the air, lifted its head, and bolted forward.
“Huh? Roa! Where are you going?”
Calling out, Ronen waved the lamp to illuminate the path as he followed.
Roa paused and looked back, waiting for him.
“We need to stick together, right?”
Roa, reassured by Ronen’s breath misting in the cold air as he caught up, darted into a small bush.
Ronen tilted his head in confusion at the fox’s strange behavior, but as he raised his eyes, he caught sight of something and blinked in surprise.
Someone was crossing the bridge connecting the main and outer buildings.
Who could that be? Could it be Ed?
Ronen raised the magical lamp high to illuminate the figure on the bridge, ready to dash up the stairs if it was Ed.
However, the light didn’t reach far enough.
Squinting, Ronen tried to make out the silhouette.
‘It’s too far to see clearly, but the build looks much bigger than Ed’s…’
As Ronen stood still, scrutinizing the figure, Roa emerged from the bush and tugged insistently at his pants.
“Oh, right.”
Snapping out of his thoughts at Roa’s urgency, Ronen realized the importance of staying discreet.
If anyone spotted him wandering the castle late at night, his quiet search would all be for nothing.
‘If they see me, they’ll just tell me to go back to my room.’
Imagining the possible scolding, Ronen crouched low and extinguished the lamp.
His heart raced as if it would burst.
What had started as his search for Ed had now turned into something else entirely.
‘Waving the lamp earlier might’ve been a mistake. What if I get caught because of that?’
Praying the person on the bridge wouldn’t notice him, Ronen held his breath and shut his eyes tightly.
“Ronen, what are you doing here?”
The familiar voice made Ronen’s eyes snap open.
‘It’s my brother!’
Looking up, he saw the duke, who had been a mere shadow on the bridge, standing right in front of him.
“Brother, were you at the outer building?”
Ronen stood, brushing off the grass as Roa circled the duke curiously.
“Yes. But why are you out here so late?”
“Well, about that…”
As Ronen explained, he relit the magical lamp and widened his eyes.
His brother was holding someone, fast asleep, in his arms.
Ronen immediately recognized the faint golden hair and soft breathing.
“Is that Ed?”
Lowering his voice, Ronen asked, and his brother gave a small nod.
* * *
