Rei's heart was pounding like a drum. He already ordered the maids to search every nook and cranny of the castle for Ariellia. It's too late to worry about alerting the duke. The knights of the castle aren't fools, with all the commotion, they're bound to discover that the duke's daughter is missing. He just hoped they could find her before the duke got word. David had returned to complete his inspection tour of the dutchy. One word of Ariellia's disappearance and the old duke is likely to come rushing back on horseback.
At this point Rei knows the clock is ticking. He knows he can't find her alone, Rahnoff is a big city to cover. He rushes to the church to find help. The kids are happy to see him but the anxious look on his face dissuades them from rushing towards him. Kids like them are more sensitive to the moods of others, they can easily pick up that he's not his usual self. Rei makes a few quick promises to play with them later then proceeds to search for his two best friends.
"Rei!" Anya greets him with a bright smile, triumphantly standing on Riell's chest.
"Save me man, your puppy is about to bite off my head!" from the looks of it the two seem to be in the middle of a squabble.
"Shut up Riell!" Anya snaps back, before straightening her hair and clothes. "You came so early today?"
Rei gives them a troubled smile. "I wish I was here just to help you with the chores but…"
"Rei what's wrong?" Anya's emerald eyes begin to shimmer with concern. She walks over to him and places her hand on his shoulder, silently offering him her support.
He opens his mouth, but the words get stuck in his throat, given their history with Ariellia it's a lot to ask them to join his cause. He especially feels sorry towards Anya. Her last encounter with the duke's daughter hadn't been a pleasant one. He doesn't know how they'll take his request.
"Stop overthinking it man and come out with it. What's going on?" Riell's never been one for patience. The mischievous fox always preferred action to words.
There's no avoiding it then, with a deep sigh Rei begins to explain the situation. "Ariellia has been missing since morning. We suspect she disappeared last night. I need your help to search for her."
"Why?"
He's surprised by Anya's cold response. Yes, he didn't expect her to be thrilled by the idea of searching for her bully, but he didn't think she'd be so callous about the situation. She's a female just like Ariellia, Rahnoff may not be as crime ridden as some of the cities closer to the capital but that doesn't mean there's no crime. Girls who go missing tend to be sold by passing slavers on the black market. The thought of the likely horrors they would face later makes him shiver.
The few that survive the ordeal and make it back home are never the same. His heart sinks just thinking of Ariellia's bright amethyst eyes turning dull and lifeless like theirs. He knows he'd never forgive himself if she ever got harmed in that way. Anya was the last person he'd expect to be the type to nurse a grudge rather than sympathize with a fellow woman. Subconsciously he takes a step back, escaping her warmth and comfort. It seems rather fake after what she just said.
"What! How does that even happen? Does the Duke know? Oh boy, he's gonna lose his shit Rei!" At least Riell's reaction was something he could relate to. The fox Beastman was practically having a nervous breakdown, his fur tail twitching this way and that. "We have to find her!"
"Thank you." Rei lets out a sigh of relief, he's grateful for Riell's unwavering support.
"I'll search through the east side of the city. We can meet up at the docks by noon if we haven't found her by then." Not being one to sit on his hands and wait, Riell rushes off in a sprint.
Anya and Rei are left standing across from one another in an awkward silence. She seems to have realized her answer had cost her some of his faith and trust. Even if she hated Ariellia, she should have played along and offered to help him.
"R-Rei…" She hesitantly tries to recover from her fumble, but Rei doesn't have a moment to spare. Time is of the essence, Arie's life is hanging in the balance. He doesn't have time to analyze what she may have meant right now.
"We'll talk later." He swiftly turns away from her outstretched hand and heads over to the west side of town.
As he searches the local academy, questions the early morning vendors in their stores if they've seen Ariellia, he can't help but recall last night. His last conversation with her was to request a divorce. She'd seemed so calm at the time, like she'd truly given up on her infatuation with him. If it were the Ariellia from his memory she would have vehemently rejected his request. The fact that she hadn't put up a fight, fussed, or cried to gain sympathy from him is what worries him.
He'd heard from the nuns at the church before that some people are only willing to let go of their obsessions right before death. He feels troubled by the thought that his callous request might have been what pushed Arie to such a drastic decision. He noticed that after their wedding night she'd been acting differently, distancing herself from him. Could it be because he snubbed her on their wedding night? Was that the final nail in the coffin for the heart of a maiden?
Only now does he realize how insulting that must have been to an aristocrat of her status. She said she was taking the time to reflect and focus on the needs of the dutchy to help her father. Perhaps, that was just a lie to hide her shame. There's no doubt that the Ariellia he spoke to last night was different, she sounded so mature, more wary than her former brash self. Their little talk has him second guessing everything he knows.
He's heard rumors from the servants in the estate. They're all cautious of her sudden change, everyone waiting on bated breath to see when the next shoe would drop. Would she revert to being her spoiled tyrannical self, or would this newfound maturity last? Rei knows, the scariest people in life aren't the ones that loudly scream in your face. No, the scariest people are the ones that just silently act without warning.
He can't help but run his hands through his hair in frustration. After searching for several hours with still no sign of Ariellia he's lost for words. If she left on her own, she couldn't have gone far without Clad's aid. Out of breath, he takes a seat on the park bench as he tries to collect his scrambled thoughts. Is this how one should feel right after marriage? Is it normal to be considering the state of your spouse's mental stability?
He can't even pinpoint where everything went wrong. Was it Anya's kidnapping? When the two women he thought he knew suddenly turned into strangers. If only he'd gotten there sooner, he wouldn't have had to compromise. The marriage wouldn't have happened, and nothing would have changed between the three of them.
"Why the long face lad?"
"My wife is gone and I can't find her." He answered the question without much thought.
"Have you tried the Witch's forest? If I ran off with the wife of a strong lad like you, I reckon I'd want to hide there."
!
Shocked, he bolts up to his feet. He frantically searches the vicinity for the source of the foreign voice but doesn't spot a soul. In fact, bystanders warily eye him, considering his actions strange from their perspective. As strange as it is to believe some disjointed voice, he knows he can't ignore this clue. If someone had taken Arie despite all the odds, if she didn't disappear of her own accord, then the witch's forest would be their best bet of escaping pursuit. He can't keep wasting time searching the city, he needs to go there now.