I hadn't seen Carla since our first meeting.
She didn't appear in any of the places she frequented.
‘Considering the timing and the situation, I think the problem is me.’
This strange change couldn’t be explained otherwise.
I thought I had ended things amicably, but maybe it wasn’t the case for Carla.
Maybe she found my face so displeasing that she couldn't even bear to look at me?
‘No way it went that well.’
I was ashamed of myself for even thinking that for a second.
Now I understand why everyone else was so worried.
“I don’t understand.”
“That’s what I meant when I said you were overthinking it.”
I answered Elodie, who looked unconvinced.
Elodie and Selena were standing in front of me, both with awkward expressions.
Lily, Arald, and Pielott were away, discussing matters with the family from Aias’ side.
Elodie asked, still confused.
“I didn’t do anything. In fact, I’m starting to think that not doing anything is the problem.”
From the beginning, I had decided not to get too involved.
And that decision never wavered, from the moment I met Carla to the moment we parted ways.
Selena tilted her head.
“That’s even stranger. I understand losing interest in you, Frondier, but to disappear completely to the point of not showing up anywhere…”
It was strange for her to completely hide just because she wasn’t interested in me. She could just ignore me.
The more I thought about it, the more plausible the theory that she hated seeing my face became.
Selena’s expression darkened as she spoke.
“If Ms. Carla has been building continuous relationships and friendships, it’s extremely strange for her to cut them all off just because one person makes her uncomfortable. Unless a bug with trauma appeared, it's more plausible to believe that an unexpected event occurred."
“You think I reminded her of that bug?”
“……That actually makes even less sense, Frondier.”
Well, that’s true. I felt like I had taken some mental damage after struggling with something that I thought would go smoothly.
“Something else unexpected.”
Elodie responded to my words.
“Carla uses her beauty to make deals. If it’s a mutually beneficial deal, she doesn’t need to use her looks. Conversely, that means she has to use her beauty for that particular deal.”
“……So, you’re saying that there’s a high probability that she was making unfair deals that only benefited her?”
“The man on the receiving end of the deal might not care when he’s smitten with Carla, but once he comes to his senses, he might resent the deal he made. Those men, or their associates, could be threatening Carla.”
It was just one of many possibilities, but it was plausible.
Besides, I hadn’t seen Carla defend herself yet.
The fact that I hadn't seen it meant that there was a high probability that others hadn't either.
Just because I hadn't seen it didn't mean she couldn't defend herself, but someone blinded by rage might think so.
“Ultimately, we need to find out where Carla is.”
Damn it, I really missed Gregory at times . He would have found her in no time. No one ever went ‘missing’ while Gregory was by my side.
“If Carla isn’t in immediate danger, we’ll run into her eventually, even if we don’t want to.”
“……That’s true. She is the Headmaster of Atlas.”
Carla didn’t make many appearances at Atlas, but that didn't mean she canceled all of her engagements. She couldn't.
Carla had to appear at public events or gatherings held at Atlas. That is, if nothing had really happened to her.
“And even if she doesn’t show up, she’s probably in contact with people from Atlas. If there’s no big commotion at Atlas, then the Headmaster shouldn’t be in any immediate danger.”
“I guess so. Maybe she's just tired of all the nobles and is resting at home.”
“……That sounds weird coming from you.”
I looked at Elodie, who said that with narrowed eyes, and thought for a moment.
Public events at Atlas.
So, you’re saying that Carla will appear if there’s an event similar to the one at Constel?
“……I guess I don’t have to wait for someone else to do it.”