"Oh god! Are we going to die? Don't tell me that we are going to die here. Sherry, you promised me that I would not be discovered! So why is the investigator in my room with Layla and Henry?"

Austin asked his maid as he fled from his room with her help. He had taken one of the secret passages that led him outside.

His maid was running before him, now leading the way outside. But she was getting tired of her master asking her the same question repeatedly.

"I don't know, young master. Maybe it is because the Duke decided to get involved in this mess. This has never happened before, so I cannot answer anything."

The maid felt a headache coming as she tried to find her way out of this mess.

The last time she had been in these tunnels was when she had gotten lost a few years ago.

It had been a coincidence that she had found her way out. But it did not seem like she would be that lucky this time. These hallways were begging to look the same to her, and the deeper she went, the more her instincts told her that she was heading the wrong way.

"B-But you should have known that this would happen. Didn't you tell me you knew everything that would happen and that you were the best maid? How can you make those claims now and-"

Austin asked, but Sherry had enough. The maid grabbed the kid by his throat, and she picked him up.

Her eyes looked at Austin right in the eyes, and the kid went quiet and stopped fighting.

"Listen here, you dumb shit! The only reason you are alive is because I am keeping you alive. You would not even be here if not for me and my generosity. So you better stop blaming me and start getting your shit together."

Sherry's anger burned at Austin's confidence, and he felt slightly more subdued.

He almost stepped back before remembering that his feet no longer touched the ground.

His scared eyes looked at Sherry, and she finally threw the kids back at his feet so he could follow her.

"I-I-"

Austin felt more scared of Sheery than before, but he dared not say it out of fear she would get angry at him again.

It worked, and Sherry quickly walked past him toward the exit, where she could finally see clearly.

The pair exited the forest, and Sherry breathed a sigh of relief.

She whistled once she was finally free, and a hawk landed on her outstretched wrist with the grace that not even humans possessed.

"Here, take my message back and ask for backups. My cover has been blown, and I can no longer work for those people as a spy. Go and deliver this message to my comrades."

Sherry spoke to the hawk before it flew away.

This hawk was her last hope to be able to reach her superiors. But until help arrived, she needed to hide and run.

...

The investigation had hit a dead end when the investigator led them to Austin's room.

It was clear that Austin and his maid had been the culprits of what happened, but nothing could be done until the pair was caught.

"I cannot track those two any longer. It's as if some magic is preventing me from accessing their location. I am sorry, but this might be my limit."

The investigator gave up easily, raising his hands in defeat. He looked sorry for his lack of effort, but Layla shook her head at the man.

"It's fine! You did your best. Mary, do you know anything about this place?"

Layla asked as she turned toward her companion. Mary's smile said it all - she knew of a way out, and she knew it well.

"Of course, miss! I am sure that Sir Austin and his maid, Sherry, escaped with the help of secret tunnels that connect this castle. If you would like, then I can lead the way for you."

Mary offered, and Layla nodded.

They were about to head out when Henry spoke up to voice his complaint.

"We cannot do that. Those passages are made for emergencies, and only the Duke's trusts can access them. We cannot take an outside in those tunnels. I am opposed to it. If you want to go to those secret passages, you must fight me first!"

Henry stood firmly in front of the trio as he voiced his complaint.

He looked adamant in his decision, and his proud look told Layla he was unwilling to back away. This had only one solution in her mind.

*Sigh*

"Fine, suit yourself."

Layla's words caused Henry to peak up, and he looked pleased. But it was too soon for him to start celebrating because Layla raised her hand and performed a spell to knock Henry out.

Layla succeeded only because she took Henry by surprise, and he could not counter her in time.

Henry's body hit the ground hard, and he had a small swelling on his right arm, which also looked broken due to the fall.

"Ouch! That looks painful. Lord Henry is lucky that he did not hit his head and injure it during this fall. But he might have some trouble with his hand for a while. What should we do now?"

Mary asked, and Layla did the only logical thing she could under these circumstances.

"Lay him on the bed for now and call a doctor. We will deal with him later. We should head out and catch up with our culprits for now."

Layla ordered, and Mary quickly followed her words.

Now that one problem had been dealt with, it was time to deal with the other.

"Mister Investigator, you did not see anything that happened here. If anyone asks, you will tell them you have no idea how Henry got hurt, alright?"

Layla asked as she turned toward the investigator. The older man flinched before he corrected his posture with a relieved sigh.

"Huh! What do you mean, young miss! Nothing happened here."