"My daughter is not home," Mr. Ashcombe answered after the initial shock.
General Robert frowned when he heard this. "When will she be back?" he asked. He just wanted to get things done as soon as possible.
"We don’t know," Mr. Ashcombe replied. His daughter had left to follow the kind lady. She even asked them to forget they had a daughter like her. How could they know when she would return or if she would return at all?
"How can you not know? What happened to her?" General Robert’s gaze became cold. He hated that every time he found a lead, he would unexpectedly hit a wall.
"General, we are just poor farmers. We would not dare lie to you. If you don’t believe me, you can search our house," seeing his cold gaze mr Ashcombe thought he doubted his words. "A few days ago, our daughter was taken away by some men because we couldn’t pay our debt. She came back a few hours later saying she had met a kind lady who had helped pay our debt. I tried to ask about the lady’s identity, but my daughter did not know.
"She handed us some money and told us to use it to take care of ourselves. Then she left home to follow the lady. We haven’t heard from her since. Before leaving, she even told us to forget we ever had a daughter like her." As Mr. Ashcombe spoke, he could not hide the sadness in his voice. His wife, by this time, was already in tears. Thıs content belongs to NoveI★Fire.net
Elfrida was their first child. After having her, Mrs. Ashcombe had fallen ill and could not get pregnant for a few years. So they had treated her like their treasure until she managed to bear two younger sons. Their family was simple, and they had been happy. All of this had started because he had been sick, and they needed money for medical treatment. If he had known things would turn out this way, it would have been better if he had died.
A parent should protect their child, not the other way around. The family had been grieving ever since they lost their daughter, not knowing if they would ever see her again. They kept staring at the twenty silver coins, unable to decide whether to spend them or not.
Mr. Ashcombe understood his daughter’s intention. Their family had already given up all the harvest from their farm. Even if she returned home, there was no money to live on. They might be worse off than before. He was still sick and needed medicine and food. But without food, what use was the medicine?
So, thinking the lady who saved her was kind, she decided to take a chance.
If she could serve the lady and earn money, she would be able to support their family. Otherwise, with the twenty silver coins, they could manage the household until the next farming season and survive on their little land.
Mr. Ashcombe felt a heavy weight on his heart whenever he thought about his daughter’s actions, but he could not stop her. With his weak body, how could he ever repay a hundred silver coins? Their family needed the money. Moreover, his daughter was just like him; stubborn. She would not listen to reason. So for the past few days, he and his wife had consoled themselves with the belief that their daughter was blessed.
She had been fortunate to meet a kind lady before she was thrown into a pleasure house. Her future could only get better, and they believed they would meet again in a few years.
But now that the kind lady turned out to be the missing princess, they could no longer hold on to such hope. Seeing the helpless look on the couple’s faces, General Robert sighed.
"Did your daughter tell you where she was going to meet the kind lady?" he asked. His gaze was no longer cold. He, too, had a daughter and knew how much it would hurt to lose her.
Steward Gray, who was standing nearby, felt his heart skip a beat when he heard the question. He had been unaware that the girl had returned to the princess’s side that day. What worried him most was the possibility of the caravan being mentioned. He had lied so much, and if the truth came out, he feared it would be the end of him.
"She said she was going to meet her at Wiwell Shore," Mr. Ashcombe replied.
Hearing this, Steward Gray let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, General Robert had been focused on the couple and missed his reaction.
"She left for the shore that day, and you haven’t seen or heard from her since?" General Robert asked. Although he felt sorry for the couple, he still had to gather as much information as possible.
"Yes, we have not seen or heard from her," Mr. Ashcombe confirmed.
General Robert studied the two; they appeared honest. But since he was determined not to leave any stone unturned, he ordered his men to search the house. "Don’t break anything," he said. He didn’t want to add to the suffering of this already devastated family.
The soldiers went in and performed a quick search. They tried their best to be gentle. Observing their conduct, Mr. Ashcombe felt they were at least somewhat considerate.
"There is no other lady in the house," the soldiers reported one after another, shaking their heads. It meant there were no clues left behind either.
"If you hear from your daughter in the next few days, you must report it immediately to Steward Gray," General Robert said before turning and leaving.
This time, he decided to visit the farmhouse where the princess had stayed, but there was no new information.
This truly frustrated General Robert. He had taken on the case two days ago, and there was still no lead. The king had only given him three days to find the princess.
"Draw a portrait of Miss Ashcombe. Perhaps she might be the link to finding the princess. Ask around to see if anyone saw her at the shore that day," General Robert instructed his men after analyzing the situation. He felt that discovering what happened to Miss Ashcombe might offer a clue to the princess’s whereabouts.
He then sent a message to the commander of the group, asking if Anastasia had taken in a new maid just before they left Wiwell.