Chapter 132:

Chapter 132: Chapter 132:

Chapter 132:

If they continued pushing forward without proper authorization, they would be giving Marquess Raven an opportunity to accuse them of interfering with the bureau’s work, and depending on how far he was willing to take things, the situation could turn into a political dispute that would distract them from the real problem.

Roseline remained silent for a moment, carefully considering Guinevere’s words before finally reaching a decision.

"Fine, then. Continue to proceed like this, and make sure that our people don’t do anything unnecessary that might draw attention to their activities." Roseline waved her hand dismissively.

"Understood, my lady."

"And if word of his location comes through, inform me immediately."

Guinevere paused for a moment upon hearing that particular instruction.

Although Osborne was her mistress’s husband, Roseline had never been the sort of person to let her emotions interfere with her judgment, and given the number of matters currently demanding her attention, Guinevere found it a little surprising that she wanted to be notified immediately.

"Might I ask why, my lady?" She eventually asked in a polite tone, keeping her head slightly lowered as she waited for Roseline to explain her reasoning.

Roseline raised an eyebrow, seemingly amused by the question, before leaning forward and resting her elbows against the desk.

"Is it strange for me to want to drag him back here myself?"

She scoffed, her expression carrying a mixture of annoyance and disbelief as she recalled everything that had happened since Osborne disappeared.

"That fool has caused us more problems during his departure than he did while he was here, and I simply want to relieve some of my frustrations first."

Guinevere stared at her for a brief moment before a soft chuckle escaped her lips, as she found it difficult to imagine anyone other than Osborne managing to irritate Roseline this much without even being present.

"Understood, my lady."

She offered a polite bow before turning around and leaving the study, closing the door behind her.

---

A pile of old wood was pushed aside within a mucky alley, revealing a hole beneath the ground that had been hidden from sight.

Osborne jumped out of the hole, landing lightly on the muddy ground before quickly looking around to make sure nobody had noticed his sudden appearance, and only after confirming that the alley was empty did he finally allow himself to relax.

"I’m guessing this was how they were able to avoid being seen after kidnapping her."

He stared at the hole for a moment, trying to imagine how the passage had been constructed, as well as how long it had been used by the people responsible for the woman’s disappearance.

The tunnel beneath the house had led him to this alley, which was located some distance away from the building, and considering how little attention the place received from the people passing through the area, it was the perfect location for someone who wanted to move around without being noticed.

Unfortunately, discovering the tunnel hadn’t brought him any closer to finding the missing woman, since the passage had only served as a way to leave the house without using the front door, and there was nothing inside it that could tell him where the kidnappers had gone afterwards.

Osborne had initially hoped that the tunnel would lead him directly to the scene of the crime, much like the hidden passages he had discovered back at the McClain Barony, but it seemed that he wasn’t going to be that lucky this time.

He had already searched the tunnel from beginning to end, carefully examining the walls and the ground for anything that might offer him a clue, yet his efforts had produced nothing useful apart from the discovery of this exit.

’Well, this is troublesome.’

Osborne let out a quiet sigh as he looked at the opening beneath the pile of wood, feeling that he had reached another dead end despite the progress he had made earlier.

He had accepted the quest out of curiosity, but he hadn’t expected the investigation to become this troublesome, especially since he had only intended to take a quick look at the house before deciding whether the matter was worth pursuing any further.

However, after spending so much time investigating the place, he couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed that he had nothing to show for his efforts.

"If I knew this was going to happen, I would’ve spent more time resting instead."

He muttered under his breath before bending down and grabbing the pile of old wood, carefully moving it back over the hole until the entrance was hidden from sight once again.

Although he had no intention of leaving the passage exposed for anyone to discover, he couldn’t deny that his interest in the case was beginning to fade, especially since he had already spent a considerable amount of time looking for clues without finding anything that could lead him to the missing woman.

"Maybe I should just let this one go..."

Osborne shook his head slightly as he considered abandoning the investigation, since there was no reason for him to waste his time chasing after someone when he had absolutely no idea where to begin looking.

He wasn’t a detective, nor was he someone who felt the need to help every person who happened to be in trouble, and if the case had turned out to be more complicated than he had expected, there was nothing wrong with admitting that he had reached his limit.

Besides, he still had other things to take care of, and the longer he remained in town, the more precious time he wasted when he could be doing something else productive.

He had already managed to sell the Moonlight Grass without attracting too much attention, and he didn’t want to ruin that progress by wasting several more days investigating a case that might not even have a satisfactory conclusion.

Osborne turned around, intending to leave the alley and find a carriage that would take him back to Nicholas’s farm, but just as he was about to take his first step, something caught his attention.