CHAPTER 212: CORPSE SEARCH MISSION

"Nolan fell off the ship... and he’s... dead..."

Upon hearing that, everyone except Ruthark was stunned. Their eyes widened in disbelief, and their hearts pounded.

"What are you saying? My brother fell off the ship? Young Lady Rafine, don’t tell me you’re joking," Elina asked in a trembling voice.

Rafine shook her head with a wry smile. "Joking? Do you think I’d do something like that?"

Her words instantly silenced Elina. Elina’s breath caught, and she gritted her teeth.

Her eyes turned red as she asked in a cold voice, "Tell me how that happened."

Rafine could feel the anger behind her words, but she didn’t dare to argue. After all, it was all her fault.

"Just now..." Rafine began to explain everything to Elina and the others in detail.

Of course, she didn’t forget to blame herself for the incident. Tears welled up in her eyes as she bowed her head toward Elina.

"Everything is my fault. I know apologizing isn’t enough. So, if you want to punish me, I’ll accept it—even if it’s the death penalty," she said in a hoarse voice.

Recalling the incident, her heart ached. Nolan, who was always quarreling with her, would have done it without hesitation.

Had she known he would act so recklessly, she would have let go of him.

Meanwhile, Darel, Luvistar, and the others were stunned by her story. They never expected something like that to happen, leaving them completely at a loss for words.

The atmosphere instantly turned silent and heavy. All eyes shifted to Elina, who kept her head lowered, hiding her expression.

Even so, they could guess she must be deeply angry.

Then, breaking the tense silence, Elina slowly lifted her head. Her face looked calm, but her eyes were faintly red.

"It’s fine. You don’t need to apologize," she said softly. "Since it was his choice, I have no right to interfere. Punishing you will only anger him in the afterlife. So, let’s just leave it be."

Her words left everyone shocked—including Rafine, whose eyes widened as she stared at Elina in disbelief.

"Princess, you..." Rafine began, but Elina raised her hand to stop her.

"I know what you want to say, but it isn’t necessary. Like I said, I can’t blame you. It was my brother’s choice. Since I was a child, he’s always taught me to think clearly and rationally in any situation. So, there’s no need to worry."

She turned to Darel, her voice slightly hoarse. "Viscount Hermes, let’s return to your mansion."

Without waiting for an answer, Elina turned and walked toward the Hermes family mansion.

In silence, everyone watched her lonely figure fade into the distance, exchanging uneasy glances with one another.

From her reaction, they could tell Elina was deeply saddened—on the verge of tears. Yet her emotional control was remarkable, keeping her from breaking down.

They couldn’t help but admire her. If such a tragedy had happened to someone dear to them, their sanity would have shattered, replaced by uncontrollable rage.

As the one responsible, Rafine’s chest tightened. Even though Elina had forgiven her, she knew it wasn’t that simple. No matter what, Nolan’s death was her fault, and deep down, Elina must still resent her.

But there was nothing she could say—Elina clearly didn’t want to hear it. In the end, Rafine could only lower her head in silence.

"Ahem!" Darel cleared his throat, trying to ease the tension. "Then, let’s return to my mansion first. After that, we’ll discuss Prince Nolan. You must be tired and in need of rest, right?"

Luvistar shook his head. "Thank you for your kindness, Viscount Hermes. But I must deal with this first. Prince Nolan’s disappearance at sea is a grave matter and cannot be overlooked. At the very least, we must recover his body."

In his heart, it all still felt unreal. Nolan, alive and well before their departure, had suddenly vanished in the middle of the ocean. Whether he lived or died, no one could say.

But honestly, Luvistar knew the truth—surviving the open sea amidst such violent waves was nearly impossible.

He also understood how serious this matter was. It wasn’t impossible that His Majesty might sentence all of them to death for failing to protect Nolan.

But there was nothing he could do. Even if such a punishment were handed down, he would have to accept it—this incident was his failure.

"I agree with General Luvistar," Ruthark said in a heavy voice. "We must find Prince Nolan, dead or alive. At the very least, the palace can hold a proper funeral for him in the capital."

Hearing that, Darel fell silent and only nodded in agreement.

"Then I will mobilize the power of the Hermes family to search for him. I’ll prepare fifty transport ships and two hundred soldiers," he said firmly.

"Good!" Luvistar nodded with satisfaction. "Then let’s begin the search operation."

He then turned to Rafine and commanded, "Return to the mansion and rest, Young Miss Rafine."

But Rafine shook her head, answering stubbornly, "No, General Luvistar! I won’t go back! I must help you find Nolan. Please grant me this wish!"

She bowed her head, her hands clenched into tight fists. In her entire life, she had never bowed to anyone except her mother and father.

Yet today, she had done it twice—once to Ruthark, and now to Luvistar.

If this had been her old self, she would never have lowered her pride that way. But now, she no longer cared about so-called pride or arrogance.

Nolan’s final smile, just before he sacrificed himself to save her, filled Rafine with guilt.

Had she not been so careless and foolish, none of this would have happened. But it was already too late. All she could do now was give her all in the search.

Seeing her humble gesture, Luvistar swallowed back the rejection that almost slipped from his lips.

With a long sigh, he gave a small nod and said, "Alright, I won’t stand in your way."

With the Austin family’s support, the search for Nolan’s body would surely be faster and more effective.

Relief washed over Rafine’s face as she lifted her head and looked at Luvistar gratefully.

"Thank you, General..."

***

Two days passed quickly. During that time, Luvistar led a massive search.

With the combined strength of the Hermes and Austin families, thousands of soldiers and hundreds of ships scoured the entire Nureus Sea. High-ranking mages—even Sages—were dispatched to aid in the search for Nolan.

But the results were still the same: nothing. Nolan was nowhere to be found. Even so, the search continued with only one goal in mind—Nolan must be found!

***

Seated on a sofa, Cedric leisurely sipped his tea while holding a black letter. He opened it and read.

For a brief moment, shock flickered across his face, but it was quickly replaced by a playful smile.

"Nolan is dead? Hehehe... What wonderful news..." he whispered.