Although Emilia hadn’t really been a ‘top priority’ for the government of Blue Dawn for a while now, especially since the military base incident, the news of her disappearance was still enough to completely shock all the officials from the bottom to the top.
Even the president himself got involved directly in the investigation, watching over the process like a hungry hawk just waiting to see which unfortunate prey would enter his sight first.
Naturally, none of the officials dared to slack off at this moment. Emilia might only be the second daughter of the White Deer’s leaders, but no one was unaware of just how much her family doted on her.
Even when the girl clearly rebelled and abandoned them to run away like this, none of her cards were frozen, and there was no statement of ‘denouncing their relationship’.
Although there was an announcement stating that ‘her actions were her own, and did not represent the organization as a whole’, it probably only meant that they wouldn’t help her make too much trouble, and nothing else.
Blue Dawn’s president knew that they might be able to reap plentiful benefits between the Gray Wolfe and Black Tiger now, but if the White Deer also got involved, who knows how the broken balance would affect their interests?
Such a thing could never be allowed to happen.
”Is her mobile phone still in the villa? Get someone to fake her identity online for as long as possible, and pretend she’s angry with her family to reject calls—”
The man in front of him coughed nervously. “M-Mr. President… i-it’s not in the villa.”
A heavy fist slammed on the table as the president’s eyes raged with fire. “Then can you not even track its location?!”
Had he not been his superior, the intelligence agency’s director would have scoffed in derision. As it was, though, he could only wipe the cold sweat from his forehead as he gulped. “M-Mr. President, w-we tried, but it seems to be either completely broken, or in a place that no signals can get out from.”
The president almost flipped the table in rage, but unfortunately, the pure mahogany was a bit too heavy, and he almost ended up giving himself a hernia.
The results of the investigation were quite mixed.
The good news was that the investigation itself had gone quite smoothly, and the results were mostly conclusive. Unfortunately, the conclusion itself was undoubtedly bad news.
”Based on the security footage and various other evidence, those six maids that went with the girl that day must have been looking for an opportunity for a long time. Moreover…”
The president’s face turned uglier and uglier with every passing word. “So you’re telling me… all the family members of those maids had already been ‘missing’ for weeks… and none of you noticed?”
The intelligence agency’s director knew he was at fault, and didn’t dare to raise his head at all. “…”
The president could only grit his teeth in barely contained rage. “Get rid of everyone involved in this case, and I mean everyone. Also, I don’t care how you do it, but I want her found within a day. If not… you’re fired.”
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Back at the secret base of the rebel forces, the embarrassed maids had already been led to the crowd waiting to be ‘officially’ introduced to Emilia.
Naturally, since they had already been waiting for a long time, the crimson-haired beauty didn’t delay anymore and immediately took to the stage.
The knee-length high-collared lavender dress that the still sleeping saleslady had helped put on for her was slightly dirty from the dust and debris in the tunnel, but it brought down the aura of the beautiful girl just enough for them to find her even more charming.
Combined with her slightly ruffled, wavy crimson hair, and passionately glinting purplish-blue eyes, it was impossible for them to mistake her for anyone else but the girl they had been hearing about for so long.
Some of them had already had the chance to meet her, of course, but for most of them, it was their first time laying their eyes upon the beauty in person.
To say that the camera completely failed to capture her charm would be an understatement.
”Hi, everyone! I’m sure you all knew I was with you, but this is the first time I’m giving you a formal introduction. My name is Emilia White, and I’m here to fight by your side to free this country.”
She briefly bowed to them with a smile, but her expression immediately turned serious. “I’ll be honest, although we have managed to get through everything without any casualties so far, what we’re going to do next won’t be without a cost. But if we wish to see things change… we have to be ready to pay the price.”
As she tucked a stray lock of crimson behind her delicate ear and gave them a gentle smile, some in the audience couldn’t help but feel like their hearts had been hit by an arrow.
”Obviously, I’ll be right by your side through thick and thin, and if there is any danger, we’ll face it together.”
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After Emilia retreated back to discuss things with the five provincial leaders of the rebellion, excited discussions quickly broke out within the crowd.
”I knew she would be pretty from the videos, but who knew she would be so gorgeous in person?!”
Of course, her appearance was only secondary, and the reason they found her so charming was mostly because of her identity and stance.
From her position, this girl could definitely look down on them and remain completely disdainful of their existence throughout her life without any repercussions whatsoever.
But not only did she sympathize with them, she even risked everything to come to help them when no one else would!
For such a talented and beautiful young lady such as her, to risk ruining her limitless future for a country that everyone was watching turn to ruin without moving a finger, the gratitude of the people who had been stuck in the quagmire couldn’t be expressed with words alone.
For many, what they needed the most wasn’t resources or strength, but hope for the future. And Emilia’s presence among them gave them just that.
Like a shining ray of light that completely scattered the darkness in their hearts, as long as she was on their side, they felt like it was always possible to turn things for the better.
Even if the struggle was bitter and the path was riddled with sorrow and pain, as long as there was hope, they could always keep moving forward.
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