Chapter 241: The Broken Man Who Kept Searching
(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)
(Peterlor Estate- Study Room)
"Sir...."
"Sir please...."
The head butler sighed tiredly as he watched his master remained seated on his chair without moving an inch.
Numerous holographic screens flickered one after another as Duke Peterlor used his inhuman reflexes and mental strength to scan through dozens of pages at once.
All the meals on the nearby table were left unopened as the duke continued to search through the data like a man possessed.
Butler Gerald had never seen his master like this before.
No trace of the once proud noble leader of the Imperial Army remained and all that was left was a middle-aged man tormented by grief and despair.
Still Duke Peterlor was a strong man who did not allow this sadness to overwhelm him and devoted all his time and energy to finding his missing daughter.
Whether it be...
Shadowy connections....
Hackers on the virtual net...
Or even channels from both the side of the law and the criminal underworld...
An untold number of forces were currently assisting the duke in exploring the universe for a single trace of his daughter.
The subordinates under his command were well trained so in the short term it was okay for him to take a break from managing the territories under his command.
Outwardly Duke Peterlor still maintained his handsome appearance but the light in his eye had gone out and only cold darkness remained.
He was beyond angry.
Butler Gerald was secretly relieved that the emperor had blown himself up during the banquet otherwise he feared that his master would have staged a coup.
"Sir.... there is an important guest," Butler Gerald shook the duke's shoulders lightly but was ignored.
Duke Peterlor had simply shut himself away from the outside world and only news related to his daughter could rouse him out of this state.
"It is the little miss's girlfriend.... Princess Sisrelis," Butler Gerald whispered softly.
The duke froze for a moment before turning to the butler and hoarsely speaking in a low tone,
"Let her in."
Butler Gerald bowed and then exited the study room with quiet steps.
The news about what had happened at the banquet had already spread out as this matter was too large to cover up.
It was the hottest news on the virtual net that the heirs to all the high noble families had disappeared as well as the emperor himself.
Reactions online ranged from sympathetic to outright malicious as some netizens were secretly pleased because in their minds the rich heirs had simply gotten what they deserved.
Cleo had seen the news along with the other netizens and had immediately cancelled her visit to her mother.
A few days had passed since she had received the news and her starship had arrived on Planet Gaia this morning.
Sophie was her number one priority and it seemed at least for now that there was no problem with the symbiote inside her body.
"Butler can I go in?" Princess Cleo asked hesitantly as she saw the serious look on the butler's face.
She was currently sitting down in the reception room of the Peterlor estate while waiting for the duke's response.
"Yes. The master will see you now," Butler Gerald responded kindly. He had a good impression of the young lady favoured by the future duchess, so his tone was that of a well meaning elder.
Princess Cleo's appearance was not much better than Sophie's father as the girl looked haggard and pale.
Her cultivation level was not high enough to endure days without proper eating and rest, but the princess had still rushed over to the Peterlor estate without delay.
Even at the expense of her own body.
Cleo was wearing a plain white dress and had put on some light make up in order the hide the tear marks beneath her eyes.
The news on the virtual net had just talked about the disappearance of the high noble heirs but no significant details could be found.
Cleo wanted to talk to Sophie's dad to see if he knew more or if there was anything she could do to help.
"Follow me," Butler Gerald spoke and led Cleo to the study room.
On the way to the study room, Cleo's attention could not help but drift to the subtle traces of Sophie left around the mansion.
The Peterlor Estate was a grand mansion with over fifty rooms and contained all the displays of wealth that one might expect of a high noble family to show.
Grand chandeliers, expensive pieces of furniture, and rare artistic masterpieces but yet something seemed a bit out of place.
There were numerous pictures of Sophie and her father smiling happily together.
These pictures were prominently displayed and at times were placed in spots that outshined the fancy painting and portraits.
Duke Peterlor rarely entertained guests so very few knew to the extent to which he pampered his daughter.
Much like other decent fathers, his precious daughter was simply his entire world.
Cleo smiled gently as she saw the happy little girl being held protectively in her father's arms.
There was a small hint of jealousy in her heart as she could not recall the last time that her mother had given any sort of love or attention.
Maybe.... it was time to realise that the woman from her childhood was long gone....
This unwanted thought immediately caused Cleo to snap herself out of her musings.
It only took a couple more minutes of walking before the head butler arrived at a plain wooden door.
Butler Gerald rapped his knuckles against the heavy frame.
Knock! Knock!
"Enter," came the raspy voice.
The head butler stood aside to let the young princess enter and then left for the kitchen to find another meal that the master would hopefully enjoy.
"Hello.... hello.... uncle," Cleo spoke nervously as an overwhelming amount of pressure hit her body.
She felt like a tiny ant in the presence of a vast mountain.
Duke Peterlor glanced from the screens monetarily to scan her appearance before resuming his task without pause.
Cleo stood there in silence before the duke said a few words in a low tone,
"Are you not eating properly? Why do you look so pale?"
"Take care of your body and get some rest. My daughter will scold me if she finds out that anything happened to you."
"Remember that you are now a candidate for the future daughter-in-law of House Peterlor. You are not allowed to make my daughter unhappy."
Duke Peterlor waved his hands and Cleo felt her body move involuntarily to a seat that was right next to the duke.
The duke passed her one of the meals that was laying down on the table without taking his eyes off the screen.
"Thank you, uncle," Cleo initially wanted to ask about Sophie but the pressure coming off the duke's body made her feel a bit wary.
Inside the box was a delicious feast of high-quality golden rice fried to perfection and infused with a variety of spices such as fresh thyme, cinnamon and sage.
Two large eggs had been gently cracked over the golden mass and the runny yolks would make anyone's mouth begin to water.
There was a set of cutlery next to the box, so Cleo politely thanked the duke one more time before digging in.
The rice was even more appetizing than she imagined, and the runny eggs blended in perfect harmony with the spices.
Days of travelling without proper food or rest had made Cleo hungrier than she even realised and soon the food disappeared down her throat.
Cleo could feel a warm current flowing through her body and knew that the food had been spiked with nutrient solution.
Duke Peterlor spoke after Cleo finished her meal, "So... you want to know what happened at the banquet?"
Cleo nodded furiously and also added,
"Yes uncle, but I also want to know is there anything I can do to help?"
"No. You just need to be safe and happy so my daughter can return home without any worries," Duke Peterlor firmly shut her down.
He was not going to lie to the princess and tell her that there was something she could do because truthfully there was not much help a random royal princess could offer to a high noble.
Maybe if Cleo's mother were from an important clan then maybe he would take her up on the offer, but Concubine Sisrelis appeared to have no obvious backing.
And he had a very bad feeling about that woman....
Duke Peterlor rubbed his temples to try to relax away some of the mental tension he was feeling.
A cultivator in the god stage would no longer require food nor sleep so he could theoretical never eat for another day in his long lifespan and be perfectly fine.
But even high-level cultivators were prone to psychological distress.
Cultivation may evolve one into a higher lifeform, but it did not cut off the mortal ties such as emotions and feelings.
Duke Peterlor took a few deep breaths to steady himself before beginning the retelling of what occurred at the banquet,
"Let me explain to you what the current theory is about what happened that day..."