Chapter 563: Kidnapped

"My sister planned to visit Calypsos, and it seems she came to Lustre. Logically, she should have arrived an hour ago, but when I tried calling her later, no one answered. I can’t even get in touch with her entourage. I suspect something might have happened. Could I trouble you to help me look into it?"

Ayre was currently in Elandra. Even if he rushed over right away, it would take him over ten hours. He didn’t know why his sister had suddenly decided to visit Calypsos, nor why she had vanished without a trace. Her status wasn’t that of an ordinary person, which made the situation incredibly worrying.

"You’re saying the Princess came to Lustre?" Ivy Sherwood was slightly taken aback.

As a dignified princess and the wife of a nation’s leader, she should have visited a major metropolis like Aethelgard or City S if she were to come. Even tourist destinations like Crestfall City or City Z would make more sense. No matter how you looked at it, Lustre shouldn’t have been on the itinerary. Why would the Princess fly straight from Elandra to Lustre?

"I understand. I’ll have someone look into it for you right away." Ivy quickly hung up the phone and looked at Quentin Blackwood. "Quentin, Ayre said the Princess of Elandra came to Lustre. She supposedly landed about an hour ago, but he can’t reach her right now. Could you help me look into it and see if she’s really in the city?"

"Don’t worry, I’ll have someone investigate immediately," Quentin said. He made a few calls and quickly received an update.

"Give me Ayre’s contact information." Quentin planned to speak with Ayre directly. If Ivy knew the details, she would undoubtedly be worried sick.

"What’s wrong? Is it serious?" Ivy asked.

"No, it’s just a bit complicated," Quentin replied. "Give me his number, and I’ll communicate with him directly later."

"Alright." Ivy handed over the phone number.

After bringing Ivy back home, Quentin called Ayre. "This is Quentin Blackwood, Ivy’s boyfriend. I just looked into it for you. Your sister was likely taken away right after she got off the plane. As for her current whereabouts and the exact situation, it’s still unclear."

Ovillette was a national leader, and this woman was his wife. Logically speaking, she shouldn’t have been traveling so casually. Ovillette certainly had political enemies, but Quentin couldn’t be sure if they were the ones responsible for her abduction.

"Could you help me find out where she is right now?" Ayre pleaded. "I’m rushing over as we speak, and I’ve also informed my brother-in-law. But as you know, things aren’t very convenient on our end. I know this is asking a lot, but I really have no other options."

Quentin frowned. "I’m sorry, but I never get involved in politics."

He was merely a businessman and wanted no part in messy political struggles, especially those involving foreign leaders. Even when figures from his own country tried to recruit him, he remained entirely unmoved, let alone for another nation.

"I’ll try to think of something else then. Thank you for your trouble." Ayre quickly hung up the phone.

However, Quentin’s brows remained tightly knitted. No matter how he looked at it, this whole situation was completely off. The Princess of Elandra was kidnapped the moment she stepped off the plane. Who would do such a thing, what was their motive, and why did she come to Lustre in the first place?

Despite claiming he didn’t care, Quentin still ordered Zane Linton to send people to investigate. He didn’t have to help anyone, but he needed to be fully aware of what was happening on his turf.

Zane quickly returned with news. Word of the Princess leaving Elandra had indeed leaked not too long ago. The perpetrators were likely criminals from Calypsos, and their goal might be to incite conflict between Calypsos and Elandra.

That was how it appeared on the surface, but Quentin wondered if it was really that simple. He ordered his men to keep digging and to secretly deploy personnel to ensure the woman’s safety. Regardless of the underlying reasons, she absolutely could not die in Calypsos, or the resulting fallout would be catastrophic.

Quentin stared straight ahead, his eyes narrowing in deep thought. Calypsos was so massive; he wondered why it had to be Lustre, of all places.

It then occurred to him that the Mercer Family was based in Elandra and should be relatively familiar with the royal family. He wondered if Xavier Mercer knew anything about this. Because of his busy schedule, Xavier hadn’t stayed in Lustre for more than a few days.

Quentin made a call to him and briefly asked about the situation.

"Although we have a lot of prestige in Elandra and are considered part of the nobility, we aren’t actually that close with the royal family," Xavier explained.

"Ovillette is definitely a capable man. He’s upright and quite admirable. His facial features actually lean more toward the East, which is due to his grandmother’s lineage. It wasn’t easy for him to become the King. I’ve heard that something happened during his youth, but I don’t know the exact details.

"Even though the Mercer Family’s businesses are thriving, we never get involved in politics, and we have no dealings with his family. As for why the Princess came to Lustre, I have no idea."

Xavier truly couldn’t think of a logical explanation. He was certain of one thing, at least: the Princess absolutely hadn’t come because of the Mercer Family. She usually stayed within the walls of The Royal Palace and rarely made public appearances.

Finding the whole thing quite strange himself, Xavier added, "I’ll arrange for an investigation on my end as well. We’ll keep in touch if any news comes up."

Meanwhile, the Princess was currently locked up by her captors.

The moment she opened her mouth, she screamed, "Let me out! Let me out! Do you have any idea who I am? How dare you kidnap me! Who exactly are you people? I’ll have you all shot! You all deserve to die! Release me right now!"

However, she was speaking entirely in Elandrian. The men guarding her exchanged confused glances. "What’s this blonde, blue-eyed bitch babbling about? Can any of you understand her?"

The others shook their heads. "Who knows? It’s definitely nothing nice. If she wants to curse, let her curse."

"Exactly. What does it matter to us? Though, this old broad is actually pretty stunning. She doesn’t look her age at all. What do you say we have a little fun with her?"

The moment those words left his mouth, another man slapped him hard on the back of the head. "Is your brain full of shit? Do you even know who this woman is? We might not be good guys, but us Calypsos men don’t stoop to that kind of filth! Do you want to humiliate our entire country on the international stage?"

Thoroughly reprimanded, the man immediately dropped the thought.

The Princess continued to hurl angry curses from the corner, but the men simply ignored her, going back to drinking their beers and eating their meat skewers.

She deeply regretted her choices. If she had known this would happen, she would have listened to Jason Summers and never set foot in Calypsos. Jason had warned her that the country was chaotic, but she hadn’t believed him at first. She had always heard that Calypsos was a highly civilized country with excellent public security. People claimed the locals were incredibly friendly and hospitable, earning the nation a stellar international reputation that drew tourists from all over the world.

Now that she was actually here, she realized it was all a lie!