Simon and Rosa looked at each other, the wall clock already pointed its fingers to 11:00. It's one hour before midnight.
Rosa was certain, that the sleeping medicine that she put into Sofia's milk already took effect. "Husband, come with me. Let's check Sofia's room!" she said.
"Ok," Simon responded.
The couple exited the room and walked in the hallway going to Sofia's room.
They stopped in front of the door and Rosa inserted the spare key on the doorknob. Done, she pushes the door open.
The light was still shining brightly inside the room.
The couple was shocked to see an empty bed!
Simon rushed to the window after seeing the rope. "What hell is this!?" he exclaimed. He looked down and he knew already what had happened.
Rosa placed her hands on her chest trying to slow down the rapid breathing of her heart. "Sofia is gone!" she exclaimed and began crying hysterically.
Simon looked at her. "Wife, it's not the time for crying! Let's wake up the servants so that they can help us find Sofia in the neighboring areas!" He left the room and rushed towards the downstairs to the servants' quarters.
A few minutes later, the servants were already buzzing.
Three of the male servants brought lamps with them and began their search outside the property while the others search Sofia inside the property.
The couple was huddled in the living room, deeply worried about Sofia's whereabouts especially that it's raining heavily outside.
"Should we wake up Laura and inform her about Sofia's disappearance?" Simon asked his wife.
Rosa shook her head. "No, we should not disturb her sleep! Our daughter is pregnant and this is a stressful situation, let's allow her to enjoy her sleep. Let's just inform her tomorrow morning," she said.
Simon rose to his feet. "I'm going to help the servant looks for Sofia," he declared.
Rosa holds her husband's arms. "No need! It's raining outside, the ground is slippery, you might encounter an accident along the way. Just let those servants find Sofia, they're much younger than you and they can move swiftly! Let's just stay here and keep each other company while waiting for the news," she said, misty-eyed.
"Ok." Simon lowered himself on the couch.
They sat beside each other on the couch feeling heartbroken and devastated by Sofia's escape.
Meanwhile...
Inside the master's bedroom.
Graven just landed inside the room and he sensed that something is wrong. He looked at his wife sleeping soundly on the bed, better not to wake her up. He exited the room quietly and went downstairs.
He noticed that the light in the living room was still open and his in-laws were sitting on the couch, wearing a problematic expression on their faces.
He went to their side. "Mother...Father... what's wrong? Why are you not in your rooms yet? What's going on?" he asked worriedly.
"Son, our youngest daughter Sofia runaway! She made a rope out of the bedsheet and blanket and used it by escaping through the window and landing on the kitchen roof. We don't know where she is right now. I already instructed the servants to look for Sofia all over the place. The other servants were already outside the property looking for her in the wooded area," Simon explained.
Graven's eyes widened in shock. Shiit! Here comes another problem! He addressed the couple calmly. "Just stay here safely inside the house, I'll go outside and help the servants find Sofia!" he said and exited the door quickly. Once outside, he shifted into his invisible form and hovered in the air. He floated in the air for several minutes, looking far and wide for any movement signaling that something is happening in that area. He noticed the lights in the wooded area, that must be where the servants have gone to!
He hovered in the opposite direction, wanting to cover a wide area to search as possible.
Hours went by.
The heavy rain finally stopped falling and the quietness of the night returned.
It was already 2:00 in the morning.
Simon and Rosa didn't bother to go to their room, they sleep on the couch waiting for good news.
Three hours later, the dawn is finally breaking on the horizon.
At 6:00 in the morning, the first ray of light coming from the sun was already visible in the sky.
Another day has just begun.
The female servants were already busy preparing food for breakfast in the kitchen and busy making hot cocoa for anyone who craves it.
At 6:30, the Helman couple finally awakened.
A female servant greeted them. "Good morning Sir and Madam! I prepared hot cocoa for you..." she said and placed the tray above the center table.
"Thank you," Rosa said.
"Did anyone come back already? Did they find Sofia?" Simon asked.
The female servant shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sir. No one has returned yet."
Simon and Rosa's spirit sunk, they wore a distraught expression on their faces.
By 7:00 in the morning, the male servants returned from their search.
"I'm sorry Madam, Sir... we failed to find Lady Sofia in the woods," one of the servants reported. "But we will continue finding her after breakfast, we just need to change our wet clothes first," he added.
Rosa knew that the servants have no sleep yet and they looked haggard and tired. "After breakfast, take a rest and sleep then resumed finding my daughter at 2:00 in the afternoon," she ordered.
"Thank you for your kindness, Madam!" the servants replied in chorus.
Simon watched the men retreated into the direction of the servants' quarter to change their clothes and eat breakfast. He released a deep sigh.
Rosa stopped her tears from falling on her face. "Where is Sofia right now? I hope nothing bad happens to her!" she said in agony.
Simon sighed and rubbed his wife's back. "Such a willful and stubborn, child!"
By now the couple's heart was breaking into tiny pieces. The longer they can't find Sofia, the more her life is in danger!
A moment later.
Graven entered the main door.
The Helman couple looked at their son-in-law expectantly.
"I'm sorry, Father, Mother... I can't find Sofia anywhere!" he declared sadly. "But don't worry I will continue finding her around the whole Moraderry Town. There is a possibility that she hitches a ride in a carriage going to town. I will begin searching for her all over the town after breakfast," Graven said.
The couple's face was marred with sadness and distress.
"Thank you so much, son! We are sorry that our daughter is so willful and stubborn, we failed to discipline her well!" Simon lamented.
Graven sighed. "Father, don't stress yourself so much about this incident. We will find Sofia soon!" he assured them.
He was about to go to the staircase when he saw his wife coming down.
Laura saw her parents sitting on the couch wearing a despondent look on their faces as if they lacked sleep. She went to her side and lowered herself on the couch. She looked at her parents and her husband. "What's going on?" she asked worriedly.
Graven went to his wife's side and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Good morning, wife! I'll just go upstairs to change my clothes," he said.
Laura looked at his clothes. "Why are you wearing wet clothes?" she asked in confusion.
"I will let your parents explain everything to you," Graven whispered and walked away going to the staircase.
Laura looked at the distraught faces of her parents, she got a feeling that something bad happened last night. "Mom, Dad... what is it? Tell me, now!" she demanded in an impatient voice.
Rosa looked at her daughter, misty-eyed. "Sofia runaway last night!" she revealed.
Laura was stunned, her brows furrowed. "What-? But how? The sleeping medicine didn't work on her milk?" she asked, confused.
"I brought the milk to her room last night, I even saw her sipped from the glass two times. I thought she drink it all. I have a feeling that she throws the rest into the bowl. And when your father and I entered her room last night, she was already missing! We saw a makeshift rope composed of blankets and bedsheets and the window is open... that is where she went down and escaped!" Rosa explained.
Laura's eyes turned to slit in anger. "Such a stupid girl!" she bellowed. She closed her eyes for a moment trying to calm her agitated nerves. It's still early morning, she doesn't want to destroy her mood. "Continue...Mother...let me hear the rest of the story..." she said.
Rosa took a deep breath before speaking again. "We decided not to inform you so as not to disturb your sleep. We rouse the servants and they all began searching for Sofia inside and outside the property. Your father and I stayed here inside the manor waiting for news. Graven also volunteered to help in finding Sofia, unfortunately, your sister is still missing until now!" she said in a trembling voice.
Laura was shaking her head in annoyance. "Mother, stop worrying about Sofia! She's already old enough to take care of herself. She decided to run away despite the risk involved, therefore, she's on her own now. It's useless to kill ourselves with worry for someone who doesn't even care about our feelings at all! She only cares about herself! Let her be!" she said in a cold voice.
Simon and Rosa looked at their daughter's angry face.
"Laura is right," Simon said. "We already provided everything for Sofia yet she still wants more that we can no longer provide. We did everything we could do to give her a good life but she's still not satisfied. There's a raging fire burning deep inside her that can't be extinguished. Time to let go of her and wish her good luck in her journey!" he said with finality in his voice.
Rosa looked at her husband and her daughter. "Guys... you just let Sofia go that easily?" she asked in disbelief.
Laura sighed. "Mother...listen to me... if Sofia knows how to run away, I bet she also knows how to return. This house is always willing to accommodate her. It's all up to her! Don't worry, if she will get tired of the outside world, she would surely return here!" she said confidently.
Rosa nods her head sadly. "You got a valid point, daughter! We never fail to give her advice but she wasted them all. Time to set her free!" she finally agreed.
"Well said, wife!" Simon agreed. He looked at Laura. "How about the search? Shall we continue it?"
Laura nodded her head. "Let the search continue today, but let's stop tomorrow. There's no point in finding a girl who is determined to leave. Let's just respect Sofia's wishes this time and focused on ourselves," she replied.
A thick silence enveloped them.
Graven descended the stairs and joined his wife and in-laws on the couch.
A minute later, the servant informed them that breakfast is ready. They rose to their feet and went to the dining room to eat their meals together.
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