WCMBI - Chapter 256: Little Brave Girl

As she entered the garden adorned solely with violet flowers, an overwhelming sense of exhilaration washed over her. The plethora of purple hues splashed across the flowerbeds made the garden akin to paradise in Dia's eyes.

"Oh, goodness, no."

She cleverly knew that not all violets were the same. Some appeared bluish from a distance, their blue hues prominent, while others seemed almost pinkish due to an abundance of crimson. Among them, the one flower that bore the closest resemblance to Melissa's irises was undoubtedly the immaculate violet rose.

With care, Dia managed to detach the petals from the thorny stem. Delighted, she contemplated returning to boast to his nanny, when suddenly, a grand and resplendent butterfly fluttered gracefully past her.

The butterfly shimmered like gold, as if a shower of golden dust followed its every wingbeat. Even to an adult, such a spectacle would be mesmerizing, but for a child like Dia, the butterfly reflected in her eyes with a brilliance akin to her father's irises, impossible to overlook.

In one hand, she tightly clasped the violet rose petals, while with the other, she wildly chased after the soaring butterfly. The butterfly soared freely, exploring this and that, and whenever Dia feared losing sight of it, the butterfly would perch on nearby petals, sipping nectar with contented delight.

Approaching carefully and with utmost caution, Dia eventually managed to capture the golden-hued butterfly by throwing herself and grasping it with her opposite hand that held the flower petals.

"Oh, my, oh, wow!"

As she attempted to turn her tiny, endearing form to showcase her achievement to her nanny, a scene entirely unfamiliar to Dia unfolded before her. Her violet eyes took in the sight of towering trees and lush foliage that she had never seen within the estate.

"Oh, my..."

Despite turning her head this way and that, her nanny was nowhere to be found. In fact, no one seemed to be present in the surrounding forest, leaving Dia with limited choices. Yet, summoning her courage and suppressing her sobs, she bravely began to walk in a hurried manner.

"Nanny!"

Her sweet, imploring voice called out, but amidst the unseen forest, there were few options for a child like her. Nonetheless, with determination and bravery, as the daylight waned, Dia finally succumbed to tears.

"Oh, wailing, oh, mother!"

However, the cries of the child went unanswered in the absence of anyone nearby.

* * *

"What did you say just now?" Ian rasped, his eyes brimming with tears and sweat. The young governess, witnessing this fierce and unkempt aspect of the normally composed duke, involuntarily let out a gasp.

"I apologize profusely, truly, for any offense caused," she stammered.

"What on earth were you doing that made Dia disappear without a trace!"

Thrusting his temper without regard for decorum, he hurled anything within his grasp. Observing something fleeting in her peripheral vision, the governess was taken aback, sinking onto the spot.

In his haste to retrieve a sword, Ian realized that this was not the time; he must hasten to find Dia. Rushing out through the disarrayed mansion, he began his meticulous search from the gardens to the backwoods.

In his wake, all the mansion's employees scattered, each carrying a lantern. Only the governess remained, helplessly sitting in place.

"Dia! Where are you!"

Driven by what seemed an absence of reason, Ian tirelessly combed through every corner. From the stables to the storage, he scoured them all, his legs starting to tremble.

In a moment of distraction, guilt flooded him at the thought of the child's disappearance. Having searched the entire mansion with no sign of Dia, he considered the backwoods connected to the estate.

Despite thinking it implausible for such a small child to venture into the backwoods, he couldn't dismiss the faint possibility. If, by any chance, Dia had been kidnapped, what should he do? Was he truly qualified to be a parent? No, did he even possess the right to claim the title of guardian?

Consumed by a myriad of negative imaginations, his sanity began to wane when suddenly, a bright shimmer materialized in the air.

Within it emerged Melissa, cradling the tiny figure of Dia. Along the forest path leading to the backwoods, Ian rushed towards them, gasping for breath, and embraced Melissa and Dia in one fell swoop.

Then, he immediately burst into tears—heart-rending sobs echoing through the air as he clutched Dia tightly.

"Oh, Dia, sob Melissa…"[sigh]