Horizon of Darkness

After all the mercenaries introduced themselves, they were invited to sit down at the table.
On the wall opposite the table, they could see several paintings. One depicted the baron himself, another, presumably his daughter, a third a young man, and the last a woman who looked quite young, but her hair color betrayed her age.



- So. Let's get to what happened. About seven months ago, my daughter, Kervania, ran away. She did it so cleverly and discreetly that none of my people saw or heard anything. As an ordinary girl, she couldn't have pulled off such a trick on her own. Initially, my theory was that she was helped. You see, Kervania became pregnant by some scoundrel. She refused to say who he was. My suspicions fell on a group of traveling circus performers. Kervania loves various performances and other similar shows. And, being a very young and naive girl, she most likely fell for some acrobat or actor. He promised her all sorts of nonsense about eternal love, unforgettable adventures, and other rubbish. It's strange that he didn't just abandon her after using her, but took her with him. That was my first theory about what happened. After my daughter disappeared, I hired a mage-detective. He couldn't track down Kervania for a very long time, and he wrote to me that he had never encountered anything like it before, but eventually he found her trail leading to Radwood. In the north of Dortrim, can you imagine? But that's not the end of the story. The mage's letter arrived three months ago. Since then, there has been no news from him. In the letter, he stated that he was going to Radwood to continue the search. I'm at a loss as to what could have happened, but I suspect that Kervania was kidnapped. And it wasn't just ordinary circus performers who did it. As for the father of the child, I'm even afraid to imagine who he is, and, most importantly, what he wants, and whether my daughter is even alive. That's why you're here.

Added 6 minutes later

She not only listened to the details of the conversation but also noticed changes in intonation, breathing, and the slightest sounds - everything that could potentially signal a lie or omission.
Damn, I should have improved my willpower.

There was nothing unusual about the way the baron told the story.
Nikta could also hear the clatter of dishes somewhere and the servants arguing with each other.