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LOS 37
Giles gave the man a crisp salute.
“General Harrington.”
“Giles, so this is where you were.”
“What brings you here, sir?”
“I’ve come to see our proud young pianist.”
Harrington approached me. Feeling that I ought to observe proper etiquette, I tried to push myself up. However, Harrington stopped me.
“Please, stay lying down. A patient needs rest. Are you feeling any better?”
“Thanks to you, I am.”
“As it should be. With Giles keeping such a strict watch outside while the medical staff treated you, I'm sure they didn't dare be careless.”
Harrington let out a hearty laugh. Giles, on the other hand, looked troubled. Harrington gestured to him.
“You may be dismissed.”
“Miss Kitting is...”
“I won’t keep her for long, so don’t worry. I’ll just have a few words and leave. Do you not know how busy I am?”
“...Understood.”
After paying his respects, Giles turned and left the infirmary. The sound of his footsteps echoing down the hallway gradually faded. General Harrington sat in the very chair Giles had occupied and looked down at me.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen that fellow cherish someone so dearly. It’s a good thing. Having someone to love, I mean.”
“We aren't in that kind of relationship.”
“I see. For now, I shall pretend not to notice and keep my mouth shut.”
I remained silent, not wanting to sound as if I were making excuses. Since he was called a General, it seemed this man was a commander of the Revolutionary Army. I wondered why someone of such high rank wanted to see me.
“The grapes look quite plump. Did Giles bring them?”
“I believe so.”
“They must have cost a fair amount. He is truly devoted.”
Regardless of what I said, Harrington seemed determined to believe the two of us were lovers.
Before long, he got to the point.
“The reason I wanted to meet you, Miss Kitting, is that there are a few things I wish to ask.”
I closed my mouth. I gave a slight nod, trying not to appear nervous. What did he want to ask me? The fact that he had sent Giles away bothered me.
Facing a high-ranking official of the Revolutionary Army other than Giles brought the secrets I held back to the surface of my memory.
I whispered to myself: You are innocent. You’ve done nothing wrong. So there's no need to be nervous, Anna.
Harrington began his questioning.
“I understand that you were a great help to Giles in stopping the train. If it hadn't been for your performance, Miss Kitting, the situation we currently face might have been very different. You performed a truly heroic act.”
“Thank you.”
“Our original hope was to capture Albert Lehmann alive... but perhaps the circumstances were not in our favor, as that did not happen. Regardless, that has nothing to do with you. What I want to ask is...”
I fought the urge to swallow hard.
“Since when have you been in contact with Albert Lehmann? It seems Giles gave you the instructions... but I received no word of it. It is rare for Giles to proceed with something on his own whim. Did you know about Lehmann and the train from the beginning?”
The question was more difficult to answer than I had expected. How should I respond? Should I tell the truth? Harrington seemed to think I was one of Giles's secret agents. But that wasn't the case, was it?
Albert had once been my comrade, someone I trusted, and I had been the bait to lure Giles in. I, too, had been part of the faction that sought to eliminate Giles.
However, I felt that I must not reveal the truth. The truth would be poison to me. But I didn't have the confidence to fabricate a plausible story in a split second.
I put on a troubled expression and played vague.
“Giles told me not to tell anyone.”
“I am Giles's superior. When he said that, he likely meant you shouldn't tell outsiders.”
“Still, I don't know if it's alright for me to speak of my own accord.”
It would be disastrous if I made up a story and it contradicted Giles's version. I had to avoid giving a direct answer as much as possible.
“He must have given you very strict orders.”
“I'm afraid Giles will be angry.”
Fortunately, I had a knack for playing the part of a pitiful woman. I had even survived thanks to it once before.
“He gets upset when I start things without being told. I did that on my own once before... and I don't want to make Giles angry again. It was truly exhausting trying to soothe his mood.”
As I began to sound tearful, Harrington finally threw up his hands.
“I understand. Please, do not feel too pressured. Well, I could always discuss this directly with Giles. Come to think of it, I believe I was being indiscreet.”
I nodded vigorously and wiped away my tears. Men tended to lose the will to pry when faced with a frail and sorrowful woman. Once I showed tears, they lost their resolve. I had become quite adept at utilizing that tendency.
“By the way, has Giles ever been harsh with you?”
“It was nothing to worry about. Please, don't say anything to him.”
“You may or may not know, but since that fellow was born with Landowner Bloodline, his nature to act arbitrarily may occasionally surface. Please understand that. What can one do about the blood flowing in one's veins? Still, he is a good man. A proud hero of the revolution. If you happen to be considering a future with him...”
Harrington winked. I simply gave a vague smile. He was clearly under a complete misconception about our relationship.
I do not envision a future with Giles, nor with anyone else.
Such things had already died within my heart years ago.
Love, trust, marriage... promising a lifetime to one person. I simply could not imagine such concepts. How is that possible? What does it feel like to trust someone so much that you willingly bind yourselves together with an invisible string for the rest of your lives?
“I am relieved that you are here, Miss Kitting. Until a few months ago, Giles acted as if nothing good would ever happen in the world. He never expressed it directly, but I could tell by looking at his face. He wanted nothing, merely performing his duties mechanically... I was almost afraid he might suddenly hang himself one day. But now, it seems Giles has you. Please be good to him. It's the first time I've seen him treat someone with such affection. Perhaps he has found the strength to live again thanks to you.”
I didn't answer. I already knew that Giles thought of me as someone special. He had saved my life twice. He had even risked being captured by Beldam Agents to get me onto the train crossing the border.
At first, I thought he had ulterior motives. After I escaped, I believed he was trying to get revenge using my flight as a pretext. But I was wrong about everything. I know that now. That from the beginning, Giles had only cared for my well-being.
However, I wasn't sure how to treat him. His affection was extraordinary. I was someone who had never even received the common love of parents. I didn't know how to act when someone expressed such emotions.
Do I love Giles? To be honest, I still don't know. Certainly, I was no longer afraid of him, but I wasn't particularly worried about something happening to him, either. My heart didn't flutter when I thought of his name.
I simply wanted to talk to him more. I wanted to know more deeply who he was as a person. In a different sense than before. I had given up on trying to uncover some dark scheme. All that remained was pure curiosity.
Just as he knew about me, I wanted to know about him.
“...Was Giles struggling a lot?”
“There was an incident that would justify it. Of course, it was a task he had to do... but it was enough to be shocking. Giles is one of my cherished subordinates. Is he not a man who devoted everything to the revolution? Although he is from Beldam, his affection for Ipswin is so profound that it makes one forget that fact. The leadership should be starting to accept Giles's sincerity now.”
Harrington stood up and straightened his clothes. It seemed he was preparing to leave.
“Please recover quickly. Otherwise, the innocent nurses might end up suffering.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
“Ah, come to think of it, I almost forgot. A banquet for the Revolutionary Army officials will be held soon. Other prestigious figures of Ipswin are also expected to attend. Since Giles will be there, I wonder if you would join us, Miss Kitting.”
“Me?”
“Even if not specifically as Giles's partner, are you not a sufficiently famous rising star in the music world? It would be an honor for us to host such a great pianist.”
He handed me an invitation. It was a formal invitation containing only the essential information, such as the location and date.
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