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LOS 56
The safe house, built not far from the border, had not been designed for such a purpose from the start. Giles had spent a long time searching for a house that had been abandoned. The motivation for doing so was that he had fallen in love with Anna.
It seemed like a cruel irony that he, who had arrested and executed countless nobles, had fallen in love with a woman of noble birth. That was why Giles sought to be so thorough in his preparations. Because one day, Anna would also need a place to hide.
Of course, the mere fact that he had created a safe house for Anna would surely brand him as a traitor. But he didn't care. If his status within the Revolutionary Army had kept him alive until now, it was Anna who kept him alive now.
For Anna, he was prepared to betray as much as necessary.
Giles had repaired and renovated the abandoned house here and there, transforming it into a space where Anna could live. He changed the wallpaper, brought in furniture, and decorated the interior by recalling as many childhood memories as possible.
It wasn't perfect, but it was a reasonably satisfying transformation.
Above all, the fact that he had hidden Anna in a place known only to him gave him great peace of mind. It blocked the possibility of someone trying to harm Anna or attempting to kidnap her without his knowledge. Now, he could be at ease.
Regardless, as long as nothing happened to her physical safety, that was enough.
For Giles, who had lived as a member of the Revolutionary Army for several years, nothing felt more important than that.
Stepping out of the car, Giles picked the lock and entered the house. Because all the windows were blocked to prevent anyone from looking in from the outside, the entire house was pitch black. Anna would be in the largest room on the top floor.
Since it was complete darkness and deathly silent, even the sound of him climbing the stairs became a loud noise. Giles stood before the room where Anna was staying. She must have sensed his presence, yet no sound came from inside.
When he opened the door with the key, a cozy room with the lights brightly on was revealed. It was the room he had put the most effort into decorating.
Anna was curled up, huddled in a corner. With her face buried in her arms, she looked at a glance as if she were sleeping.
Giles set down his bag and shook Anna's shoulder.
“Anna.”
“Get lost.”
A sharp response came back. However, far from being hurt, the only thought in Giles's mind was relief that she didn't seem to have lost her spirit.
“Unless you're getting me out of here, get lost right now, you crazy bastard.”
“I'm sorry, but I can't do that yet.”
“Then that's that. I have nothing to say to you. Even if I wither away and die, I never want to see your face again.”
It wasn't that he didn't understand Anna's feelings. She must be very angry. Though it was for her safety, this was essentially no different from imprisonment.
“You need to eat something, Anna.”
“Leave it. I'll handle it myself. Just leave me alone.”
It didn't seem like Anna would ever soften her heart. Giles, who knew nothing of the art of coaxing or soothing people, let out a sigh, set down the bag, hesitated for a moment, and finally stood up.
It was just as he was about to leave the room. Something flew and narrowly missed his head. It was a book. When he looked back, Anna was standing on her feet, glaring at him.
Anna was crying, her face flushed bright red. Seeing her eyes raw and a mess, it seemed she had been crying all day. The moment he saw her like that, Giles felt as if his heart were sinking.
He knew he was doing something wrong to Anna, but...
“I'm going to kill you. I will definitely kill you.”
Giles couldn't even answer and remained silent. What on earth could he say in this situation? An apology? A plea to endure a little longer? Whether such words were justified or not, they would surely sound cruel to Anna's ears.
“You should have at least consulted me. Shouldn't you have asked for my opinion before locking me in this damn house?”
“This isn't a problem that can be solved just because you dislike it.”
“I am not your object! I am not a puppy you raise! Where do you get the right to manipulate me as you please? I see it clearly now. You don't view me as a fellow human being. That's why you locked me in a place like this on your own whim. You don't need the opinion of a ring when you hide it away for fear of losing it, do you?”
“I want to protect you, Anna. If I don't do this, no one can guarantee your safety. You must understand that fact as well.”
“Are you sure you're actually worried about me?”
Anna asked with a scoff. Then, wiping the trace of a smile from her face, she questioned him again.
“You said you did this for me. But tell me the truth. Are you worried about me? Or are you worried about yourself, the one who would be hurt if by some chance you lost me? The two are strictly different. Move that fancy mouth of yours, you hypocrite.”
At that moment, Giles was flustered. It wasn't because Anna was trying to insult him. The moment he heard her question, he felt as if his most shameful parts had been forcibly exposed.
Though he didn't want to admit it, it was true that he had never once thought about such a matter.
“Saying it's for my safety, what a joke. You just don't want to lose me. You've hidden your pretty doll in a corner because you're afraid of losing it. Isn't that right? Not wanting me to get hurt, worrying about my well-being—in truth, it's all to prevent yourself from being hurt. The one you truly worry about isn't me, but yourself.”
“That's not it.”
“What's not it? If I'm wrong, then refute me boldly! You just don't want to admit that you're that disgusting of a hypocrite!”
Even as Anna said this, she was still crying. She seemed to be trying not to cry, but it wasn't working. Giles knew he had to do something for her, but he couldn't do anything. It was because his entire body had frozen as if he had been struck in the head.
“Think about the despair I must have felt. I... I lived my whole life like that. No one ever treated me as an equal human being. I thought you, at least, were different. I thought you viewed me as a human being... but that was all my delusion.”
“Anna.”
“If you have nothing to say, just go. You won't change your mind anyway. I can't stand the sight of you, so get lost now.”
With those words, Anna hid herself in the shadows again. Only the sound of sobbing broke the silence. Giles stared at Anna's shoulders, which were shaking incessantly, before moving his heavy feet. However, he couldn't bring himself to lock the door again.
Locking only the main gate, he left the house and leaned against the trunk of his car, letting out a sigh. He tried to calm himself, but it wasn't easy.
The words Anna had spoken would not leave his mind. You aren't worried about me. More accurately, you're worried about yourself, who would be hurt after losing me.
And you won't want to admit that fact.
Anna was right. Giles absolutely did not want to admit it. The reason he had to be harsh with Anna was that he wanted her to live. Giles truly wanted Anna to survive.
But was that really all?
He was terrified of Anna's death. Because no one knew what choice he might make after she died, he was even more afraid.
In the end, was his desire to save Anna actually for his own sake?
He couldn't leave the safe house and lingered around it before finally getting into the car. The sight of the building receding in the rearview mirror kept weighing on his mind. With every moment he moved away from the safe house, away from Anna, an anxiety that something was terribly wrong grew larger.
I shouldn't leave Anna there. I shouldn't imprison her.
This is not right.
However, the fact that someone had started targeting Anna seemed evident. What if he took her outside for a brief moment of hesitation and she was attacked?
Who could take responsibility for that then?
Giles eventually steadied his heart. At least until he found out who the opponent was, this was an indispensable necessity. He hoped Anna would endure it until then.
Pain is temporary, but death is eternal.
Giles parked his car near the apartment complex where he resided. Throughout the climb up the stairs toward his home, guilt became a heavy weight, slowing his pace. The image of the crying Anna was still vivid before his eyes.
Giles opened the front door and stepped inside. He could tell. Someone was in the house. The moment he sensed a presence, Giles placed his hand on the gun hanging from his waist.
The intruder didn't even try to hide his identity. There was no need to. He was someone Giles knew very well.
Surprisingly, General Harrington was waiting for him.
“General.”
A flustered Giles called out to him. Instead of an answer, Harrington greeted him with a cold, hardened face.
“Giles. I was just worrying that you might have already dropped dead. Where on earth have you been?”
Giles could not answer Harrington's question. Of course, Harrington hadn't asked because he wanted to hear the answer. He moved straight to the point.
“Explain yourself immediately.”
“I don't know what you mean.”
“I said explain how this whole matter came to be.”
Harrington pulled a document from his coat and handed it to him. Giles unfolded the neatly folded paper and read it.
It was a copy of a transcribed recording. As Giles quickly scanned the contents, his gaze stopped at a certain point. The moment he discovered a familiar name, his grip on the document tightened and his pupils dilated.
Eloise Bismarck.
The name that everyone should have rightfully forgotten was written right there in the document for all to see.
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