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LOS 60
“When... will the trial be held?”
“It seems you have many questions regarding Hessen.”
“Wouldn't it be stranger if I weren't interested? I have a right to know. I am the one who brought him here.”
When I protested, Arent nodded without a word. He still showed no emotion whatsoever.
“Nothing is certain yet. Even we did not expect Hessen to return to Beldam so immediately. Once preparations are complete, all procedures will be followed. You need only watch, My Lady.”
He shifted his posture. While we spoke, the soup was slowly growing cold. Breakfast had long since fallen out of everyone's concern.
“As you wish, we will guarantee your safety. Not simply because you brought Hessen back. Many people already know about you—as Giles Hessen's lover. I believe I don't need to explain what it means to be linked to the worst traitor in Beldam's history.”
I nodded. The title of the woman loved by Giles Hessen would be nothing short of poison to me. I knew that much.
“The press will likely swarm to recruit you. Think about it. If the story of the woman who shared love with the most talked-about figure in Beldam were printed in a newspaper, how much money could that newspaper company make? It would sell like wildfire, faster than they could print it. We do not wish for such unnecessary things to happen.”
“How do you intend to protect me?”
“Stay at the private residence. For the time being, it would be best if you did not go out and remained inside. Your face is not yet known, but just in case. We will take measures on our end as well.”
Arent quickly scanned my expression and added,
“I mean the Count Bismar estate.”
“The estate... still exists?”
“The previous Count moved his residence to Ipswin for a while, but he is still a noble with a registered domicile in Beldam. Some of the assets he failed to settle remain in Beldam. Now that he has been murdered, all of those will be yours. When it is time for your discharge from the hospital, a servant will come to guide you to the estate.”
The fact that all the assets owned by the Count had become mine was difficult to grasp. In reality, I wasn't even a member of the family.
I was closer to a doll used by the Count than his daughter.
“Before you leave, there are a few things I want to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“You are aware that a few months ago, we attempted to escort Hessen to Beldam.”
I had no choice but to nod. He was talking about the Orient Express Operation. Originally, I was supposed to play a key role in that operation.
“However, those efforts ended in failure.”
I had heard that the help I provided was significant in allowing the Ipswin side to suppress them quickly. That because I played the piano, they were able to track the train faster.
I think I knew what Arent wanted to ask.
“You want to know why I did that, don't you?”
“I know this may be unwelcome, but this is a point we cannot overlook on our end, so I ask for your understanding.”
“No. I understand. Of course you'd want to ask. Strictly speaking, I betrayed you all back then, didn't I?”
Arent did not answer. It was a question that didn't require an answer.
The words Giles had said came back to me. Don't be on my side, Anna.
I am a man hated by the entire nation.
You must not get swept up in that.
But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't abandon Giles. I didn't want to. Rather than the joy of gaining a peaceful daily life, freedom, and immense wealth... the sense of loss and fear regarding him dominated me more.
I knew instinctively. The moment I saw Giles die, I would tumble into hell of my own accord. I might be able to mimic happiness, but I would never be able to enjoy true happiness.
I didn't have the confidence to be a woman who could easily forget a man who once whispered love in my ear and told me that he was able to barely keep living because of me.
So, I made up my mind.
I will not betray Giles.
Just as he did not betray me until the end.
“I didn't want Giles to go to Beldam. Because if he went to Beldam, it was obvious he would die. And I thought he would die quite miserably.”
“Are you saying you did not want him to die?”
“Because I loved him. No, I still do.”
“You love Giles Hessen.”
Giles told me not to take his side, but I didn't want to obey. Since he had turned the entire nation into his enemy, at least one person—me—had to be on his side. I wasn't sure if this was a wise choice, but still, I didn't want to throw stones at Giles.
Whether it was strategically right or wrong, I didn't want to lie about my true feelings. It would be more accurate to say I couldn't. In a situation where Giles might die, I simply couldn't fabricate a lie.
“Then why did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Are you not the very person who brought Giles Hessen to Beldam? If you love him, why did you orchestrate such a thing?”
“Because I had to survive. Because Ipswin was trying to kill us. It was an inevitable choice. If we stayed there, it was obvious we would both die. Actually, I didn't want to come to Beldam. Coming here and being captured was solely Giles's choice. He chose death for himself to save me.”
Arent was listening intently, as if he found my story quite interesting. Since he was also a person of Beldam, I didn't expect him to change his stance on Giles just by hearing my story. But I had to say it.
“That is the truth.”
I wanted to tell him that he, too, was a normal human being to someone.
That beyond being human, he was a being worthy of being loved.
At least to me, he was. And I did not want to distort that fact with my own hands.
If that was the last thing I could do for Giles, I would rightfully do it.
-
Giles Hessen opened his eyes in a stark white room. At first, it wasn't easy to regain his sense of reality. It was because he felt that the very fact that he had opened his eyes was wrong. Giles remembered being shot at the border. He should have died then... why did I wake up here again?
He tried moving his body. The more he did, the more vivid the sensation of being alive became. The dull ache where he had been shot was also part of it. Someone must have treated him, as the traces of bleeding had completely vanished.
Heavy brass handcuffs bound his wrists, making a clinking sound. The handcuffs were connected to the headboard of the bed by a chain, so he couldn't even leave the bed.
Giles sat up, thought for a moment, and then closed his eyes. It was his arrogance to think he could die cleanly despite having committed so many sins. Giles carried too many sins on his back to die instantly on the spot.
Someone opened the door and entered. Giles could tell immediately that the person was a Beldam soldier just by looking at the uniform.
The soldier said nothing. He didn't even make eye contact. He simply unlocked the chain fixed to the headboard and pulled.
“Come out.”
Giles silently followed his words. As he walked, being pulled by the soldier, he glanced around. This place was too luxurious to be a prison. No other prisoners were in sight. It looked more like a mansion than a jail.
However, a quiet and heavy silence dominated the entire residence.
The soldier led Giles to another room. Because the windows were all blocked, bright electric lights served as a substitute for the sun. Now, a dining table set with food sat before Giles.
“I've brought him.”
Another soldier was sitting at the center of the table, waiting for Giles. She was not a regular soldier, but a high-ranking officer. When the officer nodded, the soldier who had brought Giles released the chain and stepped back. He now stood at a distance, silently staring at Giles.
“Sit.”
The officer commanded. While confused about the situation, Giles obeyed her order. He was in a place that wasn't a prison, and instead of torturing him, the soldiers had brought him before a table set with fine food.
Perhaps this was a new method of torture. A torture where they plant the illusion that he is being treated well, and then ruthlessly crush him just as hope begins to grow.
While he was thinking this, the officer spoke.
“Aren't you hungry? I'm sorry, but I can't unlock the chains. But you can still use a fork, can't you?”
Giles did not answer. In the first place, he felt no craving for food. The despair of having survived left only emptiness.
“Why is there no answer?”
“...I am fine.”
“This is not a suggestion. It is an order.”
“I am no longer even a soldier of Beldam.”
“No one ever gave you permission to retire.”
“The things I have done...”
“You swept away the nobles who were once firmly rooted in Beldam. Well, yes. I know that too. So you don't need to bother explaining. Any Beldam citizen, even a three-year-old child, would know about your splendid record.”
The officer poured and drank blood-red wine. No matter what she did, Giles continued to look down at the white plate.
“I suppose you don't like the food.”
“....”
“Are you going to keep ignoring me, Captain?”
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