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LOS 83
The death of ‘Eloise Bismarck’ had been scheduled.
At least, according to their plan. She was the perfect scapegoat. If there were a tool best suited to provoke Giles, it would be her.
Luise still remembered the contents written in the order. ‘Torture Eloise Bismarck until Giles Hessen stands trial. Any method is permissible as long as it can "change" Hessen. However, the effect must manifest by the day of the trial.’
‘It is expected that she will reach a near-death state within two days at the shortest, or one week at the longest. Dispose of the body thoroughly to ensure no traces remain. Report immediately to superiors upon death.’
‘In the event she does not die by the day of the trial....’
‘Responsible officer, Major Luise Gottlieb, please confirm.’
Luise thought to herself. She should never have been put in charge of Giles Hessen. She gritted her teeth as she recalled Arent’s irresponsible words, claiming that it would be over with just some rough surveillance.
Of course, the moment she heard the name Giles Hessen, she had expected that this would be far from an easy mission.
But she never imagined it would involve the torture of a civilian.
Giles Hessen was one thing, but Anna was different. If she had any crime, it was merely consorting with Hessen. No, was that even a crime? One deserving of a cruel end, beaten to death like a dog?
The superiors had the soldiers beat Anna until she lost consciousness. Then, they had her treated. It was a meaningless act. Since she would only be beaten again once the sun rose...
All of this was not to punish one person's sin, but to provide the grand finale for a show.
They couldn't present a docile prisoner to the public.
Because what Beldam wanted was something more provocative.
Luise was caught in the middle of this inhumane mission. In the end, it was as if she were the one ordering the assault on Anna.
Her cigarette burned down. Was this truly right?
Was it right to beat a person to death for the sake of a staged play?
She remembered Giles's face as he watched Anna being brutally tortured.
He did not rage. He did not snarl with bloodshot eyes, threatening to kill them.
Giles simply shed endless tears. Instead of anger exploding outward, she could feel something eating away at his interior, leaving it in ruins.
At this point, Luise couldn't help but wonder.
Where exactly did the lies begin?
Was there even a shred of truth mixed into this provocative story?
Did they have to fabricate lies to this extent?
Was Giles Hessen... was he truly a demon?
Could he, too, be wearing a veil of illusion printed by the press?
Luise knew that such thoughts were tantamount to betraying Beldam. For it was the law that one must never doubt the actions of the state.
But how could she not doubt?
She felt disillusioned. Having witnessed the bare face of the convictions she had believed in her entire life, she fell into confusion. She was no longer certain of what she should look toward in life.
She was lost for a moment. It was a feeling she hadn't experienced in a very long time.
She needed a new milestone, but she wasn't sure where to find it.
‘For Beldam.’ The words that had been like a magic spell no longer exhilarated Luise.
After long deliberation, she tried reversing the flow of her thoughts.
What she should live for was no longer important.
Then, how about contemplating how she should die?
Then, the answer appeared.
Suddenly, Luise realized that she had been pondering the answer to death for a very long time.
-
Anna stubbornly endured the beatings that showed no sign of ending. Every time a dark blue bruise formed on her skin, a matching bruise formed on Giles's soul.
Will her bones break at this rate?
Will she never be able to walk properly again?
If she can never play the piano again... what should I do then?
Once his thoughts reached that point, Giles could no longer endure it.
He could not let them destroy the future that Anna had desperately tried to protect.
“Stop, please! Don't lay another finger on her!”
But the only response was the sound of snickering laughter.
“Did you hear that? He thinks he can still give orders to other people.”
“What was that? I can't hear you very well, Captain. Stop crying and speak more clearly.”
His head felt like it was spinning. Giles could not accept that this was reality. He was the one who should be in that spot. So why was Anna being beaten instead?
“Come to think of it.”
One of the soldiers holding a baton started speaking, consciously glancing at Giles.
“I just remembered, this woman's profession is a pianist, right?”
He nudged Anna's fingers with his foot.
“I wonder if she'll be unable to play the piano again if even one finger breaks?”
“Hey, look at this guy. What a cruel bastard.”
Watching the soldiers laugh out loud, Giles struggled to regain his composure. Now that it had come to this, he truly could not just stand by and watch.
While handcuffed, he quickly thought of a way to overpower the soldiers holding him. Even if he were to be captured immediately afterward, he had to prevent that from happening.
“Are you really going to do it? Really?”
“Why wouldn't I? What's the purpose of this? We have to make that guy lose his mind.”
Giles closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Realistically, he couldn't overpower two soldiers with strength alone. He needed a different strategy...
However, before he could put anything into action, Anna, who had been lying there like an unconscious person, bolted upright and bit the soldier's hand. As the soldier screamed and dropped the baton, Anna swiftly snatched it up.
Of course, she staggered and fell back to her knees, but her eyes remained fiercely alive.
Anna gripped the weapon with both hands and screamed.
“Don't come any closer! I warned you!”
But in their eyes, Anna was still just a powerless woman. Anna's shout only invited more ridicule.
“What are you warning us about?”
“In my eyes, it doesn't even look like you can swing that, My Lady.”
The soldiers began to stride toward Anna. Anna's gaze, which had been on high alert, suddenly shifted toward Giles.
She shouted.
“Catch!”
Anna threw the baton with all her might. While the soldiers' attention was diverted, Giles raised his arm to catch the weapon and swung the baton, striking the jawbone of the soldier on the right.
Once one arm was free, overpowering the other guy was easy. Meanwhile, no one had been briefed on what to do if a prisoner attempted to resist with a weapon.
While the soldiers hesitated in their confusion, Giles drove them far away from Anna.
“Fuck, what is this!”
“Put that down right now! That's an order!”
“I am not part of the Beldam Army. I have no reason to follow orders.”
Giles spoke in a chilling tone, standing in front of Anna.
“Leave Anna alone.”
It was just as they were debating whether to rush him all at once.
A familiar voice pierced the air.
“What do you think you are doing?”
At the officer's displeased shout, the soldiers immediately snapped to attention. Luise was standing by the door, glaring at her useless subordinates. In an instant, the room was filled with silence.
“Explain what is happening right now.”
“Major, it's just that... this woman attempted to resist, so...”
“Not worth listening to. I will clean up this messy situation. All of you, get out now.”
Another shout erupted toward the hesitating soldiers.
“Get out!”
Only then did the soldiers scramble out of the room. After the door closed, Luise uncrossed her arms and approached them.
Giles was still holding the baton. Unable to trust Luise, he did not lower his guard.
Glancing at Anna, Luise sighed and said,
“Put that down.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“Look. I have nothing in my hands.”
However, Giles still seemed not to trust Luise.
“I won't do anything to Anna. I can't ask you to trust me, but please believe this one thing. Drop the baton. You can even kick it away.”
Giles, as if trying to read the truth within her eyes, eventually dropped the weapon close to Anna.
Having confirmed that Luise harbored no other intentions, Giles used his restricted arms to lift Anna and lay her on the bed. Anna let out a pained groan even as the sheets touched her back.
“Why are you here?”
The voice asking the question was ice-cold. Looking at him, Luise thought that the direction of this operation was completely wrong.
Giles had only become more haggard; he was still far from being a monster.
“The trial date has been set.”
“And?”
“To let you know. You will be required to appear in three days.”
“Does the verdict even matter?”
He was a condemned man. Everyone knew that fact.
Gathering in the courtroom was nothing more than a formality to officially acknowledge that Giles would be executed.
Instead of answering, Luise shifted her gaze toward Anna. The woman, who had been wide-eyed just moments ago, had now fallen unconscious as the tension left her.
It was a mess.
Everything was.
“What happens to Anna when I die?”
Once again, Luise could not answer Giles's question.
Because Anna was destined to die before Giles was executed.
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