ILIOTS 19

Chapter 19

I had survived so fiercely, and yet, if I were to fall to something as trivial as cold, it would feel unbearably unfair.

But, in truth, nothing about my situation was fair. I couldn’t understand at all why I had to be in such a predicament. What had I done wrong?

I had merely followed orders without complaint. And yet, just one time, when I resisted—only to protect my own body—I was treated worse than a dog.

And now, on top of having to hide my identity because of some noble lineage that had never done anything for me, some insane revolutionary was chasing me.

It wouldn’t even feel as unfair if I had killed someone.

I only wanted to protect myself. That was all I wanted.

If it was a mistake to underestimate how grueling this would be, then that was my only mistake.

Why did Giles want to find me? That was another part I couldn’t understand. I hadn’t done anything wrong.

Thinking back, everything that had happened to me was the same. Every man I had met had beaten and tormented me simply because I didn’t live up to their expectations.

So naturally, I assumed Giles would be no different. Every man who had shown me kindness had ultimately treated me the same way. Why would he be any different? The world I knew was nothing but that: they showed kindness, I met their expectations, and if I didn’t, I was punished.

So, I was being punished again. Because by running from Giles, I hadn’t given him what he wanted.

This time, I would run to the very end. Surviving was no longer enough. What I needed was to completely escape the men who tormented me.

That was the ending I wanted, the trophy of my victory.

I held my breath and thought hard. Smiling dumbly and obeying would have been much easier, but I had already refused that path. This cold was my choice, and I was satisfied with it.

I just had to keep thinking. How could I escape his grasp?

It was then that I heard the sound of boots. I knew it unmistakably. I had learned to recognize the sound of military boots. There was more than one person—at least two. They had to be revolutionaries!

I pressed myself against the wall, hiding in the shadows.

I could hear their voices.

“She’s hiding somewhere around here. I’m sure. We even imposed a temporary curfew on the locals; if anything moves, there’s a high chance it’s that woman.”

“Understood.”

“If we don’t catch her tonight, it’ll be even harder next time. A woman who ran thirty kilometers… don’t underestimate even the slightest sound she makes, like a mouse scurrying.”

My whole body felt frozen—not from the cold, but from fear. Thirty kilometers? Was it really that far from Solzburg Manor to here? It didn’t matter. What mattered was that they were looking for me.

They were moving away. I took a slow, deep breath, pressing my back against the wall and edging sideways. I had to avoid making any sound that would reveal my presence.

Then a tin can fell nearby, rolling noisily until it hit the wall and stopped. I froze completely, watching the large can roll to a halt.

Soon, I heard someone running. A flashlight’s beam began sweeping between the walls.

I snapped out of it and moved. I couldn’t even judge whether my footsteps were loud. I ran through the alleyways, hiding in the shadows to escape their sight.

Finally, I thought I had gone far enough.

“Who’s there?”

Another beam of light appeared. A soldier holding a flashlight.

I had been completely caught in the light.

Giles Hessen patrolled the streets alone. The dimly lit night was illuminated only by the faint, hazy gas lamps.

To capture a runaway woman from the Veldam family, he had even imposed a curfew on the townspeople. If his calculations were correct, Martina Solze hadn’t left the small town yet.

If tonight passed without catching her, he could lose his target forever. As someone almost like a commander, Giles couldn’t afford the consequences if his mission failed.

Even if he couldn’t secure a better position, he had to at least hold his current one.

He already had subordinates surrounding the area, searching in scattered positions. Time was running out. Failure was unthinkable. If the revolutionaries lost to a mere woman, no one could predict the ridicule and scorn they would face.

The pressure made him focus, yet he found his mind drifting. Officially, he was in town to capture Martina Solze, but there was another person he sought—Lily, who had left the manor under the name Anna Keating. A woman he could never forget.

How could he forget? People need a reason to live, whether it’s desire, hope, or a sense of duty.

Giles could never forget the fleeting moments he spent with Anna. Even when he wished for his world to end, being beside her made him forget everything. And it was Anna alone who made that possible.

He wanted to see her face again. To ask what had happened. What had scared her enough to flee the manor…

Anna brought him boundless peace. Any threat to her was a threat to him. If anyone harmed her, Giles would never let it slide.

He refocused: first, he had to capture Martina Solze. Only then could he focus on finding Anna.

Then, a noise came from nearby. What had been silent suddenly became chaotic. Someone shouted, and a heavy object fell with a crash.

Giles ran toward the flickering light. His subordinates had definitely found something. The urgent shouts meant it wasn’t a drunken passerby or a mischievous child.

Somewhere beyond the alley, his men were chasing a woman. Giles didn’t enter hastily; he pressed himself against the wall, listening to locate the source of footsteps. The footsteps of his target would be distinct from his soldiers’ boots.

Finally, someone dashed out from the alley. Naturally, it wasn’t his subordinate.

It was a woman, two spans shorter than him.

Giles lunged, grabbing her by the hair. He felt her struggling in his grip and pushed her against the wall to stop her resistance.

“Don’t move.”

At his warning, she froze. Giles shone his flashlight on her face with his free hand. In the bright light, he recognized her face.

His mind momentarily shut down.

“…Lily?”

If they caught her, it would be the end. Surely there would be no next chance. She ran with all her strength, blindly through the dark, no longer caring about visibility.

In extreme situations, she realized, one could see as clearly as daylight even in the dark.

The narrow alley worked against her. They outnumbered her, and being cornered here meant no escape. She had to get out, to shake them off.

Finally, she saw a wide street bathed in moonlight and ran toward it, never glancing back.

Just as she thought she had escaped the alley, a sudden pain gripped her. Someone grabbed her by the hair. She struggled, but she had no strength against the firm grip of a man.

A revolutionary pushed her against the cold, hard wall. Her forehead scraped the surface, stinging painfully. The man warned her.

“Don’t move.”

Hearing that voice, she froze. She recognized it, somehow…

The man shone a flashlight on her face. She instinctively squinted. It was better to close her eyes; imagining what would happen next was too much for her.

Yet, the revolutionary didn’t act. He didn’t cuff her, didn’t call his comrades. She cautiously opened her eyes. He just stood there, staring at her.

“…Lily.”

That name. The one she least wanted to hear. Only one person could know it.

She looked up and confirmed his face. Black hair, dark eyes. Giles Hessen was standing before her. For some reason, he looked as if his soul had left him, like he had no idea what to do next.

She couldn’t understand. He had caught her, yet why did he look like that? Had he not expected her to be caught so easily?

Before he could do anything, his subordinates ran to his side.

“Captain! Did you catch her?”