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Chapter 77
“Hey, you two! Stop right there!”
What should I do?
If it’s a random inspection, they’ll first ask for my identification tag.
They might even order me to take off my hood and veil to show my face.
But right now, I don’t have one. The Grand Duke probably has Kirill’s, since he’s acting as his escort knight.
Tap, tap, tap— I could hear the sound of boots pounding as they ran toward us.
Ah… should I just take them down with my sword? They can’t fire at night anyway, so their guns are useless.
It’s a two-on-two fight, so it’s not hopeless. If I fight lightly, just enough not to hurt them too badly, wear them down, then escape…
My hand gripped the hilt at my waist. The Grand Duke must have heard the same noise, so maybe I should glance at him, signaling cooperation.
Grab!
Before I could even meet his eyes, an iron grip suddenly seized my wrist.
The Grand Duke, walking beside me, had snatched my wrist in urgency.
“Don’t even think about drawing your sword.”
Forgetting that I couldn’t hear him, he restrained me with surprising strength.
“From here on, run as fast as you can. Don’t be startled—just follow me.”
Haaah!
Before I could even catch my breath, the Grand Duke was already sprinting, dragging me by the wrist.
Agh! This is way too fast!
His strides were so long I couldn’t keep up at all. I was pretty fast myself, but the difference in pace made it feel like I was being dragged along.
As the wind whipped past us, my hood fell back. At least I had on a dark wig, so my real red hair wouldn’t be exposed… But ugh, my lungs were burning.
We darted into a twisting, narrow alley.
The Grand Duke was still running at full speed, with me barely clinging on.
I understood why he was so desperate to escape—he, too, was someone who couldn’t afford to reveal his identity.
The two stationed soldiers kept pursuing us. Their footsteps still echoed not far behind.
Ugh. Just my luck to run into such persistent guys.
Suddenly, my body was yanked into a narrow gap. The Grand Duke had sharply pulled me aside.
Our bodies pressed close together in the tight space between two brick walls—barely enough for two people.
The sudden closeness made his body heat wash over me.
Huff, huff—
Our hot breaths tangled in the narrow space.
Then he leaned in close, lips brushing against my ear. I flinched at the unexpected nearness.
“Hiding was the priority. I pulled you in so we’d be out of sight.”
He whispered. It was probably his way of explaining why he’d dragged me here.
Quickly, I tugged my hood back up. At such close range, someone might notice the wig otherwise.
“…Even though you can’t hear, I keep explaining out loud.”
He muttered awkwardly. The space was too tight to use sign language anyway. I simply nodded to show I understood.
Tap-tap-tap. Footsteps pounded outside the alley. The soldiers were near.
The Grand Duke opened the oil lamp he was holding, blew gently, and snuffed out the flame. Darkness swallowed us whole.
Holding my breath, I strained my ears. Every sense sharpened, making the Grand Duke’s chest pressing so close against me feel overwhelming.
“I swear, I saw them come this way. Where’d they go?”
“Like ghosts vanishing… Let’s search over there first.”
Phew…
I exhaled quietly in relief.
The soldiers’ footsteps lingered nearby for a while, then slowly faded. We’d have to wait a little longer before leaving. Step out too early, and we might run right into them again.
Then, something brushed lightly across the top of my head. The Grand Duke’s fingers had touched my hood.
Why would he suddenly touch my hair? I shot him a questioning look.
“You’re about the same height.”
He murmured softly.
…Was he thinking of his wife—of me, in that moment?
I was just over 175 centimeters. Dvorka women were usually petite, so someone my height was rare.
Not nonexistent, though. These days, plenty of tall foreign merchant women came through Blansk.
Silence stretched. Then, once all sounds outside faded, the Grand Duke took my wrist again and nodded—time to move.
My eyes had adjusted to the dark. With the bright moonlight, we could manage without the lamp.
[You must have been startled. Sorry for suddenly grabbing you and running.]
He apologized first.
[Why did you do that?]
I asked, though I already knew the answer.
[I’ve clashed with the stationed soldiers recently. If I caused trouble again, that woman might suffer because of it.]
He was referring to the incident in Yorka, when he subdued soldiers and the governor’s knights.
[You weren’t just worried about being caught sneaking out at dawn?]
[I won’t deny it. And tonight, I’ll see you home.]
[Why bother?]
[Because I don’t want you to run into soldiers alone.]
He answered.
My fingers fiddled with the key in my pocket.
Well, fine. Since I’d only be going to the annex, I wouldn’t have to run into Sir Julio anyway.
From then on, we walked in silence toward my destination.
True to his word, the Grand Duke escorted me all the way to my door. I was glad I’d gotten the key in advance.
Leaning against the annex door, I looked at him.
[You really came all the way here. You’re not planning to come into my house, are you?]
[I’m not such a scoundrel as to enter another man’s wife’s home. Go on in.]
Leaving him behind with a wave, I unlocked the door.
Inside, I slipped off my robe and collapsed onto the bed in the cozy annex chamber.
But my heart still raced like an untamed colt.
Was it because of my husband’s unexpected confession I had overheard as if it were someone else’s story—or because of the soldiers’ sudden chase at the end?
I was just confused. It didn’t seem like I’d be able to sleep easily tonight.
***
A sharp ache jabbed my side. My scar must be predicting the weather again.
I threw open the study window and looked up. As expected—dark, heavy clouds were ready to burst.
Late summer rains tended to be harsh. Thunder would follow, too, as if on cue.
I had finished my work for the day. Perhaps I should go up to the rooftop.
I left my jacket draped over the chair and stepped out of the study. To Katarina, who guarded the door, I said I wanted to be alone. She gave me a wry smile, bowed, and returned to her room. She must have guessed where I was heading, but knew better than to stop me.
I climbed the stairs slowly, one step at a time, and opened the rooftop door.
The world was dark, like a place without a sun. A cold raindrop plopped onto the center of my forehead.
Strangely, the rain felt almost welcome now.
As I moved toward the rooftop railing, the rain thickened. My shoulders grew soaked as I perched on the rusty iron edge.
Shhhhhh—
The moment I braced myself for the rain, a downpour came crashing down, as though on schedule.
A flash of lightning split the sky. Seconds later—boom, rumble—thunder followed.
At the same time, my eyes burned hot, tears welling at the edges.
Ghostlike figures of residents wandering the ruins of the collapsed city flickered in my mind.
People gasping for breath under the exploding flares, sinking into panic.
Years had passed, yet the memories remained vivid.
The moment those horrific images resurfaced, tears spilled down my cheeks.
But the rain concealed them. That was why I let myself cry in the storm—so no one would see my pitiful state.
Was Vera doing well on Pardon Island now? Had she been rescued—that girl who was said to be the Grand Duke’s younger sister?
The more I spoke with the Grand Duke outside the pawnshop at night, the more my suspicions about the girl faded.
My youthful vow to expose every one of his lies seemed destined to crumble.
Lies usually bred more lies, thickening layer by layer, until their weight eventually revealed the truth. But the more I listened to the Grand Duke, the closer his words sounded to reality.
Why did everything he said feel so plausible?
…Huh?
The merciless rain pounding my face suddenly stopped. A large shadow loomed above me.
I looked up. An umbrella.
I spun around. The Grand Duke was holding it over my head.
“I knew I’d find you here.”
“…”
“You avoid me, so I had no choice but to come to where you’d be.”
His tone was calm.
It was true—I had been avoiding him for days. I was afraid to face him as myself, not as the pawnshop keeper.
I wasn’t usually the kind of person to run from others, but ever since I learned what he felt about me, I wanted to hide, like a girl whose diary had been stolen.
Even though it wasn’t me, but the Grand Duke, whose feelings had been exposed.
Now, with nowhere left to hide, my tears fell freely, no longer masked by rain.
Strange… even though he had caught me crying, I didn’t feel like running anymore.
