Chapter 53

As the door to the office burst open, Campbell jumped to his feet from the sofa where he had been sitting for hours and saluted.

"Go home now."

The captain strode in and instructed Campbell. A new long scratch mark had appeared on the hand holding the yellow file. Campbell turned his gaze and approached his superior.

"Sir."

"What is it?"

The reason Campbell had waited for him instead of going home was because there was an unresolved matter.

It was about Grace Riddle.

He hadn't reported it to the higher-ups yet. If the report was delayed, the higher-ups would be displeased. He thought it would be safer to decide what to do by the end of the day.

"About Grace Riddle..."

"Grace Riddle?"

The captain narrowed his eyes and asked, which made Campbell hesitate for a moment. The captain then lit the file on Grace Riddle with a lighter and threw it into the fireplace.

"Who is she?"

"..."

"By the way, Sally Bristol left the mansion this morning."

Campbell nodded quickly. The arrest of Grace Riddle was to remain a secret known only to the personnel of this annex.

"I'll inform the responsible soldiers accordingly."

Whether it was the higher-ups or the Winston family, he was saying that he would ensure this information did not leak out of the annex. As he was about to leave, the captain called him back.

"One more thing. The torture chamber is to be closed. Ghosts have started appearing."

Campbell nodded and left. Leon looked down at the pile of ashes in the fireplace and muttered.

"A female ghost that reacts to the name Daisy."

Daisy, Sally, Grace. There were too many names, and he didn't know which one to call her by.

Daisy. A cute name that didn't fit the dark-skinned, bold-tempered girl.

Sally. Another cute name that didn't fit her cunning and audacity.

Grace.

This name fit even less.

Favor, indeed. You are the disaster that invaded my perfect life.

'Whatever your name is...'

He wasn't sure what to call her, but one thing was clear.

'You're mine now.'

* * *

To James Blanchard Jr.,

I had a very satisfying time with the maid you personally sent.

Have you seen Miss Riddle naked? I doubt it. If you had, you wouldn't have sent her to me.

I was moved by your sending such a fine item. Moreover, by offering your fiancée, I didn't realize you held me in such high regard. I'll specially prepare a solitary cell for you.

For the sake of your poor fiancée, who still hopes to bear the heir of the Blanchard family, the 'Royal Family of the Revolution,' despite her body being defiled by my semen, you should visit her once. If you don't hurry, she might conceive my child first.

Western Command Intelligence Bureau, Domestic Intelligence Division

Captain Leon Winston

"Damn it..."

The letter was crumpled. Someone placed a hand on Jimmy's shoulder as he rubbed his forehead.

"Jimmy..."

Among those consoling him, the faces of a few elders who had opposed Grace's withdrawal were noticeable. They exchanged dark glances, and Jimmy felt disillusioned as he closed his eyes.

"Trying to let the dogs eat each other..."

"The dog sent to eat was eaten."

Jimmy opened his eyes and glared at the two elders, who cleared their throats and fell silent.

"What to do about Grace... that poor girl... May God have mercy on her."

A female elder sitting next to him clicked her tongue and made the sign of the cross. A gray-haired man grumbled in response.

"At least she's alive. It seems they'll keep her alive for a while, so she's lucky. Poor Wilkins."

The man looked at the only empty seat at the round table with a bitter expression and took out a cigarette. Dave, Fred's father, was absent, preparing for the funeral.

Jimmy glared at the elder smoking the cigarette.

Poor Fred.

No one knew how he was discovered just before the withdrawal. Fred had already blabbed about what Winston had done to him before Nancy could ask, but he remained tight-lipped about the circumstances of his discovery. He then suddenly disappeared from the Winston inner mansion and was found dead in a ditch the next day.

So, only Grace knew the answer.

But Jimmy knew. Perhaps all the elders gathered here knew instinctively. It wasn't Grace's fault.

"Let's plan the operation."

Regaining his composure, he began to plan the rescue operation for Grace.

"Order Peter to monitor the Winston family's movements and send a rescue team to Winsford in advance, then during the escort..."

"But there's a possibility that Winsford's inner mansion has been discovered."

"No, I don't think so. There's no suspicious movement or trend yet. Nancy said there was no tailing or surveillance."

"Send the rescue team to a new inner mansion..."

As Jimmy continued to discuss the rescue operation,

"Still, Grace knows too much, which is worrying."

Everyone fell silent at one elder's words. Everyone in the room knew that the moment Grace spoke, she would be executed. They exchanged silent glances, and the oldest elder gave Jimmy a bitter smile and spoke the difficult words.

"Then, an honorable death..."

Jimmy's eyes wavered at the suggestion of suicide. A heated debate ensued across the table.

"But the girl hasn't fulfilled her role yet."

"That's true. It's a valuable card, and it would be a waste to burn it."

"But now the card is in the hands of the military. It will only reveal our location to them."

"If they know the card's value, they might use it for propaganda against us."

"No, if they know, they will eliminate her."

Everyone agreed, and a silence followed.

"Anyway, I believe it's right to give Grace a chance to die peacefully."

The officers who had reached a consensus began to look at Jimmy intently. But Jimmy couldn't readily agree.

"Jimmy."

Creak. The sound of a chair being pulled back, and one of the elders who had opposed Grace's withdrawal approached him and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"There are many women. I hope you don't have personal feelings for her."

"To be honest, I held back my words when Angie was alive, but I opposed the engagement to a woman with tainted blood from the start."

One elder, aware of his discomfort, added.

"It may sound cruel now, but you are our supreme commander. You must think of the greater good, not personal feelings."

"Yeah, who hasn't sacrificed a loved one?"

It wasn't a wrong statement.

"Think about what your father would have chosen."

The atmosphere in the meeting room grew heavier. Jimmy sighed deeply and reluctantly spoke.

"There's no way to deliver the order. Sending someone in again is too risky, and there's no guarantee that Grace will be interrogated on that side..."

"There's Peter."

"Peter can't get into the Winston family's compound..."

"I mean, there's a list of items Grace compiled and sent about what's supplied to the torture chamber. Hide the order in that and send it with Peter's letter."

"..."

There was no room for argument. Jimmy nodded listlessly and closed his eyes tightly.

* * *

The fickle April sky had finally given way to sunny days.

For Leon, who had a sensitive sense of smell, it meant the start of a season he didn't particularly like. Even as he entered the garden, the subtle scent of lilac kept wafting to his nose, annoying him.

On the way to the greenhouse, Leon suddenly stopped in front of a blooming lilac bush. Ignoring his mother's puzzled gaze, he reached out to the tree.

Crack.

A brown bird perched on a light purple branch, sipping nectar, was startled and flapped its wings. As he broke the branch where the bird had been sitting, his mother glanced at the approaching guests and whispered.

"It's not dignified to give to the duchess."

Leon only twisted his lips in response.

Duchess? This was a gift for that woman.

It might not be bad to bring her a May flower, unaware of the date or season. He was very curious about what face she would make when she learned the lilacs had bloomed.

Holding the branch of flowers, he resumed his walk. As they passed the lilac garden and began walking down a long path lined with straight poplars, his mother, smoothing the silk handkerchief in his chest pocket, smiled.

"You look good."

She was commenting on his wearing a suit instead of a military uniform. His mother, who detested military uniforms, had been searching his wardrobe for a suit days before the meeting with the duchy.

It was a bit amusing when she insisted that if he came in a military uniform, he should come without it.

In the end, he wore a suit that was different from the stuffy one his mother had chosen, but she seemed satisfied with that.

"Once you receive the title, leave the military."

Leon was incredulous. How could such a smart son come from such a dim-witted woman?

The duchy needed a military connection, so they were discussing his engagement. Yet, she was telling him to leave the military. Did she have a plan?

"Closing the torture chamber was a good decision."

Leon looked down at his mother, who smiled contentedly. She had no idea that her son was hiding a woman somewhere in the basement of the mansion.