Chapter 58

58

...It was better to block the possibility of the duchess running away in the middle of the night.

Because... Theodor seemed to have a premonition that he would soon admit his feelings and submit to the duchess.

But if the duchess were to run away before that... it would be a disaster.

Calvin didn't want to imagine how Theodor would react when that moment came.

His contemplation didn't last long. Finally, Calvin made up his mind and spoke.

"Theo, this is just a word of caution..."

And Calvin's advice brought about results beyond what he had imagined.

* * *

'No, you lunatic! I said to talk, not to lock her up and put her under surveillance!'

As night fell, the Valentino Castle was turned upside down in a different way.

The duke had assigned knights to monitor the lady of the house.

Moreover, the duchess could not go out without the duke's permission.

No matter where she went, even if it was just a brief visit to the garden, she had to get the duke's permission and take the knights with her.

Calvin, who hadn't intended such a result from his advice, was at his wits' end.

'This is supposed to be for her protection, but it's practically a form of oppression... Damn, even if I give advice, he doesn't understand and makes things worse.'

He couldn't go to the duchess and say, 'The duke seems to be misunderstanding things a bit, but please bear with it for a few days, even if it's uncomfortable.'

He wasn't in a position to have such... private conversations with the duchess, and he didn't have that kind of relationship with her.

'I guess I can only wait for Theo to come to his senses... '

When Theodor heard about the plan to run away, his eyes went wild, and he wasn't in his right mind.

He hadn't expected such a reaction.

He hadn't expected Theodor to go this far.

...The depths of his childhood friend's mind seemed to be beyond imagination, Calvin thought with a tired heart.

* * *

"Are they still there?"

"Yes... It seems they haven't slept. It's been nine hours now. Are they taking turns?"

Charlotte sighed deeply after glancing outside. I sat in the armchair by the window, quietly gazing at the garden.

The sky was very clear today, and the autumn flowers in the flower beds were beginning to bloom, making the garden extremely beautiful.

I wanted to enjoy the autumn garden one last time before leaving this place... but the thought of being followed by knights I wasn't close to dampened my enthusiasm.

'I wanted to take a walk.'

Even though I was weak, lying down all the time wasn't as helpful for building stamina as moving around a bit.

That's why I often took walks in the garden with Charlotte... but I hadn't expected to be locked up.

Moreover, they had assigned a guard to watch me. The official reason was for my protection, but it was clearly surveillance.

I didn't know the details, but I was sure Theodor suspected me. ...What was he suspecting? Did he still think I was Everett's spy?

After seeing my hatred for Everett so vividly?

'Or is it because of the divorce papers I saw earlier...?'

Theodor could easily have assumed that I was preparing to run away just by seeing the divorce papers.

...If that was the case, I could understand why he was keeping me under surveillance. If the lady of the house were to run away, the family would be in trouble. The head of the household would want to avoid such a disgrace.

But still... there were too many things I couldn't understand. Didn't he want to divorce me?

I had prepared everything in advance, thinking that he would naturally want to divorce me once he regained his memory.

If I divorced Theodor, I would have to return to Everett Castle. Thanks to getting rid of Lennon Chester, I wouldn't have to remarry that man, but my father and Owen would quickly find another use for me.

Before I got too old and my value diminished. While I was still young and beautiful.

While I still had value as a commodity.

Lily Everett's life was like that. In that family, I was a tool, not a human being. And I didn't want to live like that anymore. I would rather die than be a commodity with the name Lily Everett.

Death is always terrifying. But my health was already ruined, and I wouldn't live long. If I was going to die anyway, it was better to end my life myself. Rather than living a life where my value was measured and sold by others.

If I ended my own life, at least my death would be mine.

So if I had to return to Everett Castle, I would rather die. Falling from a high place would be easy. That's what I thought.

...Until Charlotte convinced me.

'Madam, why do you have to take your own life? There are other people who should die!'

It was from a conversation we had. If I had to return to Everett Castle, I told her not to follow me but to go somewhere else and find her own life. Then Charlotte asked me with a serious expression if I was planning to take my own life.

When I said yes, Charlotte, with tears in her eyes, tried to persuade me.

'No, Madam, run away with me. I said I would help you. Let's leave here and live happily without anyone knowing. Please, do it... '

Charlotte, who followed me like a baby bird, sometimes took care of me in a reliable way. It was hard to refuse when she pleaded with tears.

'...Okay, I'll think about it.'

I answered that way and decided to follow Charlotte's plan after Theodor regained his memory.

To escape from all the things that were tormenting me.

Once I made that decision, everything became easier. My heart felt lighter. I decided to leave, forget everything, and think only about living the rest of my life happily. I kept repeating this to myself as I prepared.

And now, the time to act was really close...

'I never expected this to happen.'

On Wednesday, two days later, I had to find a way to escape. I had to make sure Theodor didn't find out about my escape plan by then. It was fortunate that he hadn't tried to open the safe in my room.

Still, just in case, it would be best to memorize the escape plan and the map and burn them. The escape funds could be discovered; I could claim they were emergency funds.

'For now, I have to stay low.'

I sighed softly. I hoped everything would go as I wished this time. I had always had bad luck.

If there was a god, couldn't he grant my wish just once?

* * *

Two days later, in the dark of early morning.

The tight surveillance was still in place, and there seemed to be no way out.

But there was a way. I had a disguise magic tool, and...

'...A few sleeping pills I had hidden.'

I had obtained them when I disguised myself as a maid and went outside, just in case. I hadn't expected them to be so useful...

'And...'

I glanced at Jane, who was sleeping in my bed. ...I felt sorry for her, but I hadn't called her at this hour because of insomnia. I needed her for the escape plan to succeed.

'I'm sorry, Jane.'

Jane was one of the people who had been kind to me. She was also an excellent doctor. I felt guilty about using her, but I had no choice. This was the best way.

I took out the silver wig I had prepared in advance and put it on Jane's head. Then I turned her to lie on her side and covered her up to her chin.

After that, I looked at the bed from the door and it looked very convincing, as if I were sleeping there.

'...Good, this should work.'

Next, Charlotte's role was crucial. I changed into different clothes, disguised myself as Jane, and sat quietly on the sofa.

A little later, I heard soft voices in the hallway, and Charlotte entered the room with a basket of snacks. She smiled at me and asked,

"I brought some snacks. Is Madam here? Oh, would Dr. Soph like some too?"

"Madam is sleeping for a moment. Let's eat the snacks among ourselves first?"

"Yes, then..."

The door closed softly. Before it was completely closed, I could see the knights eating the snacks. They seemed to think nothing was wrong, and most of them thought Theodor was overreacting, which was fortunate. It allowed me to act while they were complacent.

Click.

After the door was completely closed, I approached Charlotte and asked in a low voice,

"Did you give them the pills?"

"Yes, they'll fall asleep in about 5 minutes."

And exactly 5 minutes later, just as Charlotte said, the knights were indeed sound asleep.

They would sleep until morning, thanks to the sleeping pills Charlotte had secretly put in the snacks.

* * *