IDHGA 17

Chapter 17

The next day, I slipped out of the Wellington Marquis’s residence early in the morning, avoiding my father’s eyes as he had already left the house.

I hadn’t left for a brief outing—I had packed up all my belongings and brought them with me.

Because of public scrutiny, my aunt couldn’t outright block my father’s visits, so I had decided to remove myself instead.

My father must not know, so as quietly as possible.

Together with Jena, I roughly packed our things and left the residence in a carriage without the family seal.

“Are you sure this is really okay, my lady?”

Jena asked, glancing at me hesitantly.

“What can I do? If a person won’t change, the least you can do is avoid them.”

I shook my head and sighed.

The reason for this absurd escape was due to my aunt’s advice after she heard about what had happened to me last night.

—

*”Stay at a hotel for a while.”*

*”A hotel?”*

*”Yes. Your father doesn’t seem like he’ll be going anywhere else, so it’s right for you to move. You can’t waste your energy clashing over every little thing.”*

*”That’s true, but…”*

*”Don’t overthink it. If possible, now while your father is away seems like the best opportunity.”*

—

At my aunt’s firm words, Jena and I hurriedly packed our things.

My father always came and went as he pleased, so my aunt’s advice that it was best to leave now while we could was spot on.

Unlike last night, when he had exhausted me with all his raging and shouting, my father didn’t return until I had packed most of my things and left the house.

“I need to rest for a while. Clashing with Father every day is driving me crazy.”

“Yes, my lady. Since we left some of your things behind to make it seem like you’re still there, we should be fine for a while.”

“I wonder. Whether I’m there or not, I doubt he’ll even notice.”

I chuckled lightly and lifted the curtain covering the carriage window to look outside.

The weather was clear and the sun was shining brightly, yet here I was, hiding and running away…

I sighed and pulled out a letter from my bosom, handing it to Jena.

“Send this to Cleor today. If possible, don’t reveal where we’re staying.”

“I will, my lady.”

The situation in the North was dire, but for now, all I could do was ask my aunt to send some of Wellington’s knights to the North.

I still had things to do here, so I couldn’t leave immediately, but at the very least I had to protect the North in the meantime.

The knights had said things were fine, but I remembered from my past life that the North had been on the verge of its final collapse.

The family’s finances growing increasingly insolvent, and the barbarians of the North tightening their grip by the moment.

I hadn’t seen it through to the end, but I remembered at least that the North had been on the very brink of ruin.

Cleor’s desperate letter, saying that the Count of Mason, the lord of the North, wouldn’t return from the capital and that the remaining forces were so pitifully few that they could do nothing but hold the fort.

Back then, I had no power of my own and could do nothing, but now it was different.

Unlike back then, when I could do nothing for my family without relying on my husband’s power, now I could use not only my own strength but also my aunt’s for the sake of the North.

A clear difference from those days when I would only watch others’ reactions, heart aching from my husband’s suspicions.

And from now on, it would continue to be different.

“And Jena, also…”

I took the opportunity to ask Jena for one more thing.

To somehow protect the North.

Am I just acting on impulse too much?

After arriving at the hotel and securing a room, I lay on the bed in a comfortable position and thought.

To properly protect Asierd, what I had to do was stop my father.

To block my father completely and prevent the Crown Prince’s despicable schemes in advance.

To that end, I thought the best thing to do was to distance myself from Asierd, so I had pushed him away by any means necessary.

In the process, I discovered my father’s schemes and remembered the danger the North had been in.

Though not everything that came from pushing Asierd away was bad…

“The important thing is that Father isn’t someone who will give up easily.”

I sighed, lying on the bed and kicking my feet.

…In the end, is seeking out Asierd the best option?

I was blankly staring at the ceiling when suddenly I heard a knock.

“Is anyone there?”

“…Yes, who is it?”

Jena had gone out with the key, so she wouldn’t be knocking like this.

At the polite voice, I sat up on the bed but didn’t move to get up.

If it wasn’t Jena, who could know I was here and come looking for me?

“There is someone who wishes to see you, my lady.”

“Who is it?”

“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to come with me.”

“…Isn’t it only natural to feel suspicious when someone who won’t even reveal their identity wants to see me? I’m sorry, but please tell them I’d prefer only people who can clearly state their identity to come see me.”

“My lady. I will only ask this once.”

His tone was coercive and dismissive, but carried a strong will that his purpose must be achieved regardless.

At those words, I quickly rose from my seat, draped a shawl over my shoulders, and fixed my shoes.

“If it’s an order rather than a request, then I want to go even less. …Tell that suspicious person that if they ever want to reveal themselves, they can contact me. I hope that next time, it will be in a brighter, more public place rather than a quiet one like this.”

After snapping out my words, I hurried toward the window.

Fortunately, this wasn’t a very high floor, and with careful maneuvering, I could probably drop onto the branches of the lush tree below.

Thankfully, from here I could see the entrance to the hotel very clearly.

I sat on the windowsill, calculating the distance and angle between the window and the tree.

“I’ve said all I have to say, so I’ll take my leave now.”

I heard a clanking sound from behind.

The very act of trying to force the door open to take me by any means sent chills down my spine.

I placed my feet on the windowsill and prepared to jump.

The clanking sound grew louder in my ears, and just as I slowly let out a deep breath—

“Eloise! Jump down!”

An unexpected shout came from below.

A familiar voice, one that had no business being here.

When I looked down, Jena was pacing frantically, and somehow, Asierd was with her.

Why did seeing his face, which seemed to already understand the situation, bring me such inexplicable reassurance?

I quietly gazed at him, sending a steady look up toward me from below.

Our eyes met, even from a distance.

At the worry brimming in his gaze, I steeled my resolve.

I placed my hands on the windowsill and prepared to leap.

Then—*CRASH!*—the door burst open.

After a long time spent trying to pick the lock, they must have given up and smashed it in the end.

I glanced back briefly and clicked my tongue lightly.

The men who entered were all wearing plain clothes of unknown affiliation, and not a single face was familiar.

“My lady! That’s dangerous!”

One of them shouted at me as he hurriedly stepped inside.

“…My lady. If you come quietly, you won’t be harmed.”

Some were shocked, while others wore expressions that said, ‘Surely you wouldn’t actually jump from there.’

*’They say servants resemble their masters.’*

Judging by the contemptuous expressions they made at the person their master had sent them to retrieve, I could tell—more than enough—what kind of person their master was.

Looking at the knights slowly approaching me, I smiled softly.

“So tell me, why should I go meet your master while worrying about the harm that might come to me?”

“Pardon?”

“Tell your master this. The attitude of the knights sent to retrieve me reflects their master’s character so perfectly that I’m too offended to go.”

Leaving behind a bright, innocent smile for all to see, I jumped out the window.

Toward the safe arms below, already reaching out for me.

“My heart nearly stopped, my lady! What on earth were you thinking, jumping from that height?!”

“I’m sorry, Jena. But I really knew I’d be fine.”

And I actually was fine.

I glanced at Asierd, who was sitting in the seat across from me with his eyes quietly closed.

When I jumped from the hotel window, everyone entering the building at the time looked on in shock as I fell.

Even I felt that moment pass in excruciating slow motion, so I could only imagine how the onlookers must have felt.

Some screamed, some fainted on the spot, and some even spread their arms as if to catch me themselves.

But amidst all the commotion, Asierd—without a trace of wavering, as if it were the most natural thing in the world—caught me in his arms.

He caught me in that exact spot without the slightest error, quickly scanned me over, and then carried me straight into the carriage where Jena was waiting.

Immediately after, Asierd gave orders to his knights in a low voice thick with anger to handle those left behind.

He had said, *”I’ve received word from the Marchioness of Wellington. From now on, I will be taking charge of the lady’s protection.”*

My aunt, who had sent me to the hotel to prepare for any potential threat from my reckless father, must have thought he might try something.

*’Honestly, it’s only natural that it would be hard to hide from a father who’s determined to find his daughter…’*

So my aunt had contacted Asierd right after sending me to the hotel, and he had come running to me without delay.

And after saying that, he hadn’t spoken a single word throughout the entire carriage ride.

Only the occasional exchange between Jena and me filled the carriage.

Whether he knew I was stealing glances at him or not, he remained silent the whole time until the carriage stopped and we all got out—only then did he finally speak.

“This is a safe house managed by the Fontaine family. It’s small, but you should have no trouble staying here. Gerald, who serves as both coachman and knight, knows the way to and from here, so please take him with you when you go out. My lady, it will be known that you are recuperating for the remainder of the social season.”

“…A safe house, Your Grace? Why did you go so far as to come here?”

A safe house.

I was a little surprised by the weight of his words.

A safe house was essentially a secret residence unique to each family, created to protect family members in times of danger.

A place that must never be revealed to outsiders or its location exposed.

Even considering I had almost been in serious danger today, was that enough to warrant revealing a safe house?

*’Wait, am I at some kind of stage where I need to lie low because I’m caught up in some life-threatening conspiracy?’*

As I looked at him with a flustered expression, he looked back at me as if asking why I was questioning the obvious.

“Since you declined a strategic alliance with me, my lady, this is the only way I have to protect you.”