To The Traitor in My Bed - Chapter 33
Chapter 17. The Countess’s First Love
Mark Hartley, the Baronet, was a trusted ally of Count Fairchild and had made all the necessary preparations to send Darnell and Blanc beyond the border. There, they would change clothes and secure the forged documents they would need for their stay in Luska.
This was the primary plan for Darnell and Blanc.
“Did you miss ‘that’?”
Blanc asked.
“No.”
Darnell responded.
The Stoneshield prison, located on the rocky island where Darnell had been imprisoned for nearly two years, mainly housed political prisoners and those sentenced to life for espionage.
During his time there, Darnell had approached a Froiden who had once worked for Duke Arthur.
This man was originally loyal to Grand Duke Dietrich and had betrayed him to join Arthur’s side, hoping to prove his worth in the war by throwing himself into the fray. However, the Duke had treated him as a ‘dog that bites its master’ and left him to die in the enemy’s prison. This fueled the man’s intense hatred for Duke Arthur.
The Froiden from Strasbourg, knew the castle’s layout intimately. That was exactly what Darnell needed. His natural charm had allowed him to become friends with the man, who vividly described the castle from the third basement floor to the fifth story, as if he had just been there. Since no paper or pen was allowed in the prison, Darnell had memorized every detail.
As soon as he escaped, Darnell, relying on his hazy recollection, had managed to make a copy of the layout. One copy was now in the hands of Count Fairchild, the leader of the White Rose Brigade, and the other was with Darnell.
“Did Fairchild send any additional messages?”
“Six weeks.”
Countess Fairchild was a sharp and perceptive person. Because of this, Darnell and the Count had to quickly come up with a story that Darnell had sought refuge with an old friend.
They never had a moment to talk alone. Instead, Darnell received a hastily written letter from the Count.
[December 24th, Strasbourg Castle]
So December 24th was the D-day.
After crossing into Luska, Darnell and Blanc were to take a boat to the neutral country of Ratnum, cross through it, and head for Froiden. Their final destination, of course, was Strasbourg.
“What happens if we fail?”
Blanc’s question was not one that lacked an answer. It wasn’t the first time Blanc or Darnell had asked it. Two years ago, Darnell had asked the same question to Count Fairchild.
<What happens if we fail to make contact with that Froiden in the prison?>
At the time, Count Fairchild was about to marry Lady Deirdre Havisham. Perhaps for that reason, his answer had been more optimistic.
<Then we’ll find another way.>
But this time, there were no alternatives. If they failed, Darnell, Blanc, and Fairchild would all die. And so is their only remaining hope, Sabrina Leonhart.
The ‘White Rose Brigade’ planned to rescue the imprisoned princess from Strasbourg Castle on December 24th.
* * *
Footprints were scattered haphazardly in the snow.
In the darkness, the last ember in the brazier glowed brightly.
Deirdre quickened her pace, shivering. The sudden silence and sense of exhaustion after the party had emptied made the cold seem even harsher.
Moreover, her husband walking silently beside her also bothered her.
‘Why did Lady Perpetua have to say such things for no reason…’
<If you’ve ever been in love, you would understand the feeling of wanting to be with your lover at any cost.>
She glanced sideways at Frederick. Of course, he probably wouldn’t even remember such a passing comment from Perpetua. Even if he did, would he care much about it?
He knew that she hadn’t married him out of love, after all.
‘But, this man must have experienced love…’
The ill-fated princess, Sabrina, forever trapped in Strasbourg Castle.
Deirdre had seen a portrait of Sabrina, too. The elegant beauty with platinum hair, nearly silver, and Leonhart’s golden eyes.
Sabrina, born to Queen Larissa, was said to resemble her mother and had received the most affection from the late king. As a child, she must have been so loved by her father, fitting in perfectly with that man.
On the other hand, Deirdre, who grew up under the overprotection of her older brothers, had never experienced a typical first love. Daymond always treated her like a child, and Dorian, in contrast, treated her like a princess no one could approach, so no boy in Aspen dared to approach Lady Havisham.
If she had ever felt anything like romantic affection, it would have been only once in her life…
‘The man who saved me five years ago.’
She didn’t even know his name, let alone his face.
The only time she had spent with him was that night when the Aspen Forest was burning, from midnight until dawn. The few words they exchanged were hardly memorable, especially since she wasn’t fully in her right mind during their conversation.
But it was the first time she had been in such close contact with a young man…
Perhaps it was her own delusion, but she felt that he genuinely cared for her. She couldn’t help but think that he must have come a long way just to save her, rather than simply stumbling upon her in distress.
Then, naturally, her conversation with Captain Cottenham resurfaced.
<Captain Cottenham. Have you ever been to Aspen?>
<Maybe.>
…No, it couldn’t have been him.
If it had been, he wouldn’t have treated her so rudely.
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