To The Traitor in My Bed - Chapter 47
Chapter 24. Search and Rescue
The youngest daughter of the Glenwell family, Emily, had brown hair. As soon as she heard that the military police were coming, she burst into tears.
In contrast, the third daughter, Betty, took the news more stoically. She looked at Frederick.
“…Emily is the youngest among us. Please take her to safety first.”
The carriage had already left with Countess Glenwell, and the strong male servants were all out. However, even if they were around, they might not have been of much help. There was always the possibility that they could take bribes from the military police and betray them.
Count Glenwell instructed the butler to lock the doors and followed his daughters to the stable.
Frederick quickly saddled the faster of the two horses tied up in the stable and mounted Fars with Emily.
“Lord Holborn, once I leave, assess the situation and bring this horse and Lady Betty through the back gate. I’ll hide the youngest daughter somewhere safe, and I’ll return as quickly as possible.”
Count Glenwell nodded grimly.
As they stepped outside, the sky had already darkened.
Frederick silently urged the horse forward. As they passed through the back gate, Emily, curled up and trembling, was clearly frightened.
She was around seventeen. The brown hair that shook beneath his chin reminded him of an event from five years ago.
The burning forest in Aspen.
Deirdre, seventeen years old, returning from the festival in a fairy dress.
Back then, Frederick had ridden through the night, driven by an ominous feeling and headed straight for Aspen. He had feared that Christian, not only killing Daymond Havisham, would ultimately destroy the entire Havisham family.
It had been the constant suspicion of Marquis Havisham about his eldest son’s death that caused all the trouble. Only Frederick, who had kept a close eye on the movements of the Aspen military police, had realized Christian’s intentions and acted before anyone else.
“Lady Emily, do you know this path?”
He asked, and the girl nodded, replying quietly.
“Yes. I come this way often.”
Frederick scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes.
They were standing on a gentle hill on the left, with dry grass and stones, and on the right, a steep trail surrounded by jagged rocks. There was no cover in sight.
He pointed toward the end of the dark path.
“What’s down there?”
“If you go a little further, there’s a fork. One way leads to the village, and the other leads into the mountains.”
White breath escaped from Emily’s lips and dispersed into the air.
Although Frederick didn’t like the idea of taking two fragile girls into the mountains, there was no other choice. The locals would immediately recognize the faces of the Count’s daughters.
He gave Emily a warning.
“Hold the reins tightly. If you’re scared, just close your eyes.”
Even then…
Five years ago, Frederick had said the same thing.
As he crossed the burning forest with Deirdre on horseback.
However, Deirdre neither closed her eyes nor cried. She vehemently opposed the idea of fleeing and demanded to be taken back home. Frederick could not refuse her.
The blue eyes that had shone brightly amidst the flames came back to his mind.
<Did you come to help me?>
<Father is at home. We need to save him…!>
Even when she was told that she would be in danger as well, Deirdre didn’t care. It was her courage that made Frederick relent. Taking her back to the Marquis’s residence had led to her witnessing her father’s death.
But even if he could go back in time, he didn’t think there would have been any choice but to follow her words.
Emily tugged at his sleeve.
“Over there, to the right…”
Her voice was so faint it was hard to hear. Frederick bent down and listened carefully.
“There’s a blackberry bush over there. Please drop me off there, and go get my sister and father. Quickly.”
Emily’s tear-streaked face was pleading.
Frederick spread the blanket from Fars’s saddle over her shoulders and swiftly guided the horse to the blackberry bush she had mentioned. Behind the dense tangle of branches, there was indeed a place where Emily could hide.
Emily carefully sat down between the bushes, making sure not to get her hair caught in the branches.
“Stay hidden here for a moment. I’ll go get your sister. Don’t come out until I come back to call for you.”
Frederick instructed her.
If Countess Glenwell didn’t return in time, there was no guarantee that he could save the Count as well. Frederick didn’t want to make promises he couldn’t keep.
* * *
“Can’t we go any faster? At this rate, we won’t catch even a rat!”
At Lysander’s urging, the coachman looked incredibly apologetic.
“This is the fastest we can go, Major. The military police’s carriage is just too heavy.”
It wasn’t just the carriage that was heavy. The horses pulling it were slow as well. The horses given to the military police were always faulty in some way. If they had good strength, they were slow. If they seemed fast, they would tire out quickly. The few horses that had both qualities never listened to their rider.
To meet Lysander’s high standards, the horse would have to be something like the famed horses of Farslan. But to acquire the best Farslan horses in the kingdom, Lysander would have to deal with Marquis Havisham, which made him completely abandon the idea.
Rather than beg that bastard, it was better to have twelve innocent noblemen hanged and receive a fine horse from the King.
The reason for the worsening working conditions was clear.
In the last three years, the military police force had grown too large.
Like many dictators, Christian wanted to strengthen his power through military expansion.
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