To The Traitor in My Bed - Chapter 49 - Safe for Just Tonight

Chapter 25. Safe for Just Tonight

It wasn’t just one carriage approaching, but two. One was, of course, the military police carriage.

A cold smile spread across Lysander’s face.

“Ah, it seems the Countess has arrived. Or perhaps it’s the daughters?”

The cold winter wind from the mountain swept through the open front door. Yet, despite the chill, beads of sweat appeared on Count Glenwell’s exposed forehead. This indicated that the Count was anxious.

Lysander wondered deep in thought.

‘Why is he so anxious…?’

The military police had arrived unannounced, and soon the Countess and his daughters would return. There was no reason for him to be nervous. This feeling was something only someone with something to hide would experience.

Without taking his eyes off the Count’s face, he said,

“Captain Gale, when the Countess and daughters arrive, please escort them in politely. I’ll step outside and take a look around.”

He motioned to the youngest maid among those who had been summoned. Her round eyes widened even further.

This type was always easy to read when lying, and she was pretty enough to make it believable.

“You there, give me a tour of the mansion.”

He ordered.

* * *

After the two carriages passed through the front gate, the mansion was immediately filled with a tense atmosphere.

Frederick put his finger to his lips and listened carefully to the sounds from inside and outside the house.

By now, the horses he had brought out would have returned to the stable. He was glad he had removed the saddles. If any military police had noticed someone preparing to leave on horseback, it would have drawn suspicion.

‘How many of them are there?’

At least eight men would be needed to search such a large estate. If they were skilled, six would suffice. Six men could search the entire estate in thirty minutes, and within that time, they’d find and arrest every last hiding rat. That was the very purpose of their visit.

He needed to get out of here before that happened.

He and Betty were on the mansion’s roof, behind the chimney, out of view from below.

He knew that most of the military police were in the habit of searching the most secluded areas of the house first, like the storeroom, basement, and attic. For some reason, the roof was always the last place they checked, and often overlooked entirely.

Perhaps they figured that, being so visible, it had already been inspected when they first arrived.

Though this worked in his favor, Frederick knew he couldn’t rely on his opponent’s stupidity forever. He needed to get Betty and leave quickly before more time passed.

From the roof of the third-floor building, it was hard to distinguish the sounds coming from inside the house. What he did know was that the military police had escorted the Countess’s carriage back.

That wasn’t good. This meant rescuing the Countess was now impossible.

<Please, at least save my daughters, Fairchild.>

Count Glenwell had said that.

Frederick mentally drew a map of the area again. The only route that could take them out of here unnoticed was the mountain path where Emily was hiding. To get there, he had to either leave through the back gate again or take a longer route via the front gate, which was now in full view from the roof.

Luckily, there were no guards stationed at the front gate.

He whispered to the lady.

“Lady Betty, do you think you can run quickly?”

“How quickly?”

“Faster than the military police would expect of a lady like you.”

Imagining beneath the lady’s dress wasn’t exactly gentlemanly, but when Frederick was in the midst of work, he sometimes shed the mannerisms of his station.

Lady Betty didn’t seem to be dressed as warmly as Deirdre. She wouldn’t be stumbling around either. Deirdre was skilled in dancing and horseback riding, excelling beyond many of the military police, but in this season, she was so bundled up that running quickly was out of the question.

He suddenly longed to see his wife.

Betty nodded.

“I’ll try.”

“Just run to the front gate.”

“Should I jump down from here?”

He shook his head. The courage of ladies always exceeded his expectations.

“I’ll carry you down.”

The ivy on the wall helped him. Frederick hid his body between the vines, stepping between the bricks and window frames, swiftly climbing down. Betty was very light. He had carried the injured Ian Darnell over the cliffs before, so this was nothing.

Once his feet touched the ground, he could properly hear the footsteps of the military police moving inside the mansion, their voices filling the air. It seemed the house was still in a state of confusion, so a full-scale search hadn’t yet begun.

He quickly hid Betty between the ivy, then crawled carefully toward the Countess’s carriage, which was stationed in the courtyard.

As he silently unhitched one of the horses, it snorted but calmed down when he patted behind its ears.

If this had been Fars, it would’ve been a different story. Fars was hidden near the bushes where Emily was. If they didn’t leave soon, Frederick grew increasingly anxious, worried about what Fars might do.