Chapter 56
The safe house built not far from the border had not been intended for that purpose at first.
Giles had spent a long time searching for a place no one lived in.
It was after he fell in love with Anna that he began that search in earnest.
For a man who had spent years arresting and executing nobles to fall in love with a woman of noble birth—
it was the height of irony.
Perhaps that was why Giles prepared so meticulously.
He knew that one day, Anna too would need a place to hide.
Of course, the mere act of building a safe house for Anna would mark him as a traitor.
But he didn’t care.
If being a member of the Revolution had saved his life until now,
then from this point onward, it was Anna who would keep him alive.
He was ready to betray anyone, anything, for her.
Giles repaired the abandoned house himself, patching walls, replacing wallpaper, furnishing it,
and even decorating it by recalling faint memories from his childhood.
It wasn’t perfect, but the result was satisfying enough.
Most of all, knowing that Anna was hidden in a place only he knew brought him immense relief.
No one could harm or abduct her without him knowing.
Now, he could finally breathe easy.
As long as she remained safe, that was enough.
For a man who had lived as a revolutionary for years, nothing felt more important than that.
When Giles stepped out of the car, he unlocked the door and entered the darkened house.
He had sealed every window so no one could peer inside,
and the result was pitch-black silence—
so silent that even the sound of his footsteps on the stairs seemed loud.
Anna would be upstairs, in the largest room at the top.
Giles climbed the creaking steps and stopped in front of her door.
Surely she had heard him by now, but there was no response from inside.
He unlocked the door.
Light spilled out—an inviting, cozy room, the one he had decorated with the greatest care.
Anna was sitting in the corner, knees drawn to her chest, her face buried in her arms.
For a moment, she looked like she might be asleep.
Giles set down his bag and reached out to shake her shoulder.
“Anna.”
“Get out.”
Her voice was sharp as a knife.
But rather than feel hurt, Giles found himself only grateful—
grateful that she still had enough energy to be angry.
“If you’re not here to get me out of this place, then get the hell out, you crazy bastard.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that yet.”
“Then we have nothing to talk about. I’d rather die of thirst than see your face again.”
He couldn’t blame her.
Even if it was for her safety, this was still imprisonment.
“You should eat something, Anna.”
“Leave it there. I’ll deal with it. Just leave me alone.”
She looked like she’d never forgive him.
Giles, who had no idea how to comfort or persuade anyone, sighed, put the bag down, and hesitated.
In the end, he turned toward the door.
That’s when something flew past his head, narrowly missing him.
A book.
When he turned around, Anna was standing—her face flushed red, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Her eyes were swollen and raw, a sign she’d been crying all day.
Seeing her like that made Giles’s heart plummet.
He knew he was wronging her.
“I’ll kill you. I swear I’ll kill you.”
Giles couldn’t respond.
What could he possibly say?
“Sorry”?
“Just hold on a little longer”?
Whatever he said, it would sound cruel to her ears.
“At the very least, you could’ve talked to me first! You could’ve asked what I wanted before locking me up in this damn house!”
“This isn’t something that can be solved just because you don’t like it.”
“I’m not your property! I’m not some dog you own! Who gave you the right to decide what happens to me?
Now I see it clearly—you never thought of me as your equal. That’s why you locked me away like this.
When someone hides a precious ring, they don’t bother to ask the ring how it feels, do they?”
“I’m doing this to protect you, Anna. If I don’t, no one can guarantee your safety. You have to understand that.”
“Oh, really? You’re worried about me?”
Anna let out a bitter laugh, then her expression hardened.
“Tell me the truth. You say you did this for me—but are you really worried about me?
Or are you worried about yourself, about how much it’ll hurt you if you lose me?
Those are two very different things.
Go on, say it. Prove you’re not the hypocrite I think you are.”
For the first time, Giles faltered.
Not because she insulted him, but because her words struck too close to home.
It felt as though she had ripped open the ugliest part of him for the world to see.
He had never allowed himself to think about it that way before—
but now, he couldn’t deny that she might be right.
“You say this is for my safety? Don’t make me laugh.
You just don’t want to lose me.
You’re hiding your pretty toy in a dark corner so no one else can touch it.
You don’t care about me getting hurt—you just can’t stand the pain you’d feel if I did.
You’re not protecting me, Giles. You’re protecting yourself.”
“That’s not true.”
“Then what is? If I’m wrong, say so!
But you won’t, will you?
Because you can’t face the fact that you’re a disgusting hypocrite!”
She was still crying as she shouted at him.
Even as she tried to stop the tears, they wouldn’t.
Giles knew he should do something, say something—but he couldn’t move.
Her words had paralyzed him.
“Think about how hopeless I must’ve felt.
That’s how I’ve lived my entire life—nobody has ever treated me as an equal.
I thought you were different.
I thought at least you saw me as a person.
But I was wrong. It was all my mistake.”
“Anna—”
“Don’t. If you have nothing else to say, just go.
You’re not going to change your mind anyway.
I don’t even want to look at you, so get out.”
With that, she disappeared back into the shadows, leaving only the sound of her muffled sobs.
Giles stood there for a long time, staring at her trembling shoulders,
then finally turned and left, unable to bring himself to lock the door again.
He locked only the front door, then stepped outside and leaned against the car’s trunk, exhaling shakily.
He tried to calm down, but it was useless.
Anna’s words wouldn’t leave his head.
You’re not worried about me. You’re worried about yourself—about how much it’ll hurt if you lose me.
And she was right.
Giles didn’t want to admit it.
He had been harsh to Anna because he wanted her to live—
but was that the only reason?
He feared her death.
Feared what he might do if she were gone.
And that fear was proof enough.
Maybe keeping her alive was never really about her.
Maybe it was all for his own sake.
He lingered around the area for a long while, unable to leave the safe house behind.
Even as he drove away, he couldn’t stop glancing in the rearview mirror.
Every passing moment, as the building shrank from view,
the unease inside him grew heavier and heavier.
You shouldn’t have left her there.
You shouldn’t have locked her up.
This isn’t right.
But it was also true—someone was after Anna.
If he let his guard down for even a moment,
if he took her outside and something happened—
who would bear that responsibility?
He steeled himself.
Until he found out who the enemy was, this was unavoidable.
All he could do was hope that Anna would endure it a little longer.
Pain was temporary.
Death was forever.
When Giles finally parked near his apartment, the guilt hung around his neck like an anchor,
slowing every step as he climbed the stairs.
The image of Anna crying wouldn’t leave his mind.
He unlocked his front door and immediately sensed it—
someone was inside.
He reached for the gun at his hip.
The intruder made no effort to hide.
He didn’t need to.
Giles knew exactly who it was.
General Harrington was waiting for him.
“General,” Giles said, startled.
Harrington didn’t answer—his expression was cold, rigid.
“Giles. I was starting to think you might’ve gotten yourself killed.
Where the hell have you been?”
Giles didn’t respond.
Harrington didn’t need an answer.
He moved straight to the point.
“Explain yourself.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”
“Then explain this.”
Harrington pulled a document from his coat and handed it over.
Giles unfolded it.
It was a transcript—a written record of a conversation.
As he skimmed through the lines, his eyes froze on a single name.
A name he knew all too well.
Eloise Bismarck.
A name that should have been buried and forgotten—
boldly printed, staring back at him from the page.
