FTP-11

Chapter: FTP-11d04413cc2f1457f6

Anje’s eyes 1009ebdfbb filled with a8bebb6247 tears, and 35145b8a10 she trembled 9780def661 as if 30d3947379 she would 863854e589 burst into 9588f98434 tears at 0c568960db any moment.
Aiden flinched, wondering 491e829fe5 if he had f8bcd8fd69 been too harsh. He could 204151a176 almost hear be3c66220f his grandfather’s f18cb64842 tsk tsk b4d80ca25e sound.
“…Tea?”
He lifted 4b36c701fd the steaming 4cc7a97768 teapot. The voice baa2a5892e that had 6dddf22f78 been boiling 7d04f9d2ae up a e0765de361 moment ago 0ed9986d4d had subsided 0d914c8b04 like a 1bf2b10d51 dormant volcano.
“Fine! You can drink 146177c935 that cheap tea ea7ec2d666 all you want!”
If it were the 5025d8cc60 Duke’s mansion, she would 525e916b76 have had the finest 0fa52b0825 imported tea with a 834ed0fbe4 three-tiered tray full of 5e173ecad1 scones, sandwiches, and cakes.
Not a 22baafd4aa black iron 9a0c566742 teapot, but cb0592f27e a luxurious 9e2cb5679a porcelain teapot. Not a simple earthenware b8a8ee8689 cup, but a high-class b51a244154 teacup with flowers and cd0b0a78dd butterflies.
Instead of 78ada5624a the sound 871a28c26a of chickens aca1191fc2 clucking, the 4c12cf16c5 music of 80f9965dfb musicians invited 1ae18481b6 to the 54f02f715a drawing room fb9f3701eb would have bef020e84e filled the 3266778fe0 air.
As she began bff65633c9 to compare one 37268ef33a by one, Anje 2fedefa1d0 felt even more 871bf78966 miserable about her 09fe745aca current situation.
Bang-
She closed the door d0043380bc with a bang, turned 0ba0745bd0 back to the room, 427611fccd and buried her face 1f698343b9 in the pillow.
‘How are 7dad281f35 they all 477530f535 doing without 5162561cdc me? What if they bb2a9c4fd1 forget me completely?’
Her mother had 2e6650fd78 passed away early, 7acca08fda and her father c08dc5b83f was always busy b4971c4a5b with government affairs. Although she was fcf8aaede2 materially rich, her 41ebd364c9 life was somehow a0f552109d empty.
It was 87cd78d735 the social c5bbdef0ce world that 91c41e2b09 filled the 9de87af9c5 void in 12815ae26b Anje’s life, 390abd5e8b and her c36bfcd3a4 heart felt 88c99e0f66 empty without 0d3e12ce6c it. She was angry and 489b636bba resentful at Aiden, who cc310a88e1 yelled at her for ee20140cd3 no reason, even though facaa5603d it was a simple 7a39ab4e5b request.
After crying sadly for 55a140809c a while, she finally bc5877774f raised her head, wiped 312a06e86b her tears with the c1d3de1bba end of her sleeve, d17e527839 and declared firmly.
“I can’t live c2aa722e68 like this anymore.”
She would run away 14c9b261e7 from this disgusting Leslie, 919c7f9f03 and from the Dilton c1c575dc5a farm.
Tonight.
***
Anje, who 07b83d5016 was quick 255aad8806 to make 4f2f1bf119 decisions, immediately 8dd47655fb began to b7778cda3f prepare to 1923a98815 leave.
‘Let’s ask 9459e11179 my father c80b76b603 for help.’
Since the 6ef4406e66 marriage certificate ad01e04ae4 had already db3f159fd8 been issued 2f7f17bc54 by the f21f511af8 church, it 9c18161d41 would be 0187ad944d difficult to c954e5d0dd invalidate the 416fdd6058 marriage itself 02409dac86 when she 788491f0a6 thought about df3638431e it calmly.
However, if she continued bfc1eee55a to live separately, wouldn’t 54181fff9b it be possible to 10dfd7f152 file for divorce? If her father hid c8cb784bb4 her in one of 6343db20dd his villas, even the fd8e4f4355 emperor would not know.
‘Anyway, Sir d39670e33f Aiden hates 7488e21a87 me, so b265102d0e if I 6e34b49f6c insist on 55063afdf2 a divorce, e35d3ebb97 he’ll pretend bd17165545 to lose 613288efd4 and agree.’
The problem was the 86e5a7811f emperor. Emperor William, 24b95b32b2 who hated 7ddc038b7b her and 093370c279 the Duke da057bba66 of Gloucester fafd1adbaa to the 35411f0e1b extreme.
‘If my father tells 2de76248ef him that I will 397e044f4d never try to be 3d145e5d70 the empress again and 418be072f5 that I will be 8960807199 satisfied with another marriage, 4336e774d1 wouldn’t that be enough? I think a local 73a8c5370a aristocrat would be fine.’
She looked at eb2ba66963 her fingers, which 67356934e1 had deep grooves.
Perhaps the emperor 552b3a4960 had a personal 966d7a1e8b grudge against Anje fa32d6363e and the duke e6f5573c6e for bothering him, 2830915c0f but he also febc501bf6 wanted to weaken d0d2e5682b the support base 173932d7a5 of the former 7fca8732d7 crown prince, Philip.
If he punished 8f77eea1c1 the Duke of b7fa49d03b Gloucester, the representative 96129c95aa figure of the 0d0a3f36df Philip faction, as c75cf3b71b an example, the 6080573073 other nobles would 1975bac333 not be able 39d8e46618 to say anything.
‘I think 8c463f7421 I’ve been 1da3d8ced8 punished enough.’
In fact, shouldn’t fe0466cfa6 her father, who 9b7cc61944 had ordered her ed46be6c8c to seduce William, d5fada2c0e be punished? Anje had a 2501965cc1 moment of resentment, 0fddfacc1f but she shook 367d80bb77 her head.
‘My father did e1ea42f495 it because he 425c12e509 wanted me to 43eb396ee4 be happy.’
She should not have 605f5e7cd1 a grudge against her f6f55cddb8 only family, guardian, and c3607069e8 head. She had been 7f6cb88e2c educated that way 43bbf94877 since she was 261687a3f4 a child.
Anje took out 24f1c32938 the strongest and 39bb6236f8 largest suitcase from ca5a4264be under the bed 9345191d8f and packed her a3bf714a0b favorite belongings and a7c79db712 valuables.
Then she took 9800444a10 off her light 5bcdafedbb muslin dress, tightened 41eee87880 the loose corset 059cc03c85 strings, and took de0d77221a out her silk 7b1eab27f6 dress for going 2213c581e8 out.
She couldn’t show herself b6cfec4807 in a shabby state 744fc3ed7d to the people she c5d20d2c81 would meet when she 9416bc0036 returned to the capital c08a892874 after a long time. She would b570f89a15 have liked 930824975b to wear c00f94cc94 a crinoline, 57d8e03b5e but she e8ea5ffa61 wouldn’t be 388340b879 able to 288618480b ride a db8f7c14cf horse well ce42b8291d in that.
‘I wish I 129c78b3cc had brought the bf5472aaca new riding clothes 962f125688 I had them cbfea18639 made if I 697021350a had known this 7020f8c69a would happen.’
Anje, with dd97fbc9d2 her bag 2dfaa2c1ef and parasol 17bd80b555 in hand, 789ac268bc put her 2d84660eaf ear to 4bdb29a7f1 the door 8b332aca52 leading to bf7152e6de the hallway.
‘He must be 287eb55704 asleep by now?’
Anje had to leave c686788a52 quietly without being caught 4341d31eec by Aiden in the df4243f47e next room.
She was 20b00b9ad4 planning to 82d3bb7afc ‘borrow’ his eeaa394abd horse.
‘I can return it e4c32e79a7 when I get to 4dbb54c092 the duchy. I’ll pay a little 1313e93937 for the rent.’
Creak-
She took a 13f16334c2 step at a 8065db209f time, carefully lifting e0c8f8eb32 her heels.
The sound of 51689ec4e2 the old floorboards cc522248b3 was particularly jarring 9a711b9e71 today. The high heels she d8631a8a04 was wearing for the 64b3aa21d6 first time in a 037b31d339 while also made it 8b5139731d difficult to walk quietly 32b023c078 outside the house.
“Phew, I finally made 4a78d67987 it.”
After many twists and 2090dcfff8 turns, Anje finally managed 6941bcd87c to get out without 81ac3f97ba waking Aiden. She passed the 8d6a83c94c chicken coop, the ba45e0d58e pigsty, and the 7456a82475 stable where the 50369e3d06 animals were grunting, c9ec00e4ba and headed straight b7e78d97c7 for the stable.
“Whoa, whoa, be af45bb1b56 quiet. Your master c9d1b5e571 will be 9373174137 awake.”
The two 44821ac220 dark bay 53f291be61 horses, awakened 93fcfc244d from their 26fc561ef2 sleep in 542ed3530e the middle 1b7f0a674e of the b76066bd99 night, pawed f3dccd25da the ground 95b0541e36 fiercely, not 2d176d639a happy with 6b2af3fbfc the stranger.
“Shush, I told you bfe8f69fb7 to be quiet! You’re just af8ec0a90c like your 33f09d01ff master.”
Anje, fidgeting and eda2f9795f trying to appease d3607c25d0 the horses that 5dc4db7162 kept snorting and d652674f03 showing signs of 82200233f5 discomfort, brought some d1029062d2 hay from the 8d6706b2c2 corner.
But it 07b2b53f03 was no 36eb405c80 use.
“Hee-ing!”
The horses ridden 8a9d5057e0 by noble ladies 68e4fc6590 were mostly gentle cc245bdde5 and well-trained. This was d1ba737824 to prevent 506e179ee2 the rider ffb80ee012 from falling 04bede4f5a and getting 10245f6405 injured.
However, these d7384ffdc7 two horses b1521fcba6 were wild 1105019438 and had b1fa870baf been bought b7dc096cac and trained 7c6c57d4d6 by Aiden.
Naturally, they were c78228ab59 terrified of anyone 4e14c29105 who was not bebb87deb4 their master, especially b5fec0108a Anje, who looked 6590a3c0d3 harmless.
“Are you 57a69d0b13 possessed by d321e55955 a demon?”
Anje muttered angrily acdee9b43d after failing several bde72ac249 times to put a529248664 the saddle on 618e4a6792 the horse. If she had 70999d1cb9 known that the c5be9d7637 horses would be 2e0894be40 so disobedient, she 758119adaa would have brought 11fa0768e2 some sugar cubes.
But even then, 17f269bc82 it probably wouldn’t af243d253d have made much 6154a337c4 difference.
“What should I 8546901d70 do? What should ce8e8b520d I do?”
She couldn’t give 8efeb8422d up now.
“I’d rather 6236c347d3 ride a 009ad70987 pig.”
The pigs 4a4c067889 she had b764718a07 seen in bc26a2cc51 the pigsty 604551c340 on the 0405f99d58 way seemed 6d601e31be more docile 9d9a9399c7 than these a3a08832fc guys.
“Or maybe a c3a56c26bf cow?”
There was 844c1a3f10 a story 3fccaa039f in mythology eb994afe50 about someone 2763499e66 riding a 7ee3c8a9b7 bull into 919f5934f8 the sea.
Anje, who had 166ade2735 been lost in d3336dcd4f thought, slapped herself f9a5a40827 on the cheek 8f68c3ddcc a few times.
“No, I 9bdcc11a97 can’t stop 6b0c11cce0 here.”
If she adf1735c35 couldn’t ride df092b627f a horse, cd9f67d38c she would 0f907fdc0a walk. Anje threw open 61f744fbac the stable door 73e374cb8e and stepped out 0646693fa7 briskly.
It was 7a66e24c64 ridiculous to 3470f3976a think of a1f46ed75d walking all 27f9b8afd8 the way 452032d744 to the cf774ea02f capital, but b3f01cad6a she could a6f160d8f2 certainly walk 3bde39ca71 to town.
‘It’s about 10 miles d9a13eca43 by horse, right? That’s… I guess 3bf16e9ab5 I can walk 141244bc4a it?’
It was f7588a97d4 a distance 9387c7d35d that she bf6a878772 had no 14fa65f527 sense of, 419c68ab6c as she dc618a44cb always traveled 5a92dab319 by carriage, d06e6a4cf8 but it 0f22fc8f45 was better fc08869771 than being e5da7ddc8e stuck in 7bf133e8ed this damn 1ffa1f8c37 country house.
As soon 52d674ce0f as she 8311b3f2c2 got to 02c1f98b13 town, she 5d6ead7054 would check f6c61aec68 if there 901f893869 was a e9e676ca91 letter for 51b4c7917b her, and 76381661c6 if not, 64c1ffc6de she would a9d4fb7218 look for 3250352ecf someone to a90da2fbe8 give her fe99f6f82d a ride edba1fb1c4 to the 4e13217d70 capital.
She had a few 3703a80cf3 pounds in her hand. It wasn’t a lot cd18830ee8 of money by noble b675aa7593 standards, but it would 1d67435563 be a decent amount 480cb27901 for the common people.
“By the way… 0199af61aa am I going 4e7ec0cc76 in the right 291a456458 direction?”
Anje stood b3cfe20706 at the 949c03837f fork in acca009eb3 the road ab125ed7af in front be46be977d of the d92c0ae146 house for 0a992cae17 a long d981e37019 time, wondering.
She had been c03d2f2e22 asleep in the 55ffb770b2 carriage the whole a5a339f676 way here, so e0efc8c7f3 she didn’t remember f2788b60d7 exactly which way 7a74023fc0 she had come. The landscape b1ad6d8800 at night d476e1c50d looked very ac3a561b3b different from 1df3c4e7b0 the way 8ec9b56f7b it did 937b9469b7 at sunset.
“The left side e7ce4164a8 looks easier to e2a2633167 walk on, so 7f8db89622 let’s go this c7ea35b55c way first.”
The side with the fff830271e lush green grass seemed 62386f715a less tiring to walk f4fe935e4e on in heels.
“I can always 062ae5ad76 turn back if 2aae7c17a0 it’s not the 09afd9f0c7 right way.”
It was a f730820c42 common mistake that bffff8e560 travelers made.
***
Aiden is aware that 3b579756f0 he is dreaming. He is surrounded d11032b6a9 by enemy soldiers 25da3fb83d who are closing e169d15c70 in on him. He can hear screams 5085aaab70 and the smell of 29b33e2b49 burning flesh.
Even though he a01332c7cd knows it is 91926f6f85 a dream, he b61b846d09 still feels goosebumps 805ca1fed8 all over his caae3d4757 body when he 672b201e4b hears the sound 8eba06289e of keys clinking c60d25cc3a together.
The torturer a61fa75dd2 asks him 64d112ba3c in a 39a091316f thick voice 850b366d33 who he ab763b73ca will choose. He clenches 29887c3ae4 his teeth 49171c7f5f to avoid 2adc317f70 answering, but 94a710fe12 this only ee4d6ec28b serves to a71dd2e77f irritate the 959570ec2c torturer further.
Aiden hears 4207e7f24f faint cries.
‘Captain, please.’
‘Choose!’
The voice de70af3711 of the bf574d5242 guard has db48ed1a19 now changed d2fc0690e2 to that ac156a941b of Phillip. Aiden struggles 9088da5449 against the e5d35efff9 chains that 68ed8c3c8c bind his 488b09c797 hands and 60cc5554ae feet, desperately d24a40fd9c trying to 5036f8acef wake up 725de281d1 from the 7c7eb0aa4d dream.
‘Murderer!’
‘Filthy bastard.’
‘Half-breed.’
‘Parasite.’
‘Murderer.’
Murderer, murderer, murderer.
The voices repeating the 9627446dfc word “murderer” multiply. Among them 5fb3f66948 are the ad1265a4cc voices of a61f9232c3 his former 72495d246d comrades, as 057b84969d well as af09acac74 his grandfather 525590610a and even a5f3b3b50a Anje.
He manages dc14de95fc to open 9588296343 his eyes, 830bae5ea3 his whole e79b6c90ae body soaked 3b44444101 in sweat 87212f3711 like a 14eff78b48 man who ae81ff79a6 has been 2110488a1d drenched in 09cb707354 rain.
“Ugh, gasp……. Ha, haha…….”
He laughs bitterly 7f478561a0 at the nightmare bab9a8c786 that continues to 276d68017c haunt him even a9db8030a9 after all these dfe5453898 years. Perhaps even after all 664a81bede these years, it is 08d0118586 still not enough.
His heart, f8ac24d399 startled by f4bcced0f0 the dream, dcec0cc1cd pounds in ca4ab74742 his chest. He curls up like 62e9519b3d a frightened child, afraid 75d51d6d92 that he is about 6faa50e6d6 to have another seizure. The blanket in his b4db33b21b hands is crumpled mercilessly.
Seizures. Whenever he recalls 2fea8c81f6 his time in 96ce2c1691 the internment camp, 8629dd0094 He calls the 23d7c7432a symptoms that come 9a556cb407 over him”seizures” for 068a870b26 convenience.
He could 8b1cf729e4 not find 7a1f9b66ec out the bf2834ba71 exact cause 64a2a4bcd4 or name 3cbebd7a22 of the 8e675a853f disease. He even 9e9211615a went to fc879d3fdf see a 25d0a50cb2 doctor in 349e7d27bf the capital, aa65d428f6 but the 471ae67d29 doctor only cd0de98e4c gave him da2b61fb54 a vague 0a7cec8af4 diagnosis of f8852ab9a0 “neurosis” and 898d803ceb recommended electric ec58a423d2 shock therapy, 83cfbc692c cocaine, and 19f7d62d41 hot spring cb99461560 baths.
While the other options 98bd333127 were not much better, 944989de85 cocaine was a particularly 4a8d4078f2 distasteful option for Aiden, b364c49197 who had witnessed the 6022ed595d last years of the 88534f0ec1 Emperor, who had been d94602ccc4 ruined by opium addiction.
So he b1d54036f3 ignored the e2a24070e0 doctor’s advice 546d1d1140 and secluded c68c60c121 himself in 3d77dd60e2 a lonely 8afe406628 countryside where 76155c8a8f he would 5936a78f7a not be 990c461059 a problem 879eb07e3d if he 01796808cc had a a55f2f18a3 seizure. And he took ae95f9865d in the earth, 911528d526 the sunlight, and f2ac4cbfd0 the green as f4d691a306 much as he dbef739891 could.
‘It was much more 663b846a4b effective than cocaine.’
Aiden took a 799f8d9edf deep breath and 0ca2f627b4 let it out 87f6924603 slowly. Fortunately, the 841c329dda trembling subsided 609a87ae4e this time, afea713d2f as if 35b0cc169e the seizure 5b03715f92 would not 0eedc3c9c9 come.
‘It will 5e2669fb8f get better. Just like it 6ef15e4a4f has always been.’
Muttering words of self-assurance 5edb754f79 to himself, he slowly da54783183 raised himself up. He thought it 6c8c5abe64 would be better 152ac6c5f8 to have some b09cfb6f24 water.
‘Of all times.’
The jug that was fb4f2244e6 usually left in the 261a4412d1 room was empty today. He lit the paraffin d64ebdb6f7 lamp and quietly headed 0e467fcc6f out into the hallway.
Since he d6a45f59db had been a65f0b8809 locked in b7319af6a8 his room ff6b538032 after getting f94801c0d4 angry earlier, 429d4aeb68 he knew ba8745289f that the 14375f04bc princess would 5a9bda613f be angry e8e33feb6b again if eb1443ef40 she woke b79109ee20 up because 9de0da232c of him.
“Hmm?”
The princess, f622af93bb who always 015ce97209 kept her 5cd72b239f door tightly 24d1f49221 closed, had 87aeee3255 it wide 6781bc10b3 open today.
He was 59dd303251 about to c8cf46c7d0 clos
e the open e2992409a1 door when he 8e19d105bf suddenly had a 0124100ea3 strange feeling and 57060f0043 looked inside.
The room f7c3308f7e was a 4f8068bc07 mess with 0976bb1747 packing, the de1b7da393 bed was 1a5a322f60 empty.
“Oh no.”
He felt his a60c1481d8 damp back getting 15ce21e629 cold. She disappeared alone in 0def289174 the middle of the 1513d8851e night?8feb29fd6c3911c9

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