Chapter 139 : Siege of Silent Resolve
Chapter 139 : Siege of Silent Resolve
❂✨❂ When loyalty collides with looming treachery, silence becomes a battlefield. ❂✨❂
“That’s nonsense.”
Naturally, Johannes dismissed me at once.
It wasn’t that he didn’t know Edward was after me. But he had clearly resolved not to let me go.
I had anticipated this reply. And I had steeled myself against Johannes’ unyielding stance.
I glanced at the street, now steeped in unnatural quiet.
“Suppose the Duke heads to the capital. How will you get there? How will you even communicate with Edward?”
“Those four people from earlier… they’re still watching.”
“…So?”
Without realizing it, I bit down on my lip.
“I believe you’ll deliver the message well to the duke’s residence. I’ll head straight to Baden—”
“No. Edward wants me.”
Johannes, seemingly determined to bar my path, triggered a firmer resolve in me.
His brows drew tightly together.
I knew what going to Baden meant to Johannes. But my own heart was no less heavy.
“I’m sorry, but arguing like this only wastes precious time. We don’t know what they’ll do next. Look around you. Mussen is in shambles. Where can you possibly go now? We need you here. That’s why I must go.”
“Edith, you’re terrified of Windsor—”
“I know. More than anyone.”
Yes, I knew.
I knew better than anyone the cruelty Edward Windsor was capable of. I also knew who currently consumed his attention.
Johannes must understand by now that I’m the true target. He just couldn’t yet admit it aloud.
I exhaled and continued.
“I almost lost my father because of him… No, I don’t even know if my father is alive right now. What if this whole thing was just another one of Edward’s tests?”
“……”
“I have to find out. And I have no intention of letting him succeed. This time, I’ll use his own games against him.”
Johannes’ face contorted slightly.
He was torn. He knew deep down how unreasonable it would be for him to leave Mussen. He probably questioned whether sending me was even an option.
“If you think about it, he won’t kill me.”
With those words, I eased some of Johannes’ guilt.
It was the truth.
“I’ll be visiting the royal family openly. If something happens to me there, Edward will be in trouble. He’s not that reckless.”
“But we can’t be sure.”
Johannes let out a deep sigh.
“I know. If things go wrong, they could kill me in an instant.”
“But—”
He tried once more to stop me.
Quang!
Another explosion echoed. I thought it had ended…
I had expected this. The chaos would continue until I appeared.
“Look.”
I turned to him with an utterly weary expression. Johannes pulled me close, tighter than before.
“Please!”
I shouted.
“Let me do this. If you go, I won’t be able to save you.”
“……”
“I trust you to save me. I really do.”
His grip on my wrist slowly slackened. He was leaning toward sending me.
If I didn’t go, the explosions would persist, endangering countless innocents.
Johannes closed his eyes for a long moment, then finally spoke.
“Promise me one thing.”
“What is it…”
His blue eyes darkened, unwavering as they held mine.
“You must stay alive until I come for you. Don’t provoke Windsor. Not in any way.”
I nodded fervently. Johannes slowly let go of me.
“Because I will come. I will save you.”
He pulled me into an embrace, kissed my forehead softly. That tender warmth made me realize how violently I was trembling.
“I believe it.”
After one last embrace, I walked toward the road. As I exited the alley, the ones who had been waiting appeared.
“Let’s go. As a guest of His Royal Highness, you’ll be escorted safely to Barberine Castle.”
Johannes’ low voice echoed from behind.
“Tell Edward Windsor: if she suffers even a scratch, he won’t be safe.”
I didn’t know how long I spent in the carriage.
Mostly, I stared blankly out the window until we reached the capital.
The streets of Baden outside were as lively as ever. Nothing was destroyed. Faces held fleeting concern, but no real fear.
Children ran through broad streets. People crowded around vendors. Men with placards promoted their wares.
There wasn’t a hint of green in sight, thanks to overdevelopment, but there wasn’t a trace of ruin either.
‘…They must have no idea what happened in Mussen.’
I gripped my skirt tightly, holding back a sigh.
When will Mussen’s suffering reach these people? Will it be buried like Herzburg?
But no. Edward wants this story to spread.
The news will break once Mussen is “cleaned up.”
I shut my eyes tightly. Then I glanced at the men seated across from me.
Well-trained, silent. They offered no answers to any of my questions.
“Ha…”
I sighed aloud, returning my gaze to the window.
The serenity felt surreal. It all seemed like a distant dream. My heart swelled with tears.
I knew it wasn’t the citizens’ fault. Still, having lived through such horror, I irrationally resented them.
‘Why does this happen? How many were hurt? Who died?’
My face twisted, unbidden.
Guilt coiled tightly around my chest. I tried to push it down, but hypothetical after hypothetical crept in.
What if I had lived in Baden? Would Edward have acted differently?
Of course not. But the thoughts wouldn’t stop.
At last, the carriage rolled to a halt before Barberine Castle. It slowed and stopped before the guards.
“This is Duchess Schultz.”
The man across from me presented Edward’s seal.
Without hesitation, the guard opened the gates.
Edward Windsor would surely be waiting. Perhaps with mockery.
I readied myself.
Yet, to my surprise, it was not Edward Windsor who awaited me.
Standing in the drawing room was someone wholly unexpected. A girl I had never seen before welcomed me with a kind smile.
“Welcome, Duchess Schultz. She was so pleased to hear you were coming.”
