From the mansion’s top-floor balcony, the entire surroundings were visible in a single glance. Campbell watched his superior’s back while holding his breath as the man stood in front of the railing.

Inside, soldiers were bustling around. They all were familiar with the ghost of the torture chamber, having previously been assigned to guard the annex. One of them urgently relayed the situation over the phone to the personnel waiting outside.

“Bella has escaped.”

Campbell felt awkward. It was somewhat revealing to assign a beautiful woman’s codename to the operation target, exposing the superior’s intentions too transparently.

He approached his superior, looking down from the balcony to see the personnel they had placed around the mansion garden and annex moving according to the operation plan.

The annex’s maid and guards acted out their scripted roles, and the garden was emptied as directed. So far, everything was going perfectly according to plan. However, the superior’s mood seemed as twisted as his skewed necktie knot.

It was more than just the tension and importance of a high-stakes operation that made him on edge. Campbell, having observed him for a long time, knew there was a deeper reason.

‘She chose to flee in the end.’

As the woman walking along the road beyond the wall disappeared from view, Leon handed the binoculars to Campbell and entered the house. He passed soldiers chattering on the phones and headed downstairs.

Indeed, it had all been an act.

Pretending to be in love, hoping it would make him let his guard down. The woman must have thought so.

You’re under the illusion that your plan worked.

Leon chuckled softly.

It was typical of her to start plotting as soon as she regained her strength.

Of course, it was futile.

He had been aware of her tricks from the beginning. Since there was nothing to lose, he had played along with her adorable antics, pretending to be in love with her. It was unexpected for him to have a talent for it. Acting as if he was in love was surprisingly easy.

Leon suddenly wondered who would win the Best Actor award in this thriller movie filled with deceit.

The woman was a formidable contender. She sometimes showed signs of wavering but managed to play her role convincingly.

Yes, it was all just an act. But what about this bitter aftertaste?

He couldn’t pretend not to understand its significance.

Pretending to be in love, hoping she wouldn’t leave him. He realized he had been harboring such a foolish hope only when he saw the woman pulling out a gun and stepping out of the annex.

Perhaps there was even a faint belief that she would no longer play with his heart. Foolishly so.

Feeling betrayed once again as he stepped outside the building, he got into the waiting car. A black sedan exited the mansion’s main gate, circling the road to head towards the center of the nearest town, Halewood.

The sedan avoided the main road, following narrow back alleys until it stopped behind a shabby two-story building.

As Campbell opened the door, Leon immediately stepped out and headed to the first floor of the building. Inside the shop, with its doors firmly shut, the waiting soldiers stood up and saluted in unison. Leon’s gaze fell on the highest-ranking among them.

“The target arrived at the designated location a minute ago.”

Upon receiving the report, he moved towards the curtained window. Peering through a narrow gap, he saw a woman standing at a tram stop across the street.

“Deploy.”

“At your command!”

Following Leon’s order, a private in civilian clothes waiting in the corner of the shop exited through the back door.

He soon crossed the street and stood at the stop.

The woman, unaware that the unfamiliar young man standing at a distance was a soldier following her, glanced at him briefly before wrapping her scarf tighter around her head and face. She kept looking towards the end of the road and pacing in place, seemingly anxious about being followed, indicating she hadn’t realized this was a trap.

“Make a contribution without blemish. One that satisfies both the public and the royalty.”

Leon recalled a conversation with the commander from last summer.

“You’re referring to eradicating the base.”

“I know it’s already your mission, and you’re making every effort. But what about this method?”

He had thought it would be an incredible strategy he hadn’t considered, but it wasn’t.

“Pretend you’re releasing her and then follow. Of course, she won’t foolishly rush to the base immediately after getting released. We’ll have to create a reason she can’t ignore to go there.”

“I’ve considered that myself.”

“Then, why not employ it immediately?”

That was because even a domesticated dog might be lost if let off its leash.

Moreover, she hadn’t been tamed yet. The thought that a more proper leash was needed crossed his mind, followed by a whisper in his head.

Get her pregnant.

Soon, the image of a woman carrying his child, her belly full, vividly came to mind, infusing his heart with a strange exhilaration.

‘Disgusting.’

Despite ignoring the clamor of his instincts, on the night of the engagement party, seeing the woman stubbornly hold onto her faith in her fiance and the rebels, he lost his restraint.

The barbaric impulse was, in fact, solidly backed by rational reasons. A child of the loyalist faction was the trigger for James Blanchard Jr. to thoroughly and cruelly betray his fiance and the reason for a woman abandoned by her comrades to return to him.

“Caption and I are destined to fall from grace if the mother of that child is revealed. I’ll support this operation as a top priority, so please ensure its success.”

The commander had agreed to the operation, giving Leon full command.

“What? You must be out of your mind.”

However, the part about getting her pregnant as a preparatory step was something he never fully grasped. Still, that wasn’t an area needing others’ understanding.

“Once the operation concludes successfully, I’ll do whatever it takes to create a new identity for that child…”

That was something Leon could manage without the commander’s intervention.

“Just ensure the child lives while treated well, like a human being.”

Reflecting on it, the remark was still unpleasant.

The idea that he was playing the role of a father, not because he loved Grace Riddle but because she resembled his deceased daughter, was ludicrous. Yet, this bizarre attachment was somewhat fortunate, as it meant the woman wouldn’t lose her life to the commander’s gunfire the moment she stepped outside Winston.

As the sound of the approaching tram reached him, Leon’s heart began to race.

Go, then. If you’re going to flee from me, return to that guy. Show yourself to Little Jimmy or whatever that idiot’s name is. It would be quite a sight to see his reaction.

Even if she was a ticking bomb with valuable information for the rebels, to Jimmy, she was a woman he had promised to marry.

Was it just for the cause of giving the suicide order to the woman he loved?

Leon didn’t believe so.

Had he not violated her, maybe Jimmy would have tried to save her at least once or twice before issuing a suicide command.

Such a narrow-minded man, having his fiancée bear another man’s child. Even if she returned, he would betray her. Then, perhaps, the obstinate woman would realize she had been deceived by her comrades all her life and that Leon was the only one who spoke the truth.

Thus, she would break out of her shell and be reborn anew. Leon had no doubt all the doubts he had patiently instilled in her would sprout into a flower named vengeance.

The tram arrived.

After a brief pause, the vehicle moved on with a jolt. The spot where the woman had stood was now empty. Unaware that it was carrying a rat returning to its hole with a bomb strapped to its back, the tram disappeared from view, but Leon couldn’t tear his eyes away from the spot.

Just wait. You’ll come back.

Then, I, too, will willingly take the most uncharacteristic path for you.

º º º

The moment Grace escaped beyond the mansion’s walls, she couldn’t hold back any longer.

Today was the day. Yes, today. Indeed, it was today.

Laughter burst forth from her, or perhaps it was more like sobbing. Her steps were calm, in contrast to her exhilarated heart. It didn’t matter if she walked slowly, no one was coming to catch her.

She remembered one of the many cautions the man gave her as he left for work.

“The ground is frozen and slippery. Walk slowly when you go for a walk so you don’t fall.”

Yes, that’s right. Don’t I listen well? Are you watching?

__