“What do you think about going to Joe?”

“…What?”

It was a suggestion to go to her brother, who had long turned his back on the revolutionary army. It was no different from going back to Winston, as that man was monitoring her brother. Nancy would have no clue, so it wasn’t a suggestion to actually return to Winston.

Still, there was a truly shocking intention behind it.

“Are you telling me to leave my comrades forever?”

“I can’t help it. It’s a decision from above.”

“I told you not to report to the executives.”

“Grace. I have a duty to report everything, but the executives don’t know. I only informed Jimmy was informed.”

Grace’s heart sank upon realizing Jimmy knew she was carrying Winston’s child. And then, with a sudden realization, her heart completely plummeted.

“…So, Jimmy told me to leave.”

Jimmy.

Jimmy, who had been like family all her life. And Jimmy, who was someday supposed to become her real family…

“It was a tough decision for Jimmy, too. The executives think you’re dead, so returning alive will complicate things for you as well.”

“Why? Why on earth?”

“How would I know? Jimmy said it was for your best, especially since you’re carrying a royalist’s child.”

She couldn’t understand why Jimmy would say that. All she heard was that she had lost the right to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her comrades because she was carrying the enemy’s child.

“…For me? By abandoning me with just this small amount of money?”

Grace argued, pulling out the bundle of bills from her pocket.

“I’ve lived my life for the cause. The revolutionary army is my family. How could Jimmy know this and still…”

“Whoo… Please calm down, Grace. Jimmy had no choice…”

Grace cut off Nancy’s words to ask.

“What did Jimmy say when he found out I was captured?”

“How would I know? I wasn’t in my right mind, preparing for Fred’s funeral.”

“…What? Fred died?”

“My God, you didn’t know?”

Grace was stunned, having heard nothing from that man except that Fred had been released. Nancy struggled to hold back tears while explaining what had happened to Fred.

“Do you know our family is still struggling with the pain? My younger brother was not only brutally tortured but died in a horrific state that I can’t bear to see…”

Lost for words and could only listen, Grace snapped to her senses as Nancy bit her lip and added more words.

“Still, I don’t understand how you’re still alive.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You escaped without a scratch.”

“…What?”

Could they think she was a double agent sent by Winston? Perhaps that was why they were abandoning her.

Whether she was a double agent or not, if Jimmy and Nancy speculated that Winston had deliberately set a trap and released her, they couldn’t be blamed for thinking so. Nevertheless, Grace instinctively hid this fact. She feared that they might want to permanently eliminate her, not just abandon her.

“I’m not Winston’s spy!”

Her protest only twisted Nancy’s expression further. She saw her face showing personal resentment and holding back her outrage.

Only then did Grace realize…

“…Wait, do you really think I handed Fred over to Winston?”

“Two out of three placed in Halewood died. Only you survived and in perfect condition… no, more than perfect. To an outsider, you’d look like a wealthy noble’s wife.”

The accusatory eyes scanned her from head to toe. Her healthy complexion, Winston’s expensive wool coat, and shoes with the emblem of a renowned boutique in gold could hardly belong to someone who had been treated less than human in a torture chamber.

So, that was why the b*stard dressed her in expensive clothes.

“Does this look ‘perfect’ to you?”

Grace pointed at her stomach with trembling hands, but Nancy’s gaze only grew colder.

“It’s impressive that you managed to seduce Winston, who was known for being immune to seduction. I don’t want to imagine what you did to survive. I just feel sorry for my younger brother, who genuinely liked you.”

Were they blaming her for what she did to survive?

Feeling guilty for one’s actions was one thing, but being condemned by others was different. Especially Nancy, Fred’s sister, had no right to blame her.

The world seemed to blur.

Grace had naively believed she would be seen as a benefactor by her for saving Fred. However, Nancy was oblivious to what had happened at Winston’s. Then, that madman ended up killing Fred, putting her in a difficult position.

“Do you know why I spread my legs for that b*stard? To save Fred!”

Grace yelled, grabbing the collar of a comrade who treated her as a whore and a traitor.

“What? He genuinely liked me? Is that why he spilled my name before even being tortured?”

As Nancy’s face contorted, Grace clenched her teeth and shouted the truth.

“Yes! Your brother was the one who sold out Peter and me to Winston!”

She pushed Nancy’s collar away as if to dismiss her shock and pale face, then demanded with restrained anger.

“Now apologize to me.”

However, Nancy didn’t quickly accept her brother’s fault.

“You expect me to believe that without any evidence? It’s easy to falsely accuse the dead who can’t defend themselves. Be reasonable, Grace.”

What false accusations?

Grace swallowed her anger and forced a twisted smile.

“Ah, evidence? You’ve seen your brother’s body, right? There should be a wound in his groin. Winston personally stabbed him there. Do you know why? He was aroused by the sight of an ally offering herself to the enemy to save him. Even that devil himself was shocked. If you don’t believe me, go ask Winston yourself.”

Nancy’s face looked as if she might vomit, caught between disgust for her brother and Winston.

“Did you hear? Your brother got aroused listening to me being violated. Disgustingly. Utterly cowardly.”

“Stop it. I don’t want to hear this.”

As Nancy covered her ears with her hands, Grace pulled them away and whispered something in her ear that would haunt her.

“Tell me. To have your dirty thing stand up while listening to me suffer at the hands of that devil considered pure love? Huh? Say it!”

“Stop!”

Now, with her hands covering her face to shut out reality, Grace spelled it out for her, word by word.

“Nancy Wilkins, your brother is the true coward and traitor.”

Suddenly, Nancy looked up and lunged at Grace.

“Don’t you dare insult my brother!”

Insult? It was the truth.

Grace gritted her teeth as she was grabbed by the collar. Fred was so unfit for his role, even she admitted he was too weak yet Nancy defended him just because he was family.

“You have no idea how much I suffered because of your brother’s greed. No, you probably don’t even care!”

The realization that she was unjustly labeled a traitor and abandoned without a family to defend her broke something inside Grace.

“Your brother, did he die in agony?”

As pain filled Nancy’s eyes, Grace twisted her smile.

“I hope he did.”

Suddenly, the hand that was holding her collar flew towards Grace’s cheek.

“Ugh…”

But the one who groaned in pain was not her but Nancy as Grace fiercely twisted her wrist and let out a scoff.

“Let, uht, go of this!”

Despite the fact that she expected to have weakened from being locked up, Grace found her grip strength had actually improved from the daily physical struggles with that man. It was truly astonishing.

She shook off Nancy’s hand from her collar as if brushing off the dust and pushed her back.

“Get lost. I have no more business with you.”

Yet, Nancy didn’t leave the booth but grabbed her wrist as Grace reached for the telephone.

“Don’t even think about calling Jimmy or going to him. Go straight to Joe now.”

Facing her attempt to snatch the telephone, Grace pointed a freshly loaded pistol at her.

“I said get lost. Now.”

The two now looked at each other not as comrades but as enemies. While Grace had the thought that Nancy might try to eliminate her, she quickly dismissed it by ensuring Nancy wouldn’t have the luxury to attempt such a thing.

“Oh, did you know? Your brother was spotted the moment he stupidly didn’t show up at Winford’s but went to visit you.”

Of course, Nancy’s face turned ashen.

“If you don’t want to get caught and end up in trouble, you’d better leave right now. Think about it. Would I bother to tell you this if I were a traitor?”

As expected, Nancy dropped the phone immediately and, like someone being chased, hurried out of the booth and then disappeared from the post office.

While Nancy’s venomous words about her becoming as malevolent as the vampire of Camden still seemed to haunt the narrow booth, Grace began to make a call.

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