Chapter 321
At the Federal Bureau Dungeon, the musty smell swelled from the stone crevices, coiling around Eloise’s ankles like a cold, wet serpent.
Her prison cell reeked of a pungent stench. The coarse fabric chafed her skin until it was painfully raw. Even in such deplorable conditions, an unyielding spark of hope still burned in Eloise’s eyes.
Eloise thought, “Henry will definitely rescue me. After all, we have mutual leverage. I have his secrets, and he’s got dirt on me.”
Neither Henry nor Eleanor would push things to the very last moment.
From the depths of the dungeon came the scraping rumble of a cart being dragged. In the dungeon’s darkness, with no sun or moon to mark time, day and night blurred together. Eloise could only estimate the time by the guards’ meal deliveries. This was only the second meal Eloise had received today. Prisoners got only two meager meals a day. The food they received was watered-down oatmeal and rock-hard cornbread that were impossible to chew.
With a heavy metallic clang, the copper lock was undone. The jailer’s gruff voice boomed, “All of you, get your damn asses over here for your—”
A bowl of oatmeal that gave off a faint stench of spoilage came into sight. Back in the day, Eloise wouldn’t have even fed such coarse slop to her dogs. But now, even getting this food felt like a luxury.
“If I don’t eat this now, there won’t be another meal,” Eloise thought desperately.
She scrambled desperately, bumbling over herself as she snatched up the food and began devouring it like a starved animal. Several times, Eloise nearly gagged but forced herself to choke it down. Eloise knew that she had to eat to survive.
The jailer cast Eloise a disinterested glance. As he turned to leave, something slipped to her feet.
Eloise thought in surprise, “A key!”
With perfect composure, Eloise slid her foot forward and pinned the key beneath it. Seizing the moment when no one was watching, Eloise tucked the key into her bosom, her heart pounding with anticipation.
A faint thrill of vindication ran through Eloise. She thought, “Just as I thought. Henry wouldn’t dare let me die here. He’s too afraid I’ll drag even more people down with me!”
Suddenly, Eloise froze mid-chew. She slowly spat out a small paper ball from her mouth. Unfolding it with trembling fingers, she saw a single word written inside: [Midnight].
“Henry will send someone to rescue me at night,” Eloise thought.
The night dragged on endlessly. To Eloise, it felt as if years had passed.
Snoring echoed through the cell block, but Eloise’s eyes remained wide open, her ears straining to catch any sound from outside. Just as Eloise felt her patience wearing dangerously thin, a distinct sound echoed from the doorway.
With a metallic clatter, the lock was sprung open. A guard slipped inside and tossed a bundle at Eloise’s feet. He whispered urgently, “Change into these. Come with me.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Eloise hurriedly unlocked the shackles on her wrists and ankles with the key, changed into the disguise, and slipped out after the guard. As she was about to leave, Eloise called out to the guard and whispered, “What about here?”
The man lowered his voice and reassured her, “Rest assured, my Lady. Lord Henry has made all the necessary arrangements.”
Eloise exhaled involuntarily, gave a quick nod, and followed the guard out. Fortunately, under the cover of night, no one could make out her face.
After a tense but uneventful escape from the dungeon, the guard led Eloise to the rear courtyard. A garbage cart was parked there. The guard bowed slightly to Eloise and said, “My Lady, please endure this temporary discomfort.”
Reluctant as Eloise was, she told herself, “I have to do what it takes to get out of here. As long as I make it out of the Federal Bureau safely, I’ll be free.”
With a deep, bracing breath, Eloise forced herself into the reeking slop bucket. The stench was so overpowering she nearly gagged, clamping a hand over her mouth to stifle a retch.
The cart rumbled to life, slowly creeping toward the main gate. As the cart approached the guards, they signaled it to stop for a routine inspection. Crouched inside the cart, Eloise’s heart pounded wildly. She thought it might leap right into her throat.
“Please, just let me get out of here safely,” Eloise prayed silently, her heart pounding in her chest.
A voice called out from outside, “What are you doing hauling out the garbage at this hour?”
“The guard on duty today got the runs, so I’m covering for him. Otherwise, this garbage would’ve been hauled out ages ago,” the man replied.
The guard hesitated, then approached the cart. “Even so, a routine inspection is still necessary,” he said.
A noise sounded right beside her as the guard lifted the cart’s lid to inspect. Eloise’s heart clenched in terror; she didn’t dare to breathe. Suddenly, the lid above Eloise was flung open, and a harsh beam of light poured in.
Eloise nearly screamed, thinking that her cover was blown. But to her shock, the guard just glanced at her and immediately slammed the lid shut again.
“Clear. Let them through,” the guard said. The moment the words left his mouth, Eloise exhaled the breath she’d been holding in one shuddering gasp.
Gasping for air, Eloise slumped weakly against the bucket’s interior, her body utterly spent. The cart rumbled back to life, and the rest of the journey was smooth sailing. After what felt like an eternity, Eloise heard a sharp rap from outside the cart. The guard’s voice whispered urgently, “Lady Eloise, you can come out.”
Eloise clambered out of the bucket and staggered to the roadside, where she doubled over, heaving uncertainly. Pitch darkness enveloped everything. Eloise couldn’t tell where she was. Disoriented, she asked, “Where am I?”
“Lady Eloise, just follow this road ahead. Someone will meet you ahead. I take my leave now.” With that, the guard drove the cart away.
Stumbling along the dark, uneven road, Eloise pressed forward, each step heavier than the last. Before Eloise could react to the sounds ahead, a sudden blow struck her head, sending her into unconsciousness.
Athena tossed the stick aside, her gaze icy as she stared down at the unconscious one. Jessa stepped forward and gave Eloise a couple of hard kicks, then turned to Athena and asked, “What do you want me to do with her?”
“Tie her up and stash her in a remote cave,” Athena commanded coldly. “Jessa, tomorrow it’s your show. I want Willow bound and delivered in full.”
Jessa gave a curt nod. “Consider it done.”
At Duke’s Estate, Henry paced anxiously back and forth in the room, waiting for news. Meanwhile, Nicolas lounged nearby with an air of calm. “Father, you should not worry. Our people will make sure everything goes off without a hitch.”
Nicolas had already greased all the right palms at the Federal Bureau. Once Eloise was extracted from prison, he would make her vanish without a trace.
“Even so, I can’t shake this unease. Something feels off,” Henry said, his voice laced with worry.
Nicolas glanced up, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “What could possibly be amiss?” he asked.
Henry fixed his bloodshot old eyes on him. “Have you forgotten whose jurisdiction the Federal Bureau is under? How could our opponents possibly succeed so easily?”
At this, Henry’s eyes darkened with deepening dread. “Could it be that we’ve walked right into a trap?”
Henry was now as jumpy as a scared rabbit, flinching at the slightest rustle. Nicolas’s eyebrow twitched slightly as he continued fiddling with his emerald thumb ring, maintaining an air of nonchalance. “Even if the Federal Bureau is under Prince Xander’s control, Prince Fermin is no pushover. For his own sake, he’ll go all out to help the duke’s estate.”
His eyes turned icy. “Mother must die. Only then will we be safe.”
A chilling dread washed over Henry as he watched Nicolas’s ruthless demeanor. A chill ran down Henry’s spine. “Nicolas can kill Eloise today, what’s to stop him from turning on me tomorrow?” he wondered.
Nicolas seemed to sense Henry’s unspoken fears. He said gently, “Father, you’ve raised me all these years. I would never harm you. Though we share no blood, I’ve always regarded you as my true father since childhood.
“It breaks my heart to abandon Mother, but there truly is no other way. If you must blame someone, blame Athena and Prince Xander. They’re the ones who ruined our family.”