try begging

Nancy paused for a moment, then smiled.

"I heard that rumor from an old comrade who was released from prison. He said he would keep my father alive until I was caught? Well, I don't have to rush, right?"

Damn it. Nancy wasn't stupid like my sister.

What on earth is your purpose?

Grace held her breath as she held the child tightly in her arms, staring at me with contempt.

I started begging her when the sun rose. Please send the child to the hospital. Leave me here and come back with the child.

But no matter how much they begged, the three men would not listen. Uncle Bobby only gave them a pitcher of ice water and a towel.

The fever had gone down since last night, but the cough and body aches had gotten worse. Ellie, groaning, muttered.

"Mom's friend is a pervert. Don't play."

Grace lay on her back on the bed, patting Ellie. All sorts of plans were forming in her head, then collapsing again. Hope and despair were intertwined.

"If possible, try to find a place in a big city with a lot of immigrants."

Three years ago, Nancy had been so confident that she was on the same side as him that she would come back as a trap. As soon as Nancy recovered from her gunshot wound, she had been searching the immigrant districts of the big city for her. The young man had been bragging about it, and it was lingering in my head.

Grace swallowed back tears.

Nancy, and Uncle Bobby too. They were all people saved by Grace.

Why would that be?

Looking back, I regretted the choice that seemed obvious at the time.

In the end, this was the result of all my mistakes from the past four years.

The man should have gone to Winston as soon as he awoke from his coma. If he had hidden away in Winston's outbuildings, which had never been attacked, Ellie would not have been lying sick in a musty old bed in the basement.

Grace goes back in time and regrets even the choices she made before Ellie was born.

"You were curious about my plans, right?"

The day that man first hinted at his plans to run away abroad by putting an engagement ring on me, I should have taken his hand.

At that time, I continued to have thoughts that would astonish me, even though I knew full well that I could not hold his hand.

The thought suddenly stopped when the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs was heard outside the firmly locked door.

Who is it?

"Coolook... ."

I heard a cough. It meant Uncle Bobby.

Grace, slightly relieved that it wasn't Nancy, sat up as the door opened.

"How is the child?"

As Grace shook her head, the man handed her two crumpled paper bags. One contained bread and a bottle of milk, the other contained menthol ointment and cough syrup, both good for suppressing coughs.

The child complained of a sore throat and could not swallow the bread properly, so he only drank a few sips of milk. Even then, he was worried that he would vomit. Fortunately, Ellie fell asleep shortly after taking the cough syrup.

It was painful to hear the wheezing sound of the child's breathing. Grace, who was rubbing menthol ointment on the child's chest to make it easier to breathe, absentmindedly rubbed her tired eyes.

My eyes stung. The moment tears welled up in my eyes, the tears that had been building up inside burst out like a dam breaking.

"Black...."

The old man who had been watching from afar sighed and left. When he returned a while later, he was holding a steaming teapot and cup in his hands.

"thank you."

Grace was in the position of having to thank the man who had kidnapped her. The man sat back down in the chair in the corner of the basement and muttered while looking at the sleeping Ellie.

"This time of year there used to be a cold going around among the village children. I remember you catching it after our daughter got sick and Hattie suffered a lot."

When my mother was away on a mission, the neighborhood ladies would take turns looking after Grace and my brother. I also remember being indebted to my uncle's wife, Hattie.

But according to Grace's memory, her uncle and Aunt Hattie had no children.

The old man watched the two without leaving. It didn't feel like he was being watched. Of the three, Uncle Bobby seemed the most friendly, so I thought I should try talking to him.

Grace opened Ellie's pajamas, who was fast asleep, and gave her another muffin before sitting down at the table in the middle of the basement, facing the old man.

"Isn't Mrs. Hattie with you?"

"I've been staying in the hospital these days."

For some unknown reason, Mrs. Hattie, who was otherwise perfectly fine, would suffer from mania in the winter. Grace also knew that she was in and out of a mental hospital because of it.

"Now that I'm discharged from the hospital, I have nowhere to go...."

I knew why without even asking. Because I lost my home because of Grace.

"Well, I guess a den of lunatics would be more heaven for Hattie than that damned town."

The old man glanced at Grace's face and added.

"I go there every Sunday to see his face, and he looks more radiant than I do. It's to the point where I think it would be easier for me to go crazy."

The old man laughed softly, but Grace couldn't laugh.

"I'm not blaming you, so don't misunderstand. In a way, I'm alive because you brought the army to town on the day I was out visiting Hattie in the hospital, so in the end, I have nothing to blame."

The old man, who had been observing her expression, let out a long sigh.

"Grace, I heard that Little Jimmy and the executives ordered you to commit suicide."

The old man came closer, sat down, and lowered his voice.

"I can understand why you brought the enemy to the village, but I feel bad about it. If you had left when I warned you, this wouldn't have happened."

The man said, "This is what happens," and turned his gaze to the child sleeping behind Grace.

"Nancy, you are blinded by your desire for revenge and only see what I want you to see, but I know you are not on the devil's side. I saw it with my own eyes in his torture chamber."

He said he remembered Grace trying to protect her allies from that man.

"I also know that you are not raising his child because you like him."

The old man lowered his voice even further, worried that Ellie might hear.

"You must have been treated badly by that devil. And yet you raised a child who resembles him. Should I say that it's amazing or pitiful... Sometimes, when I see Winston's face in the newspaper, I think of that time and can't breathe, cough..."

A coughing fit began. As far as Grace could remember, Bobby had never had a cough before his arrest. It seemed to be something he had contracted after being waterboarded by the man.

Every time I feel to my bones that the man in front of me is weaker than anyone else and is a devil who makes others tremble in fear, and then every time I think about why he had to become a devil, I feel guilty about all the feelings I have toward that man.

"But how would you feel if you had to see that face every day? Nancy, who has never personally encountered the devil and has no children, would not know how that feels."

As I listened to the old man's sympathetic words, my doubts grew even deeper. The old man was not a leader, but he had long been dedicated to the revolution. Judging from the fact that he had warned Grace to leave in advance, it was clear that he knew of the dirty secrets of the Blanchard rebels and was also disillusioned.

Then why do they still remain rebels?

"mister."

"huh?"

"But why are you helping Nancy?"

The old man smiled bitterly at Grace's sharp question.

"I need money for Hattie's hospital bills."

"ah...."

"Jimmy was the one who paid for it, but now he can't. My old body can't afford it. Who would have thought that accepting his offer to send me to a good hospital would end up being my problem."

The old man let out a long sigh after letting out a hollow laugh.

"There is no such thing as a noble cause left. I am a helpless coward, and I have no desire for revenge."

The old man coughed for a moment and then continued speaking.

"You must be wondering why I'm stuck in this dirty mud when you tell me to leave. Grace, I'm not a completely clean person either. By the time I realize I'm on the wrong path, I've already gone too far."

"It's never too late to change course, sir."

It was shameless of me to say this to that guy, who had said the same thing to Uncle Bobby, but I couldn't help it.

"There is still a way for you to atone for your sins and live in peace with Aunt Hattie."

The old man raised an eyebrow, evidence that he was interested in such a life. Grace lowered her voice, listening to the noise coming from upstairs.

"Take Ellie away without telling anyone. If you take her to Winston, he'll pardon you and Miss Hattie and give you a new identity and money. I promise."

Nancy paused for a moment, then smiled.

"I heard that rumor from an old comrade who was released from prison. He said he would keep my father alive until I was caught? Well, I don't have to rush, right?"

Damn it. Nancy wasn't stupid like my sister.

What on earth is your purpose?

Grace held her breath as she held the child tightly in her arms, staring at me with contempt.

I started begging her when the sun rose. Please send the child to the hospital. Leave me here and come back with the child.

But no matter how much they begged, the three men would not listen. Uncle Bobby only gave them a pitcher of ice water and a towel.

The fever had gone down since last night, but the cough and body aches had gotten worse. Ellie, groaning, muttered.

"Mom's friend is a pervert. Don't play."

Grace lay on her back on the bed, patting Ellie. All sorts of plans were forming in her head, then collapsing again. Hope and despair were intertwined.

"If possible, try to find a place in a big city with a lot of immigrants."

Three years ago, Nancy had been so confident that she was on the same side as him that she would come back as a trap. As soon as Nancy recovered from her gunshot wound, she had been searching the immigrant districts of the big city for her. The young man had been bragging about it, and it was lingering in my head.

Grace swallowed back tears.

Nancy, and Uncle Bobby too. They were all people saved by Grace.

Why would that be?

Looking back, I regretted the choice that seemed obvious at the time.

In the end, this was the result of all my mistakes from the past four years.

The man should have gone to Winston as soon as he awoke from his coma. If he had hidden away in Winston's outbuildings, which had never been attacked, Ellie would not have been lying sick in a musty old bed in the basement.

Grace goes back in time and regrets even the choices she made before Ellie was born.

"You were curious about my plans, right?"

The day that man first hinted at his plans to run away abroad by putting an engagement ring on me, I should have taken his hand.

At that time, I continued to have thoughts that would astonish me, even though I knew full well that I could not hold his hand.

The thought suddenly stopped when the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs was heard outside the firmly locked door.

Who is it?

"Coolook... ."

I heard a cough. It meant Uncle Bobby.

Grace, slightly relieved that it wasn't Nancy, sat up as the door opened.

"How is the child?"

As Grace shook her head, the man handed her two crumpled paper bags. One contained bread and a bottle of milk, the other contained menthol ointment and cough syrup, both good for suppressing coughs.

The child complained of a sore throat and could not swallow the bread properly, so he only drank a few sips of milk. Even then, he was worried that he would vomit. Fortunately, Ellie fell asleep shortly after taking the cough syrup.

It was painful to hear the wheezing sound of the child's breathing. Grace, who was rubbing menthol ointment on the child's chest to make it easier to breathe, absentmindedly rubbed her tired eyes.

My eyes stung. The moment tears welled up in my eyes, the tears that had been building up inside burst out like a dam breaking.

"Black...."

The old man who had been watching from afar sighed and left. When he returned a while later, he was holding a steaming teapot and cup in his hands.

"thank you."

Grace was in the position of having to thank the man who had kidnapped her. The man sat back down in the chair in the corner of the basement and muttered while looking at the sleeping Ellie.

"This time of year there used to be a cold going around among the village children. I remember you catching it after our daughter got sick and Hattie suffered a lot."

When my mother was away on a mission, the neighborhood ladies would take turns looking after Grace and my brother. I also remember being indebted to my uncle's wife, Hattie.

But according to Grace's memory, her uncle and Aunt Hattie had no children.

The old man watched the two without leaving. It didn't feel like he was being watched. Of the three, Uncle Bobby seemed the most friendly, so I thought I should try talking to him.

Grace opened Ellie's pajamas, who was fast asleep, and gave her another muffin before sitting down at the table in the middle of the basement, facing the old man.

"Isn't Mrs. Hattie with you?"

"I've been staying in the hospital these days."

For some unknown reason, Mrs. Hattie, who was otherwise perfectly fine, would suffer from mania in the winter. Grace also knew that she was in and out of a mental hospital because of it.

"Now that I'm discharged from the hospital, I have nowhere to go...."

I knew why without even asking. Because I lost my home because of Grace.

"Well, I guess a den of lunatics would be more heaven for Hattie than that damned town."

The old man glanced at Grace's face and added.

"I go there every Sunday to see his face, and he looks more radiant than I do. It's to the point where I think it would be easier for me to go crazy."

The old man laughed softly, but Grace couldn't laugh.

"I'm not blaming you, so don't misunderstand. In a way, I'm alive because you brought the army to town on the day I was out visiting Hattie in the hospital, so in the end, I have nothing to blame."

The old man, who had been observing her expression, let out a long sigh.

"Grace, I heard that Little Jimmy and the executives ordered you to commit suicide."

The old man came closer, sat down, and lowered his voice.

"I can understand why you brought the enemy to the village, but I feel bad about it. If you had left when I warned you, this wouldn't have happened."

The man said, "This is what happens," and turned his gaze to the child sleeping behind Grace.

"Nancy, you are blinded by your desire for revenge and only see what I want you to see, but I know you are not on the devil's side. I saw it with my own eyes in his torture chamber."

He said he remembered Grace trying to protect her allies from that man.

"I also know that you are not raising his child because you like him."

The old man lowered his voice even further, worried that Ellie might hear.

"You must have been treated badly by that devil. And yet you raised a child who resembles him. Should I say that it's amazing or pitiful... Sometimes, when I see Winston's face in the newspaper, I think of that time and can't breathe, cough..."

A coughing fit began. As far as Grace could remember, Bobby had never had a cough before his arrest. It seemed to be something he had contracted after being waterboarded by the man.

Every time I feel to my bones that the man in front of me is weaker than anyone else and is a devil who makes others tremble in fear, and then every time I think about why he had to become a devil, I feel guilty about all the feelings I have toward that man.

"But how would you feel if you had to see that face every day? Nancy, who has never personally encountered the devil and has no children, would not know how that feels."

As I listened to the old man's sympathetic words, my doubts grew even deeper. The old man was not a leader, but he had long been dedicated to the revolution. Judging from the fact that he had warned Grace to leave in advance, it was clear that he knew of the dirty secrets of the Blanchard rebels and was also disillusioned.

Then why do they still remain rebels?

"mister."

"huh?"

"But why are you helping Nancy?"

The old man smiled bitterly at Grace's sharp question.

"I need money for Hattie's hospital bills."

"ah...."

"Jimmy was the one who paid for it, but now he can't. My old body can't afford it. Who would have thought that accepting his offer to send me to a good hospital would end up being my problem."

The old man let out a long sigh after letting out a hollow laugh.

"There is no such thing as a noble cause left. I am a helpless coward, and I have no desire for revenge."

The old man coughed for a moment and then continued speaking.

"You must be wondering why I'm stuck in this dirty mud when you tell me to leave. Grace, I'm not a completely clean person either. By the time I realize I'm on the wrong path, I've already gone too far."

"It's never too late to change course, sir."

It was shameless of me to say this to that guy, who had said the same thing to Uncle Bobby, but I couldn't help it.

"There is still a way for you to atone for your sins and live in peace with Aunt Hattie."

The old man raised an eyebrow, evidence that he was interested in such a life. Grace lowered her voice, listening to the noise coming from upstairs.

"Take Ellie away without telling anyone. If you take her to Winston, he'll pardon you and Miss Hattie and give you a new identity and money. I promise."