Please Forget Me - Chapter 174

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

“Maybe…”

“What is it? Don’t hide it, just say it.”

“…Were there any other accomplices?”

I finally voiced the question that had been troubling me as I listened to the major’s words.

“Accomplices?”

“A man about my age…”

The major’s eyes narrowed. His gaze turned sharp, and from the way he looked at me, I could tell that I had brought up something he already knew but that I wasn’t supposed to. I had unwittingly mentioned something I shouldn’t have.

“And a young woman.”

I thought this must also be true, but this time, the major looked at me as if he was hearing it for the first time.

“I don’t know about the woman, but the man’s right. The fake Johann Renner had a brother, and he’s also missing. We suspect he’s a spy too. But how do you know this? You haven’t read that part of the report.”

The major looked down at the report I was holding, still unfinished, then threw me a piercing glance.

“Do you remember?”

“No. I just heard that Johann… had lived with someone before…”

I had to lie. If I said I remembered, he would never believe that I couldn’t recall the rest.

“There was a woman too? Didn’t hear anything more?”

“That’s all I heard.”

“Hm… Well, we can question that bastard tomorrow. I’ll make a note of it.”

“Ugh…”

As the major seemed to let his suspicion slip, I tried to return to my thoughts, but the moment a hand reached into my view, I jumped back in surprise. However, the major didn’t grab my wrist—he snatched the report I was holding instead.

“Afraid? You thought, even though I’m a man without much trust, that I’d go back on my promise and arrest you, didn’t you?”

The major sneered at my trembling form as he pulled out a pen.

“Ah, of course, if you don’t report it by noon tomorrow, I’ll arrest you too.”

Then, he scribbled something on the report and gave me another warning.

“Tell the police that you think your husband is a spy. That he’s trying to escape to Falkland with you. That’ll be enough.”

After finishing the note, the major put his pen away, tucked the report under his arm, and suddenly turned on me, questioning me like an investigator.

“Did he give you poison and tell you to mix it into the syringe? Did you know it was poison? Did you marry him knowing he was a spy? Did you join in the betrayal knowingly?”

“I… I don’t remember anything.”

“Good. When you get dragged in for questioning, just answer like that. From then on, I’ll take care of everything. Just trust me. Got it?”

“……”

“You might as well trust me now, right?”

In the end, the major clicked his tongue, frustrated that I didn’t believe him, even though he was right. He then started explaining what he meant by ‘taking care of it,’ in excruciating detail, to the point that I was embarrassed he was saying all this to me.

“While you keep your mouth shut, I’ll make sure to get a confession from that bastard. You’ll say you didn’t know your husband was a spy. You’ll say that he swapped the injection halfway through, and you didn’t know and just administered it. Of course, he won’t willingly sign a confession, but there are many ways to persuade him.”

It was clear he meant to force a false confession by any means necessary.

“Don’t worry about how you’ll survive if your husband dies. Remember, we made a bet. If I’m right, you’ll come to me. You’re trusting me to take responsibility.”

The major finally revealed his reasons for doing dangerous things to save me. It aligned perfectly with his true nature, as a lecherous man.

“Where’s the knight who saves the princess from the enemy only to abandon her afterward?”

He compared me to a princess, but the way his eyes roamed over my body and the way he licked his lips certainly didn’t suggest he was treating me like one.

Despite his words, the truth was as I had suspected all along. He would save my life, but in exchange for my body.

“Listen carefully. The day you become mine, you’ll call me by name. Of course, I’ll treat you like a wife, not like a b***h. So, don’t worry and come to me.”

He claimed he’d treat me as a wife, but I knew it was just an empty title. I would be nothing more than a trophy, a prize won from a battle with the enemy. The man who wouldn’t even consider me human would be my only way out…

“It’s confusing, isn’t it? It’s normal to not be able to decide right away. That’s why I’m giving you time. Not to run away, but to think.”

The major seemed to know exactly what was going on in my confused mind.

“Do you really think you can escape with the pass? It won’t take effect until Sunday, but you’ll be arrested tomorrow. Crossing a mountain with such heavy security is suicide. It’s better to live with me than to die, isn’t it? I know your head is a mess, but think wisely this time.”

“……”

“But I didn’t just tell you all this without a plan. The moment I see you trying something foolish, that bastard will be arrested. So don’t even think about telling your fake husband to escape now that he has been caught as a spy.”

With that, the major turned, having blocked every possible escape route except the one he offered.

“Ah, say goodbye with just a wave. Don’t shake your a-s or that bastard’s d-ck.”

With the deadline set for noon tomorrow, the major turned and left, heading back to the car hidden in an alley between two houses across the street.

The sound of the car’s wheels rolling away gradually faded until it disappeared, and the whole world fell silent.