My Husband Never Dies - Chapter 18
Moving quickly and silently like a rat was practically her specialty. Evelyn slipped past the garden, hidden behind tree shadows, and swallowed dryly when she saw the nearby stable.
‘Shxt! Escaping from Zelakent would’ve been easier than this!’
Inside the stable, well-kept horses were peacefully chewing on hay. Strangely, just like the gardener, she had never seen a stablehand before either. Then again, this mansion was insane, so she let that slide. She no longer wanted to be curious.
“Shh.”
Evelyn carefully led out the most agile-looking horse among them. The animal followed her quietly, its innocent eyes calmly fixed on her. She was grateful it wasn’t some crazed beast.
Gripping the reins, she clenched her teeth and cautiously opened a small side gate.
Creak…
The grating noise froze her body instantly. Perhaps the door wasn’t well-maintained, used only by servants. Whatever the case—
She could not afford to die.
She had survived Zelakent, the infamous prison. She hadn’t clawed her way through hell just to have her eyes ripped out by some deranged monster.
The prince, that bastard who had contracted her under false pretenses, was surely dead now. There was no point in sticking to the contract, then. Everything had been conducted in secret; now she was truly free. She might not have secured a clean identity, but she didn’t give a damn about that anymore.
As long as she stayed alive, nothing else mattered.
Evelyn lifted her head and looked up at the sky. Afternoon sunlight had begun to tilt westward. Though not as clear as midday, the angle of the sun and the length of the shadows were more than enough for her to gauge direction.
So long as the sun was out, there would be no fog. She wouldn’t get lost like last time. Better yet, she wouldn’t have to walk on her own two feet, not with such a nimble horse beneath her. If she kept riding without pause until the horse was spent, she could make it quite far.
“Kah! Ptooey! Let’s never see each other again!”
Deliberately spitting in the direction of the duke’s estate, Evelyn swung onto the horse and kicked off into a run. She had to get as far away as possible before that madman returned.
The duke was an abomination who could come back from the dead. She was fairly sure he’d caught her scent last time. But now that the bastard wasn’t in the mansion, surely he couldn’t follow her now…
Won’t he?
Evelyn gripped the reins tighter.
How long had she been riding?
The world around her had grown dark.
The horse’s pace had gradually begun to slow. She’d picked this one for its speed, but in hindsight, perhaps she should have chosen a sturdier beast built for endurance.
No matter. It was too late to care now.
Evelyn came to a halt on a quiet field where only the occasional sound of the wind could be heard. She turned back to glance behind her.
She’d ridden southwest, keeping a steady course the whole way. She didn’t know where exactly the duke’s domain ended, but she’d galloped nonstop from afternoon until long after sunset. The sky had been clear the whole time, visibility sharp, and she’d even come across a river.
It was a perfect escape.
Evelyn led her horse to the water’s edge and let out a long breath. If she kept heading southwest from Brumfield, she should eventually reach the borough of Lovent. Surely, she wasn’t far off.
Lovent was infamous for its pleasure quarters — exactly the kind of place Evelyn could disappear into.
A haven for dirty money, crawling with people who couldn’t afford to live normal lives.
A trash heap full of people just like her. And there, she would blend right in.
With the money she’d made from selling the horse, Evelyn had planned to lay low for a while, but Lovent was still nowhere in sight.
“Damn it, how much further do I have to go?”
Should she rest for a night and keep running the next day? Her body burned with impatience, anxiety gnawing at her.
“Do you think you can keep going?”
She spoke to her only companion, the horse.
Ignoring her, the horse continued to drink from the stream, then reluctantly started nibbling at the weeds scattered across the field.
Unlike Evelyn, who was too tense to feel anything but thirst, the horse picked at the tender leaves with a casual air.
“Alright, let’s take a break.”
They’d have to ride again tomorrow. It’d be better to let the horse eat and rest properly for now.
Evelyn gently brushed the horse’s mane, then lowered her hood and wiped the sweat from her brow. Despite being in the north, it was summer, and the sweat kept pouring down her face.
The sensation of her hair sticking to her neck and cheeks was unbearable. Worst of all, her blonde hair was the cause of all this trouble, making her feel even more irritated.
She roughly gathered her hair, which had been cutting into her neck like a blade, and splashed some cold stream water on her face. Holding the reins tightly like a lifeline, she slumped down onto the field.
“Is this… going to be my life from now on?”
Even when the bounty was out for her, Evelyn hadn’t been this anxious. Her sharp eyes scanned her surroundings with caution.
If the fog rolled in unexpectedly, she planned to escape along the stream right away.
But for some reason, the heat seemed to keep the fog at bay. Despite being right next to the stream, there was no fog, not even any dew gathering. The dawn passed lazily by, without the usual cool morning mist.
Exhausted both physically and mentally, Evelyn curled up on the field and closed her eyes.
