The Camellia Tattoo - Chapter 149
The knights were nearby.
That meant Igmeyer was close too.
‘I want to see him. I miss him so much.’
Her heart raced.
A weak desire to collapse into her husband’s arms and cry surfaced within her.
But she couldn’t let that happen. She shouldn’t.
‘I just hope Igmeyer sees my note and beheads Nidhogg…’
Would things unfold so easily?
‘Probably not. He’ll definitely demand an explanation.’
So she would hide another note inside this box.
He would surely find this cart, and then he might read the note.
She didn’t know what thoughts would cross Igmeyer’s mind after reading it, but she hoped he would at least listen to her.
‘Please, don’t look for me.’
He would surely want to save her, whether it meant sacrificing himself or both of them dying together.
That conflicted with her desire to save them both.
“Oh, Doctor!”
At that moment.
Amber instinctively gasped and covered her mouth at the familiar voice echoing nearby.
It was Sir Gallard. There was no doubt about it.
“Where are you going?”
“I have some business in town.”
“You’ll have to make a turn if you take this path.”
“The knights are returning. I can’t block the road.”
Now that she thought about it, Nicholas was a born actor. His voice was steady, and his tone was as gentle as usual.
She wondered how his expression looked, but he probably appeared fine.
‘Please, just move along. Just keep going.’
Amber took a shallow breath and squeezed her eyes shut.
She didn’t want to imagine what would happen if she got caught without being able to escape.
Igmeyer would likely erupt in anger. He might even doubt her fidelity.
She knew that, having fled, things could never return to the way they were. Yet still, she wanted to avoid the worst.
“Ah, I see. Please be careful on your journey!”
“Yes.”
Sir Gallard, who had been cheerfully chatting, moved on, and Nicholas calmly resumed driving the cart. After a few more sounds of the horn signaling the knights’ return echoed,
Nicholas immediately dismounted and opened the cart’s door.
“You need to leave now.”
“Okay. What about you, Nick?”
“I can’t go, as there’s only one horse. I’ll leave as planned, so please take care of yourself.”
It was indeed strange to harness two horses to a cart, but it couldn’t be helped.
Since it was an urgent departure, they likely couldn’t prepare two horses.
After mounting the horse alone, Amber looked back at her loyal friend.
“Thank you for not asking anything.”
“I’m just glad I could be of help. Please take this. It’s a remedy for morning sickness. I’ve packed a few other essentials as well.”
He didn’t ask where she was going.
That was a clear expression of his determination to keep her whereabouts a secret from everyone.
“Then, one last thing—could you cut a bit of your hair? I need to create a diversion.”
“Sure, here.”
Amber drew the dagger she had fastened to her waist and cut a handful of hair, handing it to Nicholas. He took it, gazing thoughtfully at his long-time friend and the one he wished to serve, before closing his eyes and turning away.
He wouldn’t look back to see where she was headed.
If anyone asked, he would say he didn’t know. That would be the truth.
Clop, clop!
After hearing the sound of the horse moving away, Nicholas began to run in any direction.
This would divide the trail into two.
Horse hooves and human footprints.
Igmeyer would surely pursue both paths.
Because his footsteps were as small as any average woman’s, and he would leave behind strands of golden hair.
‘May you go far, far away. If you wish to leave, then go wherever you desire, my princess.’
He wouldn’t care if he was captured and tortured.
What Nicholas hoped for was simple.
Amber’s happiness.
That was all he wanted.
* * *
“Amber?”
At that moment, Igmeyer was plagued by an inexplicable sense of unease.
Among those greeting him was Raphael, but Amber was nowhere to be seen.
He said that she was feeling unwell and staying in her room, so he hurried to the bedroom, only to find no sign of her there either.
“Amber, honey.”
He found her ivory comb, her perfume, the pillowcase, and her slippers, yet the chill at the nape of his neck intensified.
Igmeyer tried to remain calm as he opened the door to the next room.
He then headed to the study, but for the first time in his life, he stumbled.
His mind was racing, but his body couldn’t keep up.
“Amber. Amber…!”
He thought that if he opened this door, Amber would be asleep inside. She often dozed off in the study.
Surely she would look back at him and smile, saying, ‘You’re here?’
Believing that, he flung the door open, but there was no warmth inside the study. Only a cold draft lingered.
There wasn’t even a trace of a fire in the fireplace, meaning that Amber hadn’t come in here at all.
So where on earth could she be?
