Chapter 487: The Direction of Escape

Chapter 487: The Direction of Escape

Keep hiding in the bushes?

That wouldn't work either. Batiatus had already confirmed there was an intruder, which meant that until the search order was lifted, those patrolling knights and servants would tear apart every inch of the Kendya Manor if they had to—they would definitely find her!

What should she do?

While dodging and running, Arnell scanned her surroundings with the corner of her eye to avoid any patrolling knights or servants suddenly appearing. Suddenly, she caught sight of the tower in the distance—the tower where Noah Ditch was imprisoned. Originally, if everything had gone according to plan, she was supposed to visit the tower, and then...

That's it!

Arnell's eyes lit up.

She remembered now—the last time she came to the Kendya Manor, she'd specifically noted that the basement beneath Noah Ditch's tower had a well, and according to the map Lord Azrael had given her, that well connected directly to a pond in the Manor's back courtyard. If all the patrols inside the estate were closing in, trying to trap her inside with no way out, then that well and the underwater passage would be Arnell's only escape route!

And with most of the forces contracted inward, the patrols at the four corners of the estate would be reduced. If she seized the opportunity, Arnell could escape the Kendya Manor directly and rendezvous with the carriage Messiah had arranged!

With that thought, Arnell immediately changed direction and sprinted toward the kitchen.

As she passed the kitchen, she still heard sighing and lamenting from inside, but this time with Thaddeus pursuing her from a distance, his presence locked onto her like a target, leaving Arnell no mental capacity to worry about what was happening in the kitchen. She just quickly darted through the dim corridor, took a deep breath, and jumped into the well.

The moment she touched the water, Arnell's anxious heart finally settled. She lifted her head for one deep breath, then plunged beneath the surface.

Meanwhile, on the ground above, Thaddeus had been tracking that presence, but just now, the aura he'd locked onto suddenly vanished.

For Thaddeus, this was virtually impossible.

Thaddeus's expression turned extremely ugly, because the disappearance of that presence was no less humiliating than someone slapping him hard across the face twice. His cold gaze followed the direction where the presence had vanished—right toward the tower where Noah Ditch was imprisoned.

Thinking back to that night when he'd brought Noah Ditch to the main hall to see Tadvi Skyway, a dark glint flashed through Thaddeus's eyes. Although that day's incident had appeared to be merely drunken tower guards breaking in to torment Noah Ditch, Thaddeus had checked afterward. The grass at the base of Noah Ditch's tower showed clear signs of being trampled, and it had happened within a few hours, which was why those fragile plants hadn't yet recovered their original state.

That was precisely why, when the masked woman mentioned wanting to rough up Noah Ditch a bit, Thaddeus hadn't stopped her immediately. After all, he wanted to know who had broken in before and exactly whom Noah Ditch had seen.

Unfortunately, Noah Ditch's mouth was truly sealed tight. Apart from cowering with his head in his hands and wailing like a coward, he did nothing else. Even when asked if he'd seen anyone or heard any information, Noah Ditch would only shake his head frantically.

Just thinking about how such a man was going to marry Mallory made Thaddeus feel like a fire was blazing in his chest.

Damn it—a vile, lowly creature like a frog getting to marry Mallory!

Thaddeus couldn't tell whether his anger stemmed from thoughts of Mallory or from Noah Ditch's stone-hard refusal to talk, but the consequence of failing to stop the masked woman in time was that Noah Ditch had been seriously injured. Even before he and the masked woman went to find Batiatus, Thaddeus had heard that Noah Ditch still hadn't woken up.

Too weak. How could such a weak man possibly deserve his beloved Mallory?

But in truth, Thaddeus also understood that Batiatus had stopped the masked woman not only because Noah Ditch couldn't die yet, but also because agreeing to Tadvi Skyway's plan was merely a temporary measure. After all, from the very beginning, the master and Batiatus's plan had been to change nothing about their actions.

For that very reason, Mallory had to marry Noah Ditch no matter what and become his wife in name. As for Tadvi Skyway's side—if the masked woman really did beat Noah Ditch into critical condition or even kill him, given Tadvi Skyway's regard for Norm Ditch, and seeing that face of Noah Ditch's that looked so much like Norm Ditch's, once something happened to Noah Ditch, Tadvi Skyway would absolutely seek revenge against the masked woman at any cost.

And that would cause the triangular alliance between Tadvi Skyway, Batiatus Kendya, and the masked woman's father to potentially collapse, which would be enormously damaging to all three parties' interests.

Whether for profit or for the sake of their cooperation, this was the optimal solution Batiatus could achieve after suppressing his temper.

But judging from the masked woman's reaction, she seemed to still be throwing a spoiled lady's temper, completely oblivious to the problem.

Now the owner of that spying gaze had disappeared near Noah Ditch's tower again. The same place, the same Noah Ditch—for a moment, Thaddeus even suspected that the person who'd broken into the Kendya Manor last time and this intruder were the same person.

Otherwise, why were they so fixated on finding Noah Ditch?

Or could it be that Noah Ditch was hiding some unknown secret?

Thaddeus gritted his teeth, his face dark as he walked toward the tower where Noah Ditch was held. The guards at the tower's main entrance had been replaced with two unfamiliar faces, but they clearly wouldn't fail to recognize the face of Thaddeus, an elite knight. The moment they saw him, the two tower guards bowed their heads respectfully.

"Lord Thaddeus!"

"Has anyone come here?" Thaddeus asked.

But truthfully, he didn't need to ask—just from these two men's reactions, Thaddeus knew no stranger had breached that door. Still, he couldn't afford to worry about that now. After hearing the two guards say no one had visited, Thaddeus pointed at the door, his voice cold. "Open it. I'm going in."

"This..."

The two guards exchanged glances, hesitating to move their hands. After all, they still remembered that the previous two guards had been thrown into the dungeon for letting the masked woman and Thaddeus in to injure Noah Ditch—and those men still hadn't emerged!