industrial lord

Chapter 806 Let's Run Away

The flickering firelight from the fireplace cast an inconspicuous shadow on Pavel's profile.

He had just recounted the whole story in a slightly hoarse voice—from Olga's subtle attempts to win her over at the banquet, to the gradually becoming clearer grain smuggling plan, and his own hesitation and fear over the past few days.

Every word uttered felt as heavy as a ten-thousand-ton boulder.

Polina listened quietly, her brows slightly furrowed, her usually smiling eyes now filled with deep contemplation.

The occasional crackling of the firewood in the fireplace only served to accentuate the profound silence in the living room.

After Pavel finished speaking, he seemed to have all his strength drained away. He slumped into the armchair, his face ashen, staring blankly at the familiar ceiling, as if he had become a salted fish that had been out of water for a long time and had lost all vitality.

Polina lowered her head and fell into deep thought.

"Let's run away."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was as clear as a pebble suddenly thrown into still water, instantly stirring up ripples in Pavel's heart that had been suppressed for a long time.

Run away.

The word, like a chain with barbs, suddenly wrapped around his heart, or like a poisonous flower quietly blooming in the dark night, exuding a forbidden yet alluring aura.

He never imagined that he would one day face such a choice.

“Escape…” Pavel’s dry lips moved as he repeated the word, his voice so low it was almost inaudible.

“Polena, do you know what this means?” He looked up, his eyes filled with pain and self-doubt. “It means I’m admitting my cowardice, admitting I can’t solve the problem here… it means I’m leaving all the trouble and potential retribution to…”

"Who did you leave it to?" Polina suddenly interrupted him. "Was it left to those who were determined to take the risk and smuggle aid food? Or was it left to those who had already laid the trap and were just waiting for you to walk into it?"

She suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in front of the fireplace.

The leaping flames elongated her shadow, casting a shadow over half of her face, while making the other half appear exceptionally clear and sharp in the firelight.

“Pavel, I overheard my father and uncles talking.” Her voice lowered, carrying a calmness beyond her years. “They said that there are some games in this world where, once you step into them, there are only two outcomes: win or lose. There is never any possibility of escaping unscathed.”

“You are now in this game.” She turned to him, her gaze piercing. “Olga, and the force she represents, will not allow you to remain neutral—you either choose to become one of them, or you will become an obstacle that must be eliminated.”

Pavel felt a chill creep up his spine, and even the top of his head felt slightly cold.

He knew that Polina was telling the cruel truth.

The undeniable sense of control that Olga displayed beneath her seemingly intimate demeanor at the banquet that day still makes his heart pound when he thinks about it.

“But if I leave,” this was his biggest concern, his voice trembling slightly, “would they take their anger out on my family?”

His family territory was only half a day's journey from Boyheim, and Olga and the others, enraged, were fully capable of putting pressure on the area.

In that small, not-so-sturdy castle, there was only his elderly, frail, and chronically ill father, and a dozen or so guards with only rudimentary martial arts skills, who were utterly powerless to resist any real threat.

Polina turned to face him, the firelight from the fireplace dancing in her clear eyes, as if igniting two small flames.

“The Winter Solstice is approaching,” she said slowly. “It is a perfectly reasonable reason for you to return to your territory to spend the festival with your father, and no one will find it abrupt.”

“After that, your father’s health has been poor. If you leave the territory under the pretext of taking him to Wessenburg for medical treatment, who will think there’s a problem?”

“As long as you leave safely, they will not be able to really harm you. In this way, no one will be able to find a direct excuse to do anything to your territory and people.”

“More importantly,” she took a small step forward and emphasized, “if this matter blows up and even attracts the attention of higher levels of the Duchy of Wessen, Olga and the others will be hesitant to act rashly.”

She walked back to her seat, but didn't sit down immediately. Instead, she placed her hands on the back of the chair and continued her analysis: "Actually, from another perspective, your departure may not be entirely a bad thing for them."

"You refused to participate, but did not publicly oppose it. This actually gave them a way to end things gracefully—a buffer that prevented them from immediately breaking ties and going to war with you."

Pavel closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and began to rapidly weigh the feasibility of the plan. If he stayed and resolutely refused to cooperate, he would become an obvious and extremely unstable potential threat, and Olga and the others would certainly try to eliminate this hidden danger, making his situation even more dangerous.

However, if he chooses to leave, it may seem like he is escaping, but in reality, it will resolve the most direct antagonistic deadlock between the two sides.

Moreover, if they could successfully take their father with them, not only would they eliminate any worries about the future, but they would also have the opportunity to report the whole matter directly to Grand Duke Wessen and seek a solution from a higher level.

“You’re right.” Pavel finally opened his eyes abruptly, all his previous confusion and dejection vanished, and his gaze sharpened again. “I have to go.”

Once he made up his mind, Pavel's thinking immediately returned to its usual sharpness and orderliness.

“First of all, the message must be delivered in a structured manner and not appear abrupt.” He said while thinking quickly, “Tomorrow morning, I will have the steward begin to publicly prepare for the return to the territory for the Winter Solstice. By noon at the latest, this news will definitely reach Olga’s ears, whether intentionally or unintentionally.”

Polina nodded approvingly.

But Pavel suddenly frowned again, a new worry emerging.

He said in a deep voice, "Once my father and I decide to leave, we must act very quickly."

“I’m worried that someone might not want me to leave alive, or more likely, they might be worried that I would report them directly, and thus try to take my father hostage.”

"But it's deep winter now, the roads are difficult to travel, and the carriage can't go fast at all."

"Although my motorcycle was fast, the cold wind was too deadly for my father's weak body."

"This is really difficult."

He knew all too well that smuggling aid grain was a dangerous and risky business, and that as an insider who refused to cooperate, he was at great risk of being betrayed, and that the other party would definitely try to eliminate this threat.

Pavel himself was, after all, a student at Wesson Military Academy. If he were to die suddenly, it would easily attract an investigation, and the other party might not dare to act rashly.

But his elderly father, who was in his twilight years, was just an old knight who had lost his power and was much easier to control, so he could be used to coerce Pavel into submission.

Polina had obviously thought of this as well.

She hesitated for a moment, a glint of light flashing in her eyes, and said, "I can help."

“You know, I was supposed to go to Wesenberg University next spring, and my father bought me the most expensive car for that.”

“I recently picked up my car in Carlsbad and also got my driver’s license.”

Her tone hardened as she said, “I can drive you back to the territory, pick up your father and the necessary luggage, and then take you directly to Carlsbad.”

“I just came back from there. Grand Duke and Duchess Wessen are currently on holiday there.”

"Once you arrive, you can immediately try to contact him and seek refuge."

After hearing this, Pavel felt that the plan had indeed greatly improved its feasibility, but then he showed a worried expression: "But... I'm worried that they might do something bad to you in the future if you help me like this."

"This will drag you into a dangerous vortex."

"Hmph!" Polina let out two light, even slightly smug, laughs upon hearing this, raising her chin slightly. "Not to mention that I'll be going to Wesenberg City soon, their reach won't extend that far."

"Tell me, in this northern Bohemia, who dares to easily provoke my father, Count Pritz?" Her tone was filled with unquestionable confidence.

Pavel was taken aback, but then felt somewhat relieved.

Indeed, Polina's father, Count Pritz, was one of the most powerful noble families in northern Bohemia, with considerable strength and a large number of elite soldiers under his command. His family also had several capable and strong-willed siblings. Ordinary people would not dare to lay a finger on the youngest daughter of the Pritz family.

His only vague concern at this moment was what role Count Pritz himself played in this grain smuggling incident.

(End of this chapter)