My Beloved

'Today, when I was looking at the main gate, I didn't see Gregory Frost coming to the mansion. But he did come from outside. It means he used a backdoor to go somewhere. It could be a way to leave his territory,' thinking that Han Luo strolled inside the house for a while. In the end, she found a back door in the kitchen.

'He… did not use that door, right?' She had her doubt but this is the only door that could lead her outside without letting the guards know.

The moment she opened the door, a gust of chilling wind blew. Despite wearing warm clothes, she shivered. She stepped outside and closed the door. In front of her was snow-covered woods.

'It's time.' Han Luo clenched her fists and walked in the direction of the dark woods..

An unknown road, an unknown future.

She didn't know how long she walked. Her clothes weren't thick enough. The legs started to have biting pain. She took out a flask of warm water from the bag pack and drank a mouthful. The water warmed up her throat and heart for a few seconds. The water wasn't helpful at all. She pondered, 'I should have brought some alcohol. But there wasn't any in my room.'

She walked faster. She jogged in the woods and looked around carefully. The best part was, even at night, the sky wasn't dark. There were blue, green, and purple hues in the northern sky as though trying to guide her.

Han Luo thought, 'The city is supposed to be near the mansion. There should be a concrete road and a railroad. I should find the road before they realize I'm gone. I hope no one would go to the bedroom I was in before morning.'

Her wish was futile. To check her condition, the nurse already went to her bedroom and found the bed empty. Thinking Han Luo had gone to the washroom, she waited.

However, five minutes passed. She became restless. She marched from one corner to another corner. 'What's taking her so long?' she wondered. 'She didn't faint in the washroom, did she?' She gasped thinking about that. Robert Scott already warned her not to hurt Han Luo in any way if she wanted to live.

She hurriedly stepped inside the washroom. The dark, empty washroom chilled her blood. "Where is she?" she muttered. She looked around and then ran toward the corridor. No matter where she looked, she found not a single trace of Han Luo. "Oh my God!" she gasped in panic. "She ran away. I have to tell the butler."

In five minutes, the whole mansion became lively. The quiet mansion was in chaos. Every living creature woke up and looked for Han Luo. Every nook and cranny was searched but she was nowhere to be found. Everybody was scared. They were thinking about what would happen to them when their master returned.

Twenty minutes later, someone shouted, "I see footprints in the snow. Miss Han left that way!"

The butler and others gathered around the kitchen. He instructed, "Get some torches. Follow her footprints."

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In the meantime, Han Luo already found a railroad. She stood there silently. 'I think I came to the wrong place. The concrete road that goes to the town should be on the other side of the mansion. That's only natural, isn't it?'

She slapped her forehead. "I'm an idiot. Of course a house should face the road. Can I even take a detour now?"

Another chilling wind blew and she hugged her body. "This is bad. If this continues, I will get frostbite."

Han Luo looked behind and saw her footprints on the snow. "This is bad. They might catch me if they follow my footprints. I should walk on the rail track. This will hide which way I'm going."

Just as she planned, she walked on the rail track. After walking for ten minutes, she saw something fall from the sky.

She looked up. Snow had started falling. "That's good. It will hide my footprints."

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Just as she thought, the people from the mansion didn't go half of the way and snow started falling.

"Damn it! Before we reach her, her tracks will be covered by snow. Bring Rozer!" the butler commanded.

Rozer was one of the dogs in the mansion. It was a Labrador retriever, one of the most enthusiastic, energetic, and loyal dog breeds.

After sniffing Han Luo's clothes she was wearing before leaving the mansion, the Labrador retriever went in Han Luo's direction.

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Han Luo was jogging on the rail track to keep her body warm. At that time, she heard a faint noise. The noise of an engine. The iron rail track started to shake.

Upon hearing the whistle, she slowly turned around. Her eyes grew bigger.

A train was coming in her direction.

Han Luo's eyes sparkled. "If I can only get on the train, I will be able to leave this place."

She left the track and waited for the train to pass her. The train wasn't too fast nor too slow. She waited patiently till she saw the space with railing in the last boggy area of the train.

She took a deep breath and then jumped. She couldn't cope with the speed of the train due to her weak and cold body. Her body slammed on the train's floor. Her body began to slip.

"Ahh!" she winced in pain. She reached out and grabbed the railing tightly. Her legs were brushing on the ground. Thanks to the boot, her toes were safe.

She used all her might to pull her body up the train. Once she sat down, she leaned against the door and panted softly.

'I should go inside. It'll be warm there.' She stood up. She opened the door. It was dark and quiet. Passengers were sleeping. She stepped inside and closed the door. With her shaky legs, she marched forward, looking for a seat to sit. 

Unknown to her, a man covered with a brown shawl was awake. He saw the stranger coming inside.