Chapter 327 Chapter 327 Awesome Pardon
Thankfully, the police officer detailed to escort him to the construction camp in the wilderness turned out to be a free spirit. He was more asleep than awake even when he was walking on the road. Grace had seen him hitting several trees in his path face first like a blind man.
Grace felt that this was his chance and his blessing that the goddess of luck had bestowed upon him after the tides of misfortune that had befallen him before.
Even though his escorting officer looked severely lacking in terms of caution and responsibility, Grace didn't want to take a risk especially when his escape was so close at hand that he could almost feel the breath of freedom brushing past him.
Grace wasn't an overcautious man by nature, but the easygoing escort and his bouts of laziness and long sleep hours reeked of a plot. He was therefore unwilling to believe that nothing fishy was going on.
Instead of making a false judgement due to haste and his eagerness to escape, Grace observed Morty who would suspiciously take a rest every now and then without a care for the world.
Grace kept an eye on Morty the whole way until he could recall Morty's habits, both conscious and subconscious, at his fingertips. He clearly remembered his sleep patterns and his slight quirks. Only after he was sure did Grace finally make an escape plan.
Finding an opportunity when Morty was asleep, Grace cut the chain with the help of a few rocks and a sharp blade edge.
Since Morty was asleep like the dead, there was no waking up for him even though the sound of the chains breaking apart was loud enough to rouse any human being from his sleep no matter how deep.
Taking advantage of the deep and dark night, Grace slowly retreated into the shadows wearily, afraid of rousing the snoring police officer at the most critical juncture of his escape.
He was finally free from the life of captivity and labor that awaited him in the construction camp. The feeling he had in his heart at that moment was something he would never trade; even if he was offered the whole world in exchange.
Of course, no guard would be that clumsy in his duties. It was undoubtedly a pretense, a fairly obvious one at that. But Grace had long since convinced himself that it was his luck and not the escorting officer that was providing him with the golden opportunity to break the chains restricting him.
The proof of that was the smile that came over the face of the sleeping Morty a few minutes after Grace escaped into the night forest.
Morty had long since become tired of acting sleepy. He couldn't understand why Grace was being so stubborn when he had been creating so many opportunities for the latter to escape his confines.
After a few days of effort, the man finally got a clue of what he was supposed to do and escaped at once without looking back.
The grin that stretched across Morty's face as the prisoner slipped away, eluding his vigilant gaze, could have easily conveyed an impression that he considered the escape to be of minor significance.
It was a smile that carried a curious mix of nonchalance and something more enigmatic, as if there were hidden layers to his reaction. It could have made any onlooker wonder if Morty's demeanor concealed a deeper motive or if he possessed insights that others did not.
In practice, the consequences for civil servants who allowed exiled prisoners to escape, even due to seemingly minor lapses or errors, were both substantial and weighty. Such lapses were viewed with great gravity within the system, and the expected penalties were far from trivial.
These individuals were subject to rigorous disciplinary actions, investigations, and potential legal repercussions, all of which could tarnish their careers irreparably. The repercussions of such a failure were not something Morty could have simply brushed aside if he had been left to fend for himself.
What provided a sturdy foundation to bear the weight of these impending consequences was the fact that he had a powerful brother-in-law. This influential connection allowed Morty a certain latitude in his professional undertakings, affording him the freedom to act in a manner that might have otherwise been untenable. It was this familial alliance that would, in all likelihood, serve as a bulwark against the potential ramifications of the numerous failures that lay ahead in his career.
Morty had unwavering trust in his brother-in-law, as the professional bond between them needed to be solid and unshakable. This trust was a two-way street, with Andy having no reason to betray Morty's confidence.
Therefore, Andy had taken proactive measures long ago to preemptively address any consequences stemming from the minor mistakes made by Morty, obviously on his orders.
To ensure Morty's continued protection, Andy had discreetly secured the cooperation of those responsible for evaluating and adjudicating any errors or lapses on Morty's part.
He employed a combination of tactics to sway those responsible for assessing Morty's mistakes. Some were convinced through the judicious use of money, while others yielded to his authority within the department. For those who remained resistant, the weight of peer pressure bore down upon them, ultimately compelling them to relent to Andy's strategic maneuvering.
Through a combination of influence, favors, and strategic arrangements, Andy had effectively mitigated the potential fallout from Morty's slip-ups, effectively safeguarding Morty from the severe consequences that might have otherwise awaited him.
The entire hierarchy of officials had silently concurred to a collective act of willful ignorance regarding Morty's actions, so long as he continued to act on behalf of the police chief.
It was, of course, a subtle and unspoken arrangement.
Andy didn't openly declare that Morty would serve as his covert enforcer in the future. Instead, he merely requested their understanding and leniency, urging them to allow Morty a free hand in his actions. Andy framed this request as essential for maintaining his own peaceful life, one that was intimately tied to his wife's happiness, which, in turn, hinged upon Morty's well-being.
…
After successfully escaping his jailor, Grace didn't even stop to think about his next course of action as he got his bearings in order and turned towards Byzantium city as if on instinct. He rushed back home like the wind itself. Both the excitement of his escape and the anticipation of seeing his beloved Taylor brought an unintentional spring in his footsteps.
He hadn't gone much farther when he found a couple standing at the crossroads with their eyes lingering in his direction, as if they had been waiting for him all along.
The two people were the entirety of Grace's life. One was his beloved woman, Taylor for whom he had betrayed the one family he had vowed his allegiance to. And the other was the head of that family he had betrayed. While he owed a debt of love towards the former, guilt and gratitude alike bound him to the latter.
Therefore, when Grace saw the two people together on the crossroads waiting together, he almost couldn't believe himself. He wondered if he was dreaming and blinked his eyes a few times to make sure he wasn't just imagining things.
Getting closer, the notion turned into reality and a lot of things clicked into place. The sleepy escorting officer and his overly suspicious actions, his smooth as butter escape from captivity and the sudden change of his punishment from imprisonment to exile; all of it had probably been orchestrated by the leader of the Windsor family, his former liege and his benefactor.
Grace found himself unable to dismiss the series of fortunate events that had unfolded during this time as mere happenstance. It became increasingly clear to him that what he had once casually attributed to luck was, in fact, the outcome of a meticulously crafted and expertly executed plan. This plan had been designed with an unwavering focus on a single, overarching goal: to engineer his escape from the confines of his imprisonment.
As Grace contemplated this revelation, he couldn't help but marvel at the level of intricacy and calculation that had gone into his liberation. Each piece of the puzzle, every twist of fate, had been carefully orchestrated to serve this singular purpose. It was a testament to the dedication and resolve of those who had worked tirelessly behind the scenes even after what he did to them.
Tears welled in his eyes; their emergence akin to the gradual awakening of a dormant spring. At first, they trickled down his cheeks slowly, hesitant in their descent. Yet, as the floodgates of emotion opened wider, they gained momentum, transforming into a ceaseless stream of salty droplets.
It was a torrential outpouring of sorrow and emotion, a manifestation of feelings that had long been held in check but now surged forth with an undeniable force, washing over him in waves of catharsis.
Grace's wail, in that vulnerable moment, evoked the image of a repentant child who, despite his grievous wrongs, had been enfolded in the warm embrace of parental forgiveness. It was a cry that bore the weight of his past transgressions yet carried with it the redemptive power of unconditional love.
As the echoes of his lament reverberated, Grace's emotional flood surged unabated, causing his knees to falter and give way. His legs, no longer able to bear the burden of his overwhelming emotions, succumbed to the tidal wave of feelings that had surged forth.
It was a physical manifestation of the emotional turmoil he was experiencing, a release of pent-up guilt, remorse, and gratitude that left him trembling in the wake of his emotional storm.
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