Chapter 283: Night of the Forbidden Escape

Luke had broken into the room where Eleanor was locked inside Bastion’s fortress. The guard from the door lay unconscious and bound on the floor.

“It’s me, Luke… and I’ve come to rescue you, Eleanor.”

Eleanor stared at the woman before her, confusion flickering across her face. “What?” she breathed, lost.

“I’m Luke. The guy you knew as James,” Lucy pressed.

Her brows shot up. All she saw was a stranger in a maid’s outfit.

“I don’t know what’s going on here. I already told Ronan and Kruger everything from my side.”

Her gaze darted from the unconscious man to Luke, suspicion tightening her jaw. And now? How the hell do I convince her I’m really Luke?

“You helped me escape. I’m James. I came back for you,” Luke insisted, almost pleading.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I never helped anyone escape. And I’d never help James. I want to kill him myself,” she snapped.

Damn it. She’s cautious. She thinks this is a setup.

“It’s going to sound insane, but I’m Luke. I’m… in a woman’s body. Temporarily,” he said, heat rising to his cheeks. Saying it out loud felt ridiculous.

He could feel time slipping away. Eleanor’s skepticism was a problem, but he couldn’t blame her. Dressed like one of Bastion’s maids, he looked like the perfect trap.

“Eleanor, we don’t have time. I have to get you out now. Remember what I told you about the mechanism? I activated it. There’s another fortress like this hidden in the orc territories.”

Her eyes narrowed further. Luke pulled his twin kukris from his inventory and tossed them to her.

“See? These are the kukris you saw me using. If you use Identify, it won’t work. They’re soulbound. They’re mine,” he said, even though part of him knew how absurd it sounded from her perspective.

“Even if that might be true… you have to see how hard this is for me to believe,” she replied.

There was only one way to convince her, and part of him hated doing it here.

“I don’t have a choice,” he muttered, making the kukris vanish again. From his storage, he retrieved one of the necklaces he’d taken from the chests in the Wild Zone. In a blur, he moved behind her.

“What are you—?” Eleanor began, startled.

Luke slipped the necklace around her neck.

“In my defense, of all the necks I’ve ever placed a necklace on, yours was the most beautiful.” he said, repeating the exact line he’d used before their parting.

“James? Is it really you?” she whispered, still unsure.

“It’s me.” Lucy let the necklace fade back into storage and faced her. His cheeks burned. Doing this in this body felt surreal.

Eleanor stared at the woman before her, stunned. “It really is you?”

“Of course,” he replied simply.

Luke cracked the door open, peeking into the corridor, then shut it softly. “Listen to me. When Bartholomew and Kruger find out I activated the second mechanism because you ‘accidentally’ hit Kruger and let me escape… you know what’s going to happen to you, don’t you?”

“I’ll be killed…” she murmured, the realization settling like ice in her voice.

“That Kruger is definitely going to come after you. And the calm version of Bartholomew you’ve seen so far? It won’t exist once he realizes the second mechanism’s been triggered.” Lucy’s voice was low. “That’s why I’m here. I have to get you out. I owe you that much.”

Eleanor moved straight to the unconscious guard, tightening the gag and rope with practiced fingers. “I’m sorry for this…” she murmured to the bound man.

Luke peeked into the corridor.

“You even lied about your gender?” she asked, stunned. “Some things make sense now…”

“What? I didn’t lie! I’m a man! And what do you mean ‘some things make sense’?”

He decided he didn’t want to know. “Listen, I used an item that temporarily turned me into a woman. That’s all.”

Her eyes flicked up and down his body, lingering at his waist.

“I’m still a man down there, okay? The disguise didn’t rewrite me completely,” he added, flustered.

“Did you put that maid outfit on before or after you turned?” she asked.

“You’re messing with me,” he muttered.

She stared at him a beat longer. “Your makeup’s beautiful, by the way.”

Heat crawled up his neck.

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“We don’t have time for this,” Lucy snapped.

“So what’s the plan?”

Luke froze. “Actually… I improvised. I don’t really have a way out for you yet.”

He took a long breath, forcing himself to think. “I could give you the maid outfit. Problem is, I’ve got my party clothes underneath. Maybe it would draw attention for a strange guest from the party to be so far out in the fortress, but at least it’s the outline of a plan.”

Eleanor scanned the room. “No maid leaves the fortress at this hour. It would draw too much attention. And they never leave alone. I’d be caught the moment I crossed the barrier.”

Luke exhaled, shoulders tight. “And sneaking you into the party is suicide…”

Kruger and Bartholomew were still out there. If Eleanor, supposedly locked in her room, appeared at the banquet, everything would blow up. He couldn’t risk it.

“I’ve got a cape that can slow a fall,” Lucy offered. “If I get you up to the higher floors, maybe you could jump from a balcony.”

The cape required an Assassin class to activate, but maybe he could trigger the effect beforehand the way Allison had with her gear.

Eleanor tilted her head. “It could work… maybe. But the watchtowers would see me. The second I hit the ground, alarms would sound, my position exposed, and an army on my heels.” She hesitated. “Still, it’s better than sitting here waiting to die.”

Luke clenched his fist. It was a terrible idea.

“And I’d still have to get to the upper floors. Someone could spot me, recognize me…” she added, thinking aloud.