Chapter 46
“…Do you think she’ll really die?”
Rachel, who had been silent all this time, suddenly asked. Marcus, tilting a glass of vodka, smirked. His eyes, half-lidded from the drink, looked relaxed.
“Well… shall we bet?”
He muttered the words with a slurred tone and rummaged through his pocket. Then he slammed his hand down on the table with a thunk. The only thing left in the space his hand cleared was a stack of crisp bills. Rachel let out a weak, amused laugh.
“That must be your entire fortune. If you lose, how are you going to drink now?”
“I don’t think I’ll lose.”
“Oh? Are you reading Zekart’s mind or something?”
“How could I read that creepy guy’s mind? I’m just imagining what I’d do in his place.”
What I’d do in his place…
Rachel, lost in thought for a moment, drained the half-full glass in front of her. When she set it down, her green eyes seemed emptier than before.
“…Alright, let’s bet.”
Marcus grinned.
“Good. Which side are you taking?”
“Hello, my name is Chloe.”
She was fourteen—or maybe fifteen. A brown-haired girl stood politely at the door, hands clasped. Edit looked at her in mild surprise. Her dark skin was striking.
“I’ll be helping with your treatment from today. I’ll do my best.”
“…Ah, welcome. Nice to meet you.”
Edit, still a little dazed, managed to greet Chloe. She had been standing at the door so long because Edit was flustered. Most of all, the treatment oil Chloe had brought made her most uneasy.
I thought that couldn’t be… so what’s going on?
It was a moment that slightly changed Edit’s impression. She had thought Chloe was stubborn…
Or maybe she was just uncomfortable before.
Chloe’s youthful voice broke through Edit’s swirling thoughts.
“Miss, may I look around the room first?”
“Huh? Sure… but there’s not much to see…”
The room wasn’t small, but everything could be seen at a glance, so Edit was slightly puzzled by the request. Chloe smiled faintly, calmly, as if it were natural.
“I can’t see, so I need to learn the space by touch. If it’s uncomfortable, I won’t do it.”
It was only then that Edit realized Chloe’s pupils, which should have been black, were cloudy. Her blue irises were veiled, giving the impression of a sky filled with clouds. Edit felt slightly guilty for noticing so late.
“You can look as much as you like. I’m not the owner of this room anyway.”
“Thank you, Miss.”
Chloe bowed her head and slowly began walking along the walls, fingers brushing the surfaces. Her eyes narrowed and widened repeatedly, focused as if drawing a mental map. Edit watched silently, careful not to disturb her sensitive hearing.
Since the room wasn’t very large, Chloe’s inspection didn’t take long. When she returned to her starting point, she clasped her hands and shared her thoughts.
“The windows are very large. The sunlight must be wonderful here.”
Edit nodded in agreement.
“Yes, it is.”
Perhaps that was the reason he had given her this room. Edit speculated about it, aware she might be overanalyzing his unspoken kindness.
“Well, let’s begin, Miss.”
Chloe stepped forward. Unlike with Zekart, Edit felt lighter as she undressed. She lay face down on the bed, and Chloe poured the treatment oil over her back.
A shiver ran through her. The oil was surprisingly cold. Edit curled slightly.
Was it always this cold?
She thought back over recent events, but nothing came clearly to mind. At the time, all her attention had been on the large hands touching her back.
Feeling the small hands rubbing her back now, Edit closed her eyes slowly.
I should at least say thank you…
For all the effort until now, and for bringing someone new to help.
Through her eyelids, his face appeared faintly and then disappeared again.
Suddenly, Edit spoke.
“Chloe.”
“Yes, Miss?”
“Can you tell me how the world is… I mean, what’s been happening lately?”
“Ah…”
The small hand sliding over her back froze. She lowered her head, so Edit couldn’t see her expression, but imagined she looked troubled.
“I’m sorry, Miss. I’m not really interested in that…”
As if she had expected that, Edit let out a small sigh.
“Anything will do. I’m just bored lying here.”
After a brief pause, Chloe began to speak again, and her hands resumed motion.
“The weather has warmed a lot. It seems spring is coming. It’s still cold, but in the southern regions, flowers are already budding.”
“That’s good news.”
Edit replied flatly. Chloe’s words seemed casual, but in truth, they were carefully filtered. She only said what she could safely say.
By now, Edit felt a rising unease. Zekart was deliberately isolating her from the world. Watching how the old butler and Chloe were restrained in what they said, she realized her naive optimism was shrinking.
Nothing happened by accident—something must be going on.
As her mind cleared after waking and her body recovered, her premonitions grew stronger.
“By the way, I barely ate mackerel this winter. It was in season, but the price went up too much.”
Edit said this, voice cheerful. Even though Chloe couldn’t see her expression, it wasn’t completely hidden.
“And nowadays, how is it?”
“Oh… don’t even mention it. I haven’t seen any at all. Not even if I had money.”
“Oh, really?”
Edit’s eyes darkened slightly. From Chloe’s innocent reply, she gleaned a hint of recent events.
Mackerel was mostly caught in the northern waters of Glissen. Normally, trade would bring plenty, but recent diplomatic issues had reduced imports.
Until recently, prices had only risen slightly, but now they weren’t even available. Trade must have been cut off—or something equally serious.
Was the negotiation successful? So Glissen finally joined the fight?
She couldn’t be sure. With such limited information, any conclusion could be an overinterpretation.
The only way to deal with this was to confront Zekart directly.
“When the oil absorbs fully, you can put your clothes back on. I’ll see you again tomorrow.”
Chloe finished her work and spoke kindly. Edit returned the greeting and glanced at the wall clock.
Soon, he would arrive.
Right after work, Zekart got into the car.
It was slightly later than usual.
“Shall I take you to the residence?”
Erich, in the driver’s seat, asked without much interest. Zekart’s movements after work were always predictable. This time would be no different.
But a low voice from the back seat answered differently than expected.
“No. To the hideout.”
Erich almost asked why but quickly turned the wheel as if it were normal. Within the organization, there wasn’t strict hierarchy, but Zekart was a difficult person. He was like a cold, strict senior. Since Erich had only recently joined, it wasn’t a wrong comparison.
Erich, barely twenty, also had a considerable age gap.
He glanced in the rearview mirror during a brief stop. The black-haired man, as usual, stared out the window. He seemed lost in thought—or perhaps he had nowhere else to look.
Unpredictable person.
The impression he had made on Erich from the first meeting hadn’t changed over time.
Within the organization, Zekart’s existence remained shrouded in mystery. While other members often worked together and had bonds, he operated alone, contacting only Marcus or his former partner Rachel as needed. Whether by choice or by χ’s orders, few even knew him well.
“Sir… Chief Inspector.”
