At the same time, in the darkness, the woman opened her eyes when she heard someone calling her name.
“Kana.”
“Jenine.”
A man dressed in all black and wearing a mask silently slipped in through the window. His name was Jenine, one of the two leaders of the rebels.
He was now deep in enemy territory, an extremely perilous situation.
“How’s it going? Any progress?”
“If you mean Charlotte Hegel, she’s halfway convinced.”
“When do you think it’ll be done?”
“Possibly by next week…”
“That’s too late!”
The man roughly grabbed Kana’s shoulder.
“Kaon is in danger.”
“What do you mean?”
“According to our sources, he’s set to be executed this weekend.”
It felt like she had been doused with ice water from head to toe. Jenine looked at the frozen Kana and urged her.
“We need to move up the plan, Kana. There’s no time.”
***
Charlotte’s mind was a tangled mess. It felt like she was trapped in a labyrinth. She couldn’t figure out whom to trust or whose side to take anymore.
After learning about Kaon’s true identity from Richard the previous day, she hadn’t been able to sleep at all. She felt so down that she didn’t want to talk to anyone, and it just so happened that she was alone in the mansion today. She had a simple meal in her room and had instructed that no one, including Kana, should enter her bedroom.
Having heard both sides, she now needed to confirm things for herself. She needed to find out which version of Richard was real and whether Kana’s words were true.
She stood by the window, looking out at the mountains, trying to sort through her chaotic thoughts. Just then, someone touched her shoulder.
“Miss.”
“…Kana…?”
The door had definitely been closed. How did she get in?
Seeing Charlotte’s widening eyes, Kana smiled faintly.
“Did you ask him?”
“Ask what…”
“……”
“Oh.”
Charlotte’s questioning tone faded as she closed her mouth.
“No, not yet…”
“I see.”
Kana’s voice was strangely subdued. Charlotte managed to force a smile.
“I was planning to ask today.”
“You won’t be able to.”
“What?”
“I said, you won’t be able to.”
Charlotte didn’t even have time to gasp in shock. Kana swiftly moved, grabbing Charlotte’s arm and striking her pressure point with the edge of her hand.
“Ahh…!”
“I’m sorry, Miss.”
As her vision blurred, she heard a low voice.
“Sleep well.”
***
“Ugh…”
Her head was spinning. She felt nauseous and on the verge of vomiting.
Charlotte struggled to open her eyes. Her surroundings came into focus. She was in an abandoned ruin, tied hand and foot to an old couch.
“You’re awake?”
She wasn’t alone. A voice came from behind. Instinctively, Charlotte closed her eyes again. The footsteps approaching her stopped right in front of her.
“No, not yet.”
“Did you hit her too hard?”
“She should be waking up around now.”
The man’s voice was unfamiliar, but the woman’s voice, though coming from just a few feet away, was one she recognized.
“Well, whatever. What about him?”
“I’ve contacted him. He should have gotten the message by now.”
“You did tell him to come alone, right?”
“Yes. Otherwise, we said we’d kill his fiancée.”
Fiancée.
She knew immediately who they were referring to. Her eyes snapped open. The woman, who had been talking to the man standing behind the couch, looked down at her.
“You’re awake, Charlotte.”
“…Kana.”
Her voice barely came out. Kana knelt down to meet her eye level.
“Try to bear with it, even if it’s uncomfortable.”
Her tone was completely devoid of the respect she used to show as a maid. This seemed to be her true self.
“Where… where are we…?”
“You don’t need to know. We’ll be leaving soon anyway.”
Leaving where? Did she mean they were going to let her go, or…?
Charlotte tried to push away the deepening thoughts, but a cough erupted from her throat. Kana, watching her cough repeatedly, patted her back. Charlotte wanted to shake her off, but with her hands and feet tied, all she could do was turn her head away in resistance.
“You’ve got quite the pride.”
“What exactly did you do?”
“I’m just giving back what I received.”
“Was everything you said about your brother a lie…?”
“No. That part was true.”
Kana stood up, her demeanor shifting back to cold efficiency as she looked at Jenine.
“When did you tell him to come?”
“This evening. We’ve got two hours left.”
“Alright. I’ll keep an eye on her. You go stand guard outside.”
“Got it.”
Charlotte could no longer focus on their conversation. Richard’s face flashed in her mind. She struggled, reaching out and managing to grab Kana’s hem, glaring up at her.
“What are you planning to do with him?”
“We won’t harm you. You’re innocent in this.”
“Stop dodging the question…!”
Her eyes stung, likely from burst capillaries caused by her agitation. Kana clicked her tongue sympathetically as she looked at Charlotte.
“I told you, the story about Kaon is true.”
“…”
“When that man brings Kaon, we’ll exchange you for him. It’s a kind of trade.”
“Then promise me you won’t kill him.”
“Why should I?”
Charlotte was at a loss for words. Kana genuinely seemed confused.
“From what I saw while working at that mansion, no matter how good the food or clothes were, you never looked happy. I don’t know what your story is, but wasn’t he keeping you there against your will?”
Charlotte couldn’t deny it. It was true. She had run away, and he had found her, tightening his grip until she had no choice but to return.
He was ruthless. And she hated him. The man who might have killed her mother was always suffocating her. But still…
“…Even so…”
“…”
“Don’t kill him. Please. Just promise me the exchange will be the end of it.”
The mere thought of him dying made her vision go black. It felt like the world was collapsing and she couldn’t breathe.
A cold silence enveloped them. Kana looked down at Charlotte with a bitter smile.
“You’re just like the rest of them.”
“What do you mean…”
“All you care about is your own pain and loss. You don’t give a damn about the horrific things others have been through or how they’ve managed to survive.”
“Kana.”
“Do you know what your fiancé, your country, has done to ours?”
Her voice was thick with restrained anger.
“They invaded a peaceful island, turned the locals into addicts, and blinded them with luxurious goods. Then they exploited the island’s resources and took over.”
This was news to Charlotte. But the more she heard, the more it explained the unease she had felt since stepping foot on the island.
“The company your fiancé co-leads is just as guilty. They’re parasites, draining this island dry.”
Kana’s clenched fists and flushed face showed her long-suppressed rage. Charlotte closed her eyes and then opened them slowly, asking in a measured tone.
“So… did you throw the bomb at the construction site?”
“Shut up.”
“What about the innocent workers? They have wives and children too.”
“Shut up!”
Bang. Kana’s fist slammed into the wall right next to Charlotte’s head. It was a fierce threat, but Charlotte didn’t even flinch.
“Your cause is just. You have every right to be angry.”
“…”
“But your methods are wrong. You can’t justify innocent casualties just to vent your rage. You should have tried to talk things out at least once. Right now, you’re just people who run away and lash out, dragging innocents into your mess.”
Kana glared at Charlotte for a long time before turning and walking away. As the sound of her footsteps faded, Charlotte swallowed her tears.
It struck her then, as she spoke, that she was in no position to judge. She had done the same.
That night, that horrible night. Even if what she had witnessed was unforgivable, she should have asked him.
What happened?
Why were those two people dead?
Why were you in that state?
‘…Charlotte.’
‘Don’t come near me!’
‘…’
‘Sob… You monster. You’re horrible…’
But she hadn’t asked. Instead, she ran away. Cowardly, cruelly. Without thinking about the people left behind.
And because of that, more people around her got hurt.
She had known he was different from the start. The burlap sack in the parlor, the genetic disease Franz mentioned, and the occasional vertical slit in his pupils.
She had sensed something was off but turned away from his strangeness. When she learned this island was the one he had gone missing on, she thought she should investigate but let herself be swayed by his occasional kindness.
Maybe, to him, she was the only one who could have been his victim. A pitiable victim who couldn’t get full acceptance from his lover, causing him to become more twisted.
By the lake. That night. When they met again. If she had asked him more, would their relationship be different now?
“Sniff…”
Tears finally streamed down her cheeks. She missed Richard.
🍉🍉🍉
