Chapter 76 – A new hint about the family has been added (1)

Translator: SKAIS Editor: Dict Groiler

“No, not a prisoner…” the guard answered, and I blinked in surprise.

“Oh my, not a prisoner?” I said so, pretending to look around in curiosity and glanced to my back.

I couldn’t see anyone behind me, which meant he must’ve gotten away. I frowned. They must’ve been looking for someone else. So I turned back to the guard.

“If it’s not a prisoner, then who are you talking about?” I asked him some more and looked around again. “Hmm, I’m sure there’s no one except for me at this hour. I haven’t seen anyone around here.”

Technically it was true, I hadn’t seen anyone except for my brother who was with me earlier. Soon, I continued to pretend that no one was with me, even though I knew my brother was here just a moment ago.

“But what’s the matter?” I was curious why they were so adamant to find… whoever this was. The more I looked at the guard, the more troubled he seemed.

“The… the truth is…” he began, before he abruptly shut his mouth. At that moment, he hesitated but then continued. “A special guest had just arrived in Kambrakam today.”

“A guest?” I blinked.

“Yes. But, he… Well.” The man lowered his gaze and scratched his cheek. I figured it was because he was ashamed of something. “He seemed to have lost his way and this place is not safe at all, and therefore all guards came looking for him.” he finally explained and I nodded.

I tried not to let my true thoughts show. What did he mean by lost?

On second thought, I think they are looking for my brother.

Was this related to my brother’s sudden disappearance?

But it’s odd, I couldn’t see him as the type of person who would get lost. I may not have seen him, of course, but it’s just a feeling I got when we have met. Still, it didn’t change the fact that I couldn’t afford to be obviously lying, so I looked back up, despite remembering the echoes of my brother’s sweet voice…

“Alright, so you haven’t seen anyone, yes?” the guard asked and I nodded in confirmation, “But did you sense something? Anything?”

“Sense?” I asked with a frown, before humming in thought…

“Anything would be fine.” he added.

I crossed my arms over my chest, tapping my chin lightly with my forefinger, as I continued to feign recalling what had happened.

“I might have heard something strange.” I finally said, and the guard looked at least intrigued.

“You mean something weird?” he asked, “When? Where?”

My brother certainly didn’t seem lost. He even went off as soon as people were beginning to close in on us, people who had been looking for him. I grinned minisculely and pointed towards a random place…

“I think it was somewhere over there-”

“Thank you, Ms. Iana!” he thanked me before rushing off as fast as he could. He rushed off so quickly I hadn’t had the time to finish explaining. He just moved as soon as I gave a direction.

But, nonetheless, I wasn’t offended, merely amused.

“Sigh, you really shouldn’t thank me.” I sighed before looking back at the actual direction my brother had taken off.

Oops, I just gave him the opposite. I smirked, before I let out a soft chuckle at the thought of sending them off to a wild goose chase. This situation felt so much like that of a traditional fable, an honest woodcutter.

In the story, the woodcutter lost his axe, and afterwards prayed for a god to help him find it. God heard his prayer and helped him find the iron axe. Impressed with his honesty, the god rewarded him two more axes after finding the right one. I felt like I’m the god in the story seeing as I helped my brother escape. And I felt that I’ve repaid all the favors I had asked from him.

“This must have repaid my requests for cigarettes and the bouquet, right?” I mused to myself. I raised the tip of my index finger and blew on it for dramatic effect, before schooling my features once more.

I trailed my gaze lower and suddenly frowned.

Something was on my hand, something I had not noticed before.

“What is this?” I muttered to myself as I clenched the small handkerchief in my hand. I turned it around a few times, before deducing this had come from my brother. Frowning, I looked at it carefully once more, but I found nothing unusual.

It was nothing but an ordinary piece of cloth.

“Why would he give me this?” I asked myself the more I looked at it carefully. Still nothing was out of the ordinary. Nothing special at all… except… maybe…

I squinted a little as I looked at the crest. It took me a great deal of time staring, but eventually it dawned on me what it really meant. I couldn’t help but stare at it longer with my mouth agape.

After looking at the handkerchief for a long time, I suddenly felt something else.

Ah! It was from my sleeve!

I looked at my sleeve, and indeed there was a torn piece at the side. I hissed as I touched my left arm. Through the tear, I could see a long cut. I was wounded. When did I get hurt?

The wound was still fresh, and blood stained a few of the torn edges. It hadn’t even clotted yet.

I hadn’t even felt it when it happened. It must have been a papercut wound. On the other hand, I am feeling a little sick the more I stared at the wound. My gaze flitted back and forth from my wound to the cloth in my hand.

In the end, I let out a sigh and covered the wound with the cloth.

Since he gave it to me, it must mean he intended for me to use it somehow. I looked up at the sky before scratching my cheek absentmindedly.

I still didn’t know why he came here. Why? What was his purpose?

Furthermore, why would he run away at the sight of the guards if they were only looking for him? It was all coming in too fast, threatening to drown me in waves of questions. Everything I’ve been trying to run away from was finally beginning to catch up to me…

Soon, I know I won’t be able to escape the question of who I really am.

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“Hello, Mister.” I greeted them when I arrived at the living room.

Evenings were rather peaceful around here, especially after dinner. However, it seemed there was a little excitement in the air tonight. It must be involving the upcoming event that will be happening the day after tomorrow.

Even Baron and Sally, who get along just fine, were now seated right next to each other.

“Why, Iana, rather late this evening aren’t you?” Sally remarked, and I shrugged.

“Indeed, I’ve been running a little late.” I admitted to her, and I plopped myself right next to her, starting a conversation. “Why are you two here?” I asked, rather curious.

Despite Sally and Baron being close, Sally usually took two other female prisoners with her around. To not see anyone else but the two of them was rather strange.

The answer came, but not from either of them.

“They both went to the living room first because they were tired today. Well, that’s what they say, but I’m guessing they’re planning to go to bed early.” One of the prisoners answered me.

Sally then gave a mischievous smirk, before lightly tapping herself on her cheeks as she tilted her head in a haughty manner.

TLN: Hey guys, I would like to address a question made by one of the readers.

So in the story, Iana used the term 오빠 [oppa]. I decided to translate it to ‘brother’ after discussing it with Dict Groiler, but if you guys think it would be better to use the transliteration of the korean word, then I would change it.

P.S. The story’s progress is getting slower than I imagined…..and it’s so frustrating. >.

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