“I’ve seen an Inayari, or rather, a half-Inayari child before. You give off the same vibe.”
“No one can tell an Inayari unless their pupils change!”
He started to rise, agitated, but the waiting knights drew their swords in unison, aiming at him.
“You’d better calm down.”
“How did you know?”
He didn’t seem to believe me. Under the cold steel, his pupils contracted slightly.
“I don’t know the exact reason. I’m more curious than you are about why I can recognize Inayari.”
His pupils flickered rapidly, gauging the truth in my words. I’d seen this through Lai before, but it still felt alien and unsettling.
“We don’t have much time. Soon, my father or His Highness will come rushing in. We won’t be able to talk calmly then.”
The knights outside had likely informed my father and Sys at the palace. Both, hypersensitive to my safety, would storm in, separate me from Kasan, and ensure we never met again.
“My turn to ask. Tell me everything you know about Inayari. I might figure out how I recognized you after hearing your answers.”
Through the window, I saw a carriage leave. Fortunately, I could finish this before my father or Sys arrived. The Eliant-sealed carriage would take Kasan to the Pison Trading Company.
I still had questions for him. Sending him back to the west would wait until my curiosity was satisfied.
“Inayari…”
I opened my palm. The skin, torn by my nails, had scabbed and was healing.
Why could I tell?
Ultimately, Kasan wasn’t pure Inayari. Like Lai, he was a half-Inayari, abandoned as a child and taken in by Marquis Retan.
He said only Inayari or their half-breeds could recognize each other, sensing a unique aura, even without pupil changes.
Normal people couldn’t distinguish them unless their pupils shifted.
It wasn’t immediate recognition. The moment I met his orange eyes, goosebumps erupted, and “Inayari” slipped from my lips. I told him it was like with Lai, but it felt subtly different.
“My senses seem sharper now.”
I clenched my fist, feeling a faint sting from the unhealed wound.
“Only half-Inayari, not pure ones, can cross borders and plunder. Pure Inayari can never cross.”
Time was short before my father or Sys arrived. Kasan shared bits about Inayari in the brief window.
Much of what he said wasn’t widely known, including misconceptions about their traits.
“So, Inayari’s characteristics differ from what’s known?”
Their supposed reverence for their bloodline was a lie. Kasan said they raised half-breeds to act as proxies, as pure Inayari couldn’t cross borders.
He didn’t know why they couldn’t. Abandoned young, he knew little from his time in their tribes.
“We’ve been watching Duke Daysha. Inayari activity oddly centers around his estate.”
Marquis Retan had long suspected Daysha but lacked solid proof.
Retan’s forces were busy subduing Inayari raiders at the border. Uncovering Daysha’s intentions was beyond their capacity alone.
“Duke Daysha and Inayari…”
Is he really using Inayari to dream of world conquest?
I recalled Daysha’s boisterous laughter in the cool night air.
Initially, I thought he aimed to make Irene empress. But the more I pondered, the more it felt like his ambitions went beyond that.
His absurd words—choose to stop him or accept my fate—stuck in my chest.
What is he truly after?
How long had I stood there? Outside, an imperial carriage and one from Count Pison arrived simultaneously.
“Who’s that?”
The imperial carriage was obviously Sys. But no one from Pison was expected today. Anasha never visited House Eliant unannounced. Her sudden arrival meant something urgent.
An ominous feeling, tied to Daysha, crept in.
“My lady?”
Before the maids could react, I flung the door open and rushed out. Startled, they hurried after me. I descended the central staircase. At the bottom, Sys and a Pison servant, pale-faced, were ascending with the butler.
“What happened?”
“Lady Aerial has disappeared!”
The usual short distance to Count Pison’s estate felt endless. In the jolting carriage, Sys held me, soothing my anxiety.
“It’s okay. Nothing will happen.”
He repeated it countless times, but my unease lingered.
“Anasha!”
“Bee, Beeonne…”
Tear-streaked, Anasha reached for me. I rushed to grasp her hand.
“El, El…”
“Shh, Anasha, it’s okay. We’ll find El soon. It’s alright.”
My heart trembled with fear, but seeing Anasha, who collapsed in despair, I couldn’t show a hint of it.
“What happened?”
Holding the sobbing Anasha, I looked at Evan. His disheveled clothes suggested he’d rushed here upon hearing the news.
“I haven’t heard details yet, but the sleeping child vanished completely.”
“A sleeping child vanished?”
“It was naptime,” Anasha stammered through tears. “Like usual, we put her to bed. When it was time to wake her, she… she was gone.”
She broke down again, her relentless tears worrying me about exhaustion.
“Call a physician. Once they arrive, have Anasha rest.”
“No, I can’t! El… El…”
“You need to stay strong for El to come back safely.”
I met her tearful eyes, speaking harshly despite the guilt.
“Honestly, you’re a hindrance to finding El right now.”
“…!”
My cold words drew gasps from others. Anasha’s chocolate eyes trembled.
I knew it was cruel, but she looked ready to collapse before we could find El. I was used to being the villain; one more instance didn’t matter.
“If you want to find El, pull yourself together, Anasha.”
I pushed her away and stood. Maids rushed to support her as she stumbled to her room. I turned to Evan.
“Gather everyone in the estate. We need to find El’s whereabouts.”
“Understood.”
Evan left, and Sys approached, gently patting my shoulder instead of speaking.
“Nothing will happen, right?”
“Yes.”
His large hand cupped my head, pulling me into his broad chest. His familiar scent and warmth enveloped me, calming my trembling body.
El was special to me.
A child who didn’t exist back then was now alive, growing beautifully day by day.
She was proof of who I am now.
“Is everyone here?”
“Yes, all the estate’s workers are present.”
I scanned the hall. Most faces were familiar.
Count Pison’s staff were either tied to the trading company or had served the family for generations.
I’d visited the estate countless times since my grandfather’s days. Not knowing their faces would be stranger.
“Is anyone missing?”
They exchanged somber glances, shaking their heads.
“Lai’s not here,” a woman said cautiously, raising her hand.
Murmurs spread as others noticed Lai’s absence.
“When did you last see Lai?”
“I saw her eating snacks with Lady Aerial.”
