Chapter 7
The light from the lantern Shevik held illuminated the dark forest path.
All those soldiers had vanished somewhere, and the group heading to the cabin consisted only of Erich, Shevik, Yulaina and Walter, plus four soldiers gripping the father and daughter’s arms.
“There’s no time. Hurry.”
The narrow path, which would take just a few minutes if they ran, felt eternally long today. The soldiers yanked Yulaina and Walter along even more urgently.
***
At last, at the dead end of the path, the roof of the cabin appeared dimly under the cold moonlight.
‘…Was our house always like that?’
The vines climbing the walls swayed in the darkness.
Yulaina glanced at her father. He walked with his head bowed low, his arms bound.
“Dad…”
“…”
Seeing him turn his gaze even farther away, Yulaina bit her lip. Since they’d been captured by these men, her father hadn’t looked back at her even once. Not even a word to ask if she was okay, or to say he was sorry.
“Please, come inside.”
As Shevik stepped onto the front porch, the planks creaked with an unpleasant sound.
“…”
Led by the soldiers, Walter ascended the stairs ahead of Yulaina. She followed, stepping on her father’s long, dark shadow.
***
With Grand Duke Erich, Lieutenant Colonel Shevik, and the four soldiers all entering, the already small cabin felt bursting at the seams.
“Ugh, why is the ceiling so…”
Shevik, who had bumped his head on a support beam crossing the low ceiling, muttered irritably.
“Search it.”
At Erich’s command, the soldiers left Walter and Yulaina alone and scattered.
Crash! As the cookie jar shattered right before her eyes, Yulaina had to swallow back her tears. It had been a cherished item since childhood.
Leaning against an armchair, Erich addressed Walter.
“When did you fall out with Marcus?”
“A long time ago… before my daughter was born.”
“Why did you fall out?”
Walter remained silent. Erich, arms crossed and sunk into the chair, clicked his tongue.
“If you’ve been hiding all these years, long enough to spend that much time, it must have been no small offense. You must have embezzled something and run, or perhaps made contact but weren’t forgiven.”
Walter didn’t answer this time either. Grand Duke Erich slowly scanned the room.
“Anyway, you must have something that’s kept you alive all this time.”
“…”
“Spit it all out.”
Quite some time passed, but nothing noteworthy seemed to emerge.
Erich’s gaze grew fiercer. Grabbing Walter roughly by the nape, he growled.
“Where did you hide it? The production sites, maps to hidden headquarters, client lists, contracts related to the business. Somewhere, there must be something with Marcus’s name on it.”
“…”
Walter only swayed limply, offering no real response.
“Don’t play games.”
Erich drew his gun, seeming to aim it at Walter, but then yanked Yulaina over and pressed the muzzle to her forehead.
“Dad! Dad…”
Yulaina sobbed, calling out to her father.
“If you don’t want a hole in your precious daughter’s forehead, you’d better talk fast.”
Only then did Walter slowly lift his face. His empty eyes shifted to Erich, to the gun, then back to Yulaina.
“…”
“Surely you don’t want your daughter dead too. You probably planned to use her someday for a marriage deal or something, to cash in.”
At the humiliating words, Yulaina bit her lip hard. But clearly, Erich seemed to know her father well.
What kind of relationship did these two have?
Then, a dry sound escaped Walter’s lips.
“…The basement.”
Erich’s gaze immediately dropped to the floor below. One soldier hurriedly pulled back the rug, lifted the ring on the floorboard, and opened the door leading down to the basement.
‘The basement?’
Stunned, Yulaina watched as her father gripped the ladder and descended first.
The basement was a place Yulaina went in and out of every day. Just yesterday morning, she’d fetched pickled onions from there, and last week, she’d spent the whole day in the basement helping her father sort dried herbs. What on earth could be hidden in the basement?
***
As always, the basement was neatly organized. The glass jars gleamed in the lantern light, lined up orderly on the shelves, and on the large wooden table in the center lay thick pharmacology books, notes, and writing tools, all arranged tidily. No matter how she looked, it was the same as usual.
Walter moved quietly and slowly. Wherever his gaze landed, the eyes of Erich, Shevik, and the soldiers followed.
“Um…”
Stopping in front of the cupboard, Walter slowly turned around. His swollen, bruised face created stark contrasts of light and shadow under the lantern’s glow.
“I’d like to negotiate.”
Her father grinned widely. It was an expression she’d never seen before. Eyes gleaming with madness, mouth twisted strangely. Yulaina felt her hair stand on end.
“Marcus will try to kill me anyway. So, first, spare my life and my daughter’s.”
As if completely forgetting Yulaina’s existence, her father fixed his gaze solely on Grand Duke Erich.
“…”
When Erich just stared without responding, Walter threw out a meaningful remark.
“You’re here for the drugs, aren’t you? You already know their effects well.”
“Ah.”
Erich let out a short breath. It was an ambiguous response, but Walter seemed to interpret it positively, smiling faintly.
“If it’s for Your Highness, I can make even better ones—plenty of them.”
“Hahaha…”
A hysterical laugh burst out, as if the idea was absurd. But Walter paid no mind and lowered his voice even more cautiously.
“You know my skills, don’t you? I can make them better than what’s circulating in Norden now.”
He’d misjudged. Like pouring oil on a raging fire, Erich ground his teeth.
“You mad bastard, how dare you…”
Erich’s blue eyes blazed with hatred in that moment.
Bang!
Yulaina covered her face and crouched down at the ear-splitting blast.
“Hah, haa…”
With wide eyes, she checked her father, but he stood there, eyes wide open, unharmed.
Unexpectedly, it was not Walter but the soldier beside him who had been hit.
“Ugh…”
The soldier’s body tilted forward slowly, then his knees buckled, and he collapsed limply. The other soldiers gasped and staggered back.
In the center of the basement, a dark red circle began to spread from the fallen corpse. Shuddering at the nauseating smell of blood, Yulaina curled up and trembled.
Erich’s sharp voice cut through the air.
“The documents.”
“W-wait just…”
Walter groaned painfully, panting. Sweat beaded visibly on his forehead.
Erich glared coldly at Walter, then roughly pulled Yulaina, who was a few steps away.
“I suppose I must escort the princess.”
Confining her in his arms, Erich pressed the muzzle to her temple. With a click, the still-warm barrel pressed firmly against her skin.
“I-it’s hot…”
“It won’t be if you’re dead. Right?”
Glaring at Walter, Erich applied more pressure, and Yulaina let out a sharp scream. Walter floundered, at a loss.
Erich muttered through gritted teeth.
“Looks like your father plans to abandon you after all. What a harmonious household.”
“Y-Your Highness…”
Pacing anxiously, Walter rubbed his palms hard against his clothes.
Bang!
Another soldier fell. Yulaina screamed.
“Dad, just give it to them! Hurry!”
“Damn it!”
As if tormented himself, Walter clutched at his hair.
“It’s over, Walter. I hate negotiations, but I have even less patience.”
More force was applied to the gun at Yulaina’s head.
“Dad, hurry. Dad!”
“I-I’ll give it, right now, please…”
Finally, Walter raised both hands. It was a sign of surrender.
“Hand it over quickly.”
Pulling the exhausted Yulaina into his embrace, Erich urged Walter fiercely, the muzzle still at her head.
With trembling hands, Walter reached under the large wooden table. It seemed the drawer was double-layered; after tapping and fiddling here and there, with a click, the entire bottom panel slid out.
What Walter reluctantly produced were various documents, a small research notebook, and a worn book with frayed edges.
“I’ll check them.”
Shevik, holstering his gun, approached the table. In the flowing silence, the rapid flipping of pages echoed loudly.
“This is…”
Shevik’s expression twisted more and more; he slammed the notebook down and aimed his gun again.
“What the hell are you doing, you bastard? These are irrelevant documents. Hand over the ones related to Nekta.”
“What?”
The Grand Duke’s voice grew icy. His sharp gaze shifted to Walter, then to Yulaina in his arms.
“Does this look like a joke to you? Don’t care if your daughter dies?”
“Well, the thing is…”
Stammering and backing away, Walter suddenly spun around nimbly. As his hand reached for a sack on the cupboard, Shevik shouted.
“Your Highness, get down!”
Poof!
In an instant, thick white smoke filled the air. He’d burst a sack full of powder. Amid the flurry as everyone flailed in the unknown dust clouding their vision, Walter cried out.
“Yulaina! Run!”
“Dad!”
Boom!
Soon, a massive explosion shook the basement.
“Get down!”
The sounds of objects crashing down, flying, and bursting made her ears ring as if they might burst.
“Kyaa!”
When she came to, she was already under the table. Erich, who had been holding her, quickly released his arms and stood.
“Aaah! Haaah!”
Walter, the one who had set the fire, couldn’t escape it. The flames that had caught on his pants surged fiercely up to his waist, his chest, enveloping his whole body.
“Aaaah!”
He jumped and twisted, flailing his limbs, but the fire clung tenaciously, burning cloth and flesh alike.
“Dad!”
As Yulaina tried to rush toward Walter, Erich’s arm blocked her.
“You fucking…”
“Let go! Dad!”
In the next moment, Erich glanced back and shoved Yulaina hard behind him. Shevik leaped toward the table, but everything around Walter was already engulfed in flames.
“Your Highness, we have to get out!”
Flesh melted away, and his body twisted grotesquely. Something he had clutched tightly in his arms turned to ash before him, crumbling away in flakes.
“Dad, Dad…”
Sobbing, Yulaina finally turned away. The chance to escape was now or never. She had to get out of here.
Slipping repeatedly in the pools of blood on the floor, tripping over the limbs of dead soldiers, Yulaina pushed forward with all her might.
“Ah!”
The moment her fingertips touched the ladder, she hauled herself up desperately and climbed frantically.
Behind her, coarse curses still echoed loudly.
