Chapter 42
* * *
I tightened Kin’s tunic and pants, barely managing to fit them over my arms and legs, then rolled up my dust-covered clothes into a bundle and held them.
“Um… I’m done washing.”
As soon as I opened the bathroom door, I saw Kin’s bedroom.
Kin was sitting comfortably in a chair, feet resting on the table.
He leaned back at an angle, then turned his head toward me. A few strands of damp hair stuck to his cheek, giving off a strange vibe.
“That took long enough. Come, sit on the bed.”
‘Is he doing this on purpose?’
Kin kept saying things that sounded dangerously suggestive.
But today I’d been caught while trying to cause trouble as a bad astrologer, so it was better to quietly follow his orders.
As soon as I sat on the bed, Kin spoke.
“Has Ash changed their mind?”
He was referring to the promise not to talk until I told him about my parents’ death.
‘It’s a waste to miss the chance to learn the truth…’
But I had already used up my chance to save my life. There was no choice.
‘I’ll find out about my parents’ death another way.’
I nodded firmly, determined.
“Yes. I’ve spoken with Miss Ash. We concluded that while the dead are gone, what matters most is the voice of the living. So hearing your words takes priority.”
It gave me goosebumps to have my name spoken in the third person, but that was unavoidable. I could only think of it as a twist of fate.
“By the way, I brought a handkerchief, and Miss Ash is right here. So you may speak freely.”
I closed my eyes, holding the purple handkerchief as if I were a medium.
“…Hin.”
The moment I spoke his old name, Kin swallowed hard. That name seemed to stir strange emotions in him no matter when it was spoken.
I watched him quietly.
‘Forcing him won’t get the full story. I’ll wait for another opportunity.’
With my crime-related awakening ability, I was here, staying near Kin, hoping I could somehow get closer to the truth.
‘He’s also a victim, after all. If I carefully observe everyone around Kin and examine all of his belongings, I might figure it out.’
And if I finally uncover the mastermind behind it all… what would I do then?
‘I don’t know yet.’
For now, I just wanted to know. Why did such a thing happen to my family?
“Ash.”
Kin’s low voice calling my name snapped me back to reality.
“For the past seventeen years, you and your family have been the heaviest burden on my heart.”
“Why…?”
“Because I ended up driving the only ones who showed me kindness into death.”
So you do have a conscience. You’ve carried that guilt for a long time.
“I thought only despair worse than death lay before me, but you and your family brought me back.”
What worries could a boy just over ten years old carry?
‘Well, even when they brought him home, he was soaking in filth, and after washing him, he was covered in blood… it was suspicious.’
Where did my parents find such a boy? And why had I grown oddly fond of this boy called Hin?
I let out a long sigh.
“Miss Ash is supposed to be the savior, so ignore that. From the beginning, he thought you were suspicious and irritating, he says. Oh, and he says don’t waste time, just get to the point.”
I hated wasting emotions.
“Very Ash-like answer,” Kin said, sighing, then smirked.
“Yes, I wanted to apologize to you.”
“Then… that’s it?”
I tried to get up, but Kin waved his hand.
“No. There’s one more thing. Something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
I grumbled in my head. Why does this man expect so much from someone who’s already dead?
Kin seemed to choose his words carefully, then finally spoke.
“I want to know the location of your remains.”
I blinked in disbelief.
“…Excuse me? What?”
“I want to know where Ash’s remains are buried.”
Half stunned, I asked,
“Why… do you need that?”
“So I can gather them and place them with the rest of your family.”
I’d heard the remains of my other family members had already been collected and properly buried here.
“But Ash’s remains were never found. I never knew where they were, and it weighed on me my whole life… Since fate has finally brought us together, I want to give you the final respect.”
“…I see.”
Of course he never found my body. I’m alive and well right here!
A lie breeds more lies.
I didn’t know he had collected and buried my parents’ and sibling’s remains. I was truly grateful for that. But the problem right now was this:
‘How can I tell someone where my body is buried if there’s no corpse?’
As I lowered my gaze to hide my trembling eyes, suddenly—
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang, Bang!
Someone was pounding on the bedroom door as if trying to break it down. All eyes turned to the door.
A familiar voice shouted from beyond.
“Captain! Captain! Captain!”
It was Ricky. His voice sounded unusually serious and urgent. I immediately jumped to my feet.
‘What happened to Ricky? Or is something wrong with the siblings?’
I could clearly remember Ricky hugging Lyra joyfully. If something happened to them, my heart would ache.
“Ricky!”
“Quiet.”
Kin stopped me from going.
“Showing yourself here won’t help.”
“But…!”
He was right. Wet-haired, dressed in the lord’s clothes, in the bedroom at this hour? That would only cause strange rumors.
“I’ll handle things at the door and send them back, so don’t show yourself.”
Kin gave the order and strode toward the door. He seemed determined to leave no gaps, so I hurriedly dove under the blanket and wrapped myself up.
Click.
The sound of the door opening cut off Ricky’s frantic knocking.
“Captain!”
“What’s going on at this hour?”
“Th-There’s… a problem!”
“Explain properly.”
Ricky stuttered several times before shouting, clearly panicked.
“My ward… I mean, Ash, has disappeared!”
“…What?”
“All that was left in the room was a neatly folded pile of clothes. Ash vanished like a ghost!”
Tonight, Ricky had gone to stay at the siblings’ house. How did he already know I wasn’t there?
I nervously chewed my thumb when Kin’s voice interrupted.
“Wait. The ‘Ash’ you mentioned—is that the astrologer?”
“Oh, right… Esmeralda. They told us not to call them Ash.”
“…Explain.”
“What do you mean?”
“Everything about that name. Tell me what you know.”
“Well, it’s their real name, Ash, so they preferred it. But lately, they wanted authority, so they insisted on being called Esmeralda instead…”
“…I see.”
A brief silence passed, then Kin spoke again.
“The astrologer left secretly on my order. You can see them tomorrow afternoon. No need to worry.”
Ricky muttered, exhaling in relief.
“Oh, I worried for nothing. They can’t escape on their own anyway…”
Kin half-dismissed Ricky, then slammed the door shut.
Footsteps approached, and my body tensed.
Finally, when the blanket I had wrapped over myself was pulled off, I closed my eyes tightly, fearing what Kin would say.
He spoke slowly, deliberately, word by word.
“Who… are you, really?”
