Chapter 7
But her past experiences stopped her. She steadied her breathing and thought.
This could be a trap.
There was no way the man would have imprisoned her somewhere so easy for others to approach. Especially not a place where the window practically opened straight to the outside.
Someone coming here, knocking on the wall, and even asking whether anyone was inside? That was suspicious enough.
And yet, she couldn’t be completely certain it was a trap. Because the voice she’d heard was young. It sounded like a boy’s.
The man loathed her having contact with other men to the point of obsession. Hadn’t he wiped out entire villages she’d merely passed through while fleeing?
So was that boy a trap or an opportunity?
Either way, she didn’t have enough information to be sure. She decided to wait and watch.
She said nothing and held her breath. After a moment, the voice came again.
—Was I so desperate that I mistook the sound of rain…
It was quieter now, spoken to himself. She still didn’t respond, only listened. He sighed and muttered,
—Still. I heard there’d be no one today, even checked the weather before choosing the time.
What was that supposed to mean?
—Then… should I go in?
Wait—go in?
For a split second, Hill almost forgot she was supposed to stay silent and nearly spoke.
She analyzed the situation in a flash. So the boy had chosen this day to infiltrate the place. She didn’t know where he thought this was, nor what business he had here, but given that he’d just asked if anyone was inside, he might be searching for someone.
She didn’t know why, or with what resolve, he was attempting something as dangerous as sneaking into a palace residence, but…
No. He’d chosen the wrong place.
In some ways, this place was more tightly guarded than even the First Palace. If he treated it lightly and tried to slip in, he’d lose his life.
At this rate, he would definitely die. There was no way he’d make it out alive.
He might have heard that no one was here today. But even today, there had been a guard stationed outside her room.
Tap tap tap!
Panicking, Hill knocked urgently on the wall. Instantly, everything beyond it fell silent.
Thump, thump. The quiet was so deep she felt she could hear her own heartbeat. Then, after a pause, a very cautious voice slid along the wall.
—Who’s there?
She’d already given herself away. There was no point pretending otherwise now. Hill tapped the wall twice in reply.
—Ah…
The boy let out a low sound. She couldn’t tell what it meant, but it didn’t seem negative.
He was silent for a while. Then, after what felt like a long time, he muttered again, sounding as though he’d finally calmed down.
—So it’s true… they really do imprison people here in the mortuary…
Mortuary?
The word mortuary stood out sharply, lodging itself in her ears. Hill repeated it to herself.
Then understanding struck, and she placed a hand over her mouth. Joy flooded through her open lips.
Ah. So this is the mortuary. That’s where he locked her up.
At last, she knew where she was being held. Hill covered her face with both hands and took deep breaths, trying not to make a sound.
The mortuary was where corpses were dressed in burial shrouds and prepared for disposal.
In name it was a mortuary, but in practice it was closer to a cremation site. The desert kings, said to carry the blood of giants, had been brutal for generations, and in the palace innocent people died every single day.
She’d heard that many low-ranking palace servants were disposed of here without even proper funeral rites. Sometimes without their families ever receiving so much as ashes.
In any case, a place that handled corpses would naturally be built far away.
Behind the remote Sixth Palace.
To lock her up in a place meant for the dead. Really, it was exactly like him.
No wonder there had been no one around all this time.
Who would want to come to a place where bodies were burned? Even the undertakers themselves avoided it unless necessary.
If that was the case, then the reason the boy had come here was becoming clear.
Pity rose in her chest.
The person that child was looking for was probably already dead.
He must have come searching for a relative who’d vanished after incurring the palace’s wrath. After failing to find them elsewhere, he’d come all the way to the mortuary.
Losing family alone was painful enough. She couldn’t allow this young life to be lost as well.
Having reached her conclusion in an instant, Hill drew in a deep breath. Then, deliberately lowering and roughening her voice, she spoke.
“Go back.”
She kept it as quiet as possible. Low enough that the guard outside wouldn’t hear.
“If you come in, you’ll die too. I don’t know who you’re looking for, but just go back.”
Because the one you’re searching for wouldn’t want your life to be wasted as well.
Aill came to her mind again. Her gentle sister who had worried about her until her final breath. If their positions had been reversed, it would have been the same. Hill, too, would have gladly given her life for Aill.
She would have said this, without hesitation:
“Live. At least you live.”
You live—for the one who’s already gone.
No reply came.
Tap. Tap.
The rain continued to beat down on the world outside.
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