Chapter 69
Chapter 69
The thunderstorm cut the investigation short. Every member of the Remains Investigation Team, save for the seasoned General Soluten, wore a grimace. The toxic air of Downstream limited their time to mere weeks, and King Audric was beginning to demand results. His patience, it seemed, was wearing thin. Returning empty-handed meant facing the king’s wrath, a prospect none relished. The team was irritated by the lost day.
Another, unexpected individual also seemed displeased. Marquis Tygra, as experienced as General Soluten, stood to gain from the team’s failures. He ran a sharp hand through his rain-soaked hair. His communicator remained silent. Arietta had promised a message upon her return to the glass dome mansion. Its silence could only mean defiance.
‘Did she take the purifier?’ The thought struck him suddenly. Perhaps the rain was a blessing in disguise. Isaac hurried back to the glass dome.
Stepping inside, he felt dry ground beneath his boots, the interior impervious to the outside storm. Steam rose from his damp clothes as servants rushed forward with towels. Isaac accepted one, uncaring as Downstream’s rain stained the pristine cloth. “Arietta?”
If she wasn’t here… what then? Isaac didn’t know. Instinct would guide him, as it always did. He was a creature of impulse.
The butler approached, his expression unusually troubled. “Big Cat…”
“What is it?”
“I have something to report regarding the… item.”
Normally, Isaac would have demanded a private conversation or dismissed the onlookers. Not this time. He simply stared at the old butler, waiting, as water dripped from his hair.
“She collapsed in Downstream.”
Isaac’s jaw tightened. Such defiance. “And? Did you leave her there?”
“That…” The butler’s expression became even more strained. A sense of foreboding washed over Isaac.
“It appears she did not take a purifier. The collapse seems to have been caused by toxin poisoning…”
A chill ran down Isaac’s spine. Had she truly intended to die? He knew the symptoms of air poisoning all too well, having experienced them frequently in his youth. The feeling of toxic air slowly shutting down his organs was horrific. She must have felt the symptoms before collapsing, the creeping discomfort, the rising nausea. And yet, she hadn’t returned?
He doubted Arietta was unaware of the two guards he’d sent with her. Their presence alone should have been a safeguard. Arietta was quick to exploit any advantage. If things became difficult, all she had to do was raise a hand and ask for help. Yet, she had endured. It was unlike anything he’d expected.
Isaac finally understood. He recalled Arietta’s nature, her willingness to break bones to get what she wanted. She had the heart of a beast.
“I was a fool,” he admitted, his face contorted. Acknowledging his own stupidity was always unpleasant. He’d lost the battle of wills, as he always did with her. The Black Tiger, ruler of Downstream, only seemed to falter against Arietta.
He flung the towel aside, striding towards the annex. “Arietta collapsed. Tell me what happened next. Don’t tell me she died.” His voice was cold, laced with a threat.
“She lives. The item is safe.”
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