Chapter 87
Chapter 87
Waking from her nap, Arietta noticed Benjamin’s absence. At first, she barely registered it, only feeling a strange sense of peace. Her dark hair fanned across the white sheets as she stretched languidly, her mind drifting to Isaac and the sky city above.
It was only after a long while spent lost in thought that she finally remembered Benjamin, a jarring realization given his importance in her plans to reach that very city. Yet, guilt was absent. She merely noted his unusual failure to appear. Benjamin enjoyed their conversations, always seeking her out during breaks or after work.
Arietta didn’t mind; his tales of the sky city were captivating. She often wondered about Seia, the woman who had lived there, the woman who had descended to give birth to her. Benjamin’s absence was definitely odd. Was he unusually busy?
Stiff from lying in bed, Arietta went downstairs for water. Unlike the glass dome, this place didn’t cater to the ring of a bell. She had to fetch things herself. The members of the Remains Investigation Team were now accustomed to her presence, their initial curiosity having faded. Novelty, it seemed, wore off quickly.
They accepted her presence without fuss, no longer guarded in their conversations. Arietta felt like a piece of furniture, a feeling she didn’t particularly dislike. Now, too, despite her obvious entrance, they continued their hushed discussion, oblivious to her. Arietta scanned the room. Benjamin Lenota was nowhere to be seen. Where could he be?
Just then, a worried voice broke through the murmurs. “Are you sure there’s a clue in the forest?”
Arietta stopped, the word “forest” snagging her attention. Surely not. Her brow furrowed. Only one place came to mind, a place Isaac kept strictly off-limits. It was dangerous, a haven for the failed experiments of the celestial city. Monstrous creatures, too intelligent to be mere beasts, yet too aggressive to be human, roamed the woods, preying on each other and any unfortunate soul who strayed within.
“We shouldn’t have let him go alone,” another voice said.
“General Soluten, what were you thinking? If something happens to him… he’s the heir to a high-ranking nobleman.”
“If anything happens, Marquess Tygra will…”
The conversation painted a clear picture. That idiot! The young Viscount Lenota must have deluded himself into believing some vital clue lay hidden in the forest. And he’d actually gone there? But how? Arietta was stunned.
The Remains Investigation Team’s quarters were guarded by Isaac’s Black Hound unit. Unauthorized excursions were impossible. Even the most careful attempt would have been detected, especially by a newcomer like Benjamin. Only one explanation made sense: Isaac had allowed it, deliberately leading the young marquess into a trap. Is he trying to kill him?
The thought flashed through her mind, then quickly vanished. Isaac despised the sky city, but he wasn’t foolish enough to refuse its potential benefits. Benjamin was the Marquess Lenota’s eldest son. Isaac wouldn’t intentionally provoke such an enemy.
I can’t understand what Isaac’s thinking.
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