Chapter 226
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
I had opened my mouth, ready to speak if Killian wouldn’t, but paused.
Then it occurred to me—Killian had no idea I was slowly recovering my memories. In the past few days, with one urgent situation after another, I had completely forgotten to tell him.
‘Now’s the time to tell him.’
Just as I decided there was no reason to hesitate and was about to speak again,
“Hey, stop right there!”
Someone spoke before I could. Startled, I turned to see two soldiers approaching from the slope on the right, rifles aimed at us.
“Are you civilians? Which country are you from?”
We had been so desperate for our lives that it took me a moment to realize:
‘Wait… they’re speaking Falkland language.’
They were, in fact, Falkland soldiers.
‘We’re saved!’
We had finally returned to our homeland.
‘Oh my… thank you.’
I felt such relief that I had the uncharacteristic impulse to embrace the strangers and press thankful kisses to their cheeks. Of course, I wouldn’t have actually done it—but if I had, the soldiers might have assumed an attack and shot me.
“One wouldn’t cross these mountains if you were from our country… suspicious.”
“Why are Falklanders even here?”
The soldiers did not believe we were Falklanders as we had crossed the mountains from the original Highland territory, still controlled by Highland forces.
“We were taken when our village was occupied by the Highland army. We barely escaped and made it this far.”
I was surprised to hear Killian give this explanation.
‘Why lie to our own soldiers?’
We could have simply explained that we were soldiers infiltrating Highland under orders who had gotten separated and were now returning home.
‘Is it a classified operation? Is that why he can’t tell them?’
It was frustrating. If they weren’t supposed to know, I couldn’t even ask him why he was hiding it, which doubled my irritation.
I lowered my head to hide my expression, keeping my eyes on the ground. One of the soldiers extended a hand.
“Let’s see some ID.”
“We don’t have any. We wouldn’t have it yet. But we can prove we’re Falklanders in other ways.”
Killian had told them to ask anything—names, customs, rumors—anything only Falklanders would know, but the soldiers didn’t ask. They just looked us over suspiciously.
“If you’re a spy, you’d have had that training, right?”
Finally, hearing them whisper to each other, I realized why they were being so cautious.
‘They suspect us of being enemy spies trying to infiltrate Falkland?’
Could anything be more absurd? To be treated as a spy by both the enemy and my homeland.
At least in Highland, it would have been just, but to be executed as a spy returning home, even God in heaven couldn’t ease the injustice. Especially if we were killed over a minor misunderstanding while serving our country.
‘Killian, why won’t you tell the truth?’
Is military secrecy more important than our lives?
‘Then at least give our names!’
Even if I didn’t know, Killian was a member of a long-established noble family, decorated and knighted—everyone would know him. That alone would remove suspicion. Even if they doubted, a simple call or telegram to Killian’s brother or my father could confirm our identity.
I couldn’t understand why Killian insisted on taking the difficult route. Impatient, I finally spoke.
“Just tell them our names…”
“I’ll handle it.”
Before I could finish, Killian cut me off decisively.
“Names?”
The soldiers’ interest was immediately piqued at the mention of names.
“What are your names?”
“My name is….”
“Let us meet your commander.”
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