Chapter 38.2

“And you think that you’re so much better than them?” Lia asked through clenched teeth, her body straining at her restraints.

“Let’s call it fair revenge,” the doctor said.

“Is it justified to harm innocent children? Those were your orders, you hypocrite.”

“They are sacrifices for the cause.”

“Lie!”

“Of course, even if you beg for mercy, it will be limited. Now that you’ve seen our faces, you’re going to give us at least those beautiful eyes of yours as a gift.”

Despite the terrible threats, the doctor’s expression did not change. He was no longer a kind and friendly doctor to the Louvre’s patients.

No, it’s me who has changed, Canillia thought to herself. She had gotten used to the life of aristocrats and had forgotten how she used to survive; Living on the border between life and death. “Are the deaths of those innocent children really a worthy sacrifice for the cause?” Lia asked.

The men turned at her sullen tone, as she sat in her corner and gathered her knees to her chest.

“I put a tail on you. You dared to lure me into danger, risking my life. I anticipated that you would approach the children. You will most likely be shot, or at least arrested as soon as you approach the children. You will be tortured to death at the hands of the nobles you so despise.”

The men’s eyes trembled slightly. They tried to disguise their fear but were unsuccessful.

Lia stood, leaning against the wall with a confident expression.

“I am not some duke’s lover,” she said with a grin, tugging the last remaining bits of her tattered wig off, revealing her short hair beneath.

All the men looked blankly at Lia, who grabbed her wig. They were at a loss for words at her appearance. It was unclear whether she was a man or a woman, and this befuddled the men surrounding her.

Lia continued to speak, “I am Canillian Vale. The second son of Marquis Vale.”

“Vale?” the doctor said incredulously, spitting out a humourless laugh and pulling out his pistol with an infuriated face. Grabbing her, he roughly put the gun to her forehead. Clammy sweat ran down her back in rivulets, at the ice-cold touch of the lump of iron.

“Will you shoot and kill me? No, I don’t think you will. Pull the trigger and your location will be revealed. You’re not going to choose a dog’s death, are you?” Lia asked.

“Dog’s death? I don’t think so! I will leave here with you as my hostage,” the doctor responded.

Suppressing the smile that threatened to break over her face, and trying to sound as pitiful as possible, Lia said, “The nobles will shoot me first and then annihilate you.”

“Nonsense!”

“Be my guest, try it out.”

Confused and panicked, the men started scrambling.

“Her hand…” the doctor muttered to himself.

A man close to the doctor forcibly grabbed her hand, lifting her palm to the light. The light revealed her palm, smeared with fluorescent material. Surprised, he pulled back, his back bumping against a wall of stacked wooden boxes.

“Damn it… You conniving little minx.”

Lia looked around carefully. When the men realised that their location had been discovered, both men searched for weapons and gathered items.

Hearing a sound outside the door, she focused her attention on it. It had been over an hour since she had been kidnapped. If her calculation of time was correct, someone should have found the ship by now.

“If they actually managed to find the traces I left,” she thought to herself in concern.

“We must kill him!” a random man said, pointing at Lia.

“No! He is the second son of the Marquis! Maybe he will be of greater use than we first anticipated,” someone else said.

The doctor stopped his frantic packing and pressed his index finger to his lips. Then he beckoned to the man standing by the window.

“Listen closely. When I give you the signal, kill him. We’re about to cross the border, so run away. All of you!” the doctor said.

Lia backed away slowly from the man who approached her. Those in masks left the cabin. A man with a nervous expression raised his voice in the strange stillness that suddenly developed, “Sit down.”

Lia meekly followed the man’s instructions.

“Are you really a man?” he inquired.

“Yes,” Lia responded.

“I think not. No matter how you look at it… You’re a woman.”

“I had to disguise myself as a woman to deceive you into kidnapping me.”

The man laughed bitterly.

Lia focused on the dagger hidden on her person. She gave no sign that she was focused elsewhere.

If she was surrounded by many people it would be extremely difficult. However, if she were alone, she was confident that she could protect herself.

“Why are you doing this?” Lia asked, inserting a note of worry into her voice.

“I’m hungry.”

“And harming the nobility fills your stomach?”

“I can’t do anything to feed my family. All they have is the clothing on their backs.”

The man’s eyes stopped on Lia’s chest. A bird-shaped ornament hung over her left breast. In an instant, the man moved. Lia turned her body.

***

Dr. Carl willed strength into his hand holding the pistol. His teeth ground against each other, unable to control his anger and panic. An endless string made from shiny slices of bread unfolded before his eyes. The men exchanged glances, crouching, trying to make their bodies smaller targets.

Then, suddenly, a sharp gunshot rang out.

A man to the doctor’s left fell to the floor without so much as a scream. Dark red blood pooled on the floor beneath him. The men jumped in astonishment, aiming at the surrounding darkness.

Then gunshots were heard again.

Every time a gunshot rang out, men dropped like flies.

“What the hell are you shooting at?” the doctor asked himself internally. Carl held his breath and hid in a corner. The fear created by the darkness and silence cut through his lungs and trampled his courage. “At this rate, we will all be annihilated!” he hissed to himself.

Seeing the seventh man fall to the floor, Carl took off his mask, whistling. The sharp sound cut through the air. He knew he was betraying them, but he had to live. He had to get revenge. Hardening his heart, he pulled out his dagger and stabbed his arm.

His lips snarled in pain. Throwing the dagger into the river, he clasped his bloody arms and shouted, “Save me! Please Help! I’m a doctor!”

The frantic gunshots began to subside. Soldiers and police arrived on the scene. The bright light they created revealed all the silhouettes of their companions who had been hidden in the dark. Carl raised his hands as if surrendering, standing in the centre of the light. He appeared as a terrified, pitiful man.

Two men hurriedly approached him. One of the men pressed the hot muzzle of his gun to Carl’s forehead, asking, “Where is the Lady?”

Carl sat on the floor with a look of disbelief on his face. “Didn’t Canillian Vale say he was a man?” he wondered aloud. Gesturing with his pale hands, the doctor looked up and stuttered a response, “My lord, he is dead.”