Chapter 27: Chapter 27: The Blur of Trust, the Clarity of Danger
I have a trust issue, one engraved into my very bones.
To trust someone, I need...
I don't even know what I need to do. I've never trusted anyone before.
There's a difference between trusting someone and being forced to trust someone.
My whole life, I've been forced—not just to trust, but to do everything.
Ever since I woke up in this body, I've been trying to save my life. The thought of running away to somewhere safe always crosses my mind, but escaping the unknown is impossible.
You need to know the limits of its power, then plan how to destroy it. If you can't destroy it, you flee. If fleeing isn't an option, then your only choice left is to join it.
That was my mindset when I first woke up. But the more I discovered, the more I found myself not climbing out of a hole but sinking deeper into it.
The final blow for me was the existence of a superpower.
Sooner or later, if I don't make my steps firm, I'll be doomed.
All my experience and knowledge come from watching series and movies, anime, or reading novels and some articles, which makes me ask myself: Can I apply that to the real world? I don't know, and I won't know until I try.
To try, I need to surround myself with people I can trust. Due to my psychological issues, I need something tangible to trust someone.
Something I can hold in my hands to guarantee their loyalty. For instance, their neck—so if they betray me, I can squeeze the life out of them.
Every step I take toward her room feels like fuel feeding the fire of my anger, which was already at its peak.
The thing I hated most in my past life was being manipulated. I had to swallow it back then, but now, why should I tolerate something disgusting? It's easy to take it out of my mouth and spit it out.
Boom!
I force the door open with my hand, revealing a girl wrapped in a towel around her waist, holding another towel as she dries her golden hair.
Because of my sudden entrance, she pauses what she's doing and looks straight at me, her expression void of any special emotion.
For a moment, I thought she would scream and call me a pervert, but no matter how long I waited, she didn't say a word. She just stared at me, waiting for me to state the reason for barging into her room.
As for me, stunned by the beauty in front of me, I froze as if I had forgotten the reason for my anger. But I quickly snapped back to my senses.
If you're not bothered about being seen almost naked, why should I care? Let's get to the point.
I approach her and, with a swift motion, toss the phone onto her bed.
"You must have a logical explanation for this, don't you?"
Calmly, she picks up the phone and begins reading.
I watch her beautiful features, but there's no raised eyebrow, no flicker of surprise in her eyes, not even the slightest change in her demeanor. She's not shocked, then.
"I didn't know."
Her response feels like an insult to my intelligence, but I don't jump to conclusions. I allow her to elaborate.
"..."
She closes her mouth as if what she said should be enough to convince me.
"Is that all you have? Does my amnesia make me look like a clown to you?"
I step closer, shrinking the distance between us even more. I can't fully explain the dark thoughts this body carries. If I hadn't spent time adapting and controlling it, I would've already pounced on her.
"If you knew the family structure, you wouldn't be this upset."
"What kind of structure allows a family member to enter the mansion and attempt to assassinate me right in front of you, and you don't even recognize them?"
I stand so close to her that there's nothing between us. Even the air seems to struggle to pass between us.
My hand begins trembling, itching to be set free, to explore the adventure of choking her delicate neck. But, of course, I don't let it—at least not yet. Not until I understand everything.
"If I didn't recognize her, then she's an illegitimate child."
She answers in her cold yet sweet voice, her eyes locked onto mine without blinking, as she continues her sentence after seeing my unconvinced reaction.
"Clearly, she doesn't know who I am either."
All I can do is continue staring at her, drowning in her face and her words.
"The biggest proof of that is that after seeing me, she didn't change her plan."
Doubt creeps into my heart at this point. What I'm debating now in my mind is what the best decision would be—getting rid of her or keeping her.
"An illegitimate child in the family would want to accomplish something notable to gain the family's approval. The moment she saw me, she should have reported it to the family."
"Why?"
Finally, she catches my attention, pulling me out of my train of thought.
"There are two possibilities when one of the main lineage members is outside: Either I'm achieving something important for the family, or I'm betraying them. In either case, the best course of action is to inform the family to avoid a major disaster."
I step back. Even though she doesn't show any reaction, somehow I can sense the pressure on her. I create a small space between us to try to ease the tension.
"Are you part of the main lineage?"
I had a list of possibilities, and one of them was her being from the main lineage. But I quickly crossed it out because I couldn't find an answer to one question: Why would she want to kill her father?
"Yes, I am…"
Finally, some emotion. She pauses, a hint of hesitation on her face, but she denies me any further reaction as she abruptly turns, showing me her flawless white back, and picks up her towel to continue drying her hair.
"I used to be… but not anymore."
"What does that mean?"
My confusion is evident in my voice.
My knowledge of the Four Families and the royal family is limited. Yes, there are rumors, but most of them are unverifiable gossip, and they never talk about internal matters—only external scandals and moral failings.
Not to mention how contradictory these rumors often are, making their likelihood nearly zero.
Most of them don't appear on screens except for the important ones—children and grandchildren. Even their numbers are unknown. Who will inherit after the current leader isn't announced until the exact moment they ascend to the position.
I'm talking about someone like me, a commoner. As for the families themselves, I assume they know. I think.
No matter how long I wait for her, she doesn't respond.
"Stop hiding things from me, or else…"
She turns around abruptly, cutting me off.
"Or else what? You'll kill me?"
I freeze in shock, not because of her words, but because of the overwhelming emotions I see on her face.
It's like a smooth desert where you could barely see any terrain, and then suddenly, the desert turns into a lush forest filled with rivers and lakes.
I don't understand how she can go from nothing to everything in an instant.
"Secrets? Who's hiding from whom here?"
Her voice rises with each breath she takes.
"What secrets are you talking about now?"
"What about your wives? How many do you have? Do you abuse them?"
Where did that come from? I'm so stunned that I don't even know what to say anymore.
"You know you're talking to someone who lost his memory."
"Amnesia doesn't make you a different person."
Her reply makes sense, but I refuse to accept defeat.
"Don't talk as if our marriage is built on love."
My words seem to hit her like a hammer, and I can see her biting the corner of her lip.
"But it was built on mutual trust between us."
I narrow my eyes, refusing to believe her nonsense.
"Stop spouting rubbish. It's clear I was the kind of person who trusted no one."
She grabs the towel, squeezing it tightly in her hands, and suddenly throws it at my face, blinding me for a moment.
"Idiot."
For a split second, it feels like I've stepped into a scene straight out of an anime. I pull the towel off my face to restore my sight, only to find her staring down at herself. It's as if she's just realized she's wearing nothing but the towel wrapped around her, exposing most of her pale skin.
Her white skin gradually starts turning red, and she glances at me, which only deepens the blush on her face.
What I had expected to happen the moment I barged into the room is suddenly happening now.
"Pervert!"
She screams the forbidden word at the top of her lungs and dashes into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.
Reacting instinctively, I step closer to the bathroom.
Knock, knock.
"Open the door. What's with you all of a sudden? Are you trying to avoid me by—"
The handle I'm holding onto to try opening the door melts away like ice cream in the middle of summer. Instead of falling to the floor, it seems to choose the door itself as its destination, merging seamlessly with it.
Naturally, the same thing happens with the gaps between the door and the wall. A complete fusion, as if the door had never existed in the first place. Nanotechnology.
No matter what I try, just as Hank taught me, the door doesn't return to its original state.
I was about to say something when I remembered that all the walls were soundproof.
Knock, knock.
"Sir."
The sound of knocking comes from the door outside the room, accompanied by Hank's voice.
Annoyed, I respond,
"What is it, Hank?"
"Sorry to disturb you, but your meeting with the heirs of your partners is approaching, and you need to review the relevant documents."
"Wait for me. I'll be out in a moment."
I stand in place, contemplating, and take a deep breath.
They never give me a moment to rest. Everything comes at me in rapid succession.
What exactly is Ivana's problem? I feel like if I could understand her, I'd understand the entire world.
The ice queen who seemed indifferent and uninterested suddenly transforms into a volcano of overflowing emotions. And her family's situation is another enigma.
Did Amy act on her own, or was she sent? Does Ivana truly not know about her, or is she just pretending? Does she genuinely want revenge, or am I caught in the middle of a long, intricate scheme?
I finally leave the room after taking a moment to relax, finding Hank waiting for me.
"What do you think we should do with Amy, Hank?"
"In response to you, sir, Amy is now a double-edged sword. My suggestion is to contact the Bloodsoil family and hand her over to them. That way, we'd gain their debt of gratitude."
We talk as we walk toward the office.
"I promised her I wouldn't involve her family in this matter."
"…"
Hank falls silent for a moment. I know what he's thinking, but I ignore it. It's obvious the body's original owner wasn't someone who kept his promises.
But I want to change that. It's not about ethics or morals. The issue is that you can't imagine how many situations and events are impossible to solve without building a foundation based on the credibility of my words.
To survive in this kingdom, I need to rely on outlaws or the spirit of the people. Both would be easier to control if I established the image of someone who keeps their word.
"Let's use all the information we have on her to create a map of every possible location she's been. Also, gather police records on how and when she met that old man who came with her."
"Understood. It will be done."
It was mentioned by Null that he was looking for information about her, but of course, he was lying. As soon as he starts investigating, he'll notice difficulties and ambiguity in his search, which will make him suspect that she belongs to one of the families and halt his investigation.
He won't want to get involved because there's a law preventing police, military, or even regular government employees from engaging with the Four Families unless there's clear evidence.
Of course, you must provide proof to substantiate your claims, which leads to a thorough investigation that can take no less than a year. During that year, the suspect is suspended from their position, meaning a headache in simple terms.
But he might find a way to act discreetly, so I must uncover everything about her, hoping to find something of value.
I step into the office, where mountains of papers and documents are stacked.
"What's all this?"
"Sir, these are all the details you need to know about our business dealings."
"Do I need to learn and memorize all this before the heirs arrive? How much time do I have?"
"In response to you, sir, about two hours. I've organized the files from most important to least important to make it easier for you, along with summaries of the secondary points."
Of course, I won't trust them blindly, but given the limited time and the imminent arrival of the guests, I don't think Hank would be foolish enough to give me false information that I'd easily catch. Plus, I plan to go through all the original drafts when I have spare time.
I take a deep breath. Hank and I remain in the office, where he simplifies anything difficult to grasp and summarizes what's hard to absorb.
I've grown accustomed to being surprised. The wealth and assets of this body's owner didn't shock me—I already knew he was rich.
What's odd is that everything is legal. Of course, there's an illegal side, and that's Hank's role in filling in the gaps.
Time passes, and it gets late, but the guests haven't arrived. This prompts Hank to step out and make calls to find out what's going on, while I remain immersed in the sea of papers.
Hank returns with Dexter in tow.
"Sir."
"Sir."
They both greet me, but I don't give Hank a chance to speak.
"Let me guess. They're not coming, are they?"
"In response to you, sir, there hasn't been any mention of their private vehicles leaving."
From just a bit of swimming through these papers, it wasn't hard to predict this.
Well, that's good for me.
A smile spreads across my face as I pick up a cigarette and light it.
Ever since I saw Amy's blood, I've been itching to spill some blood myself.
"Hank, Dexter, let's go and have ourselves a little dance."
********what**********
Emiric: what can i say about Ivana beside one word. Women.
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