Capítulo 8: chapter 8: I am a dead man inevitably
There are hundreds, even thousands, of beliefs in existence, some strange and others reasonable.
Yet, one belief remains widespread: a child must be given a name with meaning, symbolizing a trait the parents hope the child will embody or achieve.
Although this belief has been debunked many times — as anyone could see whether a person named "Joy" is truly joyful or not — it hasn't disappeared. On the contrary, factions have formed to support and promote it.
The missing child's name was Azaria, which, in the culture of the parents' homeland, means "the one to be sacrificed."
When the police discovered this clue, they had enough reason to detain the husband and wife, preventing them from leaving the kingdom.
But it was already too late. By the time the authorities reached their residence, another mystery awaited them.
Breaking into the apartment where the suspects were last seen, they found the man drenched in blood.
Standing over his body was a young boy holding a bloodstained knife in his left hand — evidently the murder weapon — and a baby girl in his right hand.
It turned out the man was the husband, the boy was their second son, and the baby girl was none other than the missing child who had turned the kingdom upside down during the search: Azaria.
Where were we, and where did we end up? The complexity of the case led to a media blackout, and only the following details were released to the public:
The second son was sent to an orphanage, as it was determined that he acted in self-defense, though further details were omitted.
The baby girl, Azaria, was also placed in an orphanage.
The wife was imprisoned on charges of deception, defamation, and attempting to falsify evidence. However, she managed to escape.
There was no information about the eldest son.
Rumors circulated that this was all part of a plot by a rival nation to sabotage one of the kingdom's key economic sources.
While these claims couldn't be confirmed, if true, the plot was sadly successful.
But, as we said at the beginning, every event has its good and bad sides.
The bad? The kingdom lost one of its most vital economic assets.
The good? The loss forced the kingdom to invest in education, ultimately elevating it to rank among the world's most powerful nations.
Which is why I say, confidently: thank you.
Yes, thank you, rival nation. Without you, we would not have risen to these heights.
This article was written by Suzy Loney.
Yes, that news anchor. It seems she wrote this piece early in her career. She's a nationalist to the core.
For the hundredth time, my eyes drift to the bottom of the article, where a section titled "Important Note" catches my attention.
"This article falls under the protection law and Privacy Act."
In short, this disclaimer appears in all news reports.
It's a law that prohibits publishing personal names or addresses unless explicitly approved by the courts. Violating this law could lead to legal action, even closure or imprisonment.
Thus, no names are mentioned in the article — except for Azaria. The reason is clear: her name was a critical piece of evidence, meaning it was no longer protected under the law.
Lost in my thoughts, a voice pulls me back to reality.
Knock, knock.
"Sir, the first guest will arrive in thirty minutes."
"Alright, Azaria. I'll step out now."
I rose from the bathtub, wrapping myself in a towel left nearby.
Standing before the mirror, I examined the scars on my new body.
As I stared, I couldn't help but recall her submissive blue eyes when I held her by the neck, threatening to kill her.
Would I really have killed her? The thought sent a shiver through me.
Raising my hands, I stared at them in fear and dread.
Who's in control now? Is it me controlling this body, or is the body controlling me? Have I changed? Change is good — but too much, too fast, and I might go insane.
I put on the blue suit Azaria had prepared for me, shaking off my dark thoughts and focusing on the upcoming meeting.
As I stepped out of the bathroom, dressed elegantly, her blue eyes were bowed before me.
"Sir,".
When our eyes met, guilt struck me again, especially after reading the story that could very well be her family's.
I wanted to apologize, but the barrier between master and servant stopped me.
To my surprise, Azaria remained utterly composed, showing no signs of being affected by what I had done.
She's truly a professional. It's impossible she wasn't affected, Especially since she has feelings in her mold for the body's owner.
I walked toward the gate to wait for the guests, Azaria following behind. Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked:
"Was the story I just read your family's?"
As if she had been waiting for the question, she answered without hesitation:
"In response to you, sir, yes."
Her answer made me pause and turn to face her.
"How can you be so sure? There's no way the orphanage would have told you."
"The sir told me."
She meant the former owner of this body.
I resumed walking, my mind racing with questions.
How? How did he know something protected by the protection law? Just how deep and far-reaching is his influence? Could he have lied to her? But why would he?
Waiting at the foot of the stairs was the beautiful woman who was supposed to be my wife. She appeared to have been waiting to descend together.
I quickly turned back to Azaria to ask:
"What's my wife's name, and what's my relationship with her?"
"In response to you, sir, her name is Ivana. As for your relationship, I'm sorry, sir, I have no knowledge of it."
"How could you not know? Aren't you my personal Maid? Haven't you seen me interact with her?"
"In response to you, sir, Lady Ivana only appeared shortly before the incident, and I've only seen her with the sir once or twice. She never leaves his room unless she's heading to her work. I'm sorry I can't be of more help, sir."
I had no choice but to improvise and see how things would unfold.
As soon as I reached her side, she grabbed my elbow and put her hands on it.
"I want to attend the meeting,".
Her voice was pleasing to the ear, but her cold tone made me wonder if she was angry about something the body's owner had done.
As her slender hand touched mine, tension shot through me, and without meaning to, I pulled back slightly.
Her expression filled with suspicion, and I quickly surrendered, letting her hold me again.
In my previous life, I had never been touched by soft sex, not even rough sex.
I should have been thrilled at a moment like this, especially with someone so stunning: radiant golden hair, black eyes, and skin as pale as milk.
No, no, don't think about milk.
What made the situation unenjoyable was my fear of her noticing something strange in my behavior, just as Azaria had. Her revelation had shaken the confidence I'd built after convincing Hank and the others, reminding me of women's uncanny intuition.
Descending the stairs, Ivana at my side and Azaria behind, I prepared myself for the challenges ahead.
As soon as I reached the door, I heard the bell ring, announcing the arrival of the guests.
I gestured for Azaria to come to my side and whispered to her:
"Do you know the names of the guests?"
"I haven't seen them before, but I sneaked a look at the list Hank had. I memorized the names, looked them up on the internet, and matched each name with a face to help you as much as possible, sir."
Her words felt like drops of water to a man dying of thirst.
I couldn't help but show my admiration for her efficiency, causing her cheeks to flush red with embarrassment.
Damn it. She's amazing. Why isn't she my wife?
"My dear friend, Emiric, it's been a while since we last met."
A man in his thirties with a face full of scars—hideous would be putting it mildly—approached, smiling a grin that made my stomach churn. His voice? The braying of donkeys would be music compared to it.
Azaria leaned in to whisper in my ear:
"His name is Az Lor."
Ignoring the wave of disgust he triggered, I forced myself to act as naturally as possible.
"My friend Az, how have you been?"
I kept up this facade for half an hour, greeting every guest in turn.
I called everyone "friend" if they called me the same and addressed as "sir" anyone who addressed me as such.
But in a mere glance, I could tell they all had one thing in common: every last one of them was a gangster.
Then came a guest who stood out a little.
"Sir Emiric, you can't imagine how worried I was about you."
An elderly man—eighty or ninety, who could tell? He was clearly in his final days.
Honestly, I didn't understand why he didn't just buy a burial plot and wait for death to greet him.
To make matters worse, he brought along a woman who could have been his granddaughter, but of course, she wasn't.
She had long black hair that reached her waist and a perfectly sculpted figure. Her one-piece dress clung to her body like it wanted to devour her. Full lips, red like cherries.
Without shame, she stepped forward, grabbing my empty hand and deliberately nudging Azaria aside as she said, completely ignoring Azaria's death glare:
"Sir, I heard about the incident you went through. Are you okay?"
Her seductive gaze could make even the strongest men falter.
Is that old man insane? How could he ever satisfy her? I bet if she looked at him like that, he'd die on the spot from a heart attack.
I glanced at Ivana to gauge her reaction, only to be surprised by her icy expression, as if the one being flirted with wasn't her husband.
"I'm fine and in good health, thank you for your concern, ma'am."
"Oh no, call me Amy. My friends call me Ema. And my closest friends? They call me M. You can pick whichever you like."
After her declaration, she stepped even closer, her large chest brushing against my arm. The exaggerated contact threw me off, leaving me unable to process the situation.
In the middle of all this, Hank leaned in to whisper:
"Sir, we don't know who this is. She's not on the guest list. Shall I take her in for questioning?"
She wasn't invited.
As soon as Hank's words reached my ears, suspicion started creeping in, only to be interrupted by Amy—or was it just a coincidence?—as she pulled me toward the dining table.
"I'm starving. Let's eat."
Before I realized it, I was seated in the head chair.
The tattoos covering their bodies, the scars they wore with pride, and their crude manner of speaking made my stomach turn.
About fifteen guests had arrived, and they all sat around the long table, which was filled with every kind of delicious food. Without any formalities, they began eating.
The scene was repulsive, nauseating even.
The only thing that cleansed my eyes was looking at Amy sitting to my right, Ivana to my left, and, standing behind, Hank and Azaria, who still stared daggers at Amy, as if she might pounce on her any moment.
"Sir, it's clear that the assassination attempt was orchestrated by that wench. What do you think about killing her and feeding her corpse to the dogs as a warning?"
I listened without showing any emotion, giving the impression that I was contemplating the suggestion. In reality, I had no idea who they were talking about.
"Don't act rashly. If anything happens to her, we'll be the first ones blamed, and she knows that well. That's why she dares to provoke us now. But it's only a matter of time before everyone kneels, including her. Until then, let's be patient."
Another man responded loudly:
"That wench! On her last program, she called on the people to intervene. If we leave her unchecked, we might not be able to complete our mission."
My mind worked at full capacity. As soon as I heard their words, I began piecing things together. The more I connected the dots, the more dread consumed me.
By the time the full picture became clear, my heart nearly stopped.
It turned out I was the businessman funding gangsters to buy up sensitive institutions and companies within the kingdom.
I was the one the news anchor was talking about at the time.
I wasn't a businessman, a gangster, or even part of the mafia.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.
I was an enemy of the kingdom.
I was an enemy of the people.
I was a traitor.
I was a dead man.
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
InBetweenRealms
InBetweenRealms Since he's now dealing with a culture shock, let's take advantage of the situation, shall we?
So far, I’d really appreciate it if everyone reading the novel could share their thoughts and advice.
It would be nice of you to leave a review, or even just drop by to say hello.
Thank you for giving the story a chance!
Ah, the feeling of being able to say whatever you want without interrupting , it's truly comforting.
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