บท 29: Bad memory (part3)
"This is a warm welcome~"
Kaiser smirked sarcastically and shut the door behind him before heading toward Charlotte and tossing a grocery bag onto the bed in front of her.
The white bandage wrapped around his head caught Charlotte's attention.
"Are you happier to see the ice cream than me? How rude of you."
Kaiser grumbled and shook his head. He was about to sit next to Charlotte on the bed but stopped suddenly when her hands touched his head.
"What happened to your head?!"
Charlotte abandoned the grocery bag and reached for Kaiser's head.
To reach him, she had to kneel slightly, leaning closer to touch his head.
"Did you get into a fight during work? Does it still hurt here?"
"I'm fine."
Kaiser froze in place, caught off guard by Charlotte's soft touch on his head. His amber eyes darkened as he gazed at her worried expression, then he added,
"Believe me, if I weren't fine, I wouldn't be here."
He smiled and gently moved her hands away as he sat on the bed.
In response, Charlotte pulled her hands into her lap and sat down, saying,
"Are you sure? It looks painful to me…"
"It's just a small scratch! The person who bandaged me kinda exaggerated"
"Really?"
"Yes, trust me."
"You're the last person I'd trust."
"What?"
Kaiser's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Charlotte.
"Why would you say something like that now?!"
"Well…"
Charlotte hugged her knees to her chest and rested her chin on her arms.
"You lie most of the time to keep us from worrying about you… So, I can't believe what you say anymore."
"That's a false accusation, you know."
Kaiser closed his eyes and smiled.
Despite his feelings for Charlotte, her words still struck a nerve.
"I said I'm fine—"
"Let me tell you this first!"
Charlotte interrupted him, looking away for a moment before turning her eyes back to him.
"I might not have said this to you or anyone else before, but I'll say it now… Kaiser, you're a very dear friend to me."
She raised her finger and pointed at him.
"And you need to understand that your pain is my pain too, so stop hiding the truth with your bad lies."
"You should stop thinking that way."
Kaiser interrupted Charlotte's heartfelt words with a cold tone.
"Huh?"
Charlotte lifted her head from her arms, frowning.
"Why? Is it wrong to care about you?"
"It's not entirely wrong, but…"
Kaiser waved his hand dismissively, trying to explain.
"It's just that the way you say things makes people misunderstand you."
"Misunderstand me? Why would they?"
Charlotte grabbed Kaiser's hand, still in the air, and held it between hers, squeezing tightly.
"What did I say wrong? You're my friend, so what I said moments ago is true!"
Charlotte tightened her grip on his hand as if hoping physical contact would stop him from contradicting her.
To her, Kaiser was a true friend despite how annoying he could be, as he was always there when she needed him.
"You…"
Kaiser stopped mid-sentence, staring into Charlotte's eyes with an unreadable expression, as though he was both studying her and looking through her.
After a moment of silence, he sighed and smiled.
"You're right. I was wrong, I apologize."
He said, pulling his hand away from hers.
"Now stop holding back your tears and eat your ice cream before it melts."
Charlotte pouted in response to Kaiser's teasing, wiping the unshed tears from her eyes.
"It's October; the ice cream won't melt that fast."
"Alright, alright. Just eat it before the nurse confiscates it all."
"Do they really do that?"
Charlotte's eyes widened, and she quickly opened the grocery bag, pulling out all the containers and starting to open them at once.
Kaiser watched her bold move and smirked.
"You're greedy."
"I'm not! I'm just following my plan to eat it all before it gets confiscated. Get it?"
"That's a long name for a greedy girl's plan."
"It's not nice to keep calling me greedy."
Charlotte scooped a spoonful of chocolate ice cream and savored the flavor; she had always been addicted to it since she was born on this planet.
"Alright, I won't call you greedy anymore. Happy?"
Charlotte cleared her throat before replying,
"Very happy."
"Good. Now tell me, how did you end up here with your obnoxious neighbor?"
"He knocked on my door, carried me, and brought me here. Look at this."
Charlotte put down her spoon briefly to open her coat, revealing her outfit.
"I'm still in my pajamas."
Kaiser narrowed his eyes and asked calmly,
"Did he force you to come here?"
"You could say that. Honestly, I don't know what's up with Leonid today. He carried me from home to the hospital, talked a lot with me, and even—"
Charlotte stopped mid-sentence, her cheeks flushing.
"Even what? What did that obnoxious guy do to you?"
Despite cursing Leonid inwardly, Kaiser continued calling him obnoxious out loud.
"Forget what I said, can you please do that?"
Charlotte asked softly, looking at Kaiser with pleading eyes as her cheeks remained flushed.
From watching her alone, Kaiser knew Leonid had done something bold.
"No."
Kaiser replied darkly, crossing his arms.
"I won't forget. So tell me what happened, or I'll go deal with your obnoxious neighbor myself."
"You're not serious, are you?!"
"Very serious. So, will you tell me, or should I leave now?"
"Kaiser, please!"
"No room for pleading."
"Fine, I'll tell you! But promise me first that you won't get mad."
Kaiser studied Charlotte's expression, sighed, and said,
"I promise."
"Alright, regarding what happened between Leonid and me, it can be summarized in a few words... I think."
Charlotte took a deep breath before saying anything under Kaiser's angry gaze.
"I confessed to Charlotte Smith today and made her my girl."
Gasps spread among the team, with only Commander Kozlov remaining silent and expressionless.
"You did what?"
"I confessed to Charlotte Smith that I love her,"
Leonid repeated coldly in response to Alia's question. She widened her eyes and glanced around in disbelief once again.
"Before jumping to the misunderstanding that seems obvious to you, let me explain the reasons that led me to this point in a few words."
"Go ahead and explain your reasons before this obvious misunderstanding worsens."
Kozlov crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair.
"Everyone is listening, Leonid."
"Alright."
Leonid suppressed the urge to scowl under his father's gaze and added,
"This morning, I wanted Charlotte Smith to take care of the husky puppy as usual every day, but I ended up taking care of her instead because she was suffering from a fever, delirium, and some other symptoms."
Leonid continued explaining while meeting everyone's eyes except for Dmitri's.
"On our way to the hospital, Charlotte Smith was delirious most of the time, complaining about the light and loud noises. When we reached the hospital gate, she whispered to me, 'the smell of blood,' and then said nothing after that."
"'The smell of blood?'"
Vasili furrowed his brows and pondered before saying,
"I can't make sense of this. Why would she be delirious about something so specific?"
"I also didn't know why she was saying such things, but everything changed after we talked, or rather, after questioning her. Charlotte Smith revealed some key points to me."
Leonid raised his hand, lifting one finger.
"First, Charlotte Smith hasn't seen the victim in a while. She also smiled every time the victim's name was mentioned, which means she knows nothing about the victim's death at the hands of a serial killer."
He continued enumerating, lifting a finger for each point.
"Second, Charlotte doesn't remember anything from last night, which made me suspect she had been drugged while she was at the club with her friends."
"Are you suggesting she was drugged while enjoying herself at the club? Couldn't it simply be because she drank too much alcohol? Some people have trouble remembering after just one drink."
Vladimir raised an eyebrow as he questioned, pointing out that Charlotte might have been drinking excessively.
Leonid nodded and replied,
"Initially, I thought the same as you, Deputy Commander that it was due to excessive drinking. But considering Charlotte Smith's memory and her tolerance for alcohol, it seems strange that she would forget."
Leonid paused for a moment, then added.
"Moreover, Charlotte Smith finds it odd that she forgot so much, as she usually has a strong memory. This suggests she was manipulated, either through drugs as mentioned or through physical interference that caused her memory loss."
"Leonid, you're talking too much."
Kozlov remained silent for a few moments before speaking calmly.
"And you also believe that Charlotte Smith is the killer's next victim."
Everyone fell silent, waiting for Leonid to answer Commander Kozlov.
"That's correct. I usually don't talk much, and you're also right."
Leonid leaned forward on the table, resting on his hands, and stared at his father, saying,
"I believe she's the killer's next victim, not an accomplice."
"And that's why you confessed your love to her, to act as her shield in secret."
Upon hearing his father's words, Leonid remained quiet with a serious expression. He nodded and replied calmly,
"Yes."
He paused for a moment and added,
"My confession to her today is merely a hidden motive to protect her. I hope Charlotte Smith understands this later because once we catch the killer and put them behind bars, we will go our separate ways."
"You don't need to take this approach."
"But I do. Charlotte Smith is naive to the core. To ensure her safety, I need to place constraints on her so she can't refuse my word."
"That's not like you."
"You're right; it's not like me to resort to these methods, but it's the only option I have."
Leonid answered in the same dry tone, clearly fed up with his father's many questions.
"Any other questions? I can explain more if anyone didn't understand my point."
Everyone remained silent, and then Vladimir stood to start explaining the latest findings from Dmitri's autopsy.
Meanwhile, Leonid sat on a chair, still avoiding looking at Dmitri, who was sitting beside him with a smug smile.
"And that's everything that happened between us..."
"Are you serious? He lay next to you, confessed to you with such cheesy words, and didn't stop there. He even told you he's a man who loves physical contact. He's a pervert, Charlotte. Can't you see that clearly?"
Charlotte's eyes widened, and while she wanted to agree with half of Kaiser's words, she shook her head and refused.
"Leonid is not a pervert. He's just… fond of me."
Charlotte hid her blushing cheeks with her hands and added,
"As you know, I think I have an irresistible charm that men can't overlook. That's why he can't bear a platonic relationship."
Kaiser narrowed his eyes and stared at Charlotte in disgust.
"You're more foolish than I thought."
"Don't say such things, please!"
Kaiser sighed and got up from the bed, casting a scowling glance at Charlotte before saying coldly,
"Later, don't come crying to me in regret, alright?"
"Why would I do that? Leonid is a gentleman."
"He's brainwashed you too."
Kaiser sneered and walked toward the door.
"This won't stop here. Tomorrow, we'll talk more."
"Kaiser, please!"
"Shh, I don't want more headaches. I'm leaving now. See you tomorrow at your apartment."
"Hmph."
Charlotte puffed her cheeks and looked away from Kaiser's back as he left without waving.
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง