Atonement, About it's Cruelty - Chapter 28
“Do you know what this is?”
Seo-ah blinked in confusion and shook her head.
“No…”
The man, who was examining something, leaned closer and whispered again.
“Shall we have a little chat?”
* * *
Throughout the early morning, real-time updates came from the wolf planted in the Felpe Bank.
The identification document the woman presented was presumed to have been issued by a small Eastern country called ‘Dan Country,’ and currently, the only nation in Norfolk that had diplomatic relations with Dan Country was Herod.
The capital of Herod had a Dan Country embassy, so King Felpe instructed that the woman’s identification be sent to Herod’s capital, Herolington, for verification.
From Felpe to Herod, and then verification, and back to Felpe.
“That will take at least three months.”
Simon nodded at Oscar’s words.
Even if the verification was successful, there were still further procedures. The process would include an investigation into the acquisition of the key and public announcements in major national newspapers before the vault could be opened.
“If all procedures are followed now, it is expected that opening the vault could take anywhere from six months to a maximum of two years.”
“Two years is too long. Is there a way to reduce it to the minimum?”
“There is one solution, provided it does not violate the Felpe Banking Act.”
When Oscar looked at him, signaling him to speak, Simon quickly opened his mouth.
“The solution is to marry the woman to a man whose identity is clear. The reason for the estimated six months to two years is that, in the worst-case scenario, there is a possibility that the woman’s identification might need to be sent back to her home country for confirmation. The only way to reduce this risk is to marry the woman to a man here to clarify her identity.”
“…….”
“Of course, even with that, it would be difficult to dramatically reduce the minimum time of six months, but the maximum time should not exceed one year. Furthermore, since inheritance is possible between spouses, the vault can be opened without the woman being present.”
“And the risk?”
“The current risk is the woman herself. We do not know her tendencies or background, so we cannot predict how she will react to the marriage, the extent to which coercion might be effective, and so on. It could be problematic if it becomes known during the Felpe Bank’s face-to-face assessment that the marriage was forced.”
“So, it’s a difference between six months to two years or six months to one year, then.”
“Yes.”
Oscar looked down at the key. The passage of time felt longer when faced with choices; a year seemed significant. However, there was no need to rush now that the key was in hand. Did he expect to have the key today?
Oscar stood by the window, watching as the black darkness mixed with a faint light. As the persistent darkness blended with the gentle light, the contours of the world began to reveal themselves.
Some might call this time the dawn of light, others the enchanting blue hour. How fortunate are those who can describe it that way?
For Oscar, this time was the hour of dogs and wolves. A time of ambiguity, where one could not discern whether the approaching entity was a foe or an ally.
Indeed, was it only this time? Even himself, isn’t he ambiguous in his role? Whether a person or a wolf?
Even now.
How to deal with the woman? Should he scare her into willingly surrendering the vault, or should he coax her gently to use her as needed?
Oscar paused his thoughts there. As Simon had said, it was not too late to make a decision after getting to know the woman a bit more.
And then, three or four hours later.
Oscar, facing the newly awakened woman, found himself unable to suppress a laugh that bubbled up from deep within him.
She was, just as he first felt, white and small, an odd woman.
Her clear face, which seemed almost too delicate to bear even the faintest sunlight, felt vaguely like a smudged pencil mark. Indistinct yet somehow striking.
The only clear feature from her face, which seemed forgettable, was her brown eyes, which looked as if they were still filled with water. Even that appeared to be frightened, and it seemed as though it would never come back up from the floor.
Of course.
No place to hide, no old coat that might have seemed like a home, and no knowledge of where this place was.
“Don’t just stand there. Look at me.”
Despite his polite tone and gentle manner, the woman’s hesitant gaze stopped at a level just below the horizontal line. The inclination to ask her to lift her head further was an almost impulsive action.
“……!”
As their eyes met abruptly, her round, transparent eyes widened. For a moment, his reflection seemed to shimmer in her eyes, and the woman, startled, quickly lowered her head.
A smile escaped.
She’s frightened even though he hasn’t done anything yet.
After the initial impression of her being white and small, the next feeling was that she seemed ‘easy.’
The woman’s fearful gaze lingered momentarily on his cloak.
“Do you know what this is?”
But the woman shook her head.
“No….”
Oscar checked the time and then gently whispered to her.
“Shall we have a little chat?”
If she had felt as though she were on the edge of a cliff before, now it felt like she was taking a step off the precipice. She needed to maintain her balance to avoid falling.
With a determined nod, Seo-ah replied.
“Yes.”
Oscar turned and retraced his steps, and the men standing like a curtain once again bowed their heads. As he walked, feeling almost as if he was treading on air, he glanced back.
What would it feel like to walk on the edge of a cliff that might collapse at any moment?
Following behind the man while crossing through the heavy gazes from both sides, a torrent of emotions poured down like a deluge.
The most vivid of these was fear. Though she feared the man before him might be the wolf he had been waiting for, the uncertainty only intensified the fear.
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