Atonement, About it's Cruelty - Chapter 29
He guided her to a room that looked like a place for receiving guests.
“Please, make yourself comfortable.”
As she settled into the seat closest to the door, it was shut behind her. Meanwhile, the man who had walked over to the window asked,
“Do you have a preference? We have coffee, tea, and some light sodas.”
Of the options—coffee, tea, and soda—the only one she was somewhat familiar with was tea, though she wasn’t sure if it was the same kind she knew.
“Um… anything is fine.”
She felt the man, who was holding a cup from the cart of drinks, glance back at her.
“In that case, let’s go with the soda. It’s the best option.”
As she looked up slightly, she saw the man putting ice into a transparent glass. He filled two slender glasses with ice and then poured a pale green beverage to a certain level.
Approaching her as casually as if offering a drink to a friend, he handed her one of the glasses. Seo-ah instinctively stood up and took the glass with both hands. An amused, polite laugh seemed to drift above her.
“Have a seat.”
As she carefully sat down, he took the seat opposite her. The cold drink inside the delicate, transparent glass sparkled in the light. Seo-ah kept her eyes on the rim of the glass as she lowered and then lifted her head.
“… Thank you for saving me.”
“Do you remember?”
“Only up to the point where you were at the door…”
“Ah, up to there?”
“…….”
“Does your tongue hurt?”
Now that he mentioned it, her left tongue was sore. What might have happened while she was unaware?
“What’s your name?”
The thread of her thoughts was abruptly cut off. Seo-ah hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“My name is Seo-ah.”
“Seo-ah?”
“Yes.”
“Seo-ah.”
He pronounced her name again, as if savoring it. It wasn’t a difficult pronunciation for Norfolk people, but he seemed particularly good at it. Even the intonation sounded natural.
As she glanced up, she saw the man, who was sitting with a relaxed posture, drinking his beverage.
When he turned his head forward, Seo-ah cautiously spoke up.
“May I ask your name?”
Her careful approach made his response seem surprisingly easy.
“Oscar.”
“…….”
“Oscar von Reinhardt.”
It was a name that sounded impressive, fitting for the man before her.
But what momentarily seized Seo-ah’s attention was the name that followed.
Reinhardt.
The moment she heard the smooth yet intense-sounding name, a deep breath escaped her. It was as if the food she had eaten in just a few meals had instantly dissolved into her veins, a tingling sensation spreading from her heart to her entire body in an instant.
It was a relief.
The master’s prediction that a wolf would come for her was accurate. She hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly, though.
Meanwhile, Oscar stood still, observing the woman named Seo-ah.
She came from a small, unheard-of country called Dan Country. Her appearance was almost funny, and she seemed scared and helpless, but her basic attitude was resolute. The straight shoulders and back, and neatly arranged hands his mother always emphasized, seemed to describe her attitude perfectly. With a slender body that looked as if it might break from a gust of wind, she seemed almost too perfect to be shown to his mother.
Moreover, her exposed skin looked so delicate that it seemed like it would bleed from a mere scratch. Her tiny fingertips were the same, indicating she had never done hard labor.
A woman full of contradictions.
Oscar leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Then, he seized her gaze, which had never met his, as if taking it by force. Just before her brown, water-like eyes could escape again, he spoke suddenly.
“You thanked me for saving you.”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’d like to receive something in return for saving you.”
“……”
Her already pale face seemed to whiten further. The more she paled, the more Oscar softened his demeanor.
“It’s nothing major. I just want to ask you a few questions, and I’d like you to answer honestly.”
She bit her trembling lip and nodded.
“You came from far away, from Dan Country. With a key to the vault of the Felpe Bank.”
“……”
A silence filled with hidden intentions lingered between them. Oscar, like a wolf slowly approaching its prey, waited quietly before asking,
“How did you come by that key, and how did you get here?”
The question was important to both Oscar and Seo-ah.
For Seo-ah, it was even more so.
Go straight to the Royal Felpe Bank. Obtain a key acquisition certificate. Verify that the person who came to her is Reinhardt.
If she followed this correctly, the next question will likely be:
“How did you acquire the key, and why did you come all this way?”
She couldn’t admit that she was trying to find her biological father, whose face and name she doesn’t even know, by becoming bait herself. She also couldn’t say that she came to seek revenge with his help and to take her grandfather away.
So what should she do to ensure that he takes her away completely? How can she make him see her as someone he can use without any risk? How can she make him see her as a disposable tool?
“Money…”
“Money?”
Oscar asked with a smile, tilting his head. I nodded.
“I need a lot of money…”
She had to come across as very simple and unassuming. She needed to avoid suspicion.
“Oh, you need money?”
He asked gently again, and Seo-ah answered, gripping her hands tightly on her lap.
“Yes.”
Through her limited field of vision, she saw his beautifully curved, blue eyes. Perhaps due to his early involvement in the business world, Oscar had developed a habit of observing people closely. This attention to detail included their voice, eye movements, gestures, walking style, and even how they entered a room.
Oscar was sitting leisurely across from Seo-ah, already on his second drink, while Seo-ah had barely taken a few sips. It seemed that his constant gaze was making her uncomfortable.
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