Beast in the Woods, Deep in the Night - Chapter 43.2

Chapter 43.2

***

Christine smiled at the children and entered the house where she was staying. The moment the door closed, her eyes shone sharply.

‘I don’t think there’s any sign of someone breaking in while I was unconscious.’

But it was too early to feel reassured just because there were no traces left. This was, after all, the Black Fang Guild, with people who had senses and powers far superior to humans. There were a lot of talented people who could break in, search through her belongings, and return everything to its original position.

Still feeling uneasy, Christine checked the closet. As she reached inward, she touched a small box. She took it out and opened it straight away.

‘The pouch is still here…’

She opened it and checked the contents. Inside, the chimera’s tears she had been gathering for so long were emitting a subtle glow. It didn’t seem that the quantity had decreased, or the pouch itself had been damaged.

But that didn’t mean she could be relieved.

Christine let out a long sigh and cleared her complicated mind.

Even if she couldn’t figure out why Edgar was helping her, it didn’t change the fact that he had caught her hiding in the archives.

‘He’s pretending not to know for some reason, but there’s no guarantee that it will continue to be like this in the future.’

Was there anything more unsettling than having your fate depend on someone else’s mood? The thought that her future would be uncertain if his mood were to change made her feel even more nervous.

Her mind became even more complicated because she didn’t know what he was thinking and why he had chosen to observe her instead of punishing her immediately.

Besides, her life wasn’t the only thing at risk if she did something wrong.

‘If Edgar decides to change his mind and punish me, I won’t be able to return to the Golden Horseshoe Guild on time.’

It was clear that Duff would retaliate not only against her mother but also against Uncle Allen for buying her time.

Feeling the blood drain from her body, she ripped off the velvet fabric covering the box that contained the pouch. Inside was the train ticket she had bought in advance to use on her way back.

The date was about a week from now. It was time to figure out how to get out of the black forest and get on this train safely.

‘I’ll be suspected and chased if I run away as soon as I’m caught hiding in a restricted place… It’s best to stay here for at least a few more days and wait for a chance to leave.’

She couldn’t hide and gather information somewhere during that time, but she thought it would be better to collect more chimera’s tears if possible.

It seemed that the reason she had collapsed earlier than the cycle she had calculated was that the chimera’s tears she had collected so far were insufficient. Perhaps each tear was too small to exert as much strength as Duff’s necklace had.

Christine sighed as she wondered why she had collapsed earlier than expected and ruined things.

‘I have to collect the chimera’s tears while deceiving others.’

As an elite guild member, she was confident in her deception skills. But… even she wasn’t sure if she could avoid Edgar Richard’s eyes. After all, she had already been caught by him acting suspiciously.

Even if she could deceive Edgar, Christine was no longer willing to collect the jewels.

“Miss Christine… collapsed?”

“Did you take medicine? Are you very sick?”

“Did you hit your head when you fell?”

“How long have you been sick?”

She felt sad about being born with a curse that made her steal the power of the children who worried so much about her.

What would their faces look like if they found out she had been gathering jewels that contained the power of chimeras?

She had been doing a lot of work to prolong her and her mother’s lives, but she had never felt this heartbroken.

‘The children must never know the truth. I feel so sorry…’

Christine sat on the bed, tightly holding the fabric pouch containing the jewels she had preciously collected. Her upper body was so weak that she ended up lying face down.

Everything felt overwhelming today. Her and her mother’s curse, as well as everything she had to do because of that.

***

Meanwhile, Edgar spent his time in the office as usual, because he had several matters to review and approve.

As he was reviewing the documents in a relaxed manner, he noticed that someone had arrived at the door.

“Is that you, Isaac?”

“Yes. Can I come in for a moment?”

“That’s unusual.”

“…”

Isaac felt a sting. Edgar, with his uniquely developed senses, seemed to have noticed that he was standing in front of the door.

The original plan was to knock politely, stand in front of him, recite the matters that could have been reported in writing, and naturally start a conversation. But it seemed his plan was doomed.

‘But this matter is a little…’

In the end, Isaac bit his lip as he stood in front of Edgar and spoke.

“I have something to tell you. Actually, when I searched Miss Christine’s room as you ordered, I found a train ticket.”