Elin-14

One week later, in the darkness of the night, Elin lay on his back on the grass, his limbs spread out. Blades of grass stood upright between his fingers, their sharp, dark green edges scraping against the skin on the inside of his index and middle fingers. A small black shadow flew past his eyes, and he swung his right hand but caught nothing. The soles of his feet felt cold. A gust of cold wind carried a faintly bloody scent to his nose. Perhaps a wild beast was enjoying its dinner nearby, he thought; poor, low-intelligence quadrupeds, they didn't need moonlight to distinguish which parts of their prey were edible, they just needed to swallow it whole. This was the proof of human wisdom: we cared about what our meals looked like. We cared about the appearance of everything, from women's clothes to carriage wheels, chimney colors, doorframe patterns, and coffin designs. They said animals would be scared to death if they saw bones of their kind; even if this were true, I've never seen a sheep shiver in fright because it saw its fellow sheared. Humans are slaves to sight. Does this mean I'm freer than most people?

"Elin," Niaes walked up to him and said.

Elin rolled over and sat up. "Watch out, Niaes. Take one more step forward and you'll step on my nose."

"What are you doing?"

"Resting. Occasionally lying like this reminds me of my childhood days on the ranch. They say a person, when facing death, will flash through his life in front of his eyes. So I figure if I reminisce about my boring childhood more often, I can skip that step when I'm dying and have more time to review more interesting things."

"Like?"

"Like? Women, wine, card games. What else? My, how simple-minded I am."

"I think you're very lucky to find someone willing to settle down with you."

Niaes sat down opposite him. She turned her head to look at the gently rising slope to the west, leading to the planned exchange location.

"Did you say all that because you think you're going to die?" she said. "Tomorrow, everything will probably be settled there."

"No, of course not. Just a coincidence."

"As you wish."

"Have your men understood what they need to do?"

"They'll do their duty." After a pause, she continued. "Thank you for securing this opportunity for us."

"Negotiating with Prince Galin can indeed be frustrating. Everything depends on what you do tomorrow."

Elin persuaded Galin to allow Niaes's army to carry out ambushes and ensure security, mainly because they were familiar with the terrain and could effectively prevent the enemy from detecting or escaping in advance. If the plan succeeded, it would ease the tension between Galin and the refugee valley army. Galin couldn't continue to distract attention with the charge of treason forever, nor could he bear the consequences of truly losing this army.

"I've told the soldiers to protect both Prince Galin and Detective Elin with the same vigilance. We can't afford to lose either of them."

"Basically, if they protect me, then Galin shouldn't have any problems either. After all, I'm the one who will be facing Tusha."

"I don't think Tusha will lay a hand on anyone, whether it's you or the prince."

"Tell me your thoughts."

"The risk is too great. Since the tribe's research depends on Tusha, he must stay alive no matter what. It's not worth sacrificing him for Lawrence."

"That's reasonable. I hope to understand his mindset this time."

"Of course, if he makes any aggressive moves, I'll immediately order the ambushers to shoot arrows."

"Just make sure they don't aim at me. By the way, what about that sword?"

"I'll keep it in the drawer. What else can I do with it?"

"No, not that one. I meant the short sword."

"Oh. I just put it away in a drawer. What else could I do with it?"

"Have you considered going back to see him? Of course, I mean after all this is over."

Niaes inadvertently snapped off a blade of grass. The grass leaf, moist with earthy moisture, stuck to her palm.

"What did you say just now? If you think more about unhappy things... when you're dying, you'll only have happy memories left or something like that."

"Not my exact words, but you summarized it well."

"I guess I don't need to spend extra time remembering things that don't make me happy. They happen every day. Maybe since every day since I joined the army."

"It depends on how you look at it. I can assure you that being a MI7 agent isn't the happiest job in the world."

"But I think if I have happy memories before I die, it's probably from a period of time before I left home."

"How was that period?"

"At sixteen, I met someone. His name was Swan, he was a subordinate of my father's."

"Let me guess, you fell in love with him."

"Yes, I suppose I could only fall for him. I've never met anyone as passionate and optimistic as Swan. After being together for three months, he asked my father to marry me. Father was furious... I mean, he was ready to tear the house down along with the vegetable garden. I couldn't understand why. Because of disappointment and ignorance, all I could think of was revenge against my father. I stayed out all night, causing trouble everywhere. In the end, Swan convinced me to calm down. He said the reason my father refused the marriage must be because he hadn't truly established his military merit, not worthy of my father's reputation. He also said the Naval Guard would soon have a very important operation, and he would seize this opportunity to gain glory, then propose to me again. That was Swan's plan."

Elin nodded, recalling Niaes's father's reasons for leaving his position.

"Since he said that, there was nothing else for me to do... just wait at home. After some time, I heard my father was in military court. Later, I heard it was because he accidentally killed Swan during an operation. They didn't sentence him, just discharged him and sent him home. The moment he stepped into the house, I used a stick to hit him on the head. I cursed him for being evil, heartless, doing everything to prevent my happiness... but he just denied it. He said it was an accident. He never intended to harm Swan."

"Do you believe him?"

"I don't know. I don't want to believe. Perhaps to deepen his guilt, I told him I was pregnant with Swan's child. It was a lie, even though I wished it had really happened. He just sat at the dinner table, unmoving, enduring my constant yelling and cursing. The less he defended himself, the more I believed he had indeed done it intentionally. I just wanted to hear him admit it... maybe like interrogating a prisoner, wanting him to confess. The difference is I had no evidence, no witnesses. I just tormented, cursed him with the harshest language I could think of. But until my throat went hoarse, he didn't react. I thought, this isn't enough. I need to find a more effective way to make him confess his guilt. So, I..."

Niaes paused for a moment. "I don't know how I came up with this idea." She rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. When she lowered her hands and opened her eyes, she shook her head and shoulders gently as if dispelling a chill.

"I left for seven days, wearing clothes borrowed from a friend... clothes I wouldn't normally wear. Father asked where I had been, and I said a merchant bought me. I told my father, the thing you fear most has finally happened. You raised her to train in swordsmanship, hoping she would excel, become a daughter who serves the country, but in the end, she became a person who sells her body for a living—just like her mother who died early. All because you murdered her beloved, ruined her lifelong happiness, left her with no way out. This time, my father finally reacted... but far from what I imagined. He picked up a knife, saying he would chop off my head, then kicked me out of the house. It was me, I drove him mad. I couldn't imagine how I could face him again."

"Elin." She looked at him. "When you pointed out who the real killer of Varokar was, and exposed my lie, I really hated you because it was so embarrassing for me. But then I started to think, if I had a MI7 agent at sixteen to tell me the truth, to find out if my father really intended to kill Swan, how good that would be. Not everyone needs the truth, but I believe the truth will try to help everyone. Although you can't help the sixteen-year-old me anymore, you can still help others. It's not worth letting you die here. I won't let it happen."

"Well... we've discussed this before. You promised to ensure the safety of both me and Galin. Saying that made me feel oddly honored, that my safety could be equated with a prince's safety. Besides, the work of an agent isn't always that noble, you idealize us too much. I also hope I can always just solve problems, not create them. Think positively, Niaes, like your Swan, be optimistic and positive. For example, I admit it's inconvenient for you to go home and see your father now, but in this situation, you can completely control your personal happiness, I mean, if you plan to pursue it... after all, there's still a long way to go. Next time you meet the man you want, no one will stop you."

"Maybe." After a moment of silence, Niaes continued. "I think you should go back now, Glocara must be waiting for you. You have a lot to say to her today."

"That's true. But I won't make it like a farewell speech."

Elin stood up, patting the mud off his buttocks and lower back.

"Aren't you going back to rest?" he said.

"I want to stay here for a while."

"Alright. I'm going then."