Chapter 31
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Kayan opened the door and nodded to Ihedia.
Ihedia followed Kayan's lead and moved into the room with the corpse.
The stench of decomposition hit her as soon as she stepped inside.
The odor was so strong that it was useless to leave the door open.
"The Inau powder used to preserve the corpse in its original state must be mixed with the juice of a herb called renzal to make the effect last longer. Inau alone is only good for a few days."
Ihedia advised Kayan, holding her breath as best she could.
She lowered her stance and examined the corpse more closely.
Her gaze began at the crown of the head.
It swept across the wrinkled forehead, briefly touching the corners of the eyes and the bridge of the nose, before lingering on the sunken cheeks, and the angular jawline.
She then carefully observed the nape of the neck, shoulders, and collarbone.
So far, nothing suspicious.
It wasn't until a little later that her gaze traveled down to the navel.
There was a trace of blood pooling there, albeit a small amount.
It was blurry enough that she could have easily missed it.
Obviously, it wasn't a stab wound or a scratch from something traumatic.
It was a poisoned needle mark.
She speculated that this was the ultimate cause of this man's death.
"Was he coughing up blood when you found him?"
Ihedia asked, turning to Kayan.
"No. He had no such symptoms."
She was convinced by Kayan's answer.
If the victim didn't cough up blood at the moment of death, the blackened skin and red spots were deceptive.
After organizing her thoughts, Ihedia used a calm tone to inform Kayan of her conclusion.
"The poisoner deliberately used several different types of poison to avoid detection, to make the cause of death appear to be something else. I don't think it was from snakes, fish, or poisonous herbs, which are readily available to traders, and for which antidotes are also common. I think he used a very potent poison, one that would kill instantly with a single drop, to prevent any chance of this man surviving."
Ihedia gestured to the corpse's navel.
"It's the mark of a poisoned needle. Rarely would someone go to the trouble of sticking a poisoned needle into the navel like this. It's something you could easily overlook. It was probably a ploy to confuse the investigation."
Kayan's eyes sharpened for a moment at Ihedia's unexpected answer.
"Then what kind of poison did they use?"
That was as far as Ihedia could tell.
But Kayan was having none of it.
"It's hard for me to know exactly."
Kayan glared at Ihedia.
No matter how well versed in medicine one was, it was impossible to determine the source of every poison from a glance.
In fact, he hadn't expected Ihedia to go into such detail, so he was somewhat surprised.
Now, the information she had given him had been a great help.
But for some reason, Kayan didn't want to end the conversation this way.
"So you should die, then?"
"......?"
"You're going to pay for your life with this much information?"
Kayan asked, raising an eyebrow like a rascal who just discovered a new toy.
Ihedia unconsciously pushed the dry needle to the back of her throat.
"In any case, the information I just gave you will narrow the investigation considerably, and I think I've given you enough to be useful."
Ihedia's head snapped up rather stubbornly as she tried to hide her anxiety.
Kayan could only snort at the woman's smug demeanor.
"By the way."
"..."
"We savages aren't exactly gentlemen. I don't see why I should keep a promise to a slave."
"....."
"You've told me everything you know, so now you're in a position where I wouldn't be sorry if I killed you, would it?"
This barbarian.
Ihedia's fists clenched momentarily.
Kayan, not missing the small gesture, stepped in front of Ihedia.
He ran his fingers through Ihedia's hair and muttered.
"I'll let you off the hook, though, since we have a skin-to-skin bond.”
"..."
"Hmph, no, we can't let a witness live."
Ihedia, realizing that Kayan was now toying with her, let out a ha, and turned her head away.
"You're so cheeky on the subject of slaves."
Kayan's voice held a knowing smirk.
Ihedia opened her mouth, unwilling to play along with his puns any longer.
"Perhaps you'll find me more helpful in the future when you investigate what that poison is."
“You have a knack for making grandiose requests for your life. Well, fine, we'll see how useful you are in the future."
With that, Kayan left the hut, leaving behind a note that he would not take her life at Ihedia's behest.
His steps seemed somehow lighter.
‘I wonder if he never had the heart to kill me in the first place.’
The thought occurred to her in retrospect, for she knew the look on Kayan's face when he was about to kill someone.
At first, she'd panicked, but from the moment she'd been discovered here, she hadn't felt any life in him.
He stopped walking and turned to look back at her.
"Don't forget, you owe me another life. I'm more calculating than I look."
He chuckled and turned away again.
It occurred to her that maybe, just maybe, Kayan wasn't as cruel as he was rumored to be.
Ihedia watched Kayan's retreating back for a moment in silence.
When he was gone, she turned to return to the mansion.
Her destination was not the main house.
Ihedia went to the stables, carrying a pouch full of berries from the forest.
Free from the prying eyes of others, she could go to see Aurora whenever she wanted.
When she reached the entrance to the stables, she heard two familiar voices in quick succession.
"Lord Doa, you've come again today."
"Well, it's just to check on the horses......."
"He's an old, sick horse, but he's very sweet. I think Lord Doa is not like the other Anut warriors."
"Well, is that so? Haha, this is embarrassing."
Doa and Aurora were talking.
Aurora spotted Ihedia and smiled like a flower in full bloom.
"Sister, what brings you out here at this hour?"
"Good morning, Princess."
Two people spoke to Ihedia almost simultaneously.
"I didn't realize you two knew each other."
"We haven't known each other for very long. Oh, by the way, you mentioned that there was someone else who saved your life the other day, and I just heard that it was Lord Doa."
Doa blushed and stiffened at Aurora's comment.
"I, uh, I didn't do much......."
What's so embarrassing about it, Doa stammered, his voice uncharacteristically low.
"Sister, I think he’s different from the other Anut warriors, you feel that way too, don't you?"
At Aurora's compliment, Doa's face looked as if it was about to explode.
Ihedia nodded lightly, a faint smile on her face.
"Well, I'll be off then." (Doa)
"Oh, really, already? You haven't even seen the horse yet."
"Well, I can come back to see it later."
Doa turned on his heel and headed for the door, looking somewhat unnatural.
Ihedia gave a small snort of laughter as she realized that Doa's gaze was lingering on Aurora for the last time.
"Sister, why are you laughing all of a sudden?"
"No, nothing. You and Doa seem to have gotten along quite well."
"He comes here so often to see that sick horse, I didn't even realize he was an Anutt warrior at first."
Aurora said, pointing to Doa's horse in the corner.
"He kept stuttering and couldn't make eye contact, so I honestly thought he was some kind of a lame duck, but then I realized he was that fearsome black wolf. Didn't they have anyone else to choose from.... Anyway, he saved my life, so I'm not going to hold it against him."
Ihedia swallowed the laughter that threatened to burst out at Aurora's sour assessment.
Aurora glanced at what Ihedia was holding and continued.
"But what is this?"
"Oh, take this."
Ihedia held out the pouch of fruit to her, realizing in hindsight the reason for her visit to the stables.
Aurora's face, as white as the full moon, lit up when she saw what was inside.
"Wow, where did you get this precious thing? I heard Netira was so fond of you these days, you've really come into your own! I'm glad I got to know you better."
Aurora popped one of the berries into her mouth with great delight.
"I'll come back for them often."
Aurora popped another berry into her mouth, excitedly munching away.
"Oh, by the way. Sister, did you hear the news?"
"What?"
"They brought in a new slave today. I think she's going to be number three."
"Does that mean she'll be sharing a room with us now?"
"I suppose so, and hopefully she's less cranky than the old 3. She's new, so I'm guessing she'll be assigned to the stables, but you have to get along pretty well to work with her. I used to have so much fun working with you!"
Aurora's mouth was busy munching on the berries and wondering about her new coworker for the day.
As Ihedia listened to her story, she too was a little curious about the new three she would meet tonight.
***
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