Chapter 56: The Heretic
The silence was deafening.
It felt like an eternity had passed since Lucien had left them stranded again, and this time Nuri didn't know what he could possibly say to Alina. She must have noticed by now, there was no way she hadn't realized that something was wrong with Lucien.
“Nuri, tell me the truth.” Alina stepped in front of him and looked him straight in the eyes. “That... Lucien. He’s... you've probably guessed it. He's not as simple as he looks.”
“Don't beat around the bush. Are you going to tell me or not?” Alina raised her fist.
It looked like she was actually going to hit him.
Wait. She really was going to hit him!
“He's the Heretic!” Nuri shouted at the top of his lungs.
At this point, even Lucien had probably heard him. Oh, he seriously wanted to cry. This wasn't fair.
“The what?!” This time, Alina shouted even louder, making Nuri feel as though his eardrums were about to burst. “You've been following around someone that dangerous?!” she shrieked.
“No! You said that you wanted us to become friends!”
“That's not what I meant! Shit... how many people know about this?” Alina covered her face with her hands.
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“Except for Captain Caelan, nobody else.”
“The captain knows?! How is he just letting this happen?”
“I don't know! I kid you not, I think those two have something going on. It's actually pretty bad once you realize how much Caelan has helped Lucien.”
“Does that mean they're in cahoots?”
“No. I'm pretty sure they have beef going on.”
“Then why—” Alina stopped herself. “You know what? I'm not even going to ask.”
Silence fell between them again. It was really hard to process the fact that her kind and shy brother had somehow gotten himself involved in something like this.
“Is there any way to get you out of this?” she asked again, desperately hoping for a positive answer.
“Not in this lifetime.”
“...”
Just great. Alina really wanted to get out of here right now. This was crazy.
Yes, she knew there was a solution, but there was no need to focus on that right now. They needed to get out of this place first before they could worry about anything else.
“So he said he came here to treat the young master, but he's lying. I really don't think he came here to treat someone. Not to mention, I don't even think he's a licensed doctor.” Alina looked at Nuri, waiting for him to confirm her theory.
“I agree. There's no way he actually came here as a doctor.” Nuri paused. “But I do think he came here for a young master. From what I know about that man, he doesn't completely lie. He always mixes the truth in with his lies.”
“So this young master might be the key?”
“I'd think so.”
"But Talia doesn't seem like the type to have a child hidden away." Alina looked genuinely amazed.
“Well, it's not like her looks determine her age.”
“That's true...” Alina fell silent for a moment. “That thing somehow still felt like a human. I don't understand how that's possible. I'm sure it was a monster, but I feel like I'm missing something.”
Nuri looked toward the window. The rain was still pouring outside. “How about we find this young master?”
“Well, there's no way he would be here.”
Nuri thought for a moment. “I'm sure there's a third floor.”
“You think?”
Nuri nodded.
It was decided. Somehow, they had to reach the third floor of the mansion. Only then could they uncover the truth about this place.