Viktor had his men stop upon hearing Aria's words. This was a delicate moment, and Krowo needed to win over Farshyans, who were willing to side with them publicly.The youth newspaper had been a thorn in the Krowonians' side. If certain issues were exposed internationally, their ongoing claims—that they had come to Farshya to improve the people's lives without coveting their land—would be called into question.Viktor made his way forward. "You misunderstand, beautiful lady. Krowo built schools for Farshyan kids there who couldn't afford to go to school. This girl looks so young, yet she's selling flowers here, so we wanted to send her to school. We don't speak the same language, so she is somewhat averse toward me."Aria hadn't met any politicians before, but she knew instantly that Viktor was insincere. He had a photographer with him, and that, together with their current location, gave Aria insight into his intentions."If we're in Krowo right now, and a young girl was suddenly p
Edmond took out a ten-dollar bill and handed it to Annie in front of the cameras. "This is from Mr. Regal. You should be grateful to him. Thanks to him, we have food to eat and water to drink now."Annie looked at the bill hungrily. Aria, knowing she was short on money, asked, "Do you want it?""I won't stop you if you take it," Aria added seriously, "But I need to tell you something. Sometimes, accepting someone else's money can cost you more than you think because you never know what they really want in return."Annie bit her lip. She wanted the money because her mother was sick, and her father needed money to pay for opium. But she remembered how her younger sister had been taken away by these very men. They had also given her father ten dollars, which he promptly spent at the opium den. Annie had waited and waited for him to return.No, she didn't want this money that was stained by evil deeds! She only wanted her sister back!"I don't want your dirty money!" Fear flashed in
The person was right, as events soon proved. The moment Aria and Annie departed, Viktor gave the soldier a look. With a cruel grin, the soldier followed after the two women.The youth paper crew, who had witnessed everything, were anxious. They hoped Aria had heeded their warning—the sooner she left, the better her chances of survival.Aria and Annie should be at the bank now, which meant that they were likely to reach the Peace Pavilion on time.No one knew that Aria wasn't in a haste to run away. Her bike was still parked at the side of the road. Aria made a turn into an alley and had Annie enter a modest diner by herself while she stood at the junction. The soldier had already loaded his gun. He already had plans to deal with the arrogant woman who had insulted his country. He would take his time to humiliate her and make sure that she regretted it.However, when he made his way into the alley, someone tightened their arms around his neck, and he heard a cracking sound. Aria
"A boy?" Annie paused, shaking her head before the memory clicked. "Oh, I remember now. It's a little boy, isn't he? But my sister didn't bring him over. She said he was chosen."Aria focused on the main point. "Chosen by what?""I'm not sure," Annie admitted, thinking back. "I think he was kidnapped as well, but no one searched for him or spent money to retrieve him."Annie was trying her best to explain everything to Aria. "They took a lot of kids, not just Bree—my sister. None of them have come back."Can you ask someone what's going on, Aria? You speak Krowonian so well, and they're nicer to people who speak the language.""They? The Krowonians?" Aria narrowed her eyes. Annie shook her head. "No, not the Krowonians. They never kidnap people. They'd just pull you over for a photo or two. They promised to send Bree back after taking her picture, so why isn't she back yet?"Annie's confusion was evident while Aria's mind raced through the history of this period. Suddenly, she
"We're here." Annie pushed open a narrow door, revealing a dark, gloomy lane. Inside, everyone sat in a numb silence. As Annie entered, a woman's voice rang out, "You're terrible! If you have this disease, you should move out of here. You'll rot away until you die!"Aria noted Annie's reaction and realized this wasn't the first time such an incident had occurred. Annie lowered her head and quickly ushered Aria inside.In the room, a woman lay in bed, her coughs echoing in the foul-smelling air.One glance was all it took for Aria, an experienced doctor, to understand the woman was clinging to life by a thread.Annie seemed to know this as well. "How are you feeling today, Mom? The apothecary gave me some medicine, and I met Aria Carver. She was really nice to me.""Don't come any closer!" Faith Fischer coughed as she tried to prop herself up on the bed, her hands covered in burst blisters. "Stay back!"Aria held up the curtains, her gaze settling on Faith. She was so thin, redu
Justin immediately bowed upon hearing that Aria was from the Carver family. "You didn't need to come over personally, Ms. Carver," he said, "If you wanted Annie to work in your quarters, I could have delivered her myself."Justin tried to be friendly with Aria. "My grandfather was once business partners with Mr. Carver Senior."The Carvers were highly respected in business circles, even among the Krowonians.Justin wasn't dumb. He believed Faith's words due to Aria's luxurious appearance. Her gown was clearly expensive, and the pearl necklace and amethyst pendant she wore were of the highest quality.Though Justin was now destitute, he had once come from wealth. Smoking and gambling had drained his resources, and his family, especially Faith, who stank and refused to die, added to his burdens.Justin met Aria's gaze, sniffling as he chuckled. "I'll go with you, Ms. Carver. You can pay whatever you wish for Annie. If you like her, you can give us more.""Are you trying to sell m
Aria met Faith's gaze. "If I find your daughter and bring her back here while also ensuring Annie's safety, will you die in peace?"Faith paused. Aria said slowly, "You're aware of the marks on your body. You can't keep this from Annie for much longer."Faith was deep in consideration. Her nails were already turning black—she didn't know if she should believe in Aria. "You've absorbed too much sorrow," Aria said. "Maintaining your current state will be a struggle."If I'm not mistaken, you've already targeted your neighbor who mocks your family. You believe Annie will be spared malicious taunts if she's gone, but you haven't dared to confront your husband despite him being the root of your suffering."Faith's eyes welled with tears. "I've tried to kill him, but fate has been cruel. Why is he still alive? Why does a man so vile continue to draw breath? My daughters will be in perpetual danger as long as he lives."Do you know what he said? He said that Annie would be old enough
"This is Bree!" Annie exclaimed anxiously, clutching the newspaper. Aria quickly folded the paper and tucked it away. "Come on, let's go.""Let's go!" Annie nodded emphatically, her eyes bright. Faith worriedly said, "You didn't mention you were bringing Annie along.""She'll be leading the way. Besides, I'm not taking her anywhere dangerous. Before we arrived, a Krowonian soldier died. The others would have noticed and will be searching everywhere for me by now," Aria explained. "I'll take Annie somewhere safe. Don't worry."Faith nervously fidgeted with her fingers. "Where?""To the Carver family's home, behind the Chamber of Commerce," Aria said, putting away her pistol and made to leave with Annie in tow. With the curtains parted, light flooded the room, making Faith acutely aware that she hadn't experienced the outdoors in a long time. She shifted in bed and asked Aria, "Can we really kill off all the Krowonians?""No, but we can drive them out of the country." Aria loo