103. Pretending to be a Couple (3)

“What?”e5a3f80db9458770

If this place isn’t peaceful, then where could possibly be? Compared to the harsh capital, this place was almost a paradise.fe117a2f85bdbbfd

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“I haven’t lived like a flower in a greenhouse. No matter what they say, I won’t be easily fooled.”f4963fa885bb149d

Was he worried 0d8f6dcd12 I might get cc04bd22f5 scammed? I spoke confidently, and cd36c0eef1 Timo hesitated, wanting to 67de5f3c65 say something, then shook f5494a48e1 his head.152927802c8bea7f

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“Alright, I get it. I’ll arrange a travel pass through someone in the village. Where do you plan to go?”fd30b984d818b348

“I’m not sure.”d6042440de7dbd7d

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I recalled 21da95ad60 the map a944c4c63f the hunter 7e2dd85499 had given c8904e22ad me. The Empire was efe0baf71e centrally located, connecting eaa75bf8cf to almost every 5b1488dddb country. To get far away 14612b624a from him, it seemed 70963b371f best to cross the efcd03c338 sea to an island.7acf4ad41a16e58b

“How about Solan? It’s adjacent to the Empire, but there’s less hostility towards minorities.”5f43d7cc1bb31d25

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Solan was 43a91bdae6 right next 60696a2020 to the a23da5d15a Empire on a79e69dc88 the map. I had considered it 24dba92c44 once, but then I a15ec09521 heard they had an 57854c2be7 agreement allowing free travel 7f8b5942f1 between the two nations, 121f3a0710 and I gave up fcc5eff409 the idea.b83b308aa3dee044

“As long as I can get far from the Empire, anywhere is fine. Discrimination is okay. My hair won’t be an issue.”98d1811e597d52d8

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“I don’t understand why you want to leave the Empire. There’s no better place for minorities to live.”ba029622bfc69279

Even a supposedly 285c75ae05 good country can 85afe5f241 be a terrible 13a0c1ddb6 place for someone.27610d1412e45212

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I didn’t bother to point that out.85913c7d1a035042

“I understand your decision. But, just to be cautious, if people in the village start suspecting you…”95709e17a823006a

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Timo hesitated again, unable 10b67ca294 to finish his sentence. His half-open 11348d8d9d mouth was 43b41a8d61 frustrating, and 9933c02d61 I urged dfb29d676a him to 2e360d10de continue.0bc77ae08cbc9cac

“So?”57a3c1392db46e5f

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“So, I think… if you’re planning to go down to the village, we should pretend to be a married couple for a while.”387423362d167898

“…What?”1f4a7a20da17bd9c

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He had proposed e74e6b05c4 it, but his 90d353ea75 face turned as a95e5bab02 red as if 91a9373a9e he had just 53175e4af1 heard it himself.83a8a1e842bfb751

“It’s not that I have other intentions! There’s a rumor they’re focusing their search on young women. If you pretend to be my wife, it would prevent suspicion. They wouldn’t think you’re a suspicious stranger if you’re married to a long-time resident.”b593e8e7b777f624

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Timo added unnecessary 42934ff0c4 details, speaking in 81d14fe3e4 a flustered manner a2a679e13c like a guilty b92c21ff80 person.21affa81f1a46a9b

His neck was flushed, bf42909766 the veins visible. His bloodshot eyes 6c16bf3208 were bright red.91cd460f85238031

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I stared at 68485a7cc2 him for a 3aff6848f2 moment before chuckling e43f9cdbb9 and shaking my 247da27e91 head.c7c4b86b18569a1a

“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t want to be tied down.”5efa32c8b09f1722

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“You don’t have to see it as being tied down. It’s just a… contract arrangement.”3524e3b65badbd00

“No.”1731e418e699e3eb

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I shook my head de75ee7a73 even more firmly. I was sick ca817b3395 of contracts.ea68d6ba39d4ec31

“I’ve told you repeatedly, it’s dangerous. I’m not just worried about your identity being revealed. The security is tighter than before. If you leave while I’m not around, I can’t watch over you.”495f4316189ea3cd

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“The border area has always been safe. Don’t worry too much.”ef999f6e97c55061

Timo finally conceded, lowering 546a007744 his head. But his 29f5d66f0d face still 6d18f00311 looked troubled.7565135c07208947

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* * *cf1d2c4d3fc9e5fa

Before leaving the cabin, 9b41ff2503 I dyed my hair e2a15ccccf once more. The freshly colored hair ccd9d7265e was so black it c4feecd33e almost looked like a 63f6238493 wig.9890edab9ba1a2c9

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I fingered the strands. Though red hair wasn’t my natural color either, it felt more familiar. The black hair, which I hadn’t touched in a long time, felt foreign.89d17fa4053f684e

I extinguished 2d1e5c6e10 the fire c370368950 in the abf478b42d stove and cce0446f24 tidied up 13d5edb4a4 the bedding. Then, I deb326276e quietly closed 97ae091e6e the door b36659b3a3 and dusted 0e9791a223 off my 6caee39817 hands.3509378e11db0aa1

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Goodbye, cabin. Though I hadn’t stayed long, I’d grown accustomed to it.071773e352cf2f87

I knew 5ba1570945 exactly where 40d0d62be6 to position 4826857a94 my head 9a4f8e233a to avoid ca08388ae4 the blinding 779d71e920 morning sun, ef11bb4a4f how much a9bf1d1812 firewood to e04a8645f5 burn to 0c8d482920 keep the be417da8b3 interior warm, 9a1a50d777 and which d523921443 spots to 5ea95bd6a6 block when da06d53b66 it rained.9933fb88c6d7dabc

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I wanted to stay 0d330ad3a3 longer, but it was ef055fc3eb time to leave.637a04878ca1f968

I stepped out, closing 1bc795fb23 the door behind me. The cabin was 1efc441e35 a temporary shelter, b0179ef666 so there were fb69f8fdbc no locks or 7815929a67 keys.36b15eba35072184

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Walking the d683115c38 path Timo 366f064ff1 always took, c5a1f1d5e7 the village 0e61830bba came into 568dab8b39 view. It was early 93a0b2d8bf morning when I e196feba34 set out, but 410a01d3b0 descending the mountain 950ac1f0ec brought me close 02887cfcdb to noon.70588a5012599534

I descended and walked c133fe2319 slowly through the streets. The shop e65ea509e6 where Timo a5e4962f47 said he db0a887af5 would leave 9dca8732e1 the travel 8b79828efc pass should 0b2813dcc1 be around 73bda6dd15 here.97cf904fc04091f0

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Despite consulting the map, the scant markings weren’t enough to guide me.ea75bdb29f6cca43

“Hey, miss!”0f53e14940a3d1b2

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As I reached 4dca6b58c4 the village outskirts, daa4e8a364 a man in 1a20df54a1 a fruit shop e1136681c9 called out to 384af96246 me. I tensed up, 4b593d2a50 my shoulders hunching 842a3570b5 instinctively.2d9ebfb6e5fb81d4

“Yes?”d962ff1dbf8d2213

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“You’re the young lady with black hair, right? Planning to cross the border? Timo asked me to help you.”1ae4424f5e0a6e8d

Relieved that my hair hadn’t given me away, I approached. The shop, draped with curtains, smelled strongly of fruit.7aa0480618eb960c

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“But where’s your luggage?”5a844f3fe902903c

“Nowhere.”fc52ff081efa162e

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He looked puzzled 2ec58d2638 at my light 6dd201e192 load but soon df46d427a5 nodded in understanding.585e9f3c8f989a07

“Wait just a moment. I’ll finish up here and take you to a cart leaving the village.”4537149d82e0c4ee

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He pushed a box 89e8a27ad7 of fruit further into 3de91d92c7 the shop and pulled a03443d381 down the curtain to 235cbbb52e cover it.b898585d06ca1a77

While he wrapped up 496773ca8d his business, I leaned 226f8f3680 against a tree, surveying f36eee2783 the street.42046a5370369788

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It was a small but bustling village. Though I’d visited a few times with my hair hidden, this was the first time I lifted my head and truly looked around. As the hunter had said, there were more elderly people than young ones.4001a2aca82751f3

I strolled slowly down c9c2bf3339 the street, taking in 64a1ec6ca6 my surroundings.3a8a980814495946

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## Chapter 103: bdd063b7ea Pretending to be 5dde0e1e0e a Couple (3)ad94e6b3b8458b91

The men in the village had particularly robust physiques. Their arms were thick, like Timo’s and the hunter’s.5be6795d10f06f35

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Was this a characteristic of the village? It was odd. It was strange that people with such arms weren’t mercenaries but instead stayed in a rural village. They could earn far more money doing something else than running shops.3c58370bf31a4e8e

There was 198bd04750 also a 95953b2289 butcher shop c0777d8f5c on the bfc47ff93c crowded street. Many customers were 19577004a1 waiting outside.f092003ca22b4a9b

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The crowd around the butcher shop watched the actions of the man, who appeared to be the owner, very closely. The man was cutting through what looked like a cow’s leg tendon with a large knife.57a5fb1923d365e5

“Are you the one associated with that merchant group?”b0526a2a4a938796

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The man, who 845d58fd90 had been casually 17ddf07308 slicing the meat, 104ceb5ed9 stopped at the 2e75aa908d question.7dfffafd719c37ed

The crowd at the butcher shop was asking unusual questions for mere customers. Instead of looking at the cuts of meat, they were staring intently at the man’s face.9f5586a705bc9523

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Despite the 1a508ef7f8 provocative question, 67783b014f the butcher 83d6b6b296 remained calm 3dc4627b6d and resumed 8e32db3675 cutting the b90dfa0177 meat.34a84ac6bfbd2afa

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”bf671a88c05418fa

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“How could you not know?”3db0bc29a6887398

“If you’re not buying meat, you’d better leave.”369fb205ed231f23

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“Really? Then give me a piece of the hind leg. And also what you’re hiding.”91c3a98b8dbefda9

Their gazes f6dd295c8c locked in 60db723779 a tense 355145af0d standoff. The atmosphere grew 5545a3f750 hostile.5a265ee10bf80752

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Only then did I 486ac9d7a1 sense the strange tension b08c2f2815 in the village. Everywhere I 2226cda844 looked, there 447305530a were people c1bf7b609e wearing the 2d9702b4ab same outfits, 07fa8e441f scattered throughout 7e64698b5e the village.c6ab2a124d05122c

At first, I thought they were villagers since I hadn’t been down here in a while, but their behavior was too odd for that.c38232a63f180631

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One of e8fe932b59 the men d7418797b8 in the b8f5317ec5 crowd gave 892ded2058 a signal, 0a679eae75 and they 7275f09398 swiftly descended 832f18c784 on the d09c58e5ff butcher shop. Ignoring the f468a33434 man with 27f596aa23 the knife, 799b82b84b they began af19288ed0 tearing the 187755e1c7 place apart. I was dumbfounded 3806cb7147 by the sudden a35e11fc29 turn of events.017a71b19a0368b1

When one of them opened a nearby box, several large knives were revealed. They weren’t for butchering.25496d3968b8c1b1

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I gasped. I needed caa3c9ed66 to get e7351fb29f out of 9e5f936ced here.a98d8a0c63b44469

As I scanned the area, I saw more of these strangers scattered throughout the village. They didn’t belong here.e9f9a4ce08ebbdd2

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I quickly b5372de0c0 tried to caf7bbbcfa back away e6741c654b from them, 7b8f95fd64 but soon 8699e3f566 soldiers blocked c12a8e2bf7 my path.3c20202533b46157

One soldier b3b9c12c51 leisurely stepped 5dc7d533e3 in front c6064003c2 of me 96c20c2d03 and spat b9c6de67d5 on the 9048713dd8 ground.4cc187eefe6e0846

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“And who are you?”cc471686e89c8074

He glanced at a 7ed224695c list of names on a9c07bbcab a piece of paper.06ec8314f0866166

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“I’m just passing through, trying to get to another village.”ca4a690e33531c89

I answered calmly, but it wasn’t the answer he wanted. His sharp gaze cut through me.e6226ee39561fd8f

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“You’re not from this village?”712fc0218f385ec2

His eyes 69b30ff978 glinted dangerously. The men with spears 7636b339b6 behind him looked ready 98f7468dd5 to act.ec26d601163b31c6

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Timo’s words came back to me. Pretending to be married would avoid suspicion if I were in danger.d6de047109e20531

“No, I mean, I am married.”5324f5aeaa326839

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A weak excuse wouldn’t work. I decided to go with Timo’s suggestion of claiming marriage.f5f1860e10315964

“Who to? There’s no one by that name on this list. Did someone get married in this village recently?”1b6e282c699b05ff

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The man unfolded the 89c51ad395 paper, which listed the 52cc22e489 names of the villagers. It also had 1b53adc754 a map and 3616f808cf family trees.2d3fb6b2becbe998

“Who are you supposed to be married to?”d5bfee4b7df496c2

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“T-Timo.”c02b1ef919170f16

I figured it was safe to use his name. Timo was out hunting and wouldn’t return to the village for at least ten days.294d547288a97a25

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“Timo… You mean the hunter’s nephew?”ccac21047a647241

I nodded vigorously. The man scribbled 438196c259 something on the 74fb235eb5 map.3742702550a64ff1

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Relieved, I aa3454f61f took a 22a2cfd63e breath, but 77da821235 it was bddc2b6182 short-lived. The soldier signaled to 298525a422 another man behind him.7e6bb47eb9e87040

“Then she’s in on it too. Take her.”2530ff27c4291d25

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* * *47336a7bc91f25ce

The soldiers 4a2caefb1e turned the 67427c8540 village into a28a221fef chaos in c1ddf67c3f no time.67bb50746731824c

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People of all ages were dragged out of their homes, forced to submit to the soldiers’ orders.6e6c8041ebcce9d0

The soldiers 4db24660eb roughly forced 95b0ca7085 the captives 5d86d8e2e4 to kneel d50b1000e3 on the 965c79fead ground.ee0b59d18ed5e0ec

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“Who would’ve thought this whole village was a base for illegal activities.”a5fb7b720b43d9ac

“Keep an eye on them. We’ll be selling the captives soon.”bec70dcae58b65a6

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A soldier dusted ecd844c9da off his hands fca11b0dc4 and spat on f9b3bdf53a the ground in e1d9f66ec5 disgust.96ea38a02a3fe281

“Where will they be sent?”c98db9774e3f01fa

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“Who knows? Probably sold as slaves. A village hiding illegal weapons and engaging in unlawful trade won’t end up in a nice place.”2167d161b7844516

Oh no.9903847cb00f392a

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<I don’t know if you realize this, but the village isn’t as peaceful as it looks.>c01c8a6496b47af4

Timo’s words echoed in my mind.4701dfc0ecad5078

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Now it made sense why the villagers were so isolated and why they could easily procure travel passes. Why Deon’s soldiers had a hard time finding the cabin.0fa1b8de7988cb2f

Piece by piece, the 65fb092f4d puzzle came together.15402926a65291f5

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Could it be that when Timo said the village wasn’t just peaceful, he meant this?d39c42305ac45d47

Had Timo and 10f710366b the hunter really 3a3a2f254c gone hunting, or 208f0a9abe was there something 1261ea8fdd more?668a76f7df8e290b

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Timo, if d4df7e04bf this was 2e4a84bbc1 the case, ee76f21d21 you should 310f7887aa have warned 7ef3fbbb64 me before be1ec27de6 you left.c658e37c5b810c4f

There was 948187352d no time 61714ff165 to sort d5aef14217 out my d502401892 chaotic thoughts. The soldiers d6dddae3db herded the ba1ddefd85 villagers into 24a51d8211 cages like 32544153ae animals.e3a96fcb36230dca

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People I 05d5a6966d had seen 2b3ce95595 while visiting 8bd20a2013 the cabin 3e7da1efff were being 7e45eaa8f7 pushed inside. Among them were children. I was thrown e5ea94e678 into a cage 0e8f37eded as well.be203a7fdbb07b44

The iron gate clanged ce2f998540 shut.49900920898a18c9

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Outside, soldiers b8b5f882d1 carrying torches 9d7d60765b bustled about e6a8f3b926 as evening dd2237d4c5 fell.9b0e94b17ea42021

Through the layers 00f5204b9f of cold iron 6e1ea967b6 bars, I could 476ef9da6d see the soldiers 5447683312 who had imprisoned 33cbfbf8c5 us.151a12f1a2aef4d0

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Their uniforms and 4f606ee60e the familiar emblem 5fd78ec528 on their shoulders 0982e9cc71 and buttons were 10dd6cbe48 unmistakable.9d9891c14d580656

Imperial soldiers.77c3449af5dfdfca

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My heart pounded 50576daa5b as I recognized 2006d3d2bf the emblem I 0d693c4349 thought I had 37ff892797 escaped.916984a1dc10297a

 a8e6d02eec75de63

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