UCT Ch 26

Not long after, they arrived at Diana Green’s tent. The woman, holding onto Richard’s arm, was dozing off gently. Her head nodding up and down, she seemed to have no tension at all.

“Huh, that wretched scoundrel.” Richard let out another scoff, now too stunned to even feel anger.

The past few days must have been quite a forced march for the lieutenant. Surviving several near-death experiences in an unfamiliar environment and even garnering media attention would have increased her fatigue.

In such a state, a few drinks might have completely dissolved her tension.

“…Hmm…”

Diana pressed her forehead against Richard’s arm near his shoulder. His eyes narrowed in that moment.

He had two choices: he could shake her off while she was half-asleep or wake her by shaking his shoulder.

But Richard did neither. Instead, he supported her more firmly with one arm while reaching with the other to turn the door handle of the tent.

He opened the unlocked tent door and switched on the light. The simple interior came into view.

The room was somewhat untidy, as if the luggage hadn’t been fully unpacked. A novel lay on the nightstand, and clothes were half-folded on the bed. It was in stark contrast to Richard’s own room where everything was in its place.

Richard led Diana to the bed inside the tent.

“…”

Well, ‘led’ might be an overstatement; he practically ‘threw’ her onto the bed.

Her small body hit the hard mattress with a thud, causing Richard to flinch involuntarily.

‘That should do it.’

What more should he do? Cradle her like a princess? Diana’s drunken ramblings from the bar echoed in his ears.

[The captain seems like a kind person, really.]

[…]

[You’re just pretending to be scary.]

Diana, sprawled on the bed, curled up like a little fox. Shivering from the drizzle they had encountered on the way back, she trembled.

Richard watched her silently, his finger twitching.

‘Should I cover her with a blanket?’

But such kindness was beyond Richard’s physiological capacity. The feeling of nausea wasn’t an exaggeration.

Yes, he had done his part. Now, it was better to stop paying attention. Already being underestimated as someone who just acts tough, there was no need to further damage his dignity.

Just as he was about to leave the tent, something caught his eye. It was a small photo frame on the nightstand.

The frame was propped up at an angle behind a cheap detective novel. Without hesitation, Richard reached out and picked it up.

The photo inside was illuminated by the dim light of the tent.

“…”

It was a photo of three people. A middle-aged man with bushy whiskers and a middle-aged woman with a headscarf beside him. Between them, Diana Green was smiling shyly.

The square frame made the trio look like a happy family.

‘They must be.’

Richard had already thoroughly examined Diana’s life. Therefore, he knew exactly who these people were in the photo. The Greens who ran a bar, Ben with his brash personality and chatty Gilda. Their niece, Diana Green.

It was indeed a mundane life.

Watching movies on weekends, helping with house chores during the week. Dancing in dance halls with young men, drinking tasteless beer.

Through mind-melding, Richard had glimpsed Diana’s daily life filled with such trivial activities.

Like wildflowers scattered across a field.

Suddenly, he remembered the conversation they had on her first day at the base.

[I thought it would be fair if I knew a little about the lieutenant’s life too.]

He muttered to himself without realizing it.

“You wouldn’t want to know.”

‘My life… isn’t as mundane as yours. That’s why it’s repulsive.’

His mouth felt bitter as if he had eaten lead. Richard put the frame back down on the nightstand.

As soon as he stepped out of the tent, he could breathe more easily. Looking up, the night sky was clear without a single cloud.

It seemed like it would be a good day for flying tomorrow.

🌷🌷🌷

— 22 years ago, in the Bella Roche Forest of the Lowell Duchy.

A dense chestnut tree forest near the capital of Arke, Felium.

300 years ago, this place was bestowed by Emperor Sulinov of Arke to the third Duke Lowell, Akedene, and since then, it has been used as a hunting ground by the Lowell family across generations.

The Arke royal family also occasionally visited here for deer, fox, and rabbit hunting. Now, it was just an old story.

The previous Duke Lowell had transformed Bella Roche Forest from a hunting ground into a walking path, allowing public access during weekdays in the daytime.

It was five o’clock, and visiting hours were over. The forest, which had been bustling with visitors, became quiet again. But if you listened closely, it was still quite noisy with the chirping of birds, the rustling of insects, and the sound of two people stepping on leaves.

Fernan looked down at the boy who was tightly holding his right hand. He noticed the round, black back of his head.

The boy he had rescued from the backyard of the royal banquet hall a month ago. Under proper care, the child had quickly recovered physically, but there remained an unresolved issue.

The boy did not speak. More accurately, he had not uttered a single word except for saying his name was ‘Tersion.‘

‘Whether he can’t or won’t speak, I don’t know…’

The family physician, Dr. Compton, concluded that the boy’s selective mutism was due to psychological shock. He assured that with some rest, the child would recover soon, so there was no need to worry.

However, after a month, Fernan was somewhat skeptical of that diagnosis.

‘He won’t tell me anything other than his name; what can I do?’

The child wouldn’t even make proper eye contact, nor would he acknowledge being listened to.

He would eat when food was given, but he never showed any excitement or happiness, even with delicious food.

Sometimes, it was even eerie.

The boy was like a perfectly crafted articulated doll made by a skilled artisan.

With his clear, blue eyes, pale skin, black hair, and each long eyelash, Tersion’s strangely beautiful appearance contributed to this thought.

‘What am I thinking…?’

Fernan shook his head in self-reproach. Even during today’s walk, Tersion remained silent. Fernan gave him a gentle smile.

“Well, it’ll be sunset soon. Shall we head back?”

“…”

As always, the boy gave no response. Suppressing a sigh that was welling up inside, Fernan squeezed the boy’s hand tighter.

‘Talking to a wall would be better than this.’

This was quite troublesome. Knowing it wasn’t the child’s fault, he still felt frustrated.

‘I need to find out who did this to the child.’

The one who had abused the boy must have been one of the royal family members living in the palace. No matter how high-ranking a noble might be, no one would be mad enough to bring a child to the royal banquet hall. Even narrowing down suspects to the royal family, he couldn’t pinpoint anyone.

‘The key is for the boy to start talking.’

While he was deep in thought, something unexpected happened. The boy, who had been silent, suddenly grabbed and pulled Fernan’s hand.

‘He expressed something?’

Surprised, Fernan looked down at the child. The boy’s pale blue eyes were focused forward. Following his gaze, Fernan saw something small that had fallen near the tree roots.

“It’s a baby bird.”

Fernan led the boy towards it. At their feet, a fledgling was trembling.

“It still has down feathers. Maybe it fell while trying to leave the nest.”

“…”

“Hmm.”

As Fernan tried to let go of the boy’s hand to pick up the chick, something astonishing occurred. The boy gripped Fernan’s hand tightly. It was so forceful that it startled Fernan. How could such strength come from such small hands?

“Tersion, why?”

“…”

Tersion looked up, meeting Fernan’s eyes. Just making eye contact felt so rewarding that Fernan’s heart began to beat faster.

‘Is he finally opening up?’

Fernan tried to suppress the smile that was breaking through. It wouldn’t do to get too excited too soon.

He bent down slowly without letting go of the boy’s hand and gently wrapped his other hand around the bird.

“…Let’s see how it is…”

It was still breathing, with a faint warmth in its tiny body. The sound of its heartbeat and the flutter of its wings looked quite pitiful.

Though it was hard to be certain since it still had down, it might be a type of sparrow. The bird on his palm inflated and deflated its chest slightly.

Feeling the boy’s intense gaze on the bird, Fernan added an explanation.

“…Looks like it was dropped while the mother was moving the nest. Let’s put it back on a branch; the mother might come back.”

“…”

This silence was not the inexpressive one from before but one that seemed to convey something. Fernan watched the bird in his palm for a moment before turning his gaze back to the boy.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t take it with us. A forest bird should live in the forest.”

“…”

A slight pout appeared on the boy’s lips, making Fernan’s smile deepen. He knelt down to match the boy’s eye level, still not releasing his hand.

“If you’re really worried, we can come back tomorrow. How about that?”