Obvious Trap

It was quite the unsettling topic, especially considering the current circumstances, but they couldn't ignore it. Alicia badgered Alex for more information, but all he knew was what the staff member told him, that Adrian came to find Emily because of an emergency.

"You idiot! Obviously, you should have tried to find out more."

"That's all she told me! And it doesn't look like they knew what it was about either."

Even though she believed his excuse, Alicia kept a tight grip on his ear as she faced Emily.

"Well, it doesn't seem like we'll get any more information just waiting here. What do you want to do?"

If she had heard about this first, then Alicia probably wouldn't have said anything to Emily until she knew more, but it was hard to tell Emily to ignore an emergency without a proper reason.

"Let's go down."

If she was just told that there was an emergency, Emily would have hesitated more, but because of her trust in Adrian, she believed that anything he called an emergency in this situation would be too important to ignore.

Meanwhile, in the lobby, a young man stuck out like a sixth toe while waiting near the receptionist. He wasn't dressed weirdly, nor did he have a bewildering aura, but eyes of contempt from all over the room were on him. Adrian wasn't able to solve the puzzle at the entrance so he had to use the alternative method of entering the inn. This method required you to know someone already staying at the inn, which was a simple enough condition to meet, but by using this method you wouldn't be able to secure a room for yourself so it was seen as a method that only lowly folk would use.

"Who let the mutt in?"

"I can't believe I have to share a space with 'that'."

"Ugh, filthy."

Their glares were persistent, but Adrian ignored them as he stood in place until Emily and the siblings arrived. He would have preferred if she came alone, but he could find a way to work around the extra presences.

"Senior brother, you said there was an emergency?"

Emily would have usually started out with a greeting, but since he came to inform her of an emergency, she thought that it would be better if she went straight to the point. As someone who knew the full story, Adrian thought differently, but he focused on accomplishing his mission.

"That's right. I know you'll have mixed feelings about this, but I need you to stay calm."

"Okay, I'm ready."

"Your family has been kidnapped to be used as hostages. The kidnappers are saying that they'll be violated and killed if you don't show up at a specific location before the end of the night."

Emily hadn't expected this when he said that she would have mixed feelings, but he was right. Although she had decided to face her family, that didn't mean she had forgiven them yet. Nonetheless, that was a partially rational decision of hers; if she relied on her heart then she obviously couldn't allow them to die for her sake, no matter bad their relationship was. However, before Emily could settle her thoughts and choose an option, Alicia stepped forward.

'This is one of the worst case scenarios.'

Just like Shui had told Emily, Alicia also believed that Emily wouldn't have to worry about being attacked while in the inn and surely those targeting her thought similarly.

'If I knew it would be something like this I wouldn't have allowed him to get inside here.'

She could understand if Emily wanted to help her family no matter how stupid that decision was, but Shui had entrusted Alicia with her safety, so it was her responsibility to keep her away from evident danger.

"And what? Are you saying that Emily should leave this safe zone and right into their trap?" Alicia asked Adrian sharply.

"Of course not. I just thought that it would be best that she knew what was happening. If she stayed ignorant and they followed through with their promise, then it could be used against her tomorrow as a psychological attack."

"You're not wrong, but if she doesn't do anything, won't it still affect her mentally if the worst happens."

"Even so, I believe my junior sister will be able to make a decision and stand by it."

The two were getting rather heated, but in the end, they were doing this for her sake. As Emily listened to both of them, she could tell what outcomes both sides feared as well as what they were trying to avoid. Alicia likely didn't want her to leave the inn and get killed, but she agreed with the fact that Emily would be shaken if the corpses of her family members were dropped in front of her, and this could prevent her from performing at her best during the final round.

On the other hand, Adrian wanted her to choose what to sacrifice so that she could accept whatever the result would be. For him, it would be far worse if her family died without her knowledge than she choosing not to rescue them.

'I don't want them to die like this, but I can't waste everyone's efforts either. If only Shui was here.'

Emily wished that she could rely on Shui's fantastical strength, but all she could do was hug Dull Harmony to encourage herself.

'I'm here for my revenge, to bring honour to my master's name, but will I be able to enjoy my victory if I sacrifice them to do it? Would Senior Brother and Shui, would they be okay with that?'

Adrian believed in her while Alicia wanted to protect her. Emily understood both sides and she was grateful for their concern, but if she had to pick one...

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to give up on them without trying."

Alicia scowled, while Adrian hid a smirk. Alicia really didn't want Emily to put herself at an unnecessary risk, but she couldn't stop her. Putting aside how Shui would feel if he heard that she restrained her by force, Alicia didn't know the limit of Dull Harmony so it might not even be possible to stop her in the first place. Even so, she definitely couldn't allow her to leave.

"Fine. I'll send someone to find Shui while I try to sort this out. But! You have to remain here."

"But-"

"That's final."

Emily tried to refute, however, Alicia shut down her plea with a grave expression that she had never seen before. Emily was worried that something bad would happen if she didn't reveal herself to the kidnappers, but she also understood Alicia's concerns so she couldn't say anything else.

Satisfied by her silence, Alicia told Alex to look after her and then glared at Adrian.

"I need a guide, can I leave that role to you?"

"Of course. Since my junior sister wants to save them, I won't hesitate to comply."

Alicia narrowed her eyes at his reply, but that was all. The two then left the inn, naturally, with Alicia's secret guards following them. Alex also sent a portion of his secret guards to help them, but who would have known that in that brief period when he wasn't watching her, Emily would vanish from the lobby.