[Ellie's P.O.V]
Anton and I exchanged glances. Had I asked too directly? Perhaps the villagers here were outwardly friendly but unwilling to reveal anything to outsiders?
"It's like this, sir," Anton began, explaining. "We're journalists from a newspaper, and we recently learned some things about this family from a friend. We came here to interview him, hoping to write a sensational article."
Throughout our journey in the village, the villagers hadn't seemed to recognize Alpha Anton, treating him as an ordinary person. We had a bet going on whether the people here could identify Anton, let alone me.
"I suggest you give up on this," the elderly man said, having watched us for some time. "It's his privacy, and I can't reveal it. Besides, we almost never interact with outsiders, so your friend... that was many years ago."
With that, the elderly man turned and walked away without looking back.