Elin-7

Upon entering the room, Elin saw Glocara sitting on the edge of the bed, supporting herself with hands placed by her sides. She looked at Elin but didn't rise. Elin approached and hugged her. She pressed her hands against his back.

"I didn't kill that person," she said. "I really didn't."

"I know. I should have come back sooner, sorry."

Elin heard the sound of metal clanging, so he let go and found a shackle around her right ankle. The other end of the iron chain was fastened to a protruding ring on the stone wall. Apart from this, there were no other signs of her being a prisoner.

"They didn't do anything to you, did they?" he asked.

"No. After asking me two questions, they locked me up here."

"That's good. Just making sure." Elin hugged Glocara again. He had to admit that Niaes's attitude towards Glocara, as a suspect in a military murder case, was indeed fair, even with some extra kindness. After they separated, Elin sat on the chair by the bed.

"They said you disguised yourself as a Seventh Bureau detective and went into that room."

"I did."

"Between the time you came out and the next person went in, Varokar died. Niaes has explained this to you, right?"

"When I was in the room, he was still alive, babbling away. I don't know why they arrested me. Now it's your turn to interrogate me?"

Glocara placed her hands back on the bed, fingers except thumbs gripping the edge with a look of annoyance at the current situation as she gazed at Elin. She was very certain she shouldn't be a prisoner, and emotionally displaying such sentiments wouldn't help clear her of suspicion in the investigation. Elin somewhat understood why Glocara almost became an expelled outsider just because an old lady she lived with naturally passed away.

"Listen, Glocara, I know you didn't do this, but now I need to figure out a way to make Niaes believe it too so we can get rid of what's on your feet. I've heard the stories from Niaes's subordinates, now I need to hear yours. I have other questions, but for now, I just need you to tell me about the process of the incident. How long were you inside after you went in?"

"I don't know. About fifteen minutes, I think."

"Fifteen minutes is quite a long time, enough to be suspicious."

"I know. I wanted to take a quick look and leave, but the door was locked. If I left immediately, the guards would know I was an impostor. So I had to stay inside, listening to his nonsense."

"The door was locked? How did you get out later?"

"The guard outside asked if I was done with what I needed to do. I said yes, then casually pushed the door, finding it unlocked."

"Did you observe the guard who let you into the room? Maybe he already knew you weren't telling the truth."

"I thought about that when I found the door locked, thinking someone might come to arrest me. I didn't look at his face when I went in or out."

"So he might have deliberately locked you in for fifteen minutes."

"I don't know."

"Have you told Niaes about this?"

"No. I never thought mentioning it would be useful. Plus, Niaes kept asking me what I did inside."

"In those fifteen minutes, you didn't do anything."

"I just felt regretful. Staying inside wasn't an option, and asking the guards to let me out wasn't either. I could only stand by the door, enduring his endless babbling and the stench of the room. I had to breathe through my mouth most of the time."

"So Varokar was talking throughout those fifteen minutes?"

"Yes."

"He was tied to a chair at that time, correct?"

"Thankfully, the ropes held him tight. I couldn't let him get close to me."

"And there was no one else in the room."

"The room was completely empty, except for the chair Varokar was sitting on. There was nowhere to hide. Any thoughts?"

"The guard at the door might be problematic. Also..."

Elin didn't continue immediately. He tapped his right knuckles on the table rapidly, sighed lightly, and fell silent for a moment. He glanced at the shackles on Glocara's ankles, then looked into her eyes.

"I think I've figured it out. If we manage to convey this conclusion appropriately to Niaes and make her believe it, she'll release you. But the premise for this conclusion to hold true is that you indeed didn't do anything during those fifteen minutes."

"Don't you trust me?"

"Don't rush, I haven't finished. I trust you, but I need to know why you impersonated a Section Seven investigator to see Varokar. Pretending and acting aren't your forte, let alone impersonating a Section Seven investigator, which carries significant risks. So you must have been determined to do this. I assured Niaes earlier that you hadn't seen Varokar before, but now I'm not so sure. You haven't lied to me, but you haven't told me everything either. There must be a reason why you entered that room."

"I just wanted to see who they had captured."

"That's not good. Now you're lying to me, Glocara. Yes, your curiosity led you there, but I want to know where this unusually intense curiosity came from. How could a starving stranger, barely conscious for days, pique your interest like that?"

"This has nothing to do with whether you can convince Niaes or not."

"That's irrelevant, but now it's not just about this case anymore. You've put yourself in danger, Glocara. I opposed Jorgen's suggestion to bring you here, repeatedly urging you to think carefully, because I didn't want you involved in these dangerous matters. And it's not just personal danger. Varokar is one of Galin's men, now Niaes's hostage. His death would have far-reaching consequences, things you shouldn't be involved in at all. If you don't let me understand what happened this time, how can we ensure safety in the future? If you're unwilling to speak, I'll have you escorted back, but this matter isn't over. We'll talk when I return."

"What do you mean, now you think it's an issue between us?"

"If you persist in silence, it might develop into that. Is there anything else between you and the others from Stromgarde that I should know about, you better tell me."

Glocara rested her right hand on her thigh, pressing down with her left hand, leaning back slightly. Along with the growing frustration in her eyes, there was a hint of self-deprecating ambiguity.

"You suspect me and Varokar."

"That's not accurate. Don't speculate about my thoughts randomly. My suspicions are broad, not specific to any particular aspect. As long as whatever happened in the past doesn't affect our future lives, it's fine, but the problem now is that it has affected us, so it's best that we solve it together."

"Do you really want to know what happened?"

"I know Varokar's reputation isn't great. Are things really so bad that you can't say?"

"Not entirely," Glocara lowered her head, running her left hand through her hair. "I regret it now, Elin. I shouldn't have gone to see him. As soon as I heard he was a hostage, I wanted to see what he looked like... really wanted to. It's strange, I should have just wanted to stay away."

"It seems like I shouldn't have heard that." Elin scratched his brow. "Never mind, if you really don't want to say, the past is in the past..."

"That's not true. Actually, I want to tell you. What I mean is... I wasn't going to let anyone know, but if I have to tell someone, it would be you, Elin. Honestly, I'm somewhat relieved that he's finally dead. I regret going to see him in the first place, having to remember those things, but since the situation is what it is now... I can't let it weigh on both of us like this forever. Maybe it's not as bad as you imagine."

"Really?"

"I don't know what you're imagining, but the reality might be very different from what you think, whether for better or worse. I don't want to keep holding onto these things..."

"I understand, I understand. I must listen to the situation now. Go on."

Glocara rubbed her face, then folded her hands across her chest, looking at her knees as she spoke.

"When Tusha and I first arrived at Stromgarde, Varokar came to pick us up, so he knew where Galin temporarily held me. Then... he would come to see me. Always during the day, because the guards were stricter at night."

"What did he want with you?"

"He wanted me to... eat."

"Eat what?"

"Just food, what else could it be?"

"...Are you saying Varokar brought you meals every day?"

"No, it wasn't like that. He would bring meals to the room, and they were actually quite well-prepared. At first, I didn't suspect anything and was just glad I wasn't starving like a prisoner, so I ate. After I finished eating, Varokar would even politely take the utensils away. On the first day, he brought three meals, which seemed odd to me, so I asked why an officer was doing this, but he didn't answer, just told me to enjoy the food. I didn't want to upset him, so I ate all three meals, but it made me slightly uncomfortable having him watch me eat, and the portions were too much. On the second day, he came again. What really made me start feeling uneasy was on the third day, when he brought meals four times, and not only watched me eat but also a few times he held food to my mouth, urging me to eat faster. And his eyes... were strange. I was scared, but I thought I could get through the day. That night, my stomach hurt so much I couldn't sleep, and when I thought back to what happened during the day, I felt nauseous. Unexpectedly, he came again on the fourth day, with even more food. When he saw me standing by the window, he suddenly got angry and insisted I lie down. I refused, and he pushed me back onto the bed, trying to force-feed me. I was thoroughly repulsed at that point, plus my stomach wasn't feeling well from the day before... I turned over and vomited on the bed. He went crazy then, shouting about wasting good food, not understanding his intentions, and he seemed like he was going to strangle me... at least, that's what I thought he was going to do at that moment. He made a lot of noise, and the guards came in and took him away. Later, they moved me to another room."

Glocara lifted her head to look at Elin only after finishing her last sentence.

"Oh," Elin nodded aimlessly. "Is that all?"

"That's it."

"Alright, I understand roughly. It's quite difficult to talk about, I suppose if it were me... never mind, shouldn't make such assumptions. No wonder one night you said something like 'never want hot dogs again!' in your sleep."

"What do you mean by bringing that up as a joke? Are you implying you're glad I didn't sleep with him?"

"I didn't mean it like that... well, maybe a little. You know, men, it's inevitable."

"I really don't know which is worse, Elin. All I know is it's the most disgusting and detestable experience of my life. Even though it's been three or four years..."

"I can understand that what he did was enough to make you want to see him in a miserable state years later, but not enough to provoke actual revenge. Yeah, that makes sense. Let me think, I heard some people have that hobby, like fattening others up. Damn it, Galin enjoys watching women burn to death and almost marrying off his wife just short of her fourteenth birthday, that's how his men are. I've known for a long time, the more closed-off and suppressed a place is, the more likely abnormal people will come out of it. Just thinking about them, I feel like I'm exceptionally well-behaved. Glocara, do you think we're still considered well-behaved?"

"Don't ask me. It took me a lot of effort to say all this, and that's all you have to say? You should be angrier."

"I am angry, but that guy is already dead, what do you want me to do? Just treat it as if you encountered an overly enthusiastic chef a few years ago or something, don't force yourself to think about it. Besides, you bravely stopped him. Don't be mad at me, come here."

Elin tried to hug Glocara, but she pushed him away with the back of her hand.

"I'm not in the mood right now. Wait until you get this thing off my feet."

Elin still kissed her.

"I'm sorry I came back so late."

"You said that as soon as you entered the room."