Thief of Twilight

Part Three: Chapter 92

The next day, I went to the infirmary where Min-ji had been resting. Eunseo has been taking care of her personally since I brought her back to the palace. Her injuries were much more severe than I thought they were. She had two broken ankles, internal wounds, and quite a number of fractures. Eunseo said that if she wasn't a wolf demon, she would have died before I reached her. I poked my head into the infirmary to make sure she was finished with her treatment. To my surprise, I saw Beom sitting on the edge of her bed. They were talking in low whispers. Almost like they didn't want to be heard.

I smiled before knocking on the doorframe. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Beom jumped to his feet before turning to me. "N-No, not at all!" his face was a rose red. He's just like Yohan.

"Uh-huh, sure." I walked inside before holding my hands behind my back. "I just wanted to have a quick chat with Min-ji."

Min-ji was blushing while fiddling with her fingers.

"Then...I'll leave you two alone. I'll be back around dinner Min-ji. Please rest up as much as possible." he hurried out of the room, nearly tripping down the steps.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting you two." I turned to Min-ji.

"No, you weren't." she nervously held up her hands. "He's just...a bit uneasy that's all."

"About what?"

"Well...I told him what...happened..." she said. "And...I guess..."

I smiled while placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. I understand." my smile faded as I thought back to how I found her in the warehouse. "What were you doing there?"

"I..." she looked around to make sure no one was nearby. "Well...Shinae told me that Hyo-rin usually assists him when he goes to the market to gather ingredients for our meals. But she took the day off and no one knew about it."

"Is that odd? Or out of character for her?" I asked.

"Well...I wouldn't say that. But normally, we are aware of it if someone takes the day off. But no one knew. So I was asked to go in her place. I accompanied Yu-na to the market and that was when I saw Hyo-rin."

My eyes narrowed with suspicion. "What?"

"I saw Hyo-rin in the market and decided to follow her. I told Yu-na that I would go check one of the local shops for a delicious rice wine that would go well with the dinner that was planned that night."

"Then what happened?"

"I don't know..." she sighed. "I remember following Hyo-rin until I was in an alley. And then...I just remember everything getting dark. It was like I passed out or something. Then, when I woke up, I was in that warehouse. And my ankles..."

I crossed my arms and thought for a moment.

"Do you think Hyo-rin is responsible?" she murmured. "I mean...all of those bodies..."

"I doubt it. Sagiri...well...that woman who attacked you didn't mention her. So I doubt Hyo-rin is connected to that."

"Then...who was she?"

"She's someone that Lord Baldwin...no, I mean Oliver sent to kill me."

"What!"

"Yeah." I nodded. "And she's responsible for murdering and kidnapping several people as well. But don't worry. She's dead now." I reassured her.

"Then...what are you going to do now? What if someone else comes after you?"

"I'll just have to prepare myself and train harder. I'm already sparing with Yohan when I am able to. Cerise is keeping an eye on my core as we speak. So I just have to take it day by day. I don't think I can rush things. Especially not this."