The Weight of Their Names
Urun looked as though he had come straight here without a moment’s rest. His appearance was ragged, but his eyes burned with such fierce determination that he seemed ready to march into battle at once.
The deaths of his comrades and subordinates had cut him deeply as well.
“You should have rested and come tomorrow.”
Chloe spoke with a sympathetic expression as she took in the exhaustion etched across Urun’s face.
“No, my lady. I can rest after I have reported to you.”
His voice was as firm as his gaze.
Urun had never spoken directly with the lord except for the day they fought the Cullens in Morta Village, so he felt a flicker of tension. That day she had seemed as valiant and reliable as any warrior, yet now, seated in a dress, she looked every inch the noble young lady.
To think that someone so delicate and beautiful had slain dozens of Cullens at once.
His face grew warm and his heart began to pound of its own accord.
“⋯⋯.”
Though Helsa and Farmer had withdrawn, leaving only Red Bear, Handsome, and Urun in the study, Chloe’s voice carried a sharp, taut tension.
Urun, who had been momentarily entranced by the lord’s beauty, snapped back to attention and answered.
“We found the one who made the sleep powder.”
“Did you find the man who bought it as well?”
“Yes. He is a mercenary named Bartre. He mainly handles commissions from nobles and is said to be exceptionally skilled—his services come at a high price.”
“Have you caught Bartre?”
“My apologies. He is extremely elusive. By the time we arrived at any lead, he had already vanished.”
Urun lowered his head, unable to meet the lord’s eyes.
“I see.”
Chloe had not expected the trail to be so easily followed. She deliberately kept her tone even so Urun would not see her disappointment after all his efforts.
“Instead, we brought back the man who created the sleep powder.”
The moment Urun finished speaking, his subordinates who had been waiting outside dragged in a man whose cheeks had turned a deep purple. Bound from head to toe like a cocoon, the man could not walk and was hauled along limply before being dropped in front of Chloe like a sack of grain.
“Ughhh.”
The man let out a faint groan as he fell, showing he had not lost consciousness.
“My apologies. He refused to speak, so we struck him a few times.”
Urun offered a hurried excuse, ashamed to have shown such an ugly sight before the lord.
“It’s fine. You did well.”
Nearly fifty people had died.
Remembering poor Cedric—who had touched the pouch with his bare hands and perished without ever knowing the danger—made the bruises on the man’s face seem insignificant.
The man lay sprawled where he had been thrown, his legs apparently too weak to support him. Though his appearance was wretched, Chloe felt no pity. She looked down at him with cold eyes.
“I’ll ask you just once. Did you know what your creation would be used for?”
When the man remained face-down despite the question, Urun roughly hauled him upright. The man collapsed back into a sitting position, his head drooping like a wilted bean sprout. He shook his head while tears streamed down his face, looking utterly wronged. His shoulders trembled with fear, yet not a single person present felt any sympathy.
“I didn’t! I only sold it because that man Bartre said he needed it for hunting monsters. If I had known it would be used to harm people, I would never have sold it to him. I swear it’s true.”
The man sniffled and sobbed, insisting on his innocence. His voice grew louder, as though trying to prove his sincerity.
Chloe regarded him steadily before turning to Urun.
“Urun. Did you tell him that people died because of the sleep powder?”
“No, my lady.”
Urun answered through gritted teeth. Only then did the man realize his mistake. He squeezed his eyes shut, then burst out in panic.
“I just assumed you had captured me because someone died! I truly knew nothing!”
Realizing his cries would not be believed, the man suddenly let out a bitter laugh and spat on the floor. When the blood-tinged spittle landed near him, Handsome flinched in disgust.
“I’ll ask again. Did you know that the sleep powder you made would kill people—my people?”
Chloe’s voice trembled with fury. Handsome and Red Bear watched her with concern.
The man smirked at the sight of the young lord whose composure had so easily cracked, then shouted as if having a fit.
“You won’t get anything out of me! Just kill me already!”
Bloodshot veins stood out in the man’s eyes as he screamed. Red Bear, who had been about to strike the insolent wretch for daring to raise his voice at the lord, froze when he saw Chloe’s gaze turn icy.
The same overwhelming presence she had shown the day she saved everyone from the Cullens now radiated from her.
“Did you really think I would show you such mercy?”
Her low voice was more chilling than ever.
“Listen carefully. Sam had a five-year-old son. In six months, his wife Iara was due to give birth to their second child. Now she must raise two children alone. Rob was only seventeen. His mother said he was overjoyed to become a soldier because he needed money for his younger sibling’s medicine. On his very first deployment, a Cullen tore him limb from limb. We still haven’t found one of his arms.”
Chloe continued, reciting the names and painful circumstances of every fallen soldier and knight as though making atonement. The bound man glared at her, breathing heavily through flared nostrils.
“Why are you telling me all this? Do you expect me to shed tears of repentance?”
The man who had been cowering moments ago was gone; only venom remained as he snarled.
“No. I’m telling you that the people you killed weren’t just ‘Soldier One’ or ‘Soldier Two.’ They were someone’s husband, someone’s son, someone’s older brother—just like you are someone’s son.”
At the mention of family, the man’s face visibly hardened.
“What, are you going to threaten my family?”
“You—!”
The man tried to stand but collapsed again from his injured leg. Chloe seized him by the hair, her teeth clenched.
“You’re still so defiant even after being captured. You must be counting on that Bartre or whoever to come rescue you. How noble of you to care about loyalty after slaughtering innocent people.”
“Don’t speak so carelessly of Lord Bartre!”
“Handsome.”
“Yes!”
Startled by Chloe’s murderous expression, Handsome answered sharply.
“Throw him in the underground dungeon. Spread the word that he will be publicly executed in three days. With that kind of tearful loyalty, Bartre will surely come for him.”
“Yes!”
“Just kill me! Don’t use me—kill me!”
“And find his family and bring them before me.”
“Yes!”
“No! If you touch my family, I won’t let you get away with it! Never!”
The man thrashed and foamed at the mouth. A moment later, Urun knocked him unconscious, and the subordinates dragged him away like a sack of grain.
Once the door closed, only Chloe, Red Bear, and Handsome remained in the study.
“Then I shall go capture his family at once.”
Red Bear looked ready to charge out immediately, but Chloe quickly stopped him.
“There’s no need.”
“Pardon? But you just said—”
“It was only to frighten him. His family aren’t criminals just because he is. Simply scare him. Keep a constant watch on the dungeon day and night. But do find out where his family is. If we’re going to threaten him, we need some information.”
Though she said this, the truth was she feared her resolve might waver if they brought in an ignorant old woman or a child crying for their father. Chloe had no intention of forgiving the man.
“Understood.”
That afternoon, hoping to ease her heavy heart, Chloe visited the tailors’ workshop for the first time in a while. The new workshop, relocated to the eastern end of the castle’s first floor because the old one had grown too cramped, was twice as spacious and far more comfortable.
On days without urgent matters, Chloe usually wore skirt-pants. The castle staff seemed to like the look; gradually, more and more servants began wearing them as well. Delma and Anna were no exception—possible only because Chloe had given her permission.
The new workshop was equipped with wide worktables for each tailor. Along one wall, a storage cabinet neatly held the various fabrics Den regularly purchased from other territories. Even in winter, he never forgot to bring in assorted blankets. Aside from Monel and Julia, who were making clothes for the lord, the rest of the tailors were busy sewing winter garments for the territory’s people.
Chloe felt deeply pleased to see that castle affairs continued smoothly even while she had been bedridden. Handsome and Scrooge’s tireless efforts had kept everything running when everyone else had fallen into panic over her injury. The two of them had worked day and night to ensure the projects she had already set in motion did not come to a halt.
Handsome guided Chloe to the newly relocated workshop while explaining details that had not made it into the reports.
“Including the people who arrived yesterday, we now have twenty tailors in total. The financial officer said he would proceed with the contracts after reporting to you.”
“And the lodgings will be assigned separately by Delma.”
“Yes, my lady. We will make sure they lack for nothing.”
“Good. Take care of them.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Monel was the first to spot the lord entering the workshop. She set down her work and hurried to the entrance.
“My lady, you’ve arrived!”
At Monel’s greeting, the other tailors abandoned their tasks and gathered around Chloe in a rush.
“How have you all been? I see quite a few new faces.”
Chloe greeted them with a bright smile, and the younger tailors who were seeing the lord of Grace for the first time widened their eyes in surprise.