Chapter 73 Something you're hiding?
Ira's POV
The door closes with a soft click. Somehow it sounds too loud in the quiet room.
“Uh,” the sound hangs on my tongue as Sergeant Elric turns to face me.
His dark eyes lock on mine. He looks upset, like he's had a shitty day.
I glance at the door.
“Sergeant Elric,” I greet with a slight bow. “I was sent to set commander Ruel's tray. I was just heading out.” I explain.
He glances at the tray then back at me.
His gaze is focused. The kind that makes you overly self conscious. As if every corner of your mind is being accessed.
He casually takes two more steps forward, a few strands of hair falling around his face.
There's no doubt Elric is handsome, but it doesn't pull me in like the commander's features.
“Sit,” he says, his voice calm and low, carrying that quiet pull that makes obedience feel inevitable.
I hesitate, suddenly suspicious. With him standing there, the study feels smaller. His serious gaze makes it even worse.
There are only two chairs. One behind the desk, clearly for Ruel and the other opposite the first.
If I sit, wouldn't that be rude? Shouldn't I be sitting while my superior stands?
Elric answers the question for me by pulling out the chair and nodding at it.
I sit rigid, my back straight and feet planted firmly. For a full minute he says nothing. His eyes just stare unwaveringly at me. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable I glance at the door, calculating how fast I can run to it when the time comes.
Elric does not sit. He remains by the desk, both arms relaxed at his sides.
The silence stretches longer than a minute.
And then, after what feels like three minutes, he speaks, his voice stiff.
“That night…”
I lean back, not knowing where this is going.
“The night Scarface brought you. Tell me everything that happened.”
My throat tightens as the question takes me off guard. Memories surge forward like a poisonous flame.
Anna's screams, Oren’s tear stricken face, those rough hands twisting my arms and ripping at my clothes while I struggled to save them.
“Scarface didn't bring me. I was kidnapped… my family was taken from me.” I whisper, my voice breaking.
I drop my gaze to my lap where my hands tremble. I clasp them tightly, my sharp nails digging into my skin, badly needing to steady myself.
“I was only going to give them a better life,” I continue, unable to shut out the memory. “We shouldn't have tried to escape. Now I don’t even know if they are still alive.”
Elric remains perfectly still, listening without interrupting me.
“I was captured and brought here to serve like a slave forever.”
“Hm,” he mumbles with a nod, the response instantly pissing me off.
I open my mouth to say my thought but shut it back the moment he looks at my eyes again.
There's this edge to his gaze, far fiercer than curiosity. “And your hair? Has it always been this red?”
The blood drains from my face. Breeze runs in through the window, blowing out a candle.
I hold on to the armrest, stupidly feeling calmer, as if that breeze was a reassurance that my regular visiting ghost is here to protect me.
But why the sudden question? Why now? I check my hair everyday. I would know if the color was fading. It's not, so why is he asking such?
“Or is there something you're hiding?” He adds, stepping closer.
My heart thunders in my chest as I leap to my feet, the chair scraping harshly against the stone floor.
Elric reaches into his pocket and draws out a small dagger, its blade glinting wickedly in the light.
I stumble backward, colliding with the wall as fear consumes me.
“W..wha…what…” I stammer, looking around for an easier escape than the door.
Fuck how did he find out? Am I going to die tonight? Oh shit, I'm really going to lose my life.
Tears well up in my eyes as I try to control my breathing so I can think.
Elric's face contorts into a frown. His eyes widen in realization when he turns to the knife in his hand.
“Shit,” he mutters under his breath, quickly dropping the weapon on the table, away from me.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he says hastily. “It was digging into my hip… shit was bloody uncomfortable.”
Relax Ira, you misunderstood… he's not going to harm you. No one knows your hair's white.
I struggle to slow my rough breathing. I have never been alone in a room with Elric like this before. Ruel has always been present. And it's only now I realize his presence has always felt like a shield.
Somehow it's easier to believe the commander wouldn't harm me.
“I think red suits you very well,” Elric whispers softly, his tone almost kind.
But the compliment, it feels like a carefully laid trap.
I manage a stiff nod. “Thank you.”
I need to leave. Goddess, I need to get out of here.
Leaning back against the desk, he crosses his arms loosely. “Easy now, Ira. If Ruel walks in and sees you this shaken, he’ll assume I’ve threatened you.”
The sound of his laugh lingers for a moment, warm on the surface, but it dies quickly in the heavy quiet.
My chest stays tight but I force the edges of my lips upward into what I hope passes for a smile.
Still, my eyes stay wary, fixed on him, betraying every bit of the fear I’m trying to hide.
That's when the door bursts open. Ruel fills the frame. His tall and commanding form storms inside.
Those deadly grey eyes fall on me instantly. A growl ripples deep in his throat when he glances at Elric who's standing beside a dagger lying on the desk.
“What is this?” he demands, sounding mad.
He turns to me then, truly seeing me, his stare piercing straight through to my core. The intensity pins me in place, sending conflicting waves of heat and chill across my skin.
“Nothing,” I answer quickly, noticing how my breathing calms. “I only brought your dinner. Please excuse me.”
I brush past them both in a rush, my arm grazing Ruel’s as I slip through the doorway. The fleeting contact of skin against skin sends a sharp spark through me.
Moving faster, I pull the door shut behind me and flee to my room with Elric's suspicious gaze burning through my mind.
The longer I stay here, the more suspicious everyone will be. The earlier I leave, the better.
I need to stay alive. At least until I've secured Anna and Oren's safety.