Chapter 57: Interrogation Under Moonlight

“What do you think?”

A cold, unfamiliar voice suddenly cut through, dragging me from my reverie.

Instinctively, I turned my head, only for my eyes and mouth to be covered in an instant.

“Mmph—”

I couldn’t comprehend what was happening. After only a few breaths, my strength began to wane, and a crushing drowsiness, like an unstoppable beast, devoured both my mind and body.

“Beep—beep—beep—”

The shrill blare of car horns jolted me awake from my daze. To my surprise, I was seated in the driver’s seat of a car.

Everything around me was incredibly familiar, so much so that it instantly triggered a flood of memories.

This was my old car!

What was happening?

Hadn’t I already…

Before I could fully collect myself, a torrent of harsh curses erupted from behind.

“You f*king drive! What are you doing blocking the road?”

As if to punctuate the demand, another long, piercing honk, like a blaring suona, urged me to move.

A quick glance in the rearview mirror revealed a long line of cars backed up. Several hot-headed drivers had already exited their vehicles, rolling up their sleeves as they strode towards me.

Uh…

This looked rather grim. It would be best to drive away first.

‘Huh? Why isn’t the accelerator responding? Is the car broken?’

Just then, a knocking sound came from the car window. I turned to see several impatient drivers outside, shouting abuses and demanding I get out.

With no other option, I rolled down the window, offering an apologetic explanation to the people outside.

“I’m so sorry, sirs, my car seems to be…”

“Go to hell!”

A bone-chilling cold instantly ripped the chaotic nerves from my mind. I had no time to recover, forced instead to feel my consciousness gradually coalesce.

“Ugh…”

The scent of earth and green grass filled my nostrils. Fighting through my exhaustion, I pushed myself up, slowly rising from the ground.

The chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves in the night wind echoed in my ears, creating a sense of unease.

Where was this place?

Hadn’t I just been…

My eyes gradually adjusted to the dim night. By the meager moonlight, I slowly made out my own hand.

Its small, slender fingers made me realize that everything that had just transpired was merely an insignificant dream.

Sighing inwardly, I quickly accepted the situation.

“Alas… it was just a dream after all, huh?”

Suddenly, I noticed a dark figure standing before me.

The slender figure, clad in black, stood silently in the shadows untouched by the moonlight, unmoving, as if fused with the darkness.

My movement seemed to catch their attention. The figure slowly turned, looking at me.

Beneath a gray-iron mask, a pair of sharp eyes coldly stared at me, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.

“You… who are you?”

In response to my question, the figure offered no reply. Instead, they drew a short sword from their waist, then slowly approached me, and without warning, stepped on my back.

The force on my back was considerable, like an iron ingot had been slammed into me.

Then, a question accompanied by the cold threat of the short sword rang out:

“How exactly did Mankha die? Speak!”

A sensation like an ice cube pressed against my neck, subtly suggesting a tearing pain.

I had no doubt that if I failed to provide a satisfactory answer, I would surely perish here.

I did not wish to die, so my mind began to race frantically.

“Mankha?” I feigned ignorance at first. “Who is Mankha? I don’t know anyone by that name!”

“You don’t know? You couldn’t possibly not know! Mankha was your superior; all your intelligence was supposed to be conveyed to that lord through her. She died a week ago in Listening Wind Town. I visited the scene, and even the items she should have left behind were gone…”

The short sword pressed closer to the artery in my neck, and their tone grew more menacing.

“She contacted you before she died!”

My heart hammered like a loose bead, making it almost impossible to think clearly. Yet, from those few sentences, I had already deduced that this individual was an assassin from Coldwind Territory, an envoy representing Lord Axas’s will.

This person was here to investigate Mankha’s death!

In fact, I had anticipated this situation several days ago, but I hadn’t expected Lord Axas’s senses to be so keen, nor for his dispatched agents to arrive so swiftly.

My thoughts spun rapidly, and I quickly responded according to my pre-planned scenario.

“Mankha… she did indeed seek me out at the time. She… she also assigned me a mission, but halfway through its execution, a fire suddenly broke out in the castle’s backyard. Everyone rushed there, and Mankha vanished in the chaos. I… I’m telling you the truth, I’m not lying…”

‘I am, of course, telling a half-truth. I’m not lying to *you*,’ I thought to myself.

“And what was the mission she gave you?” the other party pressed.

“It was like this… Mankha had arranged for Lord Rodd to pass out, creating an opportunity for Miss Cassina, hoping she would seize the chance to conceive with that man. But the young lady didn’t want to get pregnant so early, so she secretly had a maid named Sharon take her place in the room. However, Mankha discovered this in time and ordered me to stop the maid immediately, under no circumstances allowing her to bear Lord Rodd’s child! That’s when I first learned of her true identity!”

I embellished the entire process, making it sound quite plausible.

“And then?” the other party continued to press.

“Then I led my people into Lord Rodd’s room, only to find that he had already woken up and hadn’t allowed the maid to succeed!”

After a moment’s thought, I added,

“Currently, that maid is undergoing labor reform!”

Upon hearing my lengthy explanation, the individual threatening me took a moment to process it all, then suddenly sneered.

“Heh heh… your story completely absolves you, doesn’t it? Do you truly believe you have no connection to Mankha’s death?”

The short sword pressing against my neck moved away, and the force pinning my body also lifted. A powerful hand seized me from behind, harshly pressing me against a tree trunk. With a *clink*, the short sword grazed past my eye, embedding itself several inches into the wood. Its cold glint shimmered in my eyes, making my pupils tremble uncontrollably.

“Look into my eyes, and tell me everything you know!”

A pair of emerald eyes gleamed with a wild, cold light, seemingly intent on piercing my thoughts and forcing the truth from my lips.

Under that chilling aura, my lips quivered. I truly came close to begging for mercy.

But then, I suddenly recalled what Sister Sharon had told me.

‘I have a cute, harmless-looking face…’

This was my advantage. Perhaps this was the advantage of a woman’s body. With just a thought, my eyes welled up with tears, red and swollen, exuding an air of foolish innocence.

“I don’t know… I really don’t know…”

The eyes opposite me visibly faltered.

“I… I am just a lowly girl. If not for being bought by that lord during the famine years, I would probably have starved to death in the wilderness. If you speak of benefactors, that lord is my benefactor; how could I betray him? Besides, my body is so weak and helpless, I can’t even resist one of your hands, so how could I possibly have the strength to harm Mankha?”

As I spoke, my voice grew softer and softer, tears streaming down my cheeks, dripping onto the scorched ground, instantly vanishing into the night.

“I… I’m already struggling so much. On one hand, I have to hide my identity as a spy, and on the other, I have to gather information about Rodd. Every day is filled with anxiety, and now… now even you’ve lost trust in me? What do you… what more do you want from me?”

A woman’s body has a peculiar flaw: it’s incredibly easy to start the tear ducts flowing, but remarkably difficult to stop them.

I didn’t know why. I had only intended to squeeze out a couple of tears, but once they started, the wave of sadness became uncontrollable.

I actually cried inconsolably, like a girl with a tragic past, even starting to cough.

I don’t know how long passed, but the short sword beside my cheek was abruptly pulled away, and the figure that had been so close retreated a few steps, moving away from me.

“Stop crying. Now, tell me the information you know.”