Blink, blink.

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was pitch-black darkness. For a moment, Hailey thought she was still trapped in her dream.

Then, the hazy outline of a pale ceiling slowly took shape. It was only then that she realized she wasn’t enveloped in perfect darkness. There was a faint light.

A hospital?

She unconsciously brought her hand to her stomach. There was no pain. Carefully, she touched the area, but it was intact without a single wound.

As she stared blankly into the darkness, the events of the past flooded back like a tidal wave: Hyein’s death, the new world, Baron Salmon, the cursed Duke’s mansion, and the corpse she found in the alley.

The corpse.

Hailey’s face turned pale again. Her stomach churned, and she felt a wave of nausea. Her breathing became ragged, and cold sweat trickled down her skin.

“Urk.”

“You’re awake?”

“!”

Someone was in the room. Hailey’s heart dropped with a thud. She turned her head with wide eyes. Jessie was sitting beside the bed, looking at her with a worried expression.

“Are you all right?”

Jessie held a dry cloth in her hand. It seemed she had been wiping the sweat off Hailey’s face.

Only then did Hailey let out a sigh of relief. Her body sank heavily onto the bed.

With effort, she raised her eyes to look at Jessie. Her last memory was of the cold ground in an alley behind a tavern.

“What happened? Why am I… here?”

Hailey furrowed her brows, trailing off. Jessie, who had been looking at her with pity, cautiously began to explain.

“The constables brought you here.”

“The constables?”

The unexpected word made Hailey’s eyes widen.

“They said you witnessed something terrible and lost consciousness…”

Jessie couldn’t continue. The memory of the incident seemed to resurface for her, and her eyes grew wet, her face twisting as if she might cry.

“Ah.”

Hailey nodded slowly. Each movement made her head throb unpleasantly, as though her brain were being scrambled. A sharp, needle-like headache made her wince.

She raised a hand to her forehead. The coolness of her fingertips seemed to calm her spinning thoughts slightly.

“I see. I remember. But…”

The furrow in her brows deepened.

“How did the constables know I was staying at the Duke Gunner’s mansion? No, more importantly, how did they even know who I am?”

Jessie tilted her head as if she hadn’t considered that. “Now that you mention it…” she muttered before responding lightly, as though it wasn’t a big deal.

“Maybe someone who knows you was there?”

“Is that so?”

Hailey gazed up at the ceiling with a doubtful expression. But she didn’t believe Jessie’s explanation.

There was no one who would know her. She was from Westhill, a five-hour train ride from here, and it was her first time in the capital. She had no friends here.

Her thoughts didn’t last long. Jessie spoke again, interrupting her.

“Are you feeling all right? Should I call a doctor?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Thank goodness. I was so shocked when I saw you carried in on Inspector Hans’s back. What on earth happened to you?”

“Uh…”

Instead of answering, Hailey gave a wry smile. Seeing her expression, Jessie refrained from asking further and changed the subject.

“The constables said they’d come again tomorrow. They said they have questions for you. Also…”

Jessie hesitated as though what she was about to say was difficult. She glanced at Hailey nervously with her round eyes.

“Madam Mastis was displeased to hear that you were carried back by a constable.”

“Ah.”

Hailey nodded knowingly. The reason was obvious. Madam Mastis probably thought it was improper for a woman to be carried by an unfamiliar man.

Hailey let Jessie’s words go in one ear and out the other.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, and…”

Once again, Jessie hesitated. Hailey nodded as if to tell her it was fine to continue. Things couldn’t get much worse than they already were. She was already at the bottom of the abyss.

Jessie, clutching the wrinkled cloth in her hands, finally whispered in a small voice.

“The Duke was angry as well.”

“The Duke was… angry?”

Hailey couldn’t think of anything that might have upset him. She hadn’t done anything wrong. With her palm pressed against her forehead, she eventually asked.

“Why?”

“Because… you wandered outside the mansion instead of working and got caught up in some strange incident.”

Well, that was typical of him.

But it was entirely possible that Jessie was watering down his words. The Duke likely added something about her being a useless freeloader who did nothing but waste food.

“Aren’t you hungry? I’ll bring you something to eat.”

As though the thought had just occurred to her, Jessie put down the crumpled cloth and spoke. Hailey shook her head with a faint smile.

“It doesn’t seem like I’ll be able to get over it.”

“Still, you shouldn’t sleep on an empty stomach. I’ll bring you something easy to digest.”

“…Alright, thank you.”

When Hailey reluctantly nodded, Jessie picked up the oil lamp on the nightstand and left the room. The door opened and closed, and her footsteps grew distant.

Left alone, the room became heavy with silence. Hailey slowly turned her head to gaze beyond the window.

As she listened closely, faint sounds of chirping insects seeped through the closed window. Before she could stop it, the memories of that moment resurfaced—the terrifying instant when it felt like she couldn’t breathe.

Her heart began to race, her vision blurred, and her teeth chattered. Her entire body pulsed with the rapid beat of her veins.

“No way…”

It was then that Hailey realized she had developed a trauma. Whether it was triggered by blood, corpses, or both, one thing was certain: it was a trauma she never had before.

She slowly took deep breaths, tightly closed her eyes, and then opened them again. Under the covers, her trembling hands gripped tightly.

The more she tried not to think about it, the clearer the face of the corpse etched in her memory became.

Her stomach churned. She felt sorry for Jessie, but there was no way she could eat. Hailey burrowed into the covers and closed her eyes.

Before long, she heard the sound of the door opening. Quiet footsteps approached the bedside.

“My lady, the soup… You’re asleep.”

Jessie sighed lightly, as though there was nothing more she could do. She set the tray on the nightstand and used a clean cloth to once again wipe Hailey’s cheeks and neck.

After hesitating for a moment, she whispered, “Have a restful night,” and left the room.

Click.

Only after the door closed did Hailey open her eyes. Unfortunately, as Jessie had wished, a restful night was not in store for her.

Clutching the edge of the blanket with a pained expression, Hailey curled into a ball. Another long, sleepless night had begun.

***

“Albert Blair.”

“Ah.”

Hailey couldn’t help but look startled when she came face-to-face with a familiar figure. The inspector she had met yesterday was now standing in front of her, looking straight at her.

His soft, golden hair glowed like afternoon sunlight, and his deep blue eyes resembled the sea. With his tall stature and polished appearance, he was flawless in every way.

Standing behind him was a man with a pleasant demeanor, likely Albert’s subordinate. When their eyes met, the man offered a polite nod with a warm smile.

“Hans Palmer, sergeant.”

“…I’m Hailey Salmon.”

She thought she might know why the two were traveling together. Hans seemed to soften the tense atmosphere created by Albert’s rigid expression.

Dressed in civilian attire, the two didn’t look like officers. In particular, the stiff air surrounding Albert made him resemble a banker or professor more than a law enforcement official.

“Please, have a seat.”

Hailey gestured toward the sofa in the drawing room. Just then, Anna came in with tea. Hailey poured tea into cups and handed them to the two men.

After finishing her task, Anna lingered nearby, casting shy glances at Albert. Blushing, she kept stealing looks at him until Hailey caught her gaze. Only then did she quietly leave the room.

“Thank you, Miss Hailey Salmon.”

Hailey, who had been watching Anna leave, turned her attention to Hans. It was refreshing to hear normal pleasantries after such a long time. Her expression softened.

“You’re welcome. Please, feel free to call me Hailey.”

“Let’s talk about the incident you witnessed yesterday, Miss Hailey Salmon.”

Albert cut their polite conversation short, getting straight to the point. When Hans caught Hailey’s eye, he gave her a small, apologetic smile.

Hailey offered a slight nod, signaling her understanding. After all, she worked for a difficult superior herself. Personality-wise, her boss could hold his own in any competition for difficult temperaments.

“What were you doing there at that hour, Miss Hailey? It didn’t seem like a place a lady would typically frequent.”