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“Well, then I’m heading to Lesse.”
“Mina, it’s enough that we warn him.”
“I’m not going for him. I’m going for the butterfly.” I shrugged. They both knew that if it was anything related to Raymond, it would be in Lesse, but since my excuse made sense, they didn’t say anything.
As I walked toward the watchmaker’s shop, I was trying to process what I’d heard. Even though the thought of finally being able to do something for Raymond excited me, I felt more hopeless than ever. I hadn’t been able to do anything helpful for the person I loved for years. I had to act fast and find a way to remove that element from his body.
As I turned into a familiar, dark alley, I clenched my jaw at the shadow I sensed behind me. The footsteps were incredibly quiet and cautious, but I was certain—I wasn’t alone. I took a deep breath before switching on the flashlight on my wrist to illuminate the area. I was good at preparing myself for the worst, but there was nothing there. False alarm. I took a few steps forward and looked around. And then, a face appeared in the beam.
I prided myself on being level-headed and fearless, but seeing a ghostly face pop out of the silence made me jump. The eyes illuminated by the light, however, were familiar.
“Why did you follow me?”
“Since your teammates didn’t show up, I didn’t want you to be alone.”
The woman from the bar earlier was still studying me with an amused look, her mask still covering her face.
Without dropping my guard, I tilted my chin up. “Since we’re alone, tell me, then. What’s your real motivation?”
She met my icy tone with eyes just as cold. “The good of the planet.”
“Then go to the police. I work for a private agency.”
“I thought every citizen was working for Mars.”
I lowered my flashlight and let out a sigh. “Are you some kind of agent? Did Krivan send you?”
The woman shook her head slowly. She took a step forward, and as she began to patiently circle me, I didn’t move—only my eyes followed her intently.
“I just want to see what you’ll do. If you knew more… would you save him?”
“Him?”
I let out an irritated breath. If she kept speaking to me in these riddles, I wouldn’t be able to hold back much longer. “What’s your connection to Raymond?”
“Nothing. Let’s just call it regret.”
The words seeped into my mind, like an echo of my own voice. Except one thing was different. It was so… cold and calculating.
“You…” Suspicion laced my voice. “You’re the one who leaked Eleanor’s bank records, aren’t you?”
She stopped circling me. As she took a step toward me, I stepped back. She didn’t answer, only staring at me, making me swallow hard.
“You feel resentment toward her… but why?”
“Eleanor was a sinful woman,” she murmured in a peaceful, calm tone, as if delivering a recital. “But she cared about Raymond. After all, she was his mother.”
“She didn’t act like one, though.”
“Debatable. But as dreadful as she was, she felt pity toward that little boy. Even though it was a feeling she shouldn’t have had. There was nothing she could do, except give him something to calm him down. So she made sleeping pills solely for Raymond. To ease his pain.”
“What?”
“That is why everyone on this planet is mutating and falling apart. Their bodies can’t handle it because, from the very beginning, it was designed to fit only Raymond’s body.”
“All those deaths…” I breathed, then my voice rose involuntarily with anger. “Eleanor knew this, and she didn’t stop it?”
“She released new versions, but people continued to sell them illegally. Is she the only one to blame?”
