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Chapter 30: Did You Kill My Mom and Dad?

Perhaps because the old man had told them to rest, Janice and Raymond were given clean clothes—ill-fitting, but at least clean. They were allowed to wash, and for the first time in a while, they had a proper meal. The room they were assigned even had a bed—an old mattress with sagging springs that creaked, but far better than the bare floor.

It was far better treatment than they'd expected. But the old man's final words, and Janice's suspicion that these people might have killed the Bakers, gnawed at them.

Lying on the bed, Janice and Raymond racked their brains over what these people were after, and what they themselves should do. But their young, exhausted bodies succumbed helplessly to the comfort. They fell asleep as if fainting.

The next morning came.

Janice and Raymond were taken back down to the first floor, where they'd met the old man the day before. There, Janice was handed a map.

"This is..."

Startled, Janice looked up at the old man. He smiled benignly.

"You recognize it, don't you?"

"No, I don't—"

"There's no point in lying. Your eyes tell me you know it well."

"No! I don't know it. I've never seen it before!"

Janice denied it firmly.

But at the old man's signal, one of his men drew a knife and pressed it against Raymond's throat. Janice could no longer speak.

"Now, let me ask you again. It looks familiar, doesn't it?"

"...I've only seen it once."

"..."

"Really. I just glimpsed it briefly in my parents' lab."

The map they'd handed her was identical to the one that had been pinned to the wall of her parents' lab—down to the inscriptions and mysterious symbols.

"Then let me ask you another question. Do you know what that map is?"

"I don't... No, yes, I do. It's a treasure map. They said there was some kind of ruin or something there."

Janice had no intention of answering the kidnappers' questions readily—especially now that she suspected they'd killed her parents.

But seeing the knife graze Raymond's neck, and the blood trickling down, her resolve wavered.

Though their relationship was closer to enmity than friendship, Janice didn't want to watch Raymond die before her eyes.

"Jani—ugh!"

Raymond tried to say something, but the knife pressed deeper into his neck.

"Raymond!"

Janice cried out, and Raymond gestured to her as if to say he was fine. The old man smiled.

"It's alright. He won't die."

"You!"

"My dear, I only want you to tell the truth."

Despite his kind expression and tone, his eyes were icy cold. Janice gritted her teeth.

"I'm only nine years old, and I was seven when my parents died. I really don't know anything."

Janice changed tactics—instead of stubborn denial, she used her young age as a shield.

She truly didn't know much.

But the old man seemed to think otherwise.

"You may not know much, but your parents might have told you. Look—you recognize that map, and you know it's a treasure map. You even know about the ruins. I simply want to know those little pieces of knowledge."

"..."

"I'm going to ask you several questions. Tell me what you've seen, and tell me what you haven't. That's all we want."

The old man still wore a kind expression and spoke in a kind voice. But Janice saw a snake in him—large, slimy, with gleaming, maddened eyes.

"...Did you kill my mom and dad?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Please answer me."

"Who knows. If it is, it is; if it isn't, it isn't."

"Are you saying you did kill them?"

"I don't think so. But someone else's thoughts might not be mine. My dear, life is far more complicated than you think."

The old man danced around the question, never giving a straight answer. But to Janice, it seemed clear—her parents' deaths were connected to them. They were not innocent.

"Why did you kill my mom and dad?"

"When you looked at this map, what did your parents say? 'Let's go find treasure'? Or 'Finding these ruins will be a great contribution to human history'? Tenured professors... yes. They coveted fame. Your parents did."

"..."

Janice gave no answer, but the old man kept extracting things from her—her eyes, her movements, her words. Like a profiler from her past life.

Frustrated, Janice squeezed her eyes shut, trying to reveal nothing. But...

"Ugh!"

"Stop it!"

They were holding Raymond hostage.

"Dear, if you keep being uncooperative, your friend will get hurt. Oh dear, that must hurt. He's bleeding quite a bit."

"You're really bad people!"

"All humans have both good and evil within them. That is the way of the world."

The old man spouted nonsense with his usual kindly expression.

How annoying.

Janice hated this situation with every fiber of her being. But what annoyed her even more was the realization that fooling him wouldn't be easy.

---

A week had passed since the children disappeared. As a result, the Empire was in an uproar.

By common knowledge, after this much time, the kidnappers should have made some demand—political action, or a ransom amount.

But after a full week, no demands had come to the Grand Duke's household, the Ducal residence, the Imperial Palace, or the Police Agency.

In such cases, it was usually a crime of revenge—a grudge against the child's guardians. The perpetrators wanted the guardians to suffer without making any demands.

So the Imperial Palace, the Grand Duke's household, and the Police Agency investigators were all preparing for the worst.

The Grand Duchess had long since collapsed. The Empress Dowager wept daily. The Grand Duke, who had been in diplomatic negotiations at the frontier when his son disappeared, had withdrawn from the talks due to health reasons.

Even the Marquess of Verdo, who guarded the frontier, and the Emperor himself could not hide their grief.

Their fear—that an enemy nation or hostile faction might use Raymond's life as leverage, threatening the Empire's security—had become reality.

People across political, economic, and social circles—nobles and commoners alike—were in turmoil.

That was when Garren secretly entered the palace. He requested a private audience with the Emperor.

"Duke Roman, are the old Duke and Duchess alright?"

The Emperor, remembering Garren had also lost his only daughter, tried to comfort him. But Garren gave an unexpected answer.

"Your Majesty, I wish to discreetly reassign some personnel from the investigative team."

He'd asked about the old couple's well-being, but received an unrelated response.

The Emperor asked Garren what he meant. Garren told him he suspected there was a group behind the children's kidnapping.

"Who is it!"

The Emperor roared.

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