The two of us stood in the room, unsure where this lie would take us… or how long it could possibly hold.
And yet, we had no choice but to move forward with our act—
or rather, with our pathetic attempt to save our lives.
Cairo tilted his head toward me, the worry clear in his voice.
"So… what do we do now?"
I fell silent for a moment, trying to sort through the chaos of thoughts in my head before finally saying:
"We need to go to the warehouse… and pretend that we caught the doll and got rid of it."
He raised his eyebrows in surprise and replied with a hint of sarcasm:
"And why should we do that? Isn't that just a waste of time?"
I looked at him seriously.
"And what if Lord Valis suddenly comes out? What if he decides to check for himself? Do you really think he'll believe we managed to get rid of a doll that can move and talk in just a few minutes?!"
Cairo sighed and ran a hand through his hair nervously.
"I guess you're right… Fine, let's go to the warehouse. But… how exactly are we supposed to pretend we got rid of it? What's your plan?"
I slowly shook my head and said with an awkward smile:
"Well… actually, I haven't thought that far yet."
Cairo let out a long sigh.
"So… you're throwing out ideas without even having a plan to execute them!"
I muttered, trying to sound confident:
"Anyway, we'll think of something… we still have time."
We sat down again, sinking into a heavy silence.
Thoughts spun inside my head like a storm.
How could we deceive a noble who was clearly intelligent and cold-headed without him discovering our lie?
How could we invent something that never happened and convince him we did it?
It seemed impossible… but then—
Suddenly, an idea struck me.
I jumped to my feet.
"Cairo! I've got a plan!"
He lifted his head quickly.
"Really? What is it?"
I spoke while trying to hide my own uncertainty.
"It's… a bit complicated. But it might work."
Then I explained.
"You and I will go to the warehouse and take a small blanket with us. We'll stay there for about ten minutes, move around a bit, make some noise so anyone outside thinks we're searching or chasing something. If Lord Valis suddenly comes to check, we'll tell him we're still looking for the doll."
Cairo nodded thoughtfully.
"Alright… but what's the point of the blanket?"
I smiled lightly.
"We'll take it with us so later we can pretend we captured the doll and wrapped it inside. That way, if we run into Lord Valis while leaving the warehouse and he asks where the doll is, we'll say it's inside the blanket. Simple—but believable."
Cairo chuckled quietly.
"Nice… but it's not perfect. Don't you think there's an obvious flaw?"
A hint of tension crept into me.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
He looked straight at me.
"What if Lord Valis orders us to open the blanket so he can see the doll?"
I froze.
I hadn't thought about that.
I cleared my throat and replied quietly:
"Actually… I didn't think of that."
He laughed softly.
"Well, now you have. So… think of a solution."
I stared into space for a few seconds before saying with forced confidence:
"But it's impossible for Lord Valis to ask us to open the blanket."
He looked at me in confusion.
"And why not?!"
I smiled as if explaining something obvious.
"Come on, Cairo… this is real life. Do you really think Lord Valis would suddenly step forward and demand we open the blanket so he can personally check if the doll is inside? Like those tense scenes that only happen in stories or anime? Hahaha… that's impossible."
Cairo laughed and shook his head.
"Hahaha, you're right… Why am I worrying about something so unlikely? I mean, we're not even the protagonists of a story."
I laughed too, though my laugh carried a bitter edge.
"Hahaha… exactly. We're not heroes. Just two people trying to survive a mess that was never our choice."
A brief silence followed our small laughter.
The laughter was nothing more than a fragile cover over a heavy reality.
Then I stood up and patted Cairo on the shoulder.
"Come on… let's go to the warehouse. If we're going to lie, we might as well do it properly."
He gave a faint smile.
"Let's lie… so we can stay alive."
We moved toward the door with cautious steps, fully aware that the only thing we had was a blanket… and the growing fear that reality might be far harsher than our small lie.
But we moved forward anyway.
Hoping no one would open that blanket.
Not now… and not ever.
Before leaving the room, however, I stopped in front of an old wooden cabinet in the corner of the guard room.
It was covered in a thin layer of dust, as if it hadn't been opened in ages.
I slowly opened it, the creaking hinges only increasing my tension.
Inside hung a small gray blanket.
It looked relatively clean—perhaps someone had placed it there on a cold day and forgotten about it.
I glanced at Cairo, who was waiting near the door.
I nodded slightly, and we left the room together without saying a word.
We headed toward the staircase leading to the second floor.
With every step upward, I felt the weight of our lie pressing harder on my shoulders.
Our steps were slow and cautious, as if we were walking straight into a trap we had created ourselves.
Finally, we reached the warehouse door.
I stood before it and took a deep breath.
Here it was.
I had returned to this place once again—the place that had witnessed strange and terrifying moments last night.
Back then, I had been here with Cairo…
…and with the doll.
But today, we had returned alone.
The emptiness left behind by the doll's absence felt heavier than I expected.
The place seemed colder.
Quieter.
As if the walls themselves remembered what had happened here.
I opened the door.
A faint gust of dusty air drifted out.
We stepped inside, and Cairo closed the door behind us.
I looked around for a moment.
Everything was exactly where we had left it the night before.
But the atmosphere…
The atmosphere felt different.
Darker.
More oppressive.
Cairo broke the silence.
"Well… let's start the act."
I nodded.
"Yes. Let's begin."
We began moving around the warehouse in exaggerated motions.
Opening some crates.
Lifting old covers.
Shifting a few dusty objects to make noise.
We wanted it to look as real as possible.
After all, Lord Valis might be nearby—watching us without our knowledge.
The minutes passed painfully slowly.
Every second felt like it was bringing us closer to our lie being exposed.
I glanced at the clock hanging on the wooden wall.
Ten full minutes had passed.
I whispered to Cairo:
"I think that's enough time to convince Lord Valis we caught the doll."
Cairo nodded.
"Alright… then let's wrap the blanket as if something's inside."
I took the blanket and spread it on the ground.
Then I began shaping it as though I were wrapping something inside.
I wasn't very skilled at it, but I did my best to make it look like it contained a small object.
I looked at Cairo.
"Let's go."
I walked carefully toward the door and slowly opened it.
I peeked my head out to check the corridor.
"No one's there…" I whispered.
I turned back to Cairo.
"The coast is clear. Let's go."
We stepped out of the warehouse hesitantly.
I held the wrapped blanket tightly in my arms as if I were carrying something precious… or dangerous.
Cairo walked beside me silently.
Our eyes didn't meet, but our tension was shared.
We descended to the first floor.
A small sense of relief washed over me.
Passing the second floor felt like a test we had somehow survived.
But suddenly—
A voice behind us shattered that moment of relief.
"Hey, you two… what are you doing?"
I froze.
Slowly, I turned around.
Sirion.
He stood at the end of the corridor, his face carrying a mix of curiosity and caution.
He approached us with calm steps, his eyes shifting between our faces and the blanket in my arms.
"What is that you're carrying?"
Sweat gathered on my forehead.
What do I say?
How do I explain this?
My mind froze.
I stammered:
"Umm… w-well… the thing is… w-we're just—"
But Cairo suddenly cut in nervously.
"We're just… throwing away an old worn-out blanket."
I nodded quickly.
"Y-yes, he's right. Just an old blanket. Nothing important."
Sirion looked at us suspiciously before studying the blanket carefully.
"But it looks perfectly clean to me," he said coldly.
I quickly replied:
"Th-that's because Lord Valis has very high standards! And he… likes blankets that shine!"
Cairo stared at me in shock.
A shining blanket?! Are you serious?!
I shot him a desperate look.
That's the best I could come up with! Work with me!
Sirion kept staring at us before saying slowly:
"Hmm… so you're saying Lord Valis likes blankets that… shine?"
I held my breath.
Please believe it
.
Just believe it.
Sirion placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm… this is the first time I've heard something like that. But since Lord Valis is a rather eccentric and very wealthy man… I suppose nothing is impossible."
I smiled nervously.
"Yes, exactly! He's… unconventional."
Sirion nodded.
"Very well. You may continue. I'll see you later."
Then he turned and walked away
.
I watched him until he disappeared down the corridor before letting out a long breath.
"Phew… good thing he didn't catch us."
I looked at Cairo with a faint smile.
"Right, Cairo?"
But he didn't answer.
He stood there, eyes fixed, face stiff.
"Hey, Cairo… we're safe now. Snap out of it."
Suddenly he took a deep breath—
and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha… your plan is insane! I don't even know how I agreed to it!"
I laughed too.
But our laughter was nothing more than an attempt to escape one undeniable truth—
We were sinking deeper and deeper into a web of lies.