Everyone entered the house. It looked extremely poor, reminding Irene a little of the home she had lived in during her childhood.
The mother asked them to sit, then went to fetch her son, dragging him by the ear while speaking to him in an incomprehensible language. He argued stubbornly, but she kept hitting his shoulder until he finally took the ring out of his pocket.
The boy stepped forward and handed the ring to Irene, avoiding her gaze, clearly displeased.
Irene looked at him for a moment, then took the ring silently.
The boy stepped back, and the mother dropped to the ground with him, trying to apologize, but Irene stopped her without hesitation.
"No, stop… there's no need, please."
The mother looked at her and spoke in broken language,
"Sorry… I haven't taught him properly… he's a troublesome child."
Irene paused, trying to understand her words, then smiled gently and said,
"It's alright, I understand his situation. He's still a child… you are a good mother."
The woman raised her hand gratefully, expressing thanks through gestures.
At that moment, the old man spoke,
"Miss, are you a foreigner too?"
Irene turned to him calmly and said,
"And would you leave if I said yes?"
The old man laughed,
"No, I wouldn't. You seem to be from Asgard… judging by your accent."
A brief silence settled between them.
"Don't worry, miss. I'm not that kind of person. I don't hold grudges against anyone unless they harm me."
Irene's driver spoke,
"Thank you, sir, but… what exactly is going on? And what language were you speaking with the woman?"
The old man replied in a mysterious tone,
"It's better if you don't know, son."
Suddenly, Irene said,
"It's Iko… isn't it?"
The old man looked at her in surprise, while a look of curiosity and boldness appeared on her face.
He chuckled lightly,
"So it seems you… came here for this, miss?"
The driver and Sally looked at Irene in confusion.
Irene asked,
"Are you also from the Forbidden Land?"
He replied,
"No, I'm not. I'm just a simple herbal doctor who comes and goes, so I learned the language of these people , I'm very impressed that you know about the forbidden land as well."
Irene turned to the mother and said,
"Could you ask her to answer my questions, please?"
The old man said,
"I don't think she'll agree… these people don't accept outsiders… or rather, they're not allowed to."
Irene smiled,
"Aren't you an outsider to them as well, sir?"
He sighed,
"Yes… that's true. Actually…"
Then he began,
"Years ago, this area was completely guarded, and no one was allowed to enter these rugged mountain lands. People were told it was dangerous, so they stopped approaching it. Even the road leading here used to be lively, with caravans and merchants passing through, but after a government decision, it became nearly abandoned… only military wagons passed through."
He paused, then continued,
"I didn't understand the reason behind it… but my curiosity drove me to keep observing. After years, people began to forget about that road, and even the military stopped coming. I took the opportunity and entered through this road, discovering this village by chance… and I understood everything."
He lowered his voice,
"The road wasn't dangerous… this place was deliberately hidden… from the public… from everyone. The only reason these people allow me to stay is because I'm a doctor who helps their sick. No one comes to this village except me. So when you asked about this place,
I was surprised. I thought you were looking for someone you knew here, and since you didn't speak to me directly, I assumed you might speak Iko as well. I'm not sure how you learned about this place… I don't know what your connection to these people is… but still people here will still see you as strangers."
Irene thought to herself, finally understanding the words of the writer De Rovell.
She was the only one who had hinted at this region. After studying other historical books, Irene managed to piece everything together… and reach this place.
But the question she couldn't answer was: why were these people moved from their land to Valerian? And why was their identity erased to such an extent… that their existence became completely unknown, even though they were only a few kilometers away from the city?
Irene replied,
"I understand… alright, please tell her that I won't hurt her. I just want to help her. Please try!"
Suddenly, the mother said,
"Excuse… why are you here? Are you from the neighboring kingdom?"
Irene looked at her and asked,
"Do you understand everything I'm saying?"
The woman nodded.
Irene said,
"Can we talk, please?"
The woman hesitated,
"No… forbidden… how did you enter here? This is forbidden too… take your ring… and leave."
Irene insisted,
"Please, just listen to me for a few minutes… I don't want to hurt you… please trust me."
The woman stepped back.
Irene removed her earrings and offered them,
"I can help you… this is just a gift in exchange for your time."
But the woman slapped her hand away, the earrings falling to the ground, and began shouting,
"Leave!"
The little boy rushed forward, shouting and pushing Irene away from his mother.
"Kaowla!… Kaowlaaa!"
The driver quickly moved to pull him away.
Sally said,
"My lady! Are you alright?"
Irene replied calmly,
"Don't worry, Sally… just step back a little. It's fine, I'm alright… don't interfere for now."
Then she knelt down and said,
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean any harm. Don't misunderstand me… I'm sorry."
Both Sally and the driver were stunned by Irene's behavior.
The old man stepped forward and began speaking gently with the woman. After a long discussion, she finally agreed.
He turned to Irene,
"She agreed."
Irene smiled,
"Thank you, sir, truly."
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Meanwhile, in an office, Lucas was sitting at his desk, holding something in his hand and staring at it it was Irene's medicine.
Moments earlier…
A knock on the door.
"Enter."
A soldier stepped in, kneeling on one knee with one hand on the ground in salute.
He approached the desk and placed a small box beside him, along with a letter.
"I have done as you asked. This is a letter from the chief physician in the city."
"Alright, leave it and go."
The soldier bowed and exited.
Lucas put down his pen and picked up a small box.
It contained Irene's medicine and a letter he had sent to the head physician to ask about it and its components.
He opened the doctor's reply.
He couldn't believe what he read.
"What nonsense is this?"
ــــــــــــــــــــــ
Lucas was still holding the box, thinking. A faint smile crept onto the corner of his lips.
"I see… that's the kind of woman you are. Disgusting."
According to the doctor's response, those were strong abortion pills, also used to prevent pregnancy.
Lucas stood up and headed straight to the palace.
After entering, the head servant informed him that Irene had gone out to tour the city, which made him even angrier, since he had told her not to leave without his permission.
And that only made his thoughts even more chaotics
To be continued...