Chapter 72: Nine of Spades [Bonus]

’Nine of spades...’

Zayn had expected a fairly low-numbered club at worst. Perhaps even a diamond.

’I’m so lost...’

What could have possibly changed? What future had Zayn just prevented by using the card?

The worst part was that he’d likely never know. He could watch for anomalies, but even those would prove nothing. Anything strange that happened could be completely unrelated to the card.

Moments later, a cacophony of thuds rose from the tavern below, followed by several screams.

Before he could even begin to question it, three rhythmic knocks came at his door.

Zayn’s head snapped toward it. Through the gap beneath the closed door, he spotted a pair of boots. Boots he’d never seen before. None of his comrades ever worse such a thing, though they could have been freshly bought.

Either way...

’Who... who is that?!’

Zayn dismissed [Twist of Fate].

Readying himself for a potential fight, Zayn slid off the bed, grabbed his falx, and marched to the door. Tentatively, he wrapped his hand around the knob, twisted it, and pulled the door open.

Standing on the other side was...

’A... young girl?’

Pale-skinned and freckled, with brown eyes and long black hair, the young girl stood before him in a black robe. She looked eerily similar to Alina.

Zayn gulped and tightened his grip on the weapon concealed behind the door.

A wide smile spread across her face as she greeted him:

"Hello—"

She abruptly fell silent at the sound of footsteps approaching from the stairwell.

Scratching the back of her head, she met Zayn’s eyes and said:

"Oh, sorry, sir! I must have the wrong room..."

Zayn glanced toward the stairs as Amaya, sporting a new satchel, reached the top and began strutting down the hall toward them.

"Ah, no worries."

The girl gave an awkward chuckle and retreated from the door.

"Oopsie!"

She ran off down the hall, passing Amaya. Once she was several paces away, Zayn heard her shout:

"Can you shut up?"

Amaya and Zayn watched as she bounded to the end of the hall and knocked on the door of Shin Hae-Ryung’s room.

’...’

’Is she schizophrenic?’

Seemingly unconcerned by the bizarre encounter, Amaya brushed past Zayn, slid into his room, and shut the door herself. As it clicked into place, she looked at the falx in Zayn’s right hand.

"Were you planning to kill that poor girl too or something?"

Zayn sighed, then walked over to his bed and set the weapon down beside it.

"Don’t say that with such a straight face. So—"

Before he could finish, Amaya plopped onto his bed and launched into a breathless account:

"You won’t believe the fiasco that just happened downstairs. Someone tripped and sent a tray of chicken flying. Jade didn’t notice it coming, and it was about to land on her, but Julia pulled her out of the way. Then they crashed into a table and knocked it over. A man sitting there jumped up and started screaming at them. He had quite the pair of bulging eyes. I don’t even know how they stay in their sockets... Anyway, Lucas ran in soon after, and for some reason, the man with bulging eyes pissed himself, ran away, and crashed into a window because he thought it was a door...? I don’t know; don’t ask. Then, Martha threw his ass out onto the street for damaging her property. Julia also got a fine, but she’s allowed to stay. Then, completely unrelated, while I was trying to flee the scene, Maks burst into the inn and ran accross the room and half-tackled me making me trip when I tried to climb the stairs. He didn’t even apologize."

’That... Was that because of me?’

Even if it was, what had actually changed? How much of that chaos had the card caused — one mishap or the entire chain?

Too confused to muster a proper facial expression, Zayn replied in a monotone:

"Uh... cool story."

Amaya sighed and fell back onto his bed.

"Wow, at least feign interest. You’d make a pretty shitty boyfriend. I should warn Jade about you."

Zayn sighed.

"I said it wasn’t like that."

"Uh-huh..."

Zayn shook his head.

"Why are you here, anyway...?"

"I believe you know why."

Zayn glanced at his hand.

"I know the general gist... but not everything that goes on in your deranged mind."

Amaya flinched.

"Deranged... mind? The hell. Where did that come from?!"

’Did she... actually get upset at that? Is she genuinely unaware of how weird she is?’

"You’ve already figured it out, haven’t you? I did it... So, what else are you curious about?"

Amaya stared at him blankly for a few moments, then slowly rose.

"What is there to not be curious about? I finally get a front-row seat to a crime podcast coming to life. This is like... every millennial woman’s dream."

Zayn’s consternation gave way to pure, unadulterated bewilderment.

Amaya cheered:

"Bah! Don’t look at me like that; I’m just joking... sorta. A part of me is a little excited..."

After staring at her for several seconds, Zayn bluntly asked:

"Amaya, how old are you?"

"Huh...?" Amaya chuckled awkwardly. "Oh... oh... ah, I never said I was a millennial."

Zayn studied her aloof expression.

"But... you did."

"No, I just said it was ’every millennial woman’s dream.’"

"But... that implies— Just answer the question."

Amaya slowly shook her head.

"Such an irrelevant question is better left unanswered."

’Seriously...?’

"Whatever... Ask whatever your bleeding heart desires. Just don’t expect honesty. Truthfully, I don’t even know what an honest answer would look like..."

Amaya smiled politely, then rattled off:

"Oh? But murder is the purest form of honesty. Surely there’s no confusion about what you’ve done."

’...’

’Someone lock this woman up.’

’There’s no way she’s not done something heinous in her life.’

Amaya reeled back.

"Why are you looking at me like that?!"

"Are you seriously that out of touch with... normalcy."

Amaya lowered her voice.

"Out of everyone to tell me that... it’s you?"

"You know, so don’t act like you don’t... That I didn’t want to do it."

With the topic finally being pushed along, Amaya smiled.

"But, you did it, didn’t you? Or did the Goblin King do it and you’re blaming yourself?"

Zayn’s expression flattened as he looked off toward the open bathroom door.

"No... I did it."