After Putting the Slayer of the Night to Sleep, I Ran Away - Chapter 23

No. It could not be.

Ayla stood frozen in disbelief.

She kept trying to convince herself that it was impossible, but the silhouette of the man standing just beyond the shadows was unmistakable.

No matter how many times she blinked, it was still him. The man standing in front of her was from the First Prince’s retinue. It was him.

“You… why are you here?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

“What?”

“Why do you think I’m here?”

Leo ran his hand roughly through his hair, clearly frustrated. He sighed, stepped forward, and muttered like someone fed up with everything.

The room began to stir. The sudden appearance of an outsider changed the atmosphere, and Ayla’s heart reacted the same way. Her thoughts were spinning. Nothing made sense.

“I’ll get you out. Let’s go.”

“You’ll get me out? From here?”

“What else can I do? I might have ignored it if I didn’t know, but now I do.”

It was hard to tell if he was talking to her or simply talking to himself. Leo pulled a short dagger from inside his coat.

“Step aside. I can’t unlock it if you’re standing in front of it.”

Ayla unconsciously took a step back.

Suddenly, cries erupted from all sides.

“Please, help me too.”
“I’m begging you. Please save me.”
“My elderly mother is waiting at home. Please, have mercy.”

Leo’s brow twitched as the desperate voices grew louder.

“Quiet. Do you want to wake the guards?”

The noise faded instantly.

Leo sighed, clearly annoyed.

“I will unlock the doors. That is all. From there, each of you is on your own. Escape if you can.”

His words snapped Ayla out of her daze.

She quickly reached out and grabbed his arm.

“Wait. Please, just listen to me for a moment.”

She had been relieved to see him. He had seemed like a savior. But this was not the right way.

“Speak. What is it?”

“Please. Go back and bring the city guards.”

“You want me to bring the guards?”

“Yes. That is the only way we can catch them.”

Ayla nodded firmly.

Leo’s face tightened. He looked as if he truly could not understand her.

“Do you have any idea what you are saying? Sure, you changed your hair color, but do you think the guards will not recognize your face?”

Ayla had no answer.

Because he was right.

Deep down, she already knew. If the guards came, it would be hard for her to walk away freely. The chances were high that they would recognize her and report her to her father or his knights.

She would be dragged back home.

Even so, she turned her head and looked behind her.

Bella, who had lost her wrist, was sitting quietly, watching her with unreadable eyes.

If I leave alone, will she still want to be my friend?

No. That is not the real question.

Would I still be able to face her if I ran away alone?

Could I call myself her friend?

Ayla closed her eyes tightly.

Then she heard Leo’s cold, dry voice speak from behind her.

“Make your choice. Leave quietly and go on your way, or return with the city guards.”

Ayla remained silent.

“If you go back now, I can guarantee you won’t get another chance to run. Your father is not the kind of man who lets things go. You know that better than anyone.”

Of course she did.

To protect his reputation, Marcus Everett had claimed her as his daughter, even though no one knew who her real parents were. If she was caught this time, it would not end with something as simple as house arrest.

He might even lock her in a room with bars on the windows and guards at the door.

Vivian would not be able to help her, and no one else would either.

Ayla bit her lip at the thought of such a grim future, but even then, she could not choose the easier path.

“If we disappear now, they will escape. They will vanish without a trace.”

She had to stay.

For the sake of the people who might suffer the same fate if those men got away.

She could not let them continue to hurt others.

With unwavering eyes, Ayla looked at Leo and spoke firmly.

“You need to go now. If we try to escape, they will notice and run. Then more people will end up like this.”

“So you’re saying you would rather stay here, even if it means marrying that man?”

“Staying here doesn’t mean I’ve given up. I will never marry him. I will break the engagement, no matter what it takes.”

“You’re being too optimistic.”

“No. I’m just confident. I know what I’m willing to do to get what I want.”

Leo stared at her, captivated, and asked softly.

“Why go this far?”

Ayla paused for a moment, then answered.

“Because that’s the only way I won’t lose what matters to me.”

Leo stared at Ayla, momentarily at a loss for words.

She remembers that?

Suddenly, an image came to mind.

A girl with blue eyes, gazing longingly at the fruit on a market stand. A child with eyes as deep as a lake.

It was the same girl he had met years ago.

Leo spoke without thinking.

“You don’t seem like someone who’s ever had anything taken from her. Was that from experience?”

“It was advice. From someone I trust.”

“Someone you trust? Did they really have the right to give that advice?”

“They taught me something important. That makes them more than qualified.”

Ayla frowned slightly, drawing a clear line with her words.

Leo looked at her and let out a quiet breath, almost like a laugh, but without sound.

So she remembers the words, even if she doesn’t recognize me.

He had thought she would not remember anything at all.

And yet, somehow, it stung a little that she didn’t recognize him. At the same time, he felt relieved.

It wasn’t a good memory anyway.

For Leo, that day had been terrible. One he never wanted to revisit.

Did she wait?

Every time he recalled that day, the memory of the girl with blue eyes resurfaced. And along with it came guilt.

That was eleven years ago.

Leo stood lost in his thoughts for a moment, until Ayla gave him a push on the back.

“Go. You have to move quickly.”

Leo turned toward her. Instead of stepping away, he caught her hand.

“Is what you really want to destroy those men?”

“Yes, because if we don’t stop them, this will keep happening.”

“You’re dreaming. You think these are the only people in the world who buy and sell human beings?”

“Do I look like someone special to you?”

“What?”

“I’m just doing the best I can with what I have. I’m not some extraordinary person with grand ideals or the power to fix everything.”

Her steady voice made Leo let out a small laugh. He gave up trying to argue and sat down on the ground.

“Sit. You might as well.”

Since he was still holding her hand, Ayla crouched down too, clearly surprised.

When Leo casually leaned against the bars, they found themselves sitting face to face on opposite sides of the iron gate.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to leave?”

“No. I’m staying.”

“What did you just say?”

“I said I’ll help you. Just like you wanted. Myself.”

“What?”

Ayla looked at him in disbelief, but Leo was completely serious.

He wasn’t afraid of a place like this, not even if a hundred lowlifes came at him.

“It’s too much trouble to chase them down. If we wait here, they’ll come to us.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Then why not rest for a bit? Isn’t it about time to sleep?”

The room stirred again. This time, voices rose in protest.

“If you won’t call the guards, at least unlock the doors.”
“Please, just let us out.”
“Help us escape.”

Leo gave a tired sigh.

“Be quiet and get some sleep. Think of this as your last night here. Try to have a good dream.”

“But—”

“You’re in a cage. If you don’t even trust me, what can you possibly do? If you don’t shut up, I’ll just leave.”

The complaints stopped immediately.

“That’s better.”

Leo smirked and closed his eyes.

He could feel Ayla’s baffled stare from across the bars, but he pretended not to notice.

She tried to wriggle her hand free from his grasp, but he ignored that too.

Time passed slowly.

The breathing of those who had fallen asleep began to fill the silence.

In the stillness of the dark, Leo sat with his eyes closed. He felt sleep begin to creep in, but then his eyes flew open.

Sleep?

Alarmed, he quickly pulled the relic that hung around his neck from under his shirt.

It was glowing red.

The color had changed again.

Without thinking, Leo turned to Ayla.

She had fallen asleep with her head resting on her knees, her hand still held in his.

Who are you?

Leo clenched the glowing relic tightly in his hand.

As he sat through the rest of the night with his eyes wide open, dawn quietly approached.

Outside the building, Cro began cawing loudly from a branch.

Moments later, the sound of footsteps echoed from above.

“Who’s there?”

The slave overseer, who had come down after a short nap, froze in place and instinctively reached for his belt.

Before he could react, Leo appeared silently behind him and pressed a dagger to his neck.

He whispered in the man’s ear with ice in his voice.

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