VALERIA

"Boss isn’t going to like this at all."

"What did you expect me to do? Pick up that disgusting corpse or stay there waiting for the specter?!"

"This girl’s lucky—her face is so messed up, even the specter didn’t want her."

I could hear the conversation of what seemed to be two men.

My whole body felt drained, as if I had pushed beyond my physical limits. I was confused, unable to fully recall what had happened.

Adele had tried to deceive me. We fought. That thing appeared, and then…?

I was lying across the back of one of my captors, being carried to an unknown location.

Even though I was awake, I kept my eyes shut, pretending to be unconscious just to hear more of their conversation.

"Get her on the boat!"

Suddenly, they threw me onto an old boat.

I realized I was being taken farther and farther from the King, so I began to fight back with everything I had.

"So you’re awake now? Ah, you damn woman!"

"What’s going on?!"

"She bit me! You’ll pay for that, bitch!"

The last thing I