The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

Chapter 166: An Unfortunate Encounter

Tetora hurried down the empty hall with a silver tray stacked with delicate pastries and a small pot of tea. Lili would yell at her if she took too long.

Still, she couldn't help but smile to herself.

We need to return to Suiko Castle or else General Joon-gi will scold us. This she knew to be true without a doubt, and yet, something stopped her from doing just that.

... But what should I do? Lady Lili is so lively right now.

She was so glad that Lili had made a friend. Despite her denial, she knew that it was true.

As a temporary guardian, I really want to give her a little more freedom.

Tetora's loosely tied hair flowed down her back, a few light-colored wavy strands framing her face as her eyebrows scrunched together and her grip tightened on edges of the silver tray.

Her thoughts kept steaming in a constant flow as she stepped lightly, her footfalls barely echoing on the wooden flooring. Not to mention, the nadai matter is more serious than I thought. Most people are turning a blind eye to it.

Her delicate features contorted in a deep frown and she slowed down unconsciously. If Shisen is this corrupted, the other port cities are probably—

"Please stop it!!!"

Tetora's head whipped around and she stopped dead in her tracks at the terror in the muffled voice.

A bunch of loud crashes sounded from a nearby room and she pressed an ear to the thin screen door to hear what was going on inside.

She picked up on scattered, angry chatter that slowly became more clear the closer she got, coming from six, maybe seven men based on the footsteps that she heard and her eyes widened in horror as their words registered within her mind.

"Ugh!!"

A heavy thud as a body hit the floor made the ground shake and Tetora's eyes widened.

A voice pleaded from inside. "Please, this is a long-established inn with prestige and tradition!! I cannot illegally sell nadai to my customers!!"

The man speaking continued to beg and Tetora could only assume he was groveling on the ground, at the feet of the person who was currently twisting his arm to do something that he clearly wasn't on board with.

"If I do that, the inn's original purpose will be completely lost!!" He babbled.

Tetora gasped silently when there was a loud slap and then a cry of pain.

"What a completely useless person you are."

This time, Tetora's whole body froze, her blood running cold. That voice. It was hauntingly smooth and chillingly devoid of all emotion.

There was a pause and she held her breath until he began talking again, something rustling inside the room. She presumed him to be circling the innkeeper he was intimidating like a hawk with its prey.

An empty scoff sounded. "The only reason why this old, run-down inn has managed to stay in business is because I was assisting you... right?"

Tetora got the feeling that he wasn't really asking.

"You are still in debt." The haunting voice continued to speak. "Thankfully, there are powerful people that are customers here. Don't you think it's about time some collateral was passed my way?"

A sputtered gasp and sniffle from the innkeeper broke through the tension. "In the first place, you were the one who distributed the nadai in Shisen which threw everything to hell—"