Evelyn quickly stepped toward Stella and helped her back to her feet before turning toward Thomas with visible disapproval in her eyes.
"Thomas, you completely misunderstood the situation and caused all of this for nothing," came the sharp reprimand. "You should have asked first before throwing accusations at her like that. What would Mr. Morel think if he found out about this?"
Thomas remained firm.
"We're supposed to be cautious. That's exactly what Mr. Morel told us," he replied while briefly glancing toward Jack. "Considering we barely know her, this falls within reasonable precautions."
Attention shifted back toward Stella.
"Your new friend here was acting suspiciously. She claimed she was trying to return to the inn, yet she was heading in the complete opposite direction."
His expression hardened faintly, "is she really stupid enough to get lost that badly? I doubt Mr. Morel and Mr. Loran would send an idiot on a mission like this, and..."
"Alright, that's enough."
Jack cut him off calmly before the argument could continue any further. The hostility from earlier had already disappeared, replaced once again by the composed demeanor he usually carried.
"As Evelyn said, the girl simply got lost," he stated evenly.
"There's no need to make this bigger than it already is, Thomas."
The sharp gaze then settled on Stella. Evelyn still stood beside her, lightly supporting one arm while the lingering pressure around Stella's throat slowly faded.
"I apologize for my behavior, Miss Alina," Jack continued calmly, "I hope situations like this won't happen again."
His eyes moved toward Thomas afterward.
Something silent passed between the two men the moment their gazes met. Whatever meaning existed in that brief exchange seemed enough to make Thomas slightly lower his guard as well.
A second later, Thomas looked toward Stella and lowered his head faintly.
"I apologize too for doubting you," he said, the stiffness still remaining in his voice, "I hope you can forgive me, miss."
Stella answered with nothing more than a quiet nod. The steady look directed at both men lingered for several seconds before shifting toward Evelyn instead.
"And now," Evelyn said while addressing the two of them, "if you'll excuse us, we'll be returning to our room."
The two girls quietly headed upstairs together. Compared to the suffocating atmosphere below, the hallway felt noticeably calmer, though the silence between them remained somewhat awkward.
After entering the room, Stella slowly sat near the side of the bed without speaking immediately. A faint soreness still lingered around her throat, making every breath feel slightly uncomfortable.
Several quiet seconds passed.
Then, Stella said, "thank you."
Evelyn glanced sideways before answering in a gentler tone than usual, "no need to thank me."
A brief pause followed.
"But you should be more careful so situations like this don't happen again. Otherwise… those people will…"
The sentence stopped midway.
Something flickered briefly across Evelyn's expression, as though an unexpected thought had suddenly crossed her mind.
Stella looked at Evelyn and asked, "are they always like this? On the way here I didn't notice this level of behavior or surveillance."
Evelyn fell silent for a brief moment before replying.
"Normally, they don't act like this. What happened today isn't really about you."
"What happened then? Right… they were already tense because of that letter."
"Yes, exactly." Evelyn paused for a second before continuing. "We already lost one of our teammates in this mission. He was killed."
"What?" Stella's eyes narrowed slightly, "how?"
Evelyn exhaled quietly before answering.
"Johan told me when I met him on the way back. The man was discovered, tried to escape, but failed in the end. He was executed. He was close to them… especially Jack."
"That explains his reaction today," Stella thought. "And Thomas' hostility… it must have increased after reading that message. They may have left me alone for now, but they're still watching. Both of them… and probably the entire group. None of them trust me."
She forced her expression to remain neutral.
"Have you known Jack for a long time?" Stella asked.
"Yes. I've known him for years, since I was still a child." Evelyn paused briefly, "but we were never particularly close."
A short silence followed before she continued.
"After my parents died, I moved east with my uncle and his wife and children. Jack was a friend of my older cousin, so I met him a few times."
"And after that? How did you end up in this mission?" Stella asked.
Evelyn turned her gaze toward the window. The evening light over the sea had deepened, painting the sky in calm, fading colors.
"It didn't start recently. It was years ago. My uncle's family was poor… barely able to feed all of us. Some days we didn't eat at all. Just small portions when we were lucky." Her voice remained steady, but quieter now. "When I turned fourteen, I realized I was becoming a burden. I started looking for work with my cousin just to bring some money home."
"During one of those times, we met Jack. He offered me a job in the Loran household. That's where I earned money to help my uncle, and I also got a place to stay."
"With time, the family noticed me. Instead of keeping me as a simple servant, they trained me. Later I was assigned to missions in the east… and now I'm here with you."
Evelyn turned back toward Stella.
"What about you? How were you chosen?"
Stella repeated the same story she had told before, carefully constructed and consistent.
After a short pause, she asked, "How strong are the people in our team, Evelyn?"
Evelyn hesitated, her expression tightening slightly as if weighing the answer.
"If we're talking about the team as a whole… Jack is by far the strongest. And it's not even close." She exhaled, "but that wasn't always the case when we first met in the east."
"What do you mean?" Stella asked, her curiosity sharpening.
"Jack used to be ordinary. Not weak, but nothing special either."
Evelyn looked away briefly, "that changed after he went to the Central Mountain Region. When he came back, it was like he had become a different person entirely."
"He told me once that if I trained harder and improved enough, he would take me there too. He said the same to Thomas, Aemilia, and Johan. I don't really know what he means by it…"
Evelyn's voice continued, but Stella's attention had already shifted elsewhere.
"Central Mountain Region?" Stella thought sharply. "Where is that? I've never seen it marked on any map."