Khanyi spent the entire night contemplating this matter; in fact, there was no need to think. When she saw Professor Brown’s painting, she had already made up her mind. At dawn, when the sun was just rising, she thought about leaving a letter for Brown and Irina, but after writing just a few words, she could not continue… She tore up the scattered papers with a few scribbled words and threw the shreds into the trash can. Then she seemed to remember something, quickly walked over, picked up the trash can, and emptied it in the waste area of the corridor, then returned to her dormitory, dumping all her small belongings from the drawer into the waste bin…
She changed into a clean black sweater, put on a gray scarf, and slung her bag over her shoulder. Inside were the introduction letters Irina had obtained from a local gentleman to meet the municipal officials, and the remaining funds after selling a priceless diamond necklace to bribe the officials.
As for Captain Jacob, she had no idea how to get past him. Early in the morning, she left the house and stood in front of the municipal building, which had been converted into a temporary command center, for almost an entire day. The introduction letter was of no use; she could only wait. But after a whole day, she still hadn’t seen him. She felt a bit hungry and very cold, but these feelings were irrelevant; today she had to wait for him. Finally, as dusk approached, she saw that black Mercedes coming from across the square, with Captain Jacob sitting in the passenger seat.
“Captain Jacob—!” She ran toward the car, which was moving quickly, driving straight through the checkpoint into the courtyard. She was stopped by two soldiers, one of whom easily pushed her, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground.
“Ah—” When she fell, her forehead hit the cold ground, and she felt a wave of dizziness, clutching her forehead as blood began to flow. She opened her eyes to see a pair of black boots in front of her.
He took her to an office in the building, handed her a handkerchief, and she pressed it to her forehead to stop the bleeding. The pain in her head throbbed, but she couldn’t care less about the pain. The handsome SS captain in front of her still had those distant gray-green eyes, looking at her with a serious expression. They had been under the same roof for more than a month, and the words he had spoken to her could be counted on one hand, but she remembered the phrase, “Take care of yourself.” Even when her heart was dead, it still made her heart tremble slightly. And just now, when she was entangled by a prison guard, he had stepped in to help her.
Now, however, she could not discern any emotion behind those gray-green eyes.
“Miss Gianna, this is not a place for you.” Although his tone was very cold, he could still call her name, indicating he had not forgotten her.
“Captain Jacob, I want to see General Ryan.” The moment she mentioned that name, her voice involuntarily trembled.
“See the general?” He asked back in confusion but quickly regained his stern demeanor, “Give me a reason.”
Khanyi knew it was difficult to move him, but lying was clearly unwise, “My cousin and my friends from the art school, they have been arrested…”
“Is it the teachers from the Starlight School?” He asked again, his tone resembling that of an interrogator.
Khanyi was taken aback; Irina was right, Captain Jacob indeed knew about this matter, “Yes, but please believe me, they are all innocent. I also work there; I am with them every day. Sometimes their words are a bit extreme, but they have never taken any action.”
“Extreme words?” His gaze suddenly sharpened.
She knew she had misspoken in her emotional outburst. “No, no, I didn’t mean that.”
Captain Jacob clearly did not listen to her explanation and did not intend to pursue it further, “Alright, let’s not talk about the university teachers. Gianna, I can tell you clearly, I cannot take you to see him. You should go back.”
“But Captain…”
“Enough, this is not a place for you. Leave immediately, the farther the better.”
His tone was so severe that Khanyi knew she had failed. Perhaps she had misunderstood his intentions at the time, or perhaps he had changed his mind. Now, from those eyes, she saw no sympathy or compassion.
She should have known that this matter concerned their interests, and they would not yield an inch in the face of interests; what was she worth? She had nothing to bargain with them; she had done something foolish, something more foolish than bribing that greedy municipal official or sleeping with that despicable prison guard.
