CHAPTER 178: SEARCHING FOR TRUTH...

Charis

I was stunned by how much Isolde knew about Ravenshore and Vale.

She’d mentioned the old academy building like she’d been there herself, spoke about underground cells and decades of history with the kind of detail you couldn’t just find on the internet.

She didn’t sound like someone who was joining the board as a new investor. She sounded like someone who’d been part of that world for a very long time.

"How do you know all this?" I asked carefully.

She paused her chopping, the knife hovering just above the board. Her face remained calm, but I noticed the faint twitch in her lips before she masked it with a small smile. She set the knife down and turned to me.

"I’ve been studying Ravenshore for a long time," she said calmly. "I made it my duty to understand every detail about the academy before I put my money into it. You don’t invest in something without thoroughly researching it. I had my legal team compile comprehensive reports on the academy’s history, including the previous campus locations and their various uses over the years. Knowledge is leverage, my dear."

Her answer seemed reasonable, but something about the way she’d hesitated first, the way her eyes had avoided mine before speaking, made me suspicious. It was the kind of answer someone gave when they were telling part of the truth but not all of it.

I didn’t show my suspicion; I nodded like I accepted her explanation. But inside, my mind was working through so many things. First of, Legal reports wouldn’t include the kind of intimate details she’d mentioned - the rumors about the cells, the way things had been run decades ago.

Before I could ask another question, Isolde’s assistant entered the kitchen. He was a quiet man who rarely spoke, and now he leaned close to whisper something in her ear.

Isolde’s expression changed slightly, then she turned to me with an apologetic smile. "I have a visitor. Can you help me watch the broth while I’m gone?"

"Of course," I said.

She wiped her hands on her apron and left the kitchen quickly. I stood there for a moment, thinking about everything she’d said. Her vast knowledge about Ravenshore wasn’t just suspicious - it was impossible to explain away with simple research. There were things she mentioned that you couldn’t easily find anywhere, details that only someone with direct experience would know.

Maybe the boys were right. Maybe Isolde was hiding something important.

I crept out of the kitchen and tiptoed to the living room. From the large window, I could see Isolde sitting under the massive oak tree in front of the house. She was pouring tea for her visitor, whose back was turned to me.

I couldn’t see the visitor’s face, but the fact that Isolde was serving tea meant this would be a long conversation. She only served tea to friendly visitors, people she planned to spend time with.

An idea formed in my mind. Today might be my only chance to search Isolde’s room. I’d never had the opportunity before, and honestly, I hadn’t thought much about it until now. But with all the theories the boys were spinning, with my own growing suspicions, I needed to see for myself if there was anything to find.

I quickly reduced the heat on the broth to the minimum setting to slow down the cooking, then made my way upstairs to Isolde’s bedroom.

When I opened the door and stepped inside, I was immediately struck by how big and spacious the room was. It had high ceilings and large windows that let in plenty of natural light. But what really shocked me was how empty it was.

There was a bed—a large, beautiful one with expensive linens. But beyond that, the room was practically bare. No nightstands, no dressers, no closets or wardrobes. No tables or desks. Practically no storage at all. The walls were painted a simple cream colour with no decorations, no paintings, no personal touches whatsoever.

It was bare but somehow not bare at the same time. The emptiness itself felt intentional, like Isolde had deliberately chosen to keep the space this way.

I stood there in shock, trying to understand what I was seeing. Where did she keep her clothes? Perhaps she had a walk-in closet and stored her personal belongings there? Everyone had things - books, jewellery, photographs, memories. However, this room resembled a hotel suite that no one actually lived in.

That’s when I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. My heart jumped into my throat.

For a moment, I froze completely, unable to move or think. Then I realised the footsteps were getting closer, coming directly toward this room.

Frantically, I began searching around, looking for somewhere to hide or something that would explain my presence here. I checked behind the minimal furniture, looking for a closet door or anything else. But there was nothing.

I heard voices outside the door now - Isolde’s voice mixed with someone else’s, both laughing about something. They were right outside.

There was nothing else to do. Just as the door handle began to turn, I made a desperate dive toward the only other door in the room - the one that led to the bathroom. I slipped inside just as the bedroom door opened and quickly but quietly locked the bathroom door behind me.

My heart was pounding so hard I was sure they could hear it through the door. I pressed my back against the wall and tried to breathe as quietly as possible.

"The view from this room is really spectacular," Isolde was saying. "On clear days, you can see all the way to the mountains."

"It’s lovely," another woman’s voice replied. "Though I must say, it’s quite... minimalist."

"I prefer not to be weighed down by possessions," Isolde said smoothly. "Material things can become burdens."

Their footsteps moved around the room. I held my breath, praying they wouldn’t need to use the bathroom.

"So practical," the visitor said. "Though, where do you keep your clothes?"

"I have a separate dressing room downstairs," Isolde replied. "It’s more convenient that way."

A separate dressing room. That explained the lack of storage, but it also meant Isolde had designed her living space in a very unusual way. Most people wanted their clothes near their bedroom, not on a different floor entirely.

"Right, I forgot to tell you but Vale is on the move, after your last confrontation with her, she’s trying to dig up the hospital’s medical record from the time she was there and it’s making her go crazy. What did you tell her?"

"The truth," Isolde chuckled darkly. "That her child was in Ravenshore, which is the truth. But I expected she would be looking into the students and not digging up records that never documented she was there."

Vale had a child?

"Her child is in Ravenshore," the other woman gasped, "It means you’ve had your eye on this child all these years. It’s been a while."

"A long while," Isolde agreed. "Only Raina got greedy and decided to cut off. She stopped reaching out, yet still dared to contact me when her school faced financial difficulties and was on the verge of dropping her. That was when she remembered my name."

"I see," the other woman laughed. "Vale is going to go crazy for her child..."

"Children," Isolde corrected. "Vale gave birth to twins. Fraternal twins. A boy and a girl. The boy goes to Ravenshore, and for the girl, after she was adopted, it was difficult to keep track of her, but that’s no problem. If I want to find her today, it’s pretty easy."

"Wow!" the other woman chuckled again, clapping her hands. "I thought you’d have your hands full with Eva; it seems you also have Vale to deal with."

"Eva is afraid that her husband will find out that his children are not his, to start with, not to mention a lot of these Lunas didn’t actually give birth. Ah..." Isolde laughed out loud. "The dirt I have on these people is enough to make them grovel before me, but they won’t. They are so proud. Don’t worry, I’ll deal with them at the appropriate time.

"Now, about the proposition we discussed," the visitor continued, her voice becoming more serious.

"Not here," Isolde said quickly. "Let’s continue this conversation in my study. It’s more private."

I heard their footsteps moving toward the bedroom door, then the sound of it closing. I waited for several long minutes, counting my heartbeats, before I dared to unlock the bathroom door and peek out.

The bedroom was empty. I quickly crossed to the main door and pressed my ear against it, listening for any sounds in the hallway. Silence.

I slipped out of the bedroom and hurried back downstairs, my mind racing with questions. The empty bedroom, the separate dressing room, Isolde’s knowledge about things she shouldn’t know - it all added up to something, but I couldn’t quite figure out what.

When I reached the kitchen, I turned up the heat on the broth and tried to look like I’d been there the whole time. But inside, I was more confused than ever.

The boys had been right to be suspicious. Isolde was definitely hiding something. But what?

And more importantly, did I really want to know the answer?