Hesta opened the door and saw that Boheng had changed clothes. His shabby leather jacket, sweatpants, and sneakers from the night before were gone, replaced by a navy-blue robe. Its wide hood rested on his shoulders, and it looked spotless.
Behind him, several men in loose hoodies and camouflage pants were waiting. Hesta did not need to ask to tell that every one of them was armed.
At that moment, they all stood behind Boheng like attendants, yet their bearing made it seem as though they had coerced him into coming.
"Who are these people?"
"They're Mr. Anaruth's personal guards." Boheng tried to put on a friendly expression. "He came all the way from Yaga City, three hundred kilometers away, specifically to meet you... He's in a courtyard not far from here. I'll take you to him."
"Wait." Hesta smiled faintly. "My companion still needs to wash up. You can wait in the lobby."
As Hesta was about to close the door, the man standing behind Boheng frowned, seemingly about to raise a hand to stop her on instinct.
Boheng suddenly let out a very low rebuke. Though Hesta could not understand its exact meaning, she could hear the threat in his voice.
Hesta glanced at the man, and the hand she had been using to close the door stopped.
"...Take your time," Boheng said with a strained smile. "We'll wait for you in the lobby downstairs. There's no rush."
"Thank you." Hesta closed the door. Then she stood there and heard muted negotiation outside, followed by footsteps fading away through the stairwell.
Stella had listened to the entire brief confrontation from the bathroom. "What do you think?"
"Hurry up and wash," Hesta said. "We're going downstairs soon."
Stella took a deep breath. "The reason he's kept out of sight