Ulima knew he couldn't do anything to the kid so he just willed himself to calm down.
And when he finally drew in a calming breath, he finally realized the familiar woman who gazed at him with cautious eyes.
"Oh? So she's awake now? The little idiot scared us all for a moment there!"
Ulima chuckled but he had trouble hiding the relief pouring out his eyes. But his relief soon transformed into worry when he noticed the weird atmosphere around the room.
"Hold up, what's wrong?"
Solomon coughed to break the awkward silence in the room. He knew that everyone wanted answers but he was probably the only one who could give something that could probably be closest to the truth.
And so, despite filled with unease and doubt, he decided to share his thoughts on the matter.
"She's not her."
Solomon spat out as he tried to stop Ulima from asking more questions. But his phrase only made the people in the room grow more confused.
"I mean…" He realized his mistake and chuckled lightly at himself.
"She might not be the Inna that we all knew. Her soul… It might have something to do with her soul."
Raghnall's smile dropped and he looked at Solomon with a somber look.
"What do you mean by that? Is it like Favian's condition?"
Solomon shook his head and was about to answer when he realized that it wasn't the right time for them to converse. Someone was obviously more clueless than them to what was happening. And so, he tried to calmly approach the cautious woman while speaking at the softest tone he can muster.
"Come, child. We won't hurt you. We've taken care of you for three days so there's no reason for us to hurt you now, is there?"
The woman didn't seem to believe them as she still looked at them with guarded eyes.
Solomon sighed when he saw that his coaxing didn't work.
"Okay, why don't we do this. We'll leave the room for now. All of us save for Granny Zai. She'll be changing your clothes to more… appropriate ones. And when you're ready, feel free to head down to the dining area to grab a meal. It's the door at the end of the hall. Or if you wish, you can just ask Granny Zai to bring it up for you. Take this whole day to just… adjust to everything. If you have any questions, just ask Granny Zai to call me. She'll be leaving a bell there by the bedside so that you can call for her anytime. Just please… please don't try to leave or sneak out. The guards are quite… stern and strict here so if they see someone suspicious, they wouldn't hesitate to beat them down until they're half dead before reporting it to me. So, please just stay put inside this place and if you wish to leave, talk to me about it first."
The woman furrowed her brows at Solomon's strange actions.
Why was he being so kind to her?
What kind of relationship did they have? She swore she had never seen this man before!
But despite all the questions in her mind, she kept her silence as she continued to warily observe them.
Seeing that her guard didn't even drop by the slightest, he could only sigh sadly as he gestured for both Raghnall and Ulima to leave.
They got the hint and slowly, although hesitantly, left the room. And once the door was softly closed behind them, the woman finally eased her guard a bit.
But she still was on guard as she peered at Solomon with a piercing gaze.
"Why keep me here? Do you know me? What do you want from me?"
Solomon smiled slightly in relief when he saw that she was now asking questions.
"As much as I want to answer your questions, I believe you'd only be more confused after knowing. So, I think it's best for you to just rest for now. You've been asleep for three days while barely taking in food and water. Adding in mental stress wouldn't do well for you for now. So, save the questions for when after you've had enough to eat and drink, okay?"
Solomon didn't wait for her reply because for some reason, he figured she'd be stubborn in getting answers from him. So, to prevent her drilling questions unto him, he abruptly casted a teleportation spell.
Granny Zai knew what he was thinking so she couldn't help but release a small laugh.
"Don't worry, my dear. Keep your questions for now. Just relax for the day, okay? We're not here to hurt you in any way. Despite you nearly scaring us to death from being asleep for so long."
Granny Zai mumbled the last part, making sure that the woman wasn't able to hear it clearly. She didn't know why but she knew from how Solman was acting that she should treat the girl in front of her as a stranger. And so, trying to erase any thought of the woman in front of her being Inna, she smiled her usual smile as she outstretched the bundle of clothing on her arms.
"Now, it's time for you to change out of those dreadful clothes, my dear."
The woman looked at Granny Zai's outstretched hand with caution, but seeing her wrinkly hands and her weak-looking stature, she figured that the old maid wasn't of any threat towards her. And so, fully letting down her guard, she softly grabbed the clothing while carefully inspecting it for any suspicious things.
Granny Zai, seeing her actions, sighed sadly but she hid her sigh with a small cough. She knew that from how cautious the woman is of everything, there would be no way she'd allow her to change her. And so, she figured to just set down the small golden bell by the bedside table. And after reminding the woman once again of what Solomon had said, she made a small curt bow before leaving the room so that the woman could change on her own.