“Ma'am.”
I swallowed a sigh and pushed the pouch back toward Rose.
“Did you not hear what I said earlier? I told you it is yours now.”
“......”
“Are you trying to make me out to be a man who flips his words as easily as turning his hand over?”
I handed the pouch directly to Rose's flinching hand. Then, I curled my fingers tightly around hers so she would grip the pouch.
“Ah......”
Rose's eyes fell on my hand, which was clasping her hand tightly. Her unsteadily wavering gaze traveled up my forearm and stopped on my face.
Dugeun, dugeun.
I could feel a pulse from the back of Rose's hand beneath my fingertips. The throbbing, much faster than before, beat against my skin.
“...... Th-thank you.”
Rose hastily pulled her hand away from me. Then, she covered it with her other hand.
“Thank you, Your Grace. I will use it wisely.”
“Good.”
“W-well. That's the end of my story......”
Rose avoided my gaze. She fidgeted, clutching the pouch tightly with both hands.
Rose seemed as though she wanted to escape this place. Perhaps she even wanted to run away from me.
‘Why on earth?’
I had meticulously prepared the contract to her liking, and I had even prepared the magic stones because I thought she would like them.
Didn't she clearly like it until just a moment ago? Why did her attitude suddenly become so strange? Wasn't I treating her well enough?
It annoyed me that we seemed to have gone back to square one. Back to the Rose from when we first met, the one who had been wary of me.
“May I take my leave now......?”
It felt strange. I wanted to make Rose sit back down immediately and talk more.
However, Rose was already half-risen from her seat. Her body was angled toward the door, looking as if she wanted to leave right that moment.
There seemed to be no reason or way to hold her back down.
“...... Go ahead.”
“Goodbye......!”
Rose bolted out of the room the moment my answer left my mouth. It was clearly the look of someone fleeing.
“......”
Left alone in the room, I returned to my office desk. But I couldn't focus on my work. I was bogged down by an unfathomable feeling and couldn't concentrate.
It was both frustrating and disheartening. It was a feeling I was experiencing for the very first time in my life.
“......Hah.”
A deep sigh scattered over the office desk.
Jeobeok, jeobeok.
The underground of Schmaichel Castle. As I descended the circular staircase where human shadows flickered and elongated, prisons lined with iron bars appeared on either side.
“Your Grace.”
The warden, who had been tense after hearing the news of my arrival, bowed deeply.
“You have arrived.”
“You have been working hard.”
A bunch of prison keys jingled at the warden's waist. I gave them a brief glance before jerking my chin toward the inside.
“The prisoners?”
“One on this floor, and one more on the floor below.”
“Open the door.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The warden unlocked the corridor door with a key.
Ttubeok, ttubeok.
I began walking down the corridor flanked by prison cells. Following behind me were Bill, the butler who had come along, and the warden.
“Y-Your Grace?”
A pitiful voice echoed from one of the cells. The stable boy poked his head out between the iron bars.
“Your Grace!”
It was a noticeably gaunt and haggard figure.
The horse this stable boy had been taking care of had tried to throw me off. Thanks to that, I was able to recall memories of my past life, but it was true that I had nearly gotten badly hurt.
Ttubeok.
As I approached slowly and stood in front of the cell where the stable boy was,
“U-uuuh, Your Grace. Please, spare my life.”
The stable boy clung to the bars and began pleading.
“I am truly innocent! How could I ever dare do such a thing to Your Grace's horse!”
“......”
“Please show me mercy! Please look into my innocence!”
The sight of him begging with tears and snot streaming down his face was quite an ugly look.
It was strange. When Rose sniffled and cried, she hadn't looked this pathetic. I had just been flustered, and eventually even wiped her tears away.
Seeing a fully grown man groveling like this made even my intent to forgive him vanish.
“Shut up.”
My voice, echoing across the cold prison floor, was more frigid than a sheet of ice.
“It seems you don't know why you are here.”
In truth, the horse had acted up because Joel had secretly drugged it. But it was this man who had provided the opening for that to happen.
If this stable boy had taken proper care of the horse, the incident of me falling off would never have occurred.
“You are here due to negligence in your duties.”
“Hik.”
“Whether the horse was drugged or not, it means you cannot be free from responsibility.”
The stable boy could no longer protest. He merely rolled his eyes, which were filled with shock.
“Warden.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Drag him away.”
Cheolkeodeong!
The warden, who had been standing by, opened the cell door.
“Now, hold on a minute.”
“Come along quietly.”
The stable boy faltered with a terrified face. Since he wasn't wearing any restraints,
“Uwaaaah!”
he shoved the approaching warden and tried to rush out of the cell.
Tsk, tsk. I knew it would come to this.
Seureung!
The moment I drew the sword from my waist,
Puk!
I thrust it into the belly of the stable boy who was about to lunge at me.
“Kkeureuk......”
The stable boy trembled violently before collapsing to his knees with a thud.
Kung.
He then fell forward and writhed. Even that soon grew still.
“Your Grace!”
The warden rushed over in a panic. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he repeatedly bowed his head.
“I apologize! Due to my negligence......”
“It matters not. I knew it would come to this.”
“Pardon?”
In the original story, that man also died by Dane's sword while trying to escape. If he had just obediently followed the warden, he would have kept his life.
“Bill.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Bill didn't bat an eye even with a person dying right in front of him.
“How did we usually handle cases like this?”
“They were dismissed without severance pay or a letter of recommendation. We also made them sign a non-disclosure agreement.”
“I see.”
As expected, killing them to silence them was the easiest way.
Seuk.
I wiped the blood off my sword by smearing it on the stable boy's clothes. Then, I sheathed the sword back into its scabbard.
Seeing that, the warden and Bill didn't know what to do with themselves.
“My apologies.”
“I am sorry, Your Grace.”
“Don't mind it. Wrap things up here.”
“Yes.”
I left the two behind and started walking again. In the opposite direction of the entrance I had just come through.
“I will go and see the prisoner on the lower floor.”
“Yes.”
“Stay here until I return.”
The warden sharply inhaled and said,
“Your Grace, please be careful.”
“Mn.”
“She is no ordinary wicked woman. I am being extremely cautious even when giving her food.”
Kkeudeok.
I moved my head in acknowledgment and opened the door at the end of the corridor.
‘She must have been burned once, after all.’
I thought to myself.
Kkiik-
The back door, which hadn't been opened often, let out an unpleasant sound. There wasn't even a wall lamp on the stairs, so I had to rely on a candle to slowly descend.
Ttubeok, ttubeok.
Eerie footsteps echoed down the narrow staircase. It was a sound loud enough for whoever was on the lower floor to fully hear.
Ttubeok.
As I stepped down the last stair, a narrow, cavern-like space came into view. Cold air billowed out from the stone floor and walls.
A half-upturned food bowl was visible just in front of the stairs. Just as the warden had said, it looked as though it had been tossed there haphazardly.
And on the opposite wall, a woman was bound.
“Haa......”
Faint breaths scattered through her disheveled golden hair.
“C-cold......”
The woman with red lips raised her head.
“Hey, you there......”
“......”
“It's so cold in here...... Please, somehow, do something......”
The eyes that met mine were blue, but they were clouded with pain. It was a precarious and pitiful sight that made it seem as if I should rush over and offer a helping hand immediately.
“Please help me......”
As the woman whispered and shifted her body, her sensuous figure was accentuated. It was a peerless beauty that couldn't be hidden even by her ragged clothes.
In particular, with both her arms raised and tied to the wall, it invited indecent imaginings.
“Please......”
An irresistible, fatal temptation. It would be difficult to ignore the plea of such an attractive woman in such a vulnerable state.
Any man would rush over and greedily ravish her body right then and there.
‘I see why the warden fell for it.’
I heard that the previous warden had suffered a nasty experience because of that woman. That was why a newly hired warden was working here now.
“You can drop the act now.”
“......”
“Before I mistake you for an assassin who even forgot their target's face.”
The woman didn't answer. She just fluttered her long eyelashes and let out a ‘Haa,’ a sigh full of pity.
I picked up the food bowl that had been on the floor.
Tak.
I placed it within her reach and spoke.
“You look like you're out of energy. Let's talk while you eat.”
“Nuh-uh.”
The woman shook her head repeatedly. It was a rather coquettish gesture.
“How am I supposed to eat like this...... Hm? Help me.”
The woman's eyes grew moist as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment.
‘Her acting skills are quite good.’
If it were someone faint of heart, they would have quickly approached and placed the food at her lips.
The next moment would be obvious. I would either be strangled to death by her long legs or end up helping her escape.
That was why I had no intention of moving at all.
Seuk.
I simply backed away and leaned against the wall to the side. It was a distance where she couldn't reach me no matter what she did.
“You're talking a lot, so you still seem full of life to me.”
“......”
“It seems you don't want to eat it. Shall I throw it away?”
As I made a motion to kick the bowl with my foot,
“-!”
The woman flinched in surprise. But when I left it alone instead of kicking it, she glared at me with narrowed eyes.
“......Heh.”
The woman briefly made an expression that said, ‘As expected,’ before hanging her head. A laugh that could be either hollow or furious flowed out.
“As expected, Dane Schmaichel.”