“It’s been reported that Her Highness is preparing to go outside the palace.”
Freck’s words faded into silence as Julion’s scowl deepened. Julion moved toward Garnet Palace with a stern expression.
“When and where is she planning to go?”
It was no secret that things were not looking good outside the palace. He didn’t know what Roxis and Liliana were up to. Furthermore, Duke Cassian was also a risk.
Considering that he had broken into Garnet Palace, it was clear how much more freely he would be able to move outside.
“It’s to visit Countess Rivolain…”
Listening to Freck’s additional explanation, Julion arrived at Garnet Palace. However, there was no lively atmosphere that should have been present.
With maids sporadically wandering around as if the palace had no master, Julion’s heart sank.
“Could it be that she’s already left?”
No matter how superficial their marital relationship might be, leaving without a word, especially when it’s related to the safety of the Crown Princess, was concerning.
The maid, who noticed Julion’s presence, hastily bowed and greeted
“Greetings to the Crown Prince.”
Upon hearing the voice, Hemion, who was nearby, quickly appeared.
“Your Highness, Her Highness, has gone downstairs!”
“Downstairs?”
“Yes, downstairs. Well, not exactly downstairs, but over there, in the central underground prison!”
Julion’s gaze slowly descended from Hemion’s face.
Hair tied up in a high ponytail, a smudge of tan on the bridge of her nose. Her hands were caked in dirt, her index finger pointing slightly diagonally downward.
She looked like she’d been working hard in the garden, but it wasn’t where she’d been working that mattered to Julion.
Once he had a general idea of the situation, he breathed a sigh of relief and asked.
“She went to meet Yeffa Cassian.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Yeffa was taken into custody this morning and confined to the underground prison again.
As there was no decision yet regarding her fate, and given the magnitude of the revelation about Duke Cassian, no one paid attention to Yeffa.
That’s why Julion intended to discuss this point with Rohiriel as well.
“By the way, why didn’t you follow her?”
“Oh, I’m free from today! Her Highness said I can freely roam around for a while as it seems safe.”
Hemion seemed almost ecstatic.
Julion, with a slightly uneasy expression, asked,
“When did she leave?”
“A little while ago. Didn’t you see her?”
Watching Hemion glance toward the entrance, Julion regretted not arriving a bit sooner.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Drip.
The sound of water dripping rang out from somewhere.
It was the second time I came to the underground prison, but the conditions were worse than the first time.
Perhaps because it’s the rainy season, mold has proliferated all over, and the floor feels damp and soggy due to rainwater seeping in.
‘It feels like that basement from that day.’
That day, the rainy season had been ongoing for several days, making the weather particularly damp. As a result, everyone in the mansion seemed to be in low spirits.
I should have been more cautious on such days, but I was not yet accustomed to the Duchy’s lifestyle, so I was unaware of the situation.
No, even if I knew, the outcome wouldn’t have changed.
It wasn’t a matter that could be altered just because I was careful.
[Gasp, Miss! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!]
There was a young maid who had accidentally spilled tea on me.
Fortunately, since I wasn’t significantly injured, we decided to let it pass with reasonable caution.
However, upon hearing the news, Roxis went into a rage, summoning the young maid and subjecting her to a beating.
[Brother, please stop! Please!]
[This is for your own good. A lady of Cassian can’t even properly manage a mere maid.]
[I’ve already given her a warning. I swear, and she apologized!]
However, Roxis, with a wicked smile on his face, continued the beating as if enjoying it.
Even though the helpless maid became covered in blood and lost consciousness, Roxis instructed the servants to continue the whipping.
[Stop it! If you lay a finger on her again, I won’t stay quiet!]
Finally, it was only when I stepped in front of the maid that Roxis halted the beating.
I thought it was over.
I intended to take the maid away for treatment and care, but Roxis, with a sinister tone, asked as if he wasn’t finished yet.
[Rohiriel, who is the one who made you so weak like this?]
It was a question, but the answer had already been decided.
Roxis, standing helplessly in a corner, pointed accusingly at my nanny.
[Your nanny is the problem. The fault lies in her inadequate education.]
[…No, it’s not true. My nanny did nothing wrong!]
[It’s unacceptable for the lady of Cassian to plead for a mere maid. Bring the nanny here immediately.]
[Please, brother……!]
My desperate cries did not reach Roxis.
The servants dragged the nanny over and threw her down beside the unconscious maid.
Despite being unfairly punished, the nanny didn’t resist and meekly prostrated herself.
[I apologize, My Lord. I will humbly accept the punishment for failing to properly educate the lady.]
Perhaps the nanny knew what was going on.
If she hadn’t flattened herself before Roxis, the arrow might have been aimed at me.—Snap!
The nanny, who had been with me since my mother’s time at the villa, was like family.
Unable to bear seeing her mercilessly punished, I tried to intervene, just as I had intervened to save the maid.
-Bam!
The moment I took a step, the whip was swung at me.
I attempted to approach the nanny in horror, but the whip struck her more fiercely as I moved.
[Rottie, don’t take another step. The more you move, the more the nanny will suffer.]
[Where is the fairness in this? This is not right, brother!]
[Daring to challenge the words of your older brother, you must be out of your mind. We might need to increase the punishment.]
Bam, the sound echoed consecutively, yet I stood frozen like a statue, unable to move.
In front of my eyes, the nanny whimpered lightly as she was mercilessly whipped until she was covered in blood, and I couldn’t take a single step forward.
How much time has passed?
Only after reducing the nanny to a battered mess, to the point where her life or death was uncertain, did Roxis finally stop the whipping.
I rushed to her aid, but was restrained.
[Confine her to the dungeon for ten days. If she survives, she will return to serving as Rohiriel’s nanny.]
Those were cruel words indeed.
I wanted to protest, but my mouth wouldn’t move. I was afraid that saying more here would lead Roxis to resume punishing the nanny.
So, I had to stand still and watch as the nanny was dragged away.
[Rohiriel, remember this clearly. See what happens to those around you because of your actions.]
[……I’m sorry.]
[Good. I’ll be watching from now on, observing how you conduct yourself as a member of the Cassian family.]
Roxis spat on the nanny’s bloodstains on the floor, calling them dirty. Watching him disappear, I harbored revenge for the first time.
Roxis Cassian.
I vowed to make him pay in kind.
‘First, I need to treat the nanny.’
My heart was uneasy.
To leave her unattended for ten days after such a vicious beating was almost like leaving her to die.
I wandered around the basement, seeking an opportunity to somehow treat the nanny.
Fortunately, due to the fact that there was almost no one left alive in the dungeon, there were few guards.
‘I need to provide first aid.’
In the end, on the second day, I managed to sneak into the basement.
[Nanny! Wake up. Hm?]
As expected, my nanny was in a dire state. Her body was burning like hot stones, and the wounds had started to fester with oozing pus.
[It’s okay. It’s okay, nanny. I’ll make you better. I can treat you. You can survive, so please….]
While saying words that couldn’t reach her, I started with first aid, using the medicine I had brought.
But it wasn’t enough.
The injuries were severe, and it seemed like I needed to keep examining them.
So, I emptied my savings, gave it to a servant, and asked them to turn a blind eye to my comings and goings.
One day, two days, three days…
On the seventh day of going down to the basement every night to treat the nanny:
[That scavenger seems to be treating her. Should we just leave her alone?]
It happened while I was wandering deeper into the garden to procure more herbs.
A voice with a high tone, coexisting with gentleness and coldness, reached my ears.
Instinctively, I hid in the bushes and listened intently.
[That’s what makes it all the more enjoyable. Imagine how pitifully she’ll cry if we let her heal her and then kill her again. I’m already thrilled.]
The voice that followed was Roxis’s. There was no indication of who he was referring to. But I didn’t need to hear it to know.
‘They were going to kill my nanny.’
My fingertips trembled uncontrollably with emotions I couldn’t contain.
Fearing that I might be discovered, I held my breath, but the conversation continued.
[Didn’t Father tell you to take care of it?]
[It’s up to me how I handle it].
[As expected, you’re truly trash.]
[I don’t think you’re in a position to say that, Liliana.]
It was Father who ordered all of this.
The young maid was merely a pawn to eventually kill the nanny.
Amidst the chaos in my mind, I knew I had to take action somehow.
I needed to get the nanny out of the duchy.
The next night, I went straight into action.
Making a sleeping potion, I put the guards in the basement to sleep and took the nanny out.
Thank you for the chapter!❤️🔥