After Rohiriel left the underground prison, Yeffa covertly wiped away her tears.
‘This is so frustrating.’
Tears were scattered everywhere around her, leaving marks in various places. It was bad enough that she was wearing a dirty dress, but her tears made her feel even worse.
Yeffa brushed off the dust from her tattered dress and leaned against the wall.
“So annoying.”
She seemed to be on the verge of confessing all her sins.
Yeffa used to think Rohiriel was weak-minded and incapable of expressing opinions. That’s why she underestimated her and played with her all this time.
‘When did she become so articulate?’
She even held a grudge over an old incident that she could barely remember. It was disturbing to think about and truly terrifying.
Yeffa started biting her lips and went so far as to chew her nails. She was too worried about the immediate future.
‘Ugh, infuriating! Why do I have to suffer from this injustice alone?’
It was Roxis who killed Rohiriel’s nanny. And Liliana was just as guilty.
Wrapped in a pretty packaging, hidden from most people, Liliana would probably be the one who incurs Rohiriel’s resentment the most, considering the misdeeds she committed.
Unfortunately, she was the one suffering from this injustice.
Yeffa felt that it was terribly unfair, and her frustration reached its peak.
Feeling unfairly treated and frustrated, Yeffa thought that Rohiriel, who acted as if she would spare her from punishment, was actually demanding even more, tormenting her.
“It’s not just about the southern labor camp; I’ll end up working as a slave anyway.”
At this point, Yeffa thought it might be better to die right now.
When the morning comes, she will be dragged before the Empress.
There, she would have to apologize for things. There, she would have to apologize and list all her wrongdoings. The mere thought of it was dreadful.
‘If only I could escape…’
It was when Yeffa had reached this point in her thoughts that something glinted on the floor beyond the bars caught her eye.
She couldn’t see it clearly, but one thing was certain: it wasn’t there before Rohiriel arrived.
It could be something trivial—a piece of glass or a fallen jewel.
Nevertheless, Yeffa, as if drawn by some unseen force, approached the bars once again.
As she got closer, the shape became clearer.
‘It can’t be…’
A slightly rusted piece of metal.
A slender, grooved stick with a round handle.
“It’s a key!”
Yeffa blurted out unintentionally, covering her mouth with both hands.
Even though there were no other prisoners on this floor besides Yeffa, she still held her breath, cautiously checking if anyone might have heard.
‘Could it possibly be the key to the cell door?’
Yeffa, in disbelief, felt her heart racing.
Did Rohiriel subtly leave it behind? Or did she drop it while entering and leaving?
Whatever it was, it was worth a try.
She remembered Zenid’s words about guards patrolling the area. She needed to obtain the key before the guards arrived.
Yeffa pressed herself against the bars and extended her arm as far as she could.
“Ugh, just a little more…”
Her fingertips reached for the key, and she exerted all her strength to push her shoulder through the gap in the bars.
The sensation of the cold metal against her skin sent shivers down her spine, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment.
‘Got it!’
At her fingertips, the key snagged, and she successfully pulled it into her hand.
Yeffa’s face lit up when she saw the key.
Although she wanted to immediately test if it would open the door, footsteps were approaching from the direction of the stairs.
It was a guard on patrol.
Yeffa swiftly hid the key and leaned against the wall.
As he closed his eyes, pretending to sleep, the guard came closer and closer, looked around once, then moved away.
Once the sound faded completely, Yeffa slowly opened her eyes.
Her heart was still racing. Yeffa took the key from her bosom and inserted it into the lock that secured the door.
Turning it to the side, the lock clicked softly, and the door opened smoothly.
Yeffa couldn’t believe her eyes, even after she had unlocked it herself.
‘Oh my goodness.’
Why the hell is this key here?
Was it a trap?
Maybe Rohiriel was deliberately letting her escape to add to her crimes.
But what if it was genuinely a coincidence?
Moreover, even if she managed to escape the prison, could she safely make it outside the palace?
Yeffa’s green eyes reflected the complexity of her emotions.
‘For now, I’ll lock it back. The guards will bring food in an hour. I should eat before considering anything else.’
Yeffa’s stomach growled.
Rohiriel had said she would send food, and surely it would be better than the stale bread.
Even if she was planning an escape, it was wise to have a hearty meal before executing any plans.
As time passed, the guards conducted their second patrol.
“Yeffa Cassian, a special meal granted by Her Highness.”
With a curt remark, something was tossed inside through the bars.
Rolling on the floor and stopping in front of Yeffa, it turned out to be brown bread—quite hard and unappealing.
“Wait a moment! Is this all you have?”
Yeffa grabbed the departing guard and asked in a prodding manner.
The guard chuckled as if surprised and replied,
“Did you expect something like roasted turkey that nobles eat?”
Infuriated by the commoner’s tone and expression, Yeffa asked again.
“I don’t expect anything like that. Still, shouldn’t there be at least a bowl of warm soup?”
“Warm soup? What a bold request for a convict.”
With a mocking laugh, the guard turned away, leaving Yeffa fuming.
She glared at the disappearing guard, then angrily threw the meager bread.
With a bang, the bread hit the grate, and before it could even make it out of the cage, it bounced back in, rolling across the floor.
“Ugh! So frustrating!”
Yeffa’s shout echoed through the prison.
This was intolerable.
Being a slave would mean being treated like this every day, but she could never live like this.
‘It might not be a trap.’
Yeffa took out the hidden key from her bosom.
The next guard patrol was scheduled for an hour later.
As this place lacked windows, making it impossible to see the sky and estimate time easily, Yeffa found the guard’s predetermined schedule fortunate for estimating the passing hours.
She had the layout of the imperial palace roughly memorized, so it was worth a shot to try to escape the prison.
In the dead of night, when movement would be least noticeable.
‘Once the guards complete their fifth patrol and move away, that would be a good time to act.’
That would likely be around midnight.
Yeffa waited, holding her breath.
Normally, she would have been more suspicious of the key’s identity. However, the extreme circumstances prevented her from thinking clearly.
With trembling hands, Yeffa quietly unlocked the lock and carefully slipped out.
Though she was only behind the bar, Yeffa felt free.
She surveyed her surroundings and ascended the stairs. Perhaps because the guard had already completed one patrol, there was no discernible sign of activity.
But even so, it was a bit odd that a place holding a convict of high treason like Yeffa had such lax security.
However, Yeffa, consumed by the thought of escaping, didn’t notice the peculiarities.
‘Just a bit further up…!’
A faint light appeared.
It wasn’t brilliant, just a subtle moonlight.
With her heart filled with hope, Yeffa set foot on the ground.
“……?”
Thud.
A sensation under her foot caught her attention.
Simultaneously, a searing pain radiated from her ankle throughout her body.
“Ah, aah!”
In an instant, intense pain engulfed Yeffa. Forgetting that she was in the midst of a covert escape, she screamed and sank to the ground.
Teeth-shaped iron clamped onto Yeffa’s ankle like a wild beast.
It was a hunting trap.
“It hurts! Someone, someone, help! Ugh, it hurts, it hurts!”
The more she struggled, the deeper the trap sank.
By the time guards rushed over at Yeffa’s cries, her ankle was already covered in blood.
“Why did you take so long to come? Why, ughh.. it hurts. Call the physician now!”
Yeffa screamed like a madwoman.
Soon, she couldn’t hold on any longer and lost consciousness before the physician arrived.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
“Your Highness, Yeffa Cassian…”
The news about Yeffa, relayed by Zenid, was what I had anticipated.
It seemed she couldn’t resist the temptation and resorted to escaping.
I set down the tea cup I was holding.
“How is her treatment?”
“The physician is attending to her, but it seems unlikely that she will fully recover as before.”
She must be feeling an immense sense of loss.
‘I was hoping her apology was sincere.’
I felt conflicted.
I couldn’t believe Yeffa’s tears, so I set up a trap.
If Yeffa truly felt remorseful towards me and wanted to apologize for her wrongdoings, and if she wanted to accept her punishment, then she wouldn’t have recklessly attempted to escape and fallen into the trap.
She ended up losing her freedom in the pursuit of it.
“Rohiriel.”
Julion’s voice broke through my thoughts.
As I looked at him and responded with a nod, he hesitated and asked.
Thanks for the chapters!❤️🔥