“The place has been pretty quiet for a while.”
“Maybe she gave up?”
The knights guarding Hestia’s solitary cell mumbled to each other.
For almost 20 minutes straight, Hestia had been banging on the door, asking them to open it, but she had gone silent all of a sudden.
“Is this really okay though, what we’re doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… from what I’ve heard, it doesn’t seem like she actually embezzled or caused any trouble. It feels wrong to lock up an innocent person.”
“We’re just following orders from above. If we help with this, they promised us a promotion.”
“Yeah, but still…”
These knights were part of Hubert’s faction and were assisting him in exchange for certain rewards.
Not all the knights were involved in this betrayal.
Only Hubert and those loyal to him were carrying out this secret operation.
There had been some commotion, so it wouldn’t be long before the other knights found out, but it wouldn’t be much of an issue.
“She’s just a nobody without any backer. What’s the big deal about knights locking up a criminal?”
“The big deal is that she’s not a criminal.”
“Pfft, don’t be so naive. Did you forget who the captain’s teamed up with?”
The knight thought about Malrus and swallowed hard.
“Honestly, this trouble started when she ignorantly accepted the guardian position. Count Humphrey was supposed to take that spot.”
“But isn’t it up to the young lord to decide who his guardian is?”
“Yeah, technically, but there are always deals being made behind the scenes. Do you really think the Captain just recently teamed up with Count Humphrey?”
“Sounds like you know a lot.”
“I wouldn’t say I know a lot… I’ve just overheard some things.”
“But if you think about it, we ended up needing a new guardian because the Duke suddenly passed away. So, if you’re right, it sounds like the Count had his eyes on the Duke’s estate for a while now… Was the Captain betraying the Duke all along?”
“I doubt that. From what I’ve heard, talks started shortly after the news of the Duke’s death. Anyway, why are you so curious all of a sudden? Just act like you don’t see or hear anything, like always. People in charge don’t like it when folks like us start acting like we know things.”
“…I just think it’s important to know what’s going on if we’re going to stick around.”
His fellow knight couldn’t argue with that logic.
“To be honest, I don’t trust Count Humphrey either.”
“Who does? It’s not even about the Count — the Captain himself is shady.”
Even though they were part of Hubert’s faction, they didn’t fully trust him.
“I really don’t care who ends up being the guardian. I just hope they take good care of the young master.”
His fellow knight scoffed.
“Since when do you care about the young master?”
“He lost his parents at a young age and now he’s all alone. It’s only natural to feel bad for him.”
“Not me. Sure, it’s sad that his parents died, but he’s a noble. He’s still got it better than any of us.”
“…Which is exactly why I feel bad for him.”
The knight’s voice dropped.
“When a child holding so much power is left all alone, they become a target.”
“Wait, what’s gotten into you…?”
Sensing something off, the other knight turned to look at him. His eyes had gone cold.
A tense silence hung in the air.
Thud! Thud, thud!
Suddenly, the sound of commotion echoed from above.
Screams mixed with the clash of swords could be heard.
“What the…?”
The knight started to rush up the stairs to check, but before he could—
Shiiing—
The cold edge of a blade pressed against his neck. He gasped, realizing his companion had betrayed him.
“You…!”
“Sorry, but I’m done following the captain.”
Before the knight could react, the other knocked him out cold, tied him up, and left him there.
Bang!
“Lady Frost!”
Just then, the prison door burst open and other knights of Winston rushed in. Leading them was Lloyd.
“Lady Frost is in here.”
The knight who betrayed his comrades stood up and unlocked Hestia’s cell door.
Hestia, who had been quietly sitting by the door, stood up, brushing the dust off her dress.
“What’s the situation outside?”
“We’re rounding up the traitors. I apologize, I didn’t expect them to act this quickly.”
“No need to apologize. I was also surprised by how fast they moved. But thanks to that, we managed to fool them, didn’t we?”
Lloyd was there to rescue Hestia because they had already made plans in advance.
Two days ago, after returning from the mines, Hestia had pulled Lloyd aside and said:
“Lloyd, how much do you trust Hubert?”
“…I’m not sure what you mean by that.”
“I’m asking exactly what I said. If Captain Hubert were to threaten Winston, what would you do?”
Lloyd had been about to protest, saying that was absurd, but the seriousness in Hestia’s eyes stopped him.
It wasn’t just her expression. All of Hubert’s past behavior that he had witnessed suddenly didn’t seem all that loyal to Winston either.
“Soon, Count Humphrey, Hubert, and Albert might try to take me down.”
“What?”
“They’ll probably frame me for something and try to strip me of the guardian position. If that happens, can I count on you to help me?”
Lloyd had been stunned. He didn’t want to believe it, but before he could respond, Hestia had slipped a letter into his pocket.
“It’s all written in here. Take a look when you get the chance.”
After parting ways, Lloyd nervously opened the letter.
Inside, every was detail about Count Humphrey’s ambition for rebellion and the names of the traitors supporting him were laid out clearly.
“Lloyd, gather the knights who don’t follow Hubert and help me. This isn’t just about me, it’s about Winston. I trust that, as a loyal knight of Winston, you know what’s right.”
Lloyd had known Hestia for only two months, whereas he had spent years with his fellow knights. The obvious choice would have been to side with his comrades.
But as he dug deeper, he uncovered suspicious behavior among those who followed Hubert, and he learned they were operating independently under Count Humphrey.
There was no more room for doubt. If things kept going this way, Hestia’s warnings might really come true. So Lloyd quickly gathered his allies.
“How does an 18-year-old girl know more than I do…” Lloyd thought, a mix of awe and fear in his eyes as he looked at Hestia. Then he noticed her injuries.
“My Lady, you’re hurt!”
Her wrists were bruised from the knights’ rough treatment, her palms and knees were scraped, and there were small cuts on her face.
“It’s fine. Besides, I didn’t expect you to be on our side. Aren’t you part of Hubert’s faction?”
Hestia waved off his concern and turned to the knight who had unlocked the door.
Lloyd had realized it a little late, but this knight had always been one of Hubert’s followers.
As everyone stared at him, the knight calmly spoke up.
“I was… but I had no choice. I was blackmailed.”
“Blackmailed?”
“Yes, I’ve been raising my younger sibling on my own since our parents passed away. A while ago, my sibling fell ill, and I needed money fast, so I borrowed it from the captain… but…”
When his paycheck came, he tried to pay it back immediately, but Hubert added unreasonable interest.
“Every time I tried to pay off the debt, he came up with some excuse not to take it. Over time, the interest grew beyond what I could handle. And when I couldn’t pay, so he started treating me like a servant.”
“What…!”
“Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
Seeing Hestia and Lloyd’s serious faces, the knight gave a weak smile.
“You think I didn’t try? But every time I did, he threatened my sibling. What else could I do?”
Hestia saw a reflection of herself in him.
“But no matter what, I couldn’t keep doing this. The Lady hasn’t done anything wrong, and if we keep going like this, even the young master might be in danger. I didn’t expect to find that Deputy Lloyd was on your side though.”
“What were you planning to do if we hadn’t come? You betrayed him alone — Hubert wouldn’t have let that slide.”
“I hadn’t really thought that far ahead. But I’m still a knight. I was born and raised in Chester, and I joined Winston to protect it. Even if I end up regretting it later, I refuse to abandon my honor as a knight.”
Loyalty wasn’t dead just yet.
It must’ve been a hard choice, but the knight had found the courage to stand up for what he believed was right.
“What’s your name?” Hestia asked, smiling slightly.
“Morgan.”
“I’ll remember that name. And after all this is over, come find me. I’ll make sure to pay off your debt, even if I have to use my own money.”
For a moment, Morgan was overwhelmed with emotion. Watching Hestia and Lloyd leading the group, he found himself wanting to be with them.
“Yes! I’ll be in your care!”
━━━━━ ∙ʚ(✧)ɞ∙ ━━━━━
“Ahhh! What the hell is going on?!”
“Let go! I said, let me go!”
“There are two more over there, one in the kitchen and another at the stables.”
“Right, let’s go grab them.”
“If they resist, you have permission to break their arms! Show no mercy to the filthy traitors who betrayed Winston!”
“Yes, Deputy Commander!”
At the same time, Lloyd’s fellow deputy commander, Kovil, was leading the knights through the estate, rounding up and selecting the few servants, who were the traitors.
“What’s going on?!”
“S-Sir Knight! What did Yuri do wrong? Let’s talk about this, please!”
“Are you with her too?”
“W-What?”
“This woman conspired against the duke’s house and the young master. If you’re a traitor too, we’ll arrest you on the spot.”
“Betrayal? That’s absurd! Yuri, say something! This can’t be true! Yuri…!”
The maid desperately shook Yuri’s arm, but Yuri stood there, pale and silent, unable to offer any defense. The look in her eyes made it clear she had been caught, and the strength drained from the maid’s legs.
“What’s all this noise?!”
At that moment, Oliver, the head servant, stormed over, shouting angrily at the knights for recklessly grabbing the servants.
“How dare you treat people like this? We’ve all worked together in this household! Who gave you such ridiculous orders? Release them this instant!”
Oliver was a powerful figure in the estate, and the knights hesitated, glancing at each other.
“Didn’t you hear me? Let them go right now, or I’ll have you all charged with insubordination!”
“It’s not insubordination, Oliver. You can stop the act now.”
“N-Nova…!”
It was the head maid, Nova, leaning on her cane, flanked by Kovil and another knight, standing as if in support.
“Oliver, stop pretending. We know everything.”
“W-What are you talking about…?”
“We know you’re in league with Albert and Hubert, those bastards.”
Oliver’s shoulders twitched involuntarily.
“Did you enjoy yourself all this time?”
“N-Nova, wait, there’s a misunderstanding…!”
“I hope it was fun because you won’t be having any more fun for the rest of your life.”
Nova gripped her cane tighter.
“Don’t you dare think you’ll be forgiven for laying a finger on our young master! Not for a second! I, Nova, will never forgive you!”
Despite being the frailest person there, her voice echoed powerfully down the corridor, and the people who had been seized by the knights crumpled to the ground in fear.
