Screech. The rusty iron door opened, making an unpleasant noise.
Elise descended the stairs. As the lantern she held flickered, the shadow behind her changed shape.
The underground dungeon still reeked of mold. On top of that, another faint smell lingered. The smell of urine.
Elise wrinkled her nose as she looked at the slumped Iris.
No, while Iris’s arms and legs were limp, her body was taut due to the shackle around her neck.
Elise examined Iris’s condition from head to toe.
Drool had dripped from between Iris’s parted lips, falling into the yellow puddle between her legs.
Drip, drip.
Elise frowned at the unsightly scene.
“Iris.”
Iris stirred.
“Wake up, Iris.”
Perhaps she needed cold water poured on her to wake up.
But Elise didn’t want to go through the trouble of going upstairs just to wake her.
Elise picked up a small stone rolling on the floor. She repeatedly tossed and caught the fingernail-sized stone in the air before flinging it towards Iris.
“Ugh.”
Finally, Iris came to her senses. She opened her eyes wide, startled and fluttering.
“Gasp!”
Iris’s chest heaved greatly. She grimaced as if even breathing was painful.
“Did you rest well?”
Elise asked, tapping the bars.
“Rest well? Are you crazy?”
Iris’s voice came out ragged. Elise shrugged.
“Still haven’t grasped the situation? Should I come back later?”
Iris bit her lower lip. Blood beaded on her scab-covered lips.
“You, if I get out…”
“Still saying that? What could you do if you got out, sister? Do you have anyone to turn to for help?”
“There’s Father, and Mother, and the Ivory Tower… His Highness Chase…”
Whether it was due to growing up pampered and lacking awareness, or her reason being paralyzed by the urgent situation, Iris was still living in her imagination.
“You’ve been cast out from Viscount Worton’s family. Father declared that you’re not his child anymore.”
“What?”
Iris’s eyes trembled.
It’s too early to be surprised.
Elise curled up the corners of her mouth.
“The Ivory Tower? Ember, who was backing you, lost her sage status and had her magic sealed. Do you think it would be any different for you? Ember is claiming that everything she did was because you deceived her.”
The Ivory Tower had abandoned Iris too.
“And Chase…”
“Yes, I still have Chase. If you call Chase for me…”
“Don’t you remember? Or are you pretending not to? Chase gave you to me. He said I could do whatever I wanted with you. Do you know what that means?”
“That can’t be… Chase is my fiancé…”
Iris’s eyes lost focus. She kept repeating, “It can’t be,” in disbelief.
“You abandoned that fiancé first, sister.”
“No! I never abandoned Chase, I, I… him…”
Is she manipulating even her own memories when cornered?
Elise cut off Iris’s nonsense.
“Do you want to live?”
Iris nodded. But it was just an attempt; due to the shackles, it looked like she just trembled slightly.
“Sa-save me. I’ll do anything. If you just save me, everything!”
“Tell the truth.”
“What truth?”
Iris immediately became wary. Even in her unstable mental state, she seemed to instinctively know that if she spilled everything she had done, death would be the only outcome.
Her tenacity for life was admirable, at least.
“I don’t need everything. Just tell me what Chase did. Chase wasn’t trying to shoot you, right?”
Iris blinked. Elise calmly waited for her to grasp the meaning of her words.
Once Iris judged it to be in her favor, things would progress smoothly from there.
A light of realization flashed in Iris’s eyes.
“That’s right! You’re right. Chase tried to kill His Highness David! He told me many times. That His Highness David was in his way.”
As expected.
“I’m a witness. I’ll tell everything. In front of King Lange, or to His Highness David! Everything! I can tell it all.”
“Really?”
“W-what?”
Iris was afraid of losing this precious opportunity that had come to her. She glanced at Elise.
“I’m asking if it’s true, what you just said. Can you take responsibility for it?”
“I-I can take responsibility! It’s true. I’ll prove it with everything I have.”
What does she mean by staking everything when she has nothing? Elise smirked.
“Alright. I’ll remember those words well.”
“Wait!”
As Elise was about to turn away, Iris desperately tried to stop her.
“You’re just leaving like this?”
“Is there a problem?”
“I said I’d testify. Elise, I’ll testify. Please get me out of here.”
Iris is indeed stupid. She still doesn’t understand her position.
“Don’t demand anything from me. You and I, we’re not making a deal.”
Elise coldly responded and quickly left. The underground dungeon was not a place for her to be.
****
Elise reported to Karan and Haltbin about what Iris had agreed to testify.
“We won’t blindly believe Iris’s words, Lady Elise.”
“That’s right. But they won’t be able to corner us either. Chase will also be in a dilemma.”
“To properly resolve this situation, His Highness David needs to wake up.”
Haltbin said. It was what everyone hoped for. The conversation paused as they worried about David.
“Leber is doing his best. He will surely wake up.”
Just as Elise finished speaking,
“Lady Elise! Lady Elise!”
Leber burst into the room, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Leber, what’s wrong?”
Leber was crying. He clasped his trembling hands tightly and fell to his knees, wailing.
“Don’t tell me… His Highness David… has something happened to him?”
As Elise rose from her seat, Karan quickly caught her lest she collapse from shock.
However, there was no need for Elise to collapse.
“No. That’s not it… He’s awake! He’s even, sob, recognizing people! Waaah!”
David had woken up. Leber’s sobs were sobs of joy.
Elise’s shoulders, which had risen high, suddenly dropped. She leaned against Karan’s chest.
“Elise, let’s go see him.”
Elise nodded with her eyes closed.
“Leber, can we see His Highness David?”
Haltbin helped Leber to his feet. Leber nodded, continuously wiping tears with his sleeve.
“Yes, yes. You can see him. Just make sure to wash your hands thoroughly first.”
Leber kept sniffling, unable to contain his overwhelming emotions.
“But don’t startle him. And, sniff, don’t talk too much. He needs to regain his strength for now.”
Elise and Karan headed towards David’s room, deeply mindful of Leber’s cautions.
As they opened the door, they saw David lying on a white bed.
His pale face, torso wrapped in bandages, and the various potion bottles attached to his body came into view one by one.
Elise shuddered as she imagined how they had cut through his flesh and stitched his internal organs.
“Ah, Eli… Ugh.”
David, who tried to sit up, clutched his stomach and fell back onto the pillow.
Even the slightest strain on his abdomen brought a wave of pain.
“Don’t try to get up, Your Highness!”
Elise said urgently. Leber, who entered a step behind, rushed over and pushed some pain-relieving herbs into his mouth.
Having experienced similar situations several times before, David diligently chewed and swallowed the herbs.
The pain-relieving effect appeared quickly. Though he was still covered in cold sweat, David’s face looked much more comfortable.
“I’m sorry for showing such an unsightly appearance.”
David murmured weakly.
Karan and Elise stood about five steps away from the bed.
They were only able to approach David after washing their hands in a basin brought by an attendant.
Up close, his face looked even worse.
“Judging by your expression, Lady Elise, I can tell my condition. Is it that serious?”
“No. You look very handsome.”
Elise, choked up, could only answer after clearing her throat.
“It would be troublesome if I fell for you. His Highness Karan is scary, you know.”
David’s recovery speed was remarkable. It was partly due to Leber’s excellent skills, but also because of his strong mental fortitude.
The fact that he could joke immediately after waking up from surgery showed his incredible mental strength.
“You shouldn’t talk too much.”
Leber cautioned David. Although it was bold enough to give orders to a prince, David obediently complied.
It was because he knew well that Leber was his lifesaver.
If David had his way, he would have given everything he had to Leber.
“How is the situation?”
David asked. Karan explained briefly.
“Chase…in the end…made the wrong choice.”
“Are you upset?”
Elise asked. David chuckled. Even that small reaction caused him pain, making him wrinkle his nose.
“No. I’m not. Rather, I feel relieved. I knew this would happen.”
David looked somewhere in the air with a troubled expression.
“What do you intend to do?”
David asked.
“What do you want to do?”
Elise returned the question. David turned his head to look at Elise. His face, having finished contemplating, looked relieved.
“I want to clean this up neatly.”
“I thought you’d say that. Your Highness, please focus only on recovering. You need to lead the subjugation battle, after all.”
We’ll end Chase.
David closed his eyes. It was an expression of agreement.
