Masters, Are You Going To Imprison My Sister?

Yuria took her eyes off the closed door and turned her gaze to where Count Nigor was.

“… Why are you saying that?”

His expression was unbearably cold.

“Aren’t you sorry for me and for Layla? A person who knows shame and guilt, shouldn’t it be right to feel that way? Because of you, Layla and… I was subjected to terrible torture that I could not even put into words.”

She clenched her fists.

‘At least not for me… You should be sorry for Layla.’

Yuria tightly closed her eyes. When she still looked at her sister, she would remember the scars on her back. The image of her suffering from the agony flashes before her eyes.

The Count burst into laughter as if sneering at her thoughts.

“Why should I?”

The Count died. In the eyes looking at Yuria, there is only evil, anger and madness. There was not a single piece of guilt in it. Yes, not even a single piece… Yuria let out a sad laugh.

‘In the corner of my heart, I thought he might apologize. But, it still wasn’t. This person doesn’t change. It will be forever Until he dies, no… Even in death, he will not admit his faults.’

Words don’t work for that person. Yuria tried to turn around as it was.

“Aren’t you the one who should thank me?”

At that moment, the words that came out of the Count caught her feet.

“Your sister hurt someone! Because of the past, it was a pity that he died while fleeing abroad, so she hid that fact. As long as she is alive, I don’t know if she will hit you in the back… There’s no way to get in that way now. I’ll let everyone who comes in know that your sister is a criminal. If that doesn’t work, even in the death penalty, I’ll cry out for your sister’s crimes. I mean, she has hurt two people!”

Yuria stiffened while holding the doorknob.

‘Criminal…’

The image of the maid who had been silenced by Layla flashed through Yuria’s mind.

‘… Let’s not worry. There is no one to listen to the sinner. They will all be dismissed as nonsense.’

But what if those words become the starting point and make my sister suffer? Such anxiety settled in Yuria’s heart. She thought that maybe she herself would not be in a position to say anything to the Count of Nigor. He doesn’t feel guilt or pity for those who died, even though Layla has killed his people, she’s rather worried that she’ll harm herself.

‘After all, I am a selfish person.’

But it didn’t matter if I was selfish as long as she could be safe. Yuria wanted to shut the mouth of Count Nigor right now, right now.

But… how?

The guard who was outside then knocked on the door.

“Are you okay? I’m worried because there are a lot of loud noises.”

He spoke to Yuria in a loud voice.

“Isn’t that guy going to offend the young lady? If so, please give me a little bit of respect. Then, I’ll give you a lot of heartache for that person who violated your heart. He’s a criminal anyway, and he’s on death row, so nobody cares unless he dies. Whether his body is broken, or his mind is broken and he becomes a fool… A lot of other noble people do the same.”

“… No one cares.”

Upon hearing those words, Yuria blankly recalled the money she had put in her pocket. The salary she received while working as a maid was pretty good. She hands it over and asks him to shut his mouth, and the guard will gladly listen. She  only needs to say a word. ‘Please break his mouth so he won’t speak again’.

‘Is that okay?’

It is not the right thing to do to hurt others. A person who commits a crime will one day be punished.

And she never hurt anyone. The unfamiliar behavior brought fear to Yuria.

‘… But, are those things a reason to stop acting? Is there any reason to feel guilty about committing violence against such a person?’

Yuria remembered her family who acted without hesitation for her. Even if she was Layla, she wouldn’t have been accustomed to hurting others. Nevertheless, she harmed a maid without  hesitation. Layla had given up all her fears, guilt, and hesitation only for Yuria. Can’t you do anything for a family like that? She was willing to commit any terrible thing.

Even if heaven punishes me one day, I will accept it. I will accept Laula’s sins, pay the price, and die.

‘No….’

Yuria shook her head.

‘It’s not Layla’s fault. It’s my fault, and I have to accept it of course. If Layla did anything wrong, it was all because of me.’

My mind was blown. Now there is no such thing as hesitation. Yuria opened the door with all her might. Outside, there was only the guard leaning against the wall, but Layla was nowhere to be seen. The guard told Yuria that Layla went outside first.

‘She went first. Thank God…. I didn’t want to show a bad side to Laila.’

Yuria nodded and approached the guard.

“Earlier… You said that if I give you money, you will do anything, right?”

“That’s right. As long as he doesn’t die, I can do anything.”

“… Then please.”

Then she put the money in the man’s hand and he bowed his head.

“Cut his mouth or cut off his tongue… It doesn’t matter as long as he can’t speak.”

The hands that held each other as they moved away from the jailer trembled.

“Never… Never again, let that person open his mouth.”

It’s done with this

‘This is the end…’

  ****

I looked at the back of the guard and Yuria entered the room.

“Sigh….”

I sighed, lowering my gaze.

I went out because of Yuria’s request, but I can’t help but worry about it. Would you be okay alone? Should I go back in too? Yuria, she is Yuria. Why does she think she is dirty? Why didn’t I notice the girl’s thoughts? If I had noticed it sooner, I would have offered her even a few words of consolation. My mind was dizzy with a mixture of worries and guilt.

Thinking of Yuria with a calm face, I raised my head.

“… It’s okay.”

It will be fine. Trust Yuria. She will look fine alone. Not surprisingly, she’s the kid who said to do a favor on condition that she went alone to find the Duke and tell a story about the Count. She was braver and more confident than me.

I tried to divert my thoughts to another place because I thought it would only increase Yuria’s worries if I stayed like this. I thought about the time it would take to get back and the money I had left, and after leaving the mansion, I pondered things and remembered the last words of the Duke I had heard in the mansion.

As it turns out, the Duke said that Count Nigor and others involved in his business were imprisoned here.

… If so, wouldn’t that man be there too?

My scars suddenly throbbed as I recalled his face with a soft smile that didn’t match his harsh whip hand. Even though everything is already healed and there is no pain anywhere.

This unexplained pain was clearly phantom pain. Even though it was not hot, my body was hot and my head was throbbing. My back started to feel hurt.

It felt like something thin and hard hit me. It hurts. It hurts. I’m sick. no… it doesn’t hurt It’s all fake pain. I know it’s an illusion, but I can’t figure out how to fix it. All I could do was stand still until the pain subsided.

Am I still scared? I wiped away the cold sweat and smiled faintly. Yes, I was scared. Even in a fantasy, when I meet those black eyes, my heart beats violently, the hands reaching out to me are terrifying, and the lips raised as if laughing at me creepily approach me. So the events of that day are still traumatic to me until this day.

The guard leaned against the wall and approached me, breathing heavily.

“… Are you okay?”

It was only when the pain had subsided that I could answer his words.

“Yes… I’m okay. There is one thing I want to ask you. Have any of them been captured with Count Nigor?”

“Yes, They dared to enslave the people of the Empire and have been arrested for buying and selling.”

“Among them… Have you not seen a man with an eye patch on one eye?”

The guard nodded his head.

“I saw it. How can I forget the guy who wore an eyepatch in a peculiar way?”

“Then, take me to that person.”

There are things I want to deny, but I can’t deny. Even if you want to forget, there are things you can’t forget. Such was the fear of Oberon. He is a scary man. I can’t stand him because I was scared. That’s why I was thinking of going to see Oberon from now on. The reason I made this decision was largely because of Yuria.

She overcame the past and continues to move forward. She faced a memory of her past I would never want to recall. Although she must have been afraid to meet Count Nigor, she made an offer to go see him first. And, now she’s talking to him by herself. Yuria is getting farther away, but I was stuck in a place like water, where only trapped me. It looked like I would rot in black if I stayed like this. It was only when I faced him and saw his downfall that I seemed to be able to dispel my dreadful fear. And if not now, when will I see him? Oberon can’t be safe when Count Nigor is being executed. He, too. They will cut his head off. If not now, I will only meet in the execution room.

“I can’t leave the precious person inside alone, so I ask another guard to accompany you. Are you okay?”

I nodded, and the guard went up the stairs and approached the woman who was looking around the ninth floor. After listening to the guard, she agreed to guide me.

“You can call me if something bad happens, I will be waiting outside when you come out.”

“Alright.”

Leaving behind the guard who bowed his head politely, I moved my feet. As I got closer to my destination, my heartbeat grew louder. I went down the stairs, feeling the tension clogging my throat. Oberon was locked up in a prison located on the third floor. Unlike the 9th floor, it was not divided into separate rooms, nor was it large. A prison with a size of about 2 to 3  was lined up on both sides of the floor, which was littered with straw that looked like a bed substitute. Following the guard’s guidance, I stopped in front of the prison third from the end.