Descending into the dungeon with Cedrics, it boasted an unfamiliar cleanliness for a prison, yet it possessed a coldness that seemed to pierce the skin. It was an unwelcome chill. I crossed my arms, trying somehow to minimize the area of skin exposed to the air.
While I was rubbing the goosebumps on my forearms, Cedrics glanced around and spoke softly, “It seems completely quiet, likely it’s been empty for a long time.”
“Probably so. Especially since Duke Dright is confined in a room far enough that one needs to walk a considerable distance, it makes sense that we don’t feel anyone’s presence now.”
I quietly agreed with his opinion and stepped forward.
According to historical records, the underground dungeon, existing since the palace was first built, was used to imprison those who committed grave crimes or insulted the royal family, unlike the Kambeln prison located above ground.
However, since a few generations ago, the emperor himself dealt with those who committed heinous crimes or insulted the royal family, so the dungeon was rarely used.
Thus, as Cedrics observed, this place had likely been – as expected – empty for a long, long time, making Duke Dright’s imprisonment here quite unusual.
Silently walking briskly with Cedrics, I finally reached the room where Duke Dright was confined. Perhaps out of respect for someone who still held the title of Duke, the room was more luxurious than the typical cells of the underground dungeon.
“…I’ll go in.”
“In case the elder might act impulsively, I’ll go in first.”
“Fine by me, do as you like.”
As I muttered, gripping the door handle, Cedric slightly turned his upper body forward. His hands, moving mine from the door handle, were simple and polite, yet his gaze, piercing through the door, was incredibly sharp.
Thanks to Cedric’s consideration, my tension somewhat eased, and I stepped back a few paces behind him.
Then, slowly pushing the door open, I peeked into the room where the Count Dright was held captive. My heart, turbulent, beat even more loudly as warmth scattered into the void the moment the door opened.
With a heavy creak, the door swung open revealing Count Dright sitting powerlessly on the bed. Dressed just as I had seen him through the visual device, his focus was unclear as he sat facing the wall. Whether he was lamenting his current state or dredging up something from the past was uncertain.
Only when we reached the middle of the room did Count Dright notice our presence.
Looking at Cedric, he sneered unpleasantly and murmured,
“Did you come to spit on my weakened state, Cedric? You’ve come at a wonderful time. I might be willing to accept your dirty spit now.”
“Brother.”
“Ah, no. As a servant of God, have you come to save a corrupted human who has fallen for the devil’s whispers? To personally teach the sacred doctrine? If that’s the case, I’m sorry, but it’s impossible. Listening to the doctrine and being enlightened by it is only possible for those who have even the slightest faith in God in their hearts. Unfortunately, there’s no belief in God left in my heart.”
“Brother.”
“If not that, then what! Why come to see me in such a miserable state! How dare you! How dare someone like you say anything!”
As he spoke louder, Dright, the Marquis, eventually swelled the chains tied to his wrists and screamed at the top of his lungs. Being underground, his voice bounced off the stone walls in all directions, making my ears ring.
I didn’t realize things were this bad between us, even though I expected some tension.
Trying not to frown involuntarily, I looked at Cedric. Contrary to my expectation of seeing Cedric enraged like Marquis Dright, he seemed to be wearing a sad smile and muttered.
“I, I……”
“Huh. Got no mouth? Are you mute? You can speak well enough, so why the hesitation. Just spit it out and leave. Get out of my sight! The longer I see you, the more I feel like I could bite my tongue and die.”
“…I came to apologize.”
In response to Cedicus’ confession, the young Duke Drite burst into laughter but then nodded as if to tell him to continue.
“I used to think that you simply hated me. You sent me to the temple while I was asleep and ignored everything I did.”
“That’s enough with the pointless prelude. I can tell it’s a story not worth listening to.”
“No, please listen. I truly want to apologize to you.”
“……”
With his hands clasped in front of him and his eyebrows deeply furrowed, Cedric looked as if he was about to cry.
I wasn’t exactly sure what they were talking about, but it seemed like not everything was Duke Drite’s fault, as I had previously thought.
As I was summarizing everything in my head, Cedric continued as if pleading.
“But now I think I understand that it wasn’t the case. I know now that you didn’t hate me.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? I detest people like you the most. You’re the biggest fools in the world, thinking you’re always right.”
“Yes, we were those fools, believing we were always right. That’s why we didn’t care about others, and that’s why things turned out to be such a mess. It’s all our fault.”
“We?”
I was secretly surprised that Cedrics used the term “we” instead of just referring to himself. Does that mean this isn’t just about the two of them?
While I was feeling confused with the growing questions, it seemed that Cedrics belatedly remembered my presence and suddenly turned to me with his eyes drooping.
“Ah, Miss Obelton might not understand. I’m sorry for speaking among ourselves too much.”
“No, it’s okay, Sir Cedrics.”
“Miss Obelton…? Why are you here…?”
Following Cedrics’ gaze, Duke Dright froze like ice upon spotting me. At that, I gradually opened my mouth that had been firmly shut until then.
“Duke Dright, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“…What would I gain from refusing? Ask anything. There’s nothing left to hide, so I will answer anything.”
“Love, you know it?”
“!”
His irises shook violently as I direct my blunt question to him, his voice losing the venom it had when talking to Cedrics.
“Why do you hate that painting so much?”
“How did you know that?”
“I was the one who asked first.”
“…….”
When he hesitated and asked back, I urged him to hurry up and answer. It wasn’t long before Duke Dright, who had just washed his face, broke the ice.
“This work was completed by my mother just before she gave birth to Cedric. Despite being in poor health, she overexerted herself to paint that large picture while she was pregnant. As a result, she suffered from a wrist injury due to the aftermath and received a doctor’s diagnosis that she could no longer paint.”
“Ah, I heard that the painting was practically the last work of the Duchess.”
“Yes, that’s correct. My mother had… She had a genius talent in art, so if she hadn’t completed that painting, she might not have had to end her career as an artist like that. Ah, but of course, it’s not just the fault of the painting. It’s partly my fault, too.”
Halfway through his sentence, Duke Dright suddenly pointed at Cedric with his index finger and snapped fiercely, his eyes filled with sorrow. It was the same look I had seen earlier.
Ignoring my inner thought of ‘surely not,’ I spat out one of the many tangled questions.
“Cedric’s fault?”
“Yes. If that child had not been born with divine power, my mother’s health would not have deteriorated like it has. But the divine power he possessed was too immense, and it was too much for a human body as frail as hers to contain.”
“It turns out there was such a story.”
Only now did I begin to understand where the Duke of Dright’s nonsensical hatred towards Cedrics originated from. Furthermore, it seemed understandable. I would have felt the same if I were in his shoes.
Still, the Duke of Dright’s approach was definitely wrong.
After acknowledging this objective assessment that followed my understanding, I continued to focus on the Duke of Dright’s story. I had to listen carefully without missing a single letter if I were to unravel all the curiosity that had built up until today.
“That’s when he was born, and our family fell into a period of decline. My mother, who loved art, fell into a sense of loss because she could no longer paint, and seeing her like that, my father and I suffered silently every day.”
“…….”
“And then, and then…….”
The Duke of Dright, who had been smoothly narrating, suddenly bit his lower lip hard.
“Suddenly, one day, my mother began to act as a devoted servant of God.”
The expression on the Duke of Dright, as he confessed, slowly began to change. It was a contradictory face mixed with resentment and love, hope and despair, fear and sadness.
“…….”
If it seems like you can see the young Duke of Dright in that expression,
“No, that’s not it. It would be more accurate to say that she began to act ‘only’ as a devoted servant of God.”
Is that my misunderstanding?
