Chapter4
“I want to go inside there.”
“Pardon?”
The pronunciation was so clear that there was no mistaking what was said. Especially with Elysia’s finger pointing towards the annex, Lizbeth still managed to catch on to what the young master wanted.
“This time, Kyung has the key.”
“…..”
“So, could you please open the door?”
Elysia didn’t bother to beat around the bush. Upon delivering her request directly, Lizbeth’s expression softened.
Seems like she thought throwing a tantrum would work, considering her young age.
Knowing Elysia’s temperament through rumors, she waited until Lizbeth opened her mouth.
Judging by the relaxed expression on Lizbeth’s face, it seemed she was trying to coax Elysia as gently as possible.
No chance.
Elysia tilted her head and smiled.
“Miss. Uh… this place is terribly dirty inside. So, I advise against going in if possible.”
“……”
Lizbeth, assuming Elysia was unaware of someone being inside, quickly made an excuse without delving deep into thought.
That statement implied she was hiding something in a dirty place.
Though Elysia wasn’t responsible for what happened inside, another reason for Edun to want her dead was added.
“I want to meet the person inside.”
“?!”
Elysia, who knew there was someone inside, surprised Lizbeth, making her lips tremble.
It seemed she wanted to immediately ask if Elysia had heard it from the Duke.
But Lizbeth only trembled her lips, not mentioning anything about the Duke.
Elysia liked that even more. It was evidence of her keeping quiet.
Confirming her judgment wasn’t wrong, Elysia started speaking.
“My father didn’t tell me.”
The sound of gears turning could be heard all the way here.
Thinking deeply was deemed inappropriate by Elysia, so she provided Lizbeth with as much information as she could share.
“Father doesn’t even know I know.”
“……”
“If she knew, it would cause chaos.”
It’s certain that Viscount Partin prefers himself over the original Elysia. But that doesn’t mean he’s just going to leave Elysia, who knows Eden’s true identity, alone.
“So you came to see Kyung.”
“I’m sorry. In that case, I cannot let you in even more.”
As if making up her mind, Lizbeth shook her head firmly.
However, Elysia didn’t give up.
She couldn’t give up.
It was already a gamble in progress, and if she gave up now, it was obvious that Lisbeth would report everything to Viscount Partin.
“Then, how about making a deal with me?”
“…A deal?”
“Yeah. Even I think it’s unlikely that Kyung would accept any reward and disobey Father’s orders.”
He’s a knight who values orders.
Just by having a brief conversation, it was clear that Lisbeth belonged to a heavyweight faction.
Elysia was confident inwardly.
Even someone like her wouldn’t be able to refuse the price she offered.
“Is your sister very ill?”
“….”
When Elysia mentioned her sister, Lizbeth’s expression turned livid.
It was more like anger and contempt than livid, but Elysia brushed it off as if it were nothing.
Others’ resentment meant nothing to Elysia.
She had resented someone enough to want to kill them before, and she still resented others now.
The negative emotion of resentment had driven Elysia to this point.
“Did you even investigate me?”
“Yeah.”
There was no trace of guilt on Elysia’s face.
Apparently, the rumors were true.
The rumor that Elysia, the eldest daughter, resembled Viscount Partin the most.
Lizbeth felt pathetic for even briefly considering Elysia as an innocent child.
His shoulders slumped.
Despite knowing that he had done his research, Lizbeth was in no position to reprimand Elysia.
“Kyung became a knight of our family to earn more money, didn’t he?”
“….”
“This job was taken on the condition of additional payment.”
However, there was also a condition that if she were to disclose secrets, Lizbeth’s life would be at stake.
Elysia continued smoothly, as if she knew all the conditions put forward by Duke Partin.
“What exactly do you want to say…?”
“I’ll cover all the medical expenses.”
“…?”
“I don’t mind if it costs more than what your father is giving. If you want, I’ll help send your sibling to the empire for treatment.”
It was indeed a good condition.
Better than what Duke Partin had offered.
Initially, Duke Partin knew nothing about Lizbeth’s family situation. He simply offered a condition of giving more money than she originally received.
Lizbeth tilted her head and looked down at Elysia.
There was a look of disbelief that she couldn’t understand why she was so concerned about the child inside.
Moreover, she doubted whether Elysia had the means to cover her sibling’s medical expenses.
“I’m rich.”
She was the daughter of a duke, after all. Would covering medical expenses be that difficult?
It was worthwhile to save money for the future.
“I’ve saved up for a house to live with Ariel in the future… but when the time comes, will Ariel be planning to start a family with Eden? Elysia, who was still worried about her brother’s marriage, was still not yet in her teens.’’
“To be honest… it’s tempting.”
It had been a long time since Duke Partin’s face, who had instructed her to be vigilant, disappeared from Lizbeth’s mind.
Instead, the face of her younger sibling, slightly younger than Elysia, filled that space.
Her sibling, who coughed up blood occasionally on dry days, coughed up blood every day.
For her only remaining family member, Lizbeth could do anything.
But that didn’t mean she would blindly trust Elysia, who was slightly older than her sibling.
Moreover, it felt insulting to be threatened by using her sibling.
“Is it fair to say that I have a choice in this deal?”
Where is there such a one-sided deal?
It was a deal written as a transaction but read as coercion.
In contrast to Lizbeth’s words, Elysia responded with a somewhat unfair expression.
“If this were coercion, I wouldn’t have mentioned medical expenses or anything else. Even if you refuse my proposal, I won’t do anything to help either you or your sibling. But then you’ll have to think again if there’s no other way for you to get in there.”
Is it true?
It had been a long time since Duke Partin’s small owner’s words about her own background investigation lost credibility.
“If it was coercion from the start, I wouldn’t have mentioned medical expenses or anything else.”
“It was indeed the right thing to listen to.”
Unable to find a rebuttal, Lizbeth let her gaze fall to the ground.
“Would you like some time to think?”
Anyway, Lizbeth was going to accept her proposal. There was no need to drag out the time unnecessarily.
“… ”
She knew well that she wasn’t trusted more because of her youth.
But it seemed it wasn’t just that; Lizbeth’s forehead remained furrowed.
It seemed that not only did she feel uneasy about researching her background and bargaining with her sister, but also her argument about it.
With no choice, Elysia wiped away her harmless expression and tilted the corners of her mouth slightly askew.
“It may sound like pushing, but if it were me, I would accept my proposal.”
“… ”
“I understand that researching and bargaining with your sister makes you uncomfortable. But Kyung doesn’t deserve that.”
She knew she shouldn’t provoke. Normally, she would just give time and wait.
The reason Elysia changed her mind was because Lizbeth seemed to be trying to blame only her.
“On the subject of someone who was captured and couldn’t escape even after receiving money.”
You have no right to blame others.
At Elysia’s final words, Lizbeth bit her lower lip tightly.
“I’ll ask again. Do you need more time to think?”
If she unfolded her clenched fist, her fingernail marks would surely be visible.
As Lizbeth looked at her fist, Elysia glanced at it again and asked as if to confirm.
Only then did Lizbeth rummage through her pocket and pull out a key.
It was the key to the annex where Eden was trapped.
Elysia watched with bated breath as the firmly closed door opened.
In the dim room, strangely, there was no sense of presence.
For some reason, the annex felt colder inside than outside.
Elysia wandered around the room, trying to find a human figure.
Whether it was Lizbeth’s excuse or not, the inside of the annex didn’t look as dirty as it seemed.
“I’ll stand guard until midnight. So, you should leave before then if possible.”
“I know.”
Lizbeth, who received a firm response, went outside leaving Elysia behind.
Through the barred window, several rays of light streamed down. Following the rays of light, Elysia’s eyes caught a pale figure.
“Ah….”
Elysia sighed, her mouth slightly agape.
She had only encountered all the characters in text.
She knew the existence and names of the protagonists, but their appearances were only vaguely skimmed through in the text.
“That child….”
A boy sitting on the bed with a vacant expression distinctly caught Elysia’s eye.
Eden.
The male protagonist of <The Prisoner of Ariel>, and the man who would later rescue his beloved sister.
Elysia, who had been hesitating in front of the door until now, tightly shut her mouth and quietly approached Eden.
The closer she got, the clearer his appearance became.
His snow-white hair resembled silver and evoked a similar illusion. However, judging from the fact that it didn’t reflect the light illuminating the room, it was likely white hair as described in the book.
Eden, sitting motionless, didn’t even blink once since Elysia entered the room. Thanks to that, Eden’s vivid purple iris was more visible.
Whether he hadn’t eaten properly in a while, his emaciated body, cracked lips as if squeezed by someone, and the bruised face made Elysia furrow her brows under the sunlight coming through the window.
“Is this the work of Marquis Partin?”
If that were the case, he truly was a heartless individual, not even sparing a child.
“I may be no better, truly.”
If she had sought refuge under such a heartless person, she too was a heartless individual.
Elysia didn’t deny that point.
In the future, she would have to resort to any means necessary to prolong her life.
