Secret (3)
In my past life, it was probably around dawn, three or four hours after the maids had returned to their rooms.
At that time, I was lying in bed, blinking my useless eyes.
Even though I drank a lot of alcohol, I couldn't sleep that day.
No matter how hard I tried to sleep, I became more and more nervous, so I ended up getting up to drink the remaining alcohol.
A thumping sound could be heard outside the villa.
Then, a strong smell of iron and sweat came out, and after a while, a loud bang was heard along with the sound of several people running into the villa.
"Whoa! Who, who are you!"
"We are the Imperial Knights. Where is the Millenia Astrod?"
"Excuse me! It's that room over there!"
I was dragged away like cattle by the imperial knights who came in without warning.
The place they arrived at was cold and stank, filled with cries of pain and sorrow.
"Is this woman the 'first walker'?"
"They say all authority has disappeared, so what about 'the first walker'? Stop talking nonsense and lock her in solitary confinement."
A vicious hand pushed me somewhere.
CLANG!
I heard the iron door close and the footsteps grew distant.
I sat on the floor, stretched out my arms, and walked cautiously. Before I could even take two steps, I felt the damp, uneven stone wall.
A narrow space, about two paces wide in all directions. That was the solitary cell where I was locked up until the moment of my death.
'I never thought I'd come back here again...'
Ian and I headed to the prison under the guidance of a guard.
At the end of the spiral staircase leading to the basement were three iron doors. Passing through them was the only way to enter the real prison.
'It looks like this.'
The prison was structured with cells tightly lined up on both sides along a central corridor to hold prisoners.
It was brighter and not as dirty as I had imagined. The smell was so bad that I thought there was sewage everywhere.
"I'm telling you in advance. I can't open the door for you."
The guard bowed before the cell, in the same voice that had ordered me to be locked up in solitary in my past life.
"It's okay. Are they all here?"
"Yes, yes, Guardian, here you go."
Sierra was in a space so narrow that it was difficult to even lie down.
She was sleeping with her back against the wall, looking so dirty it was almost frowning.
Was this stench coming from the prisoners, rather than the prison itself?
"Ian, which way is Sierra?"
lan grabbed my shoulder and turned me slightly so that I was facing Sierra.
"I would like you to step aside for a moment."
"Don't come near her."
"I will do that."
I waited for Ian and the guard's footsteps to fade away before I groped and reached out.
Soon, I felt the cold air of the bars on my fingertips. I grabbed them gently and waited.
Finally, Sierra opened her eyes. Her bloodshot, red eyes, restless, looked straight at me.
"Why did you come?"
"I was thinking of meeting you at least once. It's just that the time has come now."
She bizarrely twisted her lips. Blood flowed up the surface of her chapped lips.
"You must have come here to make fun of me. It's not as bad as you think. It's not that cramped, and the guards are very considerate. They know I'm different from the other prisoners."
As she spoke, Sierra's head was covered in mud and her prison uniform was stained with filth.
While I was locked up, I was in such a state that I couldn't even wash my face, let alone take a bath.
But Sierra didn't give up her pride. I feel sorry for her, thinking that I couldn't see her and making up ridiculous stories.
"I wonder. What makes you different from other prisoners?"
"I will be released soon."
"By what means?"
"My father will do his best. He is still trying to get me out of prison."
"Yes?"
"What do you plan on doing when I leave here?"
"Well."
Sierra rolled her eyes. A mad smile played on her lips.
"I'm going to come find you and tear you to pieces. I'm going to mutilate your face so much that no one will recognize you. So look forward to it."
"Oh, I guess you haven't heard the news yet."
"What are you going to say now?"
"The day you were dragged away by the knights, your father collapsed."
"I... really? My dad collapsed?"
"I heard that he is not in good condition. I think your family will be managed by collateral relatives."
Sierra's eyes shook in confusion. She looked around, biting her dirty fingernails, and anyone could tell that she was not normal.
"Oh, it's okay. The nanny will help me. The nanny is a noblewoman too. There must be some way. Yeah, that's right."
"Your nanny who treated you like a daughter?"
"That, that's right! Nanny told me..."
"I'm sorry, but she's in jail now too."
"What?"
Sierra's mouth opened wide. She had been frozen in place, but then crawled like a bug and clung to the bars.
"Then what about me? Who's going to get me out of here?"
"Sierra, there is no one who can help you."
"No! I'd rather die than live in such a dirty place!!!"
Sierra writhed and writhed in agony. I looked down at her calmly and opened my mouth.
"Should I give you a chance?"
"What?"
"Beg me. Get on your knees and sincerely repent of your wrongdoings. Then I will help your father. Heal him."
In my last life, when I escaped from prison and was caught. I begged and begged in this small cell.
Anyone, please save my family. You can take my life, you can tear my limbs off while I'm still alive, but please... Just spare my brothers.
'What about you?'
Sierra's eyes flashed. She quickly raised her upper body, knelt down, and begged.
"I was wrong. I was so jealous of you that I wanted to take everything you had! I'm so sorry! I wasn't in my right mind!"
She burst into tears and fell to the floor, then reached through the bars and grabbed my dress.
"But, by the way, can't you give me a chance instead of Dad? No, that's right. Why would you spare an old man who has lived long enough? Don't do that, help me! Get me out of here!"
"Pfft-hahahal Ahahaha!"
My laughter echoed in the quiet prison.
As expected, people don't change.
No matter how much you wash a rag, it is still a rag, and no matter how much an evildoer repents, he cannot get rid of his evil nature.
Sierra's eyes turned venomous as she saw me laughing with tears in my eyes.
"Are you kidding me? You had no intention of saving me from the start?!"
"If you sincerely apologize, Count Coelho would save you. His connections would help increase His Highness the First Prince's power.'
"..."
"I didn't really feel like it, but thank you. For saving me from having to save your father."
Sierra bit her lip. She stepped back, watching the blood flowing out.
"Let me tell you something. Prisoners who are close to being executed aren't allowed to take a bath."
"What, what does that mean?"
"It means you might be out of here soon. To go to the execution grounds."
"Why, why am I... why am I on the execution ground..."
"The minimum penalty for attempting to assassinate a Guardian is death. Oh, is that a good thing for you? You would rather die than live in a place like this."
"Ah, no! No! I don't want to die! I can't die like this! S, save me! Please save me! Aaah! Aaaahhhhhhhhh!!!"
A piercing scream filled the hallway.
The prisoners, provoked by the sound, screamed and pounded the bars, and the guard came running with a stern face.
"Guardian, I think we need to stop the visit. The prisoners are too excited. I'm sorry but for your safety..."
"I'm done talking. Here, hold the end of the cane and guide me."
"Yes, yes, come this way."
Ian was standing at the end of a long hallway, where three iron doors began.
He didn't take his eyes off me as if he couldn't hear all the evildoing coming from all directions.
"Let's go."
lan walked with me, holding my hand. I stopped almost at the top of the spiral staircase. Ian, who was walking in front of me, looked back.
"Young Lady?"
"Do you think I'm terrible?"
If he had heard, he would have heard everything that was said between me and Sierra.
lan chuckled.
"What if you ask me that? I am no longer in a neutral position."
"If you're not neutral, does that mean whose side are you on?"
"Are you asking because you don't know?"
"I want to hear it in Ian's voice."
Even if it was pretense, I wanted to hear an answer that said you would be on my side no matter what devilish things I did.
"I won't blame you for anything you do, even if it's not the right thing to do."
"..."
"If the world points a finger at you for that,
I will kill the world."
"..."
"So do what you want to do, Millenia."
At that moment, the prison door opened behind Ian.
At the same time, the dazzling autumn sunlight poured in and covered us as we stood on the stairs.
I closed my eyes tightly without realizing it.
My heart was pounding so hard I couldn't stand it.
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