Chapter 50
Fioleta is a peculiar plant that absorbs the surrounding mana and uses it to reconstruct its tissues.
The Fioleta Garden of the Grand Duke’s residence was a restricted area, so people seldom entered, and it was located very close to the barrier.
So much so that the barrier’s mana was deeply infused into the Fioleta itself.
Using the excuse of preparing a tea table, Ella slipped into the Fioleta Garden ahead of time. Avoiding the eyes of the other maids and knights, she threw something deep inside the flower bushes.
It was a jewel infused with divine power.
The divine energy seeping out of the jewel began to soak the Fioleta blossoms.
And just as the children’s tea party reached its peak—
Bzzzz—
Finally, the Fioleta bushes began to tremble.
Strictly speaking, the mana that made up the Fioleta clashed with the divine power and was consumed, which caused it to demand even greater mana—thus, it began to draw mana from the barrier.
“To think mana and divine power’s repelling properties could be used like this…”
With a satisfied smile, Ella moved to the spot she had marked in advance—a secluded garden where Lor and Kainel had previously discovered a Fioleta blossom.
Though the barrier was weakening, it was still impossible for Ella to break through it on her own strength. She needed a separate escape method.
Sending the two children to Revoluc’s cave from within the barrier would have been impossible too, had it not been for that person.
In the deserted rear garden, where there would be no startled witnesses even if someone suddenly appeared in a flash of light, Ella took out the scroll given to her by that person.
And then—
“……!”
“Why is Grand Duke Atteleon here?!”
Arcade tore through the air and restrained Ella with his shadows, instantly crushing her plan.
“Thanks to you, we were able to locate that woman.”
Arcade smirked at Kainel, who stood frozen with a stiff expression.
“Now we can dig into her backers and motives. You’ve played an important role.”
The maid named Ella was immediately taken to the Imperial Palace and imprisoned in its underground dungeon.
Arcade wanted nothing more than to interrogate her himself, but since Crown Prince Reikal was involved, he had no choice but to yield.
Clicking his tongue in displeasure, he thought:
“How can I let anyone who dared lay a hand on Lor go so easily?”
Of course, the Imperial interrogators would handle her, and their process would not be gentle.
But only if he could uncover her backers and slaughter them with his own hands would his anger truly subside.
Still, he could not ignore the request his brother, the Emperor himself, had personally made.
“Do you want anything?”
Gathering his tangled thoughts, Arcade asked the boy standing opposite him.
Kainel stared straight at Arcade. A rare thing. Other than Lor, hardly anyone ever met his gaze directly—least of all a child.
“…Just let me stay here. That’s all I want.”
After a long pause, Kainel spoke carefully.
His tone was steady, but his tightly clenched fists revealed it was a decision made only after much hesitation.
“Then you’ll need a new necklace. That one… seems no longer usable.”
Arcade tilted his chin toward him.
“Ah… yes.”
At those words, Kainel reflexively reached for his neck. The necklace hung there once again.
He had simply tied back the string that had snapped in the Fioleta Garden.
But now, it felt different.
“Urgh.”
Since then, he had sometimes felt an unbearable thirst. Just like now.
And whenever that thirst overcame him—
Kainel grimaced, and Arcade clicked his tongue.
“That necklace was only temporary anyway. I’ll make you a better one. But it will take time. Until then…”
“I understand. You mean… I shouldn’t go near Lor, right?”
“That’s right. Be careful.”
The deepest, darkest place in the Imperial Palace—the underground dungeon.
Ella was confined in its most heavily guarded interrogation chamber.
The air reeked of mildew and blood. Shackled and bound in restraints, she was suspended from the ceiling, her appearance in utter ruin.
“How is it going?”
The knight Allen gestured toward Ella with his chin as he asked. The interrogator beside him flinched and bowed repeatedly.
“Well, uh—that is…”
“Any information? Any leads?”
“None at all, sir. She is still in the same state…”
The interrogator shook his head in disbelief.
Only a few days ago, he hadn’t been like this.
When news spread that the attempted kidnapper of the Crown Prince and the Grand Duke’s daughter was being brought into the dungeon, he had been astonished.
“To think anyone would dare to target both the Imperial Family and the Grand Duke’s House.”
At the same time, he had been thrilled. Dragging the truth out of criminals by any means necessary was the very pride of his profession.
And since the culprit was a young woman, he thought just showing her the torture tools would make her break down, sobbing and confessing everything.
Yet days had passed, and she did nothing but hang limply in her chains, enduring the torture.
In fact, enduring wasn’t even the right word. She showed no reaction at all, as though she had no senses, no emotions.
Her gaze was empty, her face vacant—as if she were nothing more than a hollow shell without a soul.
“It’s strange. She doesn’t speak, doesn’t make a sound. She’s like a doll, not a human.”
“Tch.”
With disbelief, Allen picked up a heavy whip nearby and struck her body hard.
“……”
But Ella only twitched faintly. She didn’t scream, didn’t cry.
As if nothing had happened to her at all.
Before her imprisonment, imperial mages had confirmed that no spell had been cast on her, which only made it all the more baffling.
“What now…?”
He had thought a single maid would confess in no time. He had taken this assignment expecting to finish it quickly.
Sigh.
Allen let out a weary breath. Just then, something rattled in his pocket.
“Take this with you. Official orders.”
It was what Vice-Captain Acesus had handed him with some documents. The Mage Tower had sent it specifically for this interrogation, to be used if the prisoner refused to speak or if the interrogators reached their limits.
Heh. As if I couldn’t handle a mere maid.
He had scoffed at the idea then. But after days with not a single clue, his patience was burning away.
“Do I really have to use this…?”
He couldn’t keep wasting time like this.
As a knight, it hurt his pride to rely on magic—but there was no other way.
Allen pulled the item out of his pocket and stared at it.
A small, black orb—the masterpiece of the Mage Tower.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary crystal sphere.
The only difference was that it was opaque inside, unlike a clear crystal.
Though unsettled, Allen forced a crooked grin.
“Well then, let’s see what the grand Mage Tower’s technology can do.”
He followed the instructions that came with it and dropped the orb to the ground.
Any normal orb should have shattered against the stone floor, but this one landed silently without breaking.
And then—
Ssshhh—
The air in the chamber began to stir ominously.
Sensing something was terribly wrong, Allen instinctively reached for his sword.
At that moment, the black orb writhed from within.
Only then did he understand—
The reason it had been opaque was because the inside was filled with countless black eyes.
“…Eyes?”
Horrified, Allen gripped his sword tightly.
And in that very instant—
A deathly silence swallowed the chamber.
At the same time, Ella, who had hung limp all this time, slowly lifted her head.
“…Lord, I… was wrong…”
Both Allen and the interrogator were stunned. Ella hadn’t moved a muscle until now. The interrogator quickly rushed toward her.
But faster still—Ella’s body began to twist violently. Cold sweat poured down her forehead, the veins in her eyes burst, and blood streamed down her crimson gaze.
And yet, even in that grotesque state, her eyes were fixed on empty air.
As though someone was standing there.
Though wracked with pain, Ella trembled in sheer terror.
