CHAPTER 88………………………..
A vibrating stench. The rustling sound of insects crawling around.
Piace banged on the ceiling until her hands were raw.
Bang, bang! Bang bang bang!
“Ah, is anyone there? Please, help me! Help—kh, kh! I can’t breathe…!”
No matter how hard she pushed, the lid of the trash bin didn’t budge.
“Ugh… Wh-what should I do? I’m scared…”
Piace trembled violently and hugged herself tightly.
Right after being locked in the trash bin, she got so scared that she accidentally wet herself, and now her soaked dress felt cold and clammy.
Goosebumps covered her arms.
I shouldn’t have followed Sister Bianca.
She hated herself for trusting Bianca so easily, just because she said she wanted to apologize.
That story about accidentally throwing away the apology letter in the trash bin—of course, that had to be a lie too.
“You’re supposed to throw dirty things in the trash, right? You’re a filthy orphan, so live in there.”
“N-no, I have the Duke, the butler, the maids, and Blackie too… I’m not a filthy orphan.”
Even when she lived at the Molton mansion, Bianca often locked her in the attic.
She’d been tricked by Bianca’s words: “If you get my doll back from the attic, I’ll keep your vomiting a secret.”
Piace used to vomit a lot back then.
Each time, the Marchioness would call her disgusting and lock her in the bathroom all day.
She screamed until her throat went hoarse, but the door never opened.
The hard, cold floor. The chilly air. Hunger. The echo of her cries.
Piace was terrified of it all.
So she did as Bianca told her. But in the end, she was locked in the attic again—an even scarier place than the bathroom.
And it happened more than once.
Next time, I’ll never trust Bianca again.
But no matter how many times she promised herself that, she could never defy Bianca.
Because Bianca would cry and throw a fit until Piace gave in.
When the Marchioness got angry, the whole mansion grew tense, and the servants took it out on Piace—making her life even harder.
In the end, all Piace could do was obey Bianca.
“I’m so stupid… I’m really stupid…”
Why had she followed Bianca here, just to hear another fake apology?
She hated herself for falling for it every single time.
“…Blackie…”
Piace buried her head between her knees, thinking of her winged friend.
“I’m not scared of the dark. It’s the same black as Blackie’s feathers. I just have to hold on a little longer. The Duke will come and save me.”
She repeated those words over and over, wiping her tears as she did.
Strangely, the fear began to fade.
The tears stopped. Her trembling eased.
Now calmer, Piace quietly called out.
“Duke, Piace is here.”
At that very moment, something unbelievable happened.
“This must be it. The lid handle’s tied shut with rope.”
“Wow, that kid’s ruthless.”
“Duke, please step aside. I’ll open it for you.”
“No, I’ll do it.”
Voices came from outside—and then, the trash bin lid that hadn’t budged at all suddenly flew open.
“……!”
Piace squeezed her eyes shut at the sudden burst of light, then slowly opened them.
“Piace.”
Above the trash bin was the most beautiful face in the world.
The Duke held onto the filthy trash bin with bare hands, not caring that her elegant dress was getting dirty.
The Duke reached a hand inside.
“Piace, come here.”
Piace hunched her shoulders timidly.
She was overjoyed that the Duke had come for her, but she didn’t want him to see her dress soaked with urine.
He’ll be disappointed. I don’t want that.
Even though she stayed curled up, not moving, the Duke didn’t get angry.
Instead, her voice was gentler than ever.
“Piace, are you hurt?”
“N-no…”
“Then are your legs too weak from fear? Is that why you can’t stand up?”
“It’s n-not that… It’s m-my dress…”
“It’s all right. Tell me.”
“I-I peed myself. It’s dirty… Hic, I’m sorry…”
The Duke gazed quietly at Piace, who had burst into tears.
Then she reached both arms into the bin, grabbed Piace under the arms, and tried to lift her out—
“Ugh!”
—but couldn’t. The Duke wasn’t as strong as she looked.
“Piace, in a situation like this, anyone could make a mistake. Mistakes aren’t filthy—they’re just lessons.”
“R-really? I’m not dirty?”
“You’re not dirty. But the trash bin is filthy, and it’s making me feel sick. Will you come out for my sake?”
“Y-you feel sick? Then I’ll come out!”
“Good girl. Hold on.”
Prince Leonhart lifted Piace out instead.
As Piace was carried out in his arms, the Duke wrapped a large cloak around her.
I wanted to hide anyway… I’m so embarrassed…
The Duke understood her heart perfectly.
When Piace looked up gratefully, the Duke gently patted her shoulder.
“Piace, now tell me.”
“Eh? T-tell you what?”
“What happened?”
Piace replied in a tiny, trembling voice.
“B-Bianca said… she wanted to apologize. So I followed her… Sh-she said she dropped her apology letter in the trash bin. S-she said her hand couldn’t reach, so she asked m-me to get it for her…”
“So you climbed into the trash bin?”
“Yes… B-but then she c-closed the lid…”
“That must have been scary.”
“A-at first, it was… b-but when I thought of you and Blackie, I wasn’t scared anymore. D-did I do good?”
The Duke smiled gently.
“Yes, you were brave. Just like an Ivrante.”
“Hehe.”
Piace beamed foolishly, her spirits instantly lifted.
She couldn’t understand why her friends called the Duke a scary witch.
The Duke is a cool witch.
That was her last thought before she fainted.
“Piace!”
“Duke, please wait! Just listen to me for a moment—”
“Headmaster, do I look like I have time for that right now?”
“I-I’m sorry. Then when could—”
“I intend to hold not only Marquis Molton but the Academy itself accountable for this incident. Wait until I contact you.”
“…Understood.”
I went straight back to the mansion.
When the butler saw Piace in Leonhart’s arms, his eyes widened.
“Lady Piace? Master, what happened!”
“There was an incident at the Academy. No time to explain—call the physician first…”
Then Owen, who had followed me, carefully grabbed my arm.
“Duke, you have me. I’ll heal the child.”
Luspel and Leonhart both spoke up as well.
“He’s right. Leave her to Owen and get some rest.”
“Duke, Piace is safe. You can relax now.”
Leonhart gestured toward my clenched fist.
When had I started gripping it that tightly? My knuckles had gone pale.
Slowly, I opened my hand.
Blood began to circulate again, tingling at my fingertips.
I took a deep breath and nodded.
“Phew… Forget the physician. Take Piace to her room.”
“Yes, Master.”
We laid Piace on her bed.
Owen healed her with holy power, then smiled.
“The small bruises and scratches are gone. No major injuries.”
“Then why isn’t she waking up?”
“She’s just exhausted from all the fear and tension. After a good rest, she’ll wake up.”
I quietly looked down at Piace.
She was sleeping peacefully.
Her clothes had been changed, and her face was clean and soft.
It was hard to believe what had just happened—but I remembered it vividly.
That face looking up at me from inside the trash bin.
Even though she’d been terrified enough to wet herself, the moment she saw me, she’d smiled brightly.
As if she’d known I’d come to save her.
“A-at first, it was… b-but when I thought of you and Blackie, I wasn’t scared anymore. D-did I do good?”
I didn’t know how to describe what I’d felt then.
My heart had dropped like a stone—rage and relief crashing together so violently it made me dizzy.
I never want to feel that again.
“Professor Luspel.”
“Yes?”
“Would you become Piace’s godfather?”
“What? You said earlier that was a pointless idea. Are you sure?”
“I’m asking you.”
“Well, I’d be happy to.”
“Owen, can you have the Temple bless the child?”
“I can’t decide that myself, but if I petition the High Priest, it should be possible.”
Owen gave me a knowing look—he’d sensed her holy energy while healing her.
Priests sometimes gave private blessings to individuals, like charms for good luck.
But an official blessing from the Temple was something far more serious.
It meant divine protection—and harming someone under such protection was the same as declaring war on the Temple itself.
Until now, only the Emperor and Crown Prince had ever received such a blessing.
But if Piace truly was a saint, the Temple would change its rules for her.
[Hey guys, let’s give her something too. Should we ask the King to grant her protection?]
[I’m not sure if the Keeper of Balance would approve… but let’s try. We’ve got nothing to lose.]
[Hell, if it doesn’t work, we can just rob the King’s treasury. Anything we take from there will keep the kid safe forever!]
Leonhart chuckled.
“Everyone’s offering her something. Guess I can sit this one out.”
“No, Your Highness, there’s something I need from you too.”
“What is it?”
“Help me.”
“Help you, not Piace?”
The three men looked at me curiously.
I stood up quietly and said,
“Let’s move somewhere private first.”
