Chapter 6
Thanks to riding at a furious pace, the two of them reached Baron Bart’s estate in less than a day.
Passing over the drawbridge, they stopped in front of the firmly shut castle gates. Karl dismounted first and supported Edith. He knocked loudly on the small window in the door, and a rustling sound came from inside.
“What brings you here at this hour?”
The window opened, and the gatekeeper’s head appeared.
“We are merchants from the capital, on our way to visit relatives. Unfortunately, we lost our way, and the sun has already set,” Karl said, adopting a tone friendlier than usual.
“If it were just me, it might be a problem, but as you can see, I have my younger sister with me… Could you allow us to stay at the village inn for the night? We will, of course, compensate you.”
Karl pressed Edith’s robe around her and looked at her with concern. Even though they had agreed on their lines along the way, Edith could hardly stop her heart from racing, fearing the gatekeeper might hear it. She gripped the front of her robe tightly, keeping her head bowed so her face remained hidden.
The gatekeeper sized them up from head to toe. Their tattered clothes and the dust on their faces made them appear even more pitiful.
“That’s unfortunate. But rules are rules: the toll is one denarius per person. After sunset, I cannot admit anyone without payment.”
“Ah… in fact, I’ve lost my purse. Would this suffice?”
Karl handed the gatekeeper a single silver button. Its surface was so damaged that any identifying marks were nearly unrecognizable.
The gatekeeper examined it suspiciously, turning it over in his hands and gauging its weight. He even bit it lightly with his teeth, checking for marks, before finally showing a far more generous expression than before.
“This is the last time I let this slide.”
“Thank you.”
The gatekeeper’s face disappeared, and the small wooden door creaked open. Edith hid her pounding heart and stepped cautiously into the fortress.
“Which way to the inn?”
“Follow this road to the square, then turn left; it won’t be far from there.”
“Understood. You’ve saved us.”
Edith took in the village slowly. The paved stone road stretched toward the square, where the bell tower loomed in the distance. Behind it, Baron Bart’s castle rose majestically.
A small hope blossomed in her chest—the hope that they could soon retrieve Ian and Lucas.
“Though humble, I’ll first take you to the inn and then contact the baron.”
“Better than sleeping on bare ground. I just hope nothing has happened to the two of them…”
“We tied a cloth to the tree on the hill near the houses earlier. Lucas should have noticed it.”
They had nearly reached the square when a loud voice rang out:
“Stop!”
With the clatter of hooves, several knights surrounded them in an instant. Something was thrown over Edith’s head, and she stumbled, falling onto the stone floor.
“Ka…! Hmph!”
She nearly shouted Karl’s name despite the danger. Clenching her teeth, she swallowed her scream.
“What is the meaning of this?”
Karl threw down the reins and tried to reach Edith, but the pikemen forced him to his knees. The startled horse neighed and reared.
Karl gripped the sword hidden under his robe. He wanted to draw it immediately, but a rash move could worsen the situation.
“The baron commands that all strangers entering the estate be arrested. Comply willingly.”
As Karl struggled to free himself, a knight kicked him in the abdomen.
“Ugh—”
“Seize his weapon and bind him!”
The knights searched Karl, removed his sword, and bound him to prevent any further resistance. One of them grabbed Edith by the arm and forced her upright.
“Don’t lay a hand on her!”
Karl shouted, only to be kicked again by another knight. A dull thud followed.
“I’m fine. Let’s just follow quietly,” Edith said in a low voice. Covered, her senses heightened; even the smallest sound seemed amplified. She feared what might happen to Karl next. Soon, a sack was also thrown over his head.
Their footsteps echoed mournfully on the stone floor. This was inevitable; it was only luck that nothing had happened until now.
Edith suspected that the pendant Karl carried was a finely made fake. If it weren’t, Baron Bart would not have arrested them so easily.
She felt foolish for even doubting such a ridiculous tale. Moreover, Ian’s safety was now uncertain.
Days of anxiety and despair washed over Edith all at once. No matter how much she tried to contain her feelings, the pain that slipped through her defenses could not be hidden.
She was, at least, relieved that the sack covered her head. Even as tears soaked through, no one could see them.
“Baron, as you instructed, the intruders have been placed in the underground prison,” a shadowed voice reported.
Through the thick curtains, the baron’s silhouette flickered. Despite the warm glow of the fire in the study, Baron Bart’s expression was icy. He set down the cloth he had been using to clean his decorative arrows on the desk.
“Good work. I’ll handle the scandal personally.”
“Yes, sir. These were the fleeing con artists, correct? It appears they pulled off quite a scheme.”
Baron Bart glanced at the knight with a sidelong look.
“Why do you say that?”
“The silver button is heavy and seems valuable. It was clearly damaged deliberately to disguise it as stolen goods.”
The knight placed the button on the desk. Bart nodded nonchalantly.
“The promised compensation will be delivered by the servants. Departure is tomorrow?”
“Yes, at first light. We are all eager to return to our homeland after so long.”
The knight nodded repeatedly, genuinely grateful.
“All thanks to you, Baron. We will not forget your kindness in taking in wandering mercenaries.”
“You have endured much.”
“Thank you.”
The knight bowed with a pleased expression and left. Bart bid him farewell.
“Travel safely.”
The underground prison was cold and damp. With no view outside, it was impossible to tell how long they had been confined.
Edith felt a growing sense of guilt. Could her decisions, meant to be right, have led everyone into peril?
Helplessness weighed heavily. The reality hadn’t changed; sitting quietly and merely breathing was as futile as before. Only Karl’s warmth beside her offered solace.
From afar, the sound of metal scraping against metal echoed unpleasantly. Her nerves went taut, and goosebumps rose along her arms.
Someone was approaching.
Footsteps filled the cell with an eerie echo and stopped just in front of them.
A shadowy figure stood there, holding a lantern that dimly illuminated the area. The hood obscured the face completely.
Edith swallowed hard.
“Perhaps we have been too hospitable,” came a familiar voice.
The fear that had gripped her vanished, replaced by rising anger.
“Baron Bart!”
She tried to move toward him, but cold iron bars blocked her path. She grabbed them as if they were his collar.
“It’s been a while, Your Highness,” the baron said, removing his hood. Beyond the flickering light, his ash-gray eyes bore down coldly. A strange unease settled over Edith.
Karl frowned suspiciously.
“What is your intent? You haven’t failed to receive a missive, I hope?”
Instead of an answer, the baron merely smiled. Karl, imagining the worst, asked bluntly:
“Have you already allied with him?”
“And if I have?”
“Rowan Bart! You traitor!”
Karl gritted his teeth and slammed the bars. The iron cage rattled loudly. His face twisted in fury, yet the baron remained unflinching.
“Rest assured, I am still on no one’s side,” the baron said.
“What are you thinking, Baron?”
Edith struggled to face his impassive expression. Time was pressing; she had to finish this conversation quickly and reach Ian.
“The new emperor has involved Tasgar.”
“Tasgar… So you intend to hand us over to Richard as is?”
“That depends on what we discuss here.”
Karl glared at the baron and drew the pendant from his pocket. Its mysterious glow filled the dim prison, turning everything white.
“Since you are bound by the oath, Your Highness, you cannot resist it.”
Karl carefully handed the pendant to Edith.
The light inside the crystal swirled faster as if resonating. Edith could not tell whether the vibration she felt through her palm was the relic’s power or her own trembling.
“Unfortunately, our family’s loyalty belongs to the imperial house itself.”
A mocking smile crossed Baron Bart’s face.
“Even if the Second Prince had no claim to the throne, he is still recognized as part of the imperial line by the late emperor. My allegiance to the new emperor changes nothing.”
Karl shot him a look of disdain.
“And as you know, I am old, with neither wife nor children. Threats of that sort do not sway me.”
Strictly speaking, the baron was correct. Even without being a direct heir, everyone in the empire acknowledged him as the Second Prince.
Furthermore, the only records regarding the curse were old manuscripts. No one could say for certain if the curse was real or myth.
Still, Edith could not give up. If the baron had not yet allied with Richard, she had to somehow win his support.
“Baron Bart, then, what is it you want from me?”
“You intend to negotiate while confined like this?”
“If you desire nothing, why would we even converse?”
The baron studied Edith with interest.
“I care not for money or honor. Nor promises of the future. The human heart changes with circumstance, does it not?”
He stepped closer.
“I want what Your Highness can give me now.”
