~Chapter 42~
Why did he suddenly ask about Lisa…?
Anna remembered the day she kicked Lisa out. Even after all their years together, Anna tried to let her leave quietly. But the moment Lisa realized she’d been discovered, the woman who once swore she loved Anna more than anything began cursing her like a common thug. Anna had never heard such foul language. And when Anna, finally fed up, called the butler to remove her, Lisa screamed that she’d sell her soul to the devil just to see Anna die miserably.
That was the final straw. Anna had been disappointed in Lisa already, but after that, all her affection was gone.
Lost in these memories, Anna chewed her food mechanically. Louis spoke.
“Actually, while I was looking for who was behind the mansion attack, I learned about her. It’s common for former employees to be involved, so I checked into it.”
“…I see.”
Did he find out anything? Anna wanted to ask, but couldn’t. She glanced down and saw her knuckles were white from gripping her knife. Anna put down her utensils and slowly drank her water. She moved so naturally that Louis didn’t realize how shaken she was.
“….”
Shilla stared at the crumpled napkin in Anna’s hand, then lowered her eyes.
In the deep hours of the night, someone staggered up the steps from the underground prison. His clothes were soaked with blood and fluids, making it obvious something terrible had happened below. As soon as he stepped onto the grassy ground, he collapsed.
Kneeling, he pressed his forehead to the dirt and clutched the soil with both hands. Tears—or sweat—dripped from his face, soaking the earth in a dark circle.
He groaned like a wounded animal, overcome by the weight of all the world’s pain.
How long did he suffer like that? Eventually, his shoulders stilled, and his silent sobs faded.
Raiden lifted his hand, black with dried blood, and wiped his face. He forced himself to stand, swaying.
“Ha…”
The cold dawn air filled his lungs, making his stomach feel icy.
“So this is how it is.”
A dry, scoffing breath escaped his lips.
“I thought it was just a bad connection… but it’s a perfectly horrible one.”
Raiden covered his face with his hand and laughed bitterly.
The worst and the happiest memories—all tied to the same person.
They were the ones who belonged in hell, so why was he, the victim, the one who fell into darkness? Did they even know what it was like to suffocate under the weight of hatred?
“…Of course not.”
He slowly lifted his head. Through his blood-stained fingers, his expression was blank.
Staring into space, he thought,
They must have lived happily, doing whatever they wanted.
Meanwhile, his mother lost her husband young and worked herself to exhaustion to raise her only son. She loved reading and thinking, but had no time for it.
And yet…!
His tightly clenched fist shook. He trembled, then let the tension go from his shoulders.
“…I still have questions left.”
He turned and headed back down to the underground prison, retracing his steps like a man escaping, then returning. The knights guarding the prison turned pale at the sight of him but lowered their heads in silence as he passed.
The iron gate squealed. Inside, the floor stank like a slaughterhouse, and a prisoner lay sprawled in the filth. Raiden bent and stepped inside. Half-dried blood stuck to his boots and peeled away with a squelch.
Leaving bloody footprints, he stood over the prisoner.
“…Dead?”
His flat voice echoed through the cell. That would be a problem. He kicked the prisoner’s side. The body rocked and stopped, but then gave a small groan—alive, just fainted.
Raiden stared down for a moment, then exhaled a long white breath, unsure how to calm the fire raging inside him. If he didn’t leave soon, he might tear the man apart.
Suddenly, Raiden jerked in surprise. The prisoner’s broken, twisted hand grabbed his ankle. Through broken teeth, the man breathed heavily.
“Only me…”
Raiden frowned and bent down. Bloody froth bubbled from the prisoner’s lips and dripped down his chin. He forced out words,
“Revenge… Please, only on me.”
Raiden’s brow twitched as he guessed what the man was about to say. The prisoner struggled to speak.
“Anna… She doesn’t… know anything.”
“….”
“She… still likes you…”
Suddenly, the prisoner coughed violently, spraying black blood onto Raiden’s cloak and shoes. He collapsed, gasping.
Raiden watched him coldly with gray eyes. After a moment, the man, barely breathing, tightened his grip on Raiden’s ankle.
“Please… she’s innocent…”
“You finally woke up now that you can’t gamble in a cell?”
Raiden let out a cold laugh.
“Did you forget what you did to your precious daughter?”
The prisoner trembled, then slowly lowered his head. Hot tears splashed down onto the cold stone, mixing with blood and footprints.
“I—I lost my mind… That’s why…”
With nails torn out and raw pink skin showing, he beat his chest in regret.
Raiden watched him with indifference, remembering:
‘Father risked his life to save me from danger.’
So not everything Anna remembered was a lie. Maybe that’s why gambling is so terrifying.
But…
How long could it last? The moment he touched the dice again, that love would vanish without a trace.
Raiden stared at the self-pitying man with cold eyes, then turned away.
The prisoner, thinking Raiden was leaving, clung desperately to his ankle with both arms.
“No! Promise! Promise you won’t hurt Anna!”
Mangled words, but the meaning was clear. Raiden looked down, unimpressed, and the man began to ramble,
“She’s always been kind, even as a child… She couldn’t ignore anything hurt, whether it was a person or an animal. She’s that gentle…”
“….”
“You know that! You do!”
Raiden suddenly remembered the first time he saw Anna, battered by the knights, as she offered him a small jar of ointment.
“Ha…”
He gave a hollow laugh.
So he thinks I was no better than a wounded animal to her…
He fell silent, then rubbed his chin and thought deeply.
What should I do now…?
The prisoner looked up through swollen eyes, saw Raiden’s cold face, and realized there was no hope. He buried his face in the ground and sobbed softly.
The torch on the wall flickered. The prisoner’s sobs made Raiden’s shadow dance on the wall.
After leaving the cell and climbing back to the surface, Raiden found Louis waiting in the cold night air.
“Send a message to the West. There’s something I need found.”
Louis studied Raiden’s expression and nodded.
“Understood. I have something else to send at dawn, so I’ll include it.”
“And… find Nomen’s dirty assistant.”
Raiden spoke bluntly and walked off, Louis hurrying behind.
“Oh, you mean that Menson guy? He’s got a nasty reputation. He was the one who planned to lure Miss Evercline to Lily Street. Even if the Marquis couldn’t have her, he wanted to destroy her reputation. Really vile.”
Raiden added flatly, as if he already knew,
“As long as he’s alive, it’s not safe.”
“….”
Louis slowed, then stopped. He called out sharply,
“Whose safety are you worried about right now?”
“….”
Raiden stopped as well.
When he didn’t answer right away, Louis sighed and spoke in a heavy voice,
“Remember what I said before?”
