Chapter 42
Creak—
The door opened with an ominous groan.
The inside was too dark to make out clearly at first.
The duchess frowned and stepped in.
“Light the lamps.”
The room brightened. Even though it was still before sunset, the place looked gloomy and oppressive.
Only then did Edmund’s figure come into view—curled up in the corner.
Cassia barely managed to swallow a sigh of relief.
He made it back in time!
Her frantic stalling had been worth it.
And not only had he gotten there on time—
Wait… when did he change clothes and mess up his hair like that?
He was no longer wearing the neat, clean clothes Cassia had prepared for him.
Instead, he had on worn, tattered clothes. His hair was deliberately mussed, and his body hunched to look smaller, thinner, weaker.
Cassia and Edmund exchanged silent words with their eyes.
How do I look?
Perfect. The best!
But Edmund’s actual voice was a frail, depressed whisper.
“…Who…?”
Like a candle flame flickering in the wind.
Cassia was honestly impressed.
Wow. He’s really good at acting.
The duchess, oblivious to the trick, seemed satisfied with what she saw.
“You don’t even recognize your aunt?”
“…Aunt?”
“Yes.”
Light came back into Edmund’s clouded eyes. He crawled forward, clinging to the hem of her dress.
“Please get me out of here, Aunt! Save me! I hate it here! I’m so scared!”
The performance was so convincing that even Cassia and the nanny, who knew the truth, were taken aback.
Forget magic—maybe this kid’s real talent is acting!
While Cassia marveled at his theatrics, the duchess looked down at her nephew with grim satisfaction.
“You want to leave here?”
“Yes!”
“Then tell me.”
Edmund’s lips pressed into a hard line.
The duchess coldly shoved away the boy’s thin hands.
“If you want to live, you’d better speak quickly. Hasn’t your uncle asked you many times already?”
Only Cassia and Edmund knew what she was really after.
The Cohen family signet ring!
The duchess was here to extract its location directly from him.
Cassia’s chest tightened at the seriousness of the situation.
The duchess pressed him again and again to confess. But Edmund, playing the pitiful child, only kept his mouth shut.
Finally, the duchess clicked her tongue.
“As I thought. I didn’t expect you to give it up so easily.”
Then she turned to Cassia.
“How long has he been locked up?”
“…Not quite a full day, madam.”
“And no meals during that time?”
“Yes, madam.”
“Well done.”
Cassia bowed her head, but her whole body trembled with revulsion.
They were discussing Edmund’s “abuse” right in front of him—and the duchess was praising it.
If it weren’t for Cassia, Edmund would have actually been suffering this for real.
Her vision burned red with fury.
The duchess spoke casually, as if ordering tea.
“Then let’s starve him another three days before we begin.”
“…What?”
Even Madam Lillifen blinked in surprise.
The duchess summoned workers into the room and pointed sharply.
“There. And there. Board up every window.”
Edmund had made the room look gloomy on purpose by drawing curtains and snuffing out lamps.
But now, carpenters nailed heavy planks across every window, sealing out the last bit of light.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound was chilling.
The duchess gave another order.
“Remove anything that can be used for light. Not a single flame left behind.”
The maids obeyed without hesitation.
Edmund’s voice trembled in exaggerated terror.
“W-why are you doing this, Aunt?”
“Because naughty children deserve punishment.”
“I’m not a bad child!”
“Any child who lies and hides things from adults is a bad child.”
With a cruel smile, she shut the door.
Thud!
The lock Cassia had placed for show clicked shut again.
“Think carefully in the dark and the hunger. If you want to live, you’ll talk.”
The duchess gave a cold laugh and strode away.
The servants trailed behind her.
Cassia followed too.
Edmund… will he be all right?
Her chest ached with worry, but she couldn’t show it.
If the duchess suspected her loyalty, it would be over.
Maybe we should’ve just run when we were in town…
But she shook her head.
Running off with no plan would have been suicide. Especially now, with the duchess here in person.
And Edmund… he’ll never leave without the signet.
He’d said so himself.
As they walked, the duchess suddenly asked Cassia,
“What’s wrong? Do you pity him?”
Cassia quickly composed her face and looked up with a faint smile.
“Of course not. I was only admiring your decisiveness, madam.”
The duchess studied her, as if testing for lies.
But Cassia’s calm composure gave nothing away.
“…Good. Don’t forget your place. Always remember where you stand.”
“Yes, madam. I’ll remember.”
Cassia didn’t let her smile fade until they were well away from Edmund’s room.
She didn’t dare show her worry, or even glance back.
***
In the pitch-black room, a soft sigh escaped.
Once the last footsteps had faded, Edmund moved his fingers.
Glowing runes shimmered faintly across the floor, casting a dim light.
“That was close.”
Another voice answered from the darkness.
“You handled it well, my lord.”
It was Willace.
He had hidden his presence with magic and slipped into the room through a secret passage Edmund knew.
Just in case, he’d kept himself concealed until now.
At least the duchess didn’t try to kill him outright… but things have gotten much more dangerous.
Willace exhaled.
“It’s fortunate Lady Cassia bought us so much time.”
“Yeah.”
They weren’t sure how, but thanks to her, the duchess had arrived far later than expected—giving them a chance to set the scene.
Both Edmund and Willace realized something clearly now.
Things had been easy—too easy—so far.
All because of Cassia’s help.
“But from here on, it’ll be difficult. If the duchess plans to stay, Lady Cassia’s freedom will shrink drastically.”
“I know. Even meeting me will be harder.”
Willace glanced at Edmund.
The boy seemed less concerned about the danger itself and more disappointed at the thought of seeing Cassia less often.
“Escaping immediately would be reckless, wouldn’t it?”
“The guards will be doubled or tripled. Even if we made it outside the villa, we’d be discovered and hunted down quickly.”
Besides, Willace had also heard a little about the signet.
He still hasn’t found the family signet ring.
To Willace, Edmund’s safety was more important than any object.
But Edmund’s determined face showed he wouldn’t budge.
Willace sighed inwardly and made a decision.
I’ll have to talk to Lady Cassia. Only she can persuade him to flee sooner.
For that, he needed to see her.
Edmund was trapped here, but Willace could still approach her in his disguise as the gardener, Marco.
But the next day—
“What? She’s not available?”
When Willace tried to approach Cassia in secret, he got an unexpected answer.
The nanny glanced around nervously, then whispered,
“The duchess hasn’t let her out of her sight. Not for a moment.”
Willace’s face went pale.
This is bad!
