Chapter 19
“I–I can’t do it! You want me to kill someone?”
Terrified, I backed away until my back hit the wall. A prison warden? What a joke—this man was nothing more than a murderer running a prison. The one who should be locked up wasn’t me, but Kyle.
Even when I stared at him with a look of shock, he only played idly with the vial of poison in his hand, his expression indifferent.
“He won’t die. There are efforts outside to save him, so it would be a real inconvenience if he were to die right now. I just want him to suffer a little, to delay his appeal.”
His tone was weary, as though he were merely dealing with a bothersome chore. But for me, there was no way to stay calm after hearing such a thing.
What if he tried to pin the blame on me again? Even if I didn’t want to do it, what if he forced me to poison him? I couldn’t trust Kyle one bit.
“Then do it yourself. Why are you asking me?”
“Because if another prisoner does it, then it won’t fall under the warden’s responsibility. I’m not telling you to decide right this moment—think it over. If you do as I say, I’ll grant you one thing you want.”
Kyle whispered the last words temptingly into my ear before pushing me out the door. I glanced back uneasily, but the guard led me away and shoved me back into my cell.
Richard had returned to the underground prison. I lingered near his cell, but he sat with his back turned, as if refusing to show me his face.
“Don’t be like that, let me see. I know you fought with the other inmates.”
“……”
When he finally turned, I saw the red bruise at the corner of his mouth—clear evidence of a beating.
Even someone like me, who usually thought, So what if I use him? I’m a swindler anyway, I don’t owe anyone loyalty, couldn’t help but feel guilty at the sight of that wound.
“Did they hurt you badly?”
Richard tried to smile at my worried tone, but the movement only deepened his pain, and he pressed his lips shut again.
“What kind of knight do you take me for? You think I’d lose a fight so easily?”
“No matter if you’re the Crown Prince’s sword, even you can’t win when you’re surrounded and unarmed. You don’t even have your sword here.”
“I let them land a few blows on purpose. If I’d only beaten them, I’d have ended up as the leader of the inmates, and I didn’t want that.”
He seemed to be joking to comfort me, but I couldn’t lift my head.
“I’m sorry. It’s my fault that Kyle…”
“The warden didn’t set them on me because of you, Veronica.”
“What?”
I jerked my head up in shock. Kyle himself had told me it was because of me, so what was Richard saying?
Touching the corner of his wounded mouth with his fingers, Richard explained:
“Warden Fortress is openly known as a supporter of the Second Prince. Politically, he and I are on opposite sides.”
Hearing this new information made me frown and scratch at my brow with a nail. I hadn’t wanted to get tangled in foreign politics, but now it weighed on me.
The fact that Kyle, out of all the prisoners, specifically targeted Richard was already a clue. Politically, too, Kyle and Richard stood opposed.
They were opposites in every way.
Kyle Kaysniss had been born a noble. Richard’s origins were uncertain—he was thought to be a commoner.
Richard rose through sheer skill with the sword, a symbol of light and hope. Kyle, by contrast, was a figure of darkness and despair, known as an executor of corruption and ruin, someone you met only if you had committed a crime.
They had surely considered each other enemies even before Richard was imprisoned. So when Richard was charged with treason, it made sense he’d be sent to Fortress.
And me—picking Richard as my partner for escape—well, wasn’t that just the best stroke of bad luck? I’d inadvertently dealt Kyle a blow right where it hurt most.
“Until now I only suspected, but I’m almost certain now: the Second Prince wants me thrown into the warden’s hands so he can keep me under watch, then destroy me completely.”
I gasped.
“What? Then that’s terrible!”
If we succeeded in escaping, maybe things would be fine. But if we failed, Richard’s fate would be far worse than now. It was already bad, but then it would spiral even further down.
“As long as my sentence hasn’t been finalized, even the warden can’t simply kill me. For the Second Prince’s faction, murdering me inside Fortress would be too much of a liability.”
That was a relief. At the very least, if they wanted to put him on trial, they needed him alive and whole.
I had heard there were still people outside who supported Richard. But if public opinion turned against him, or if people simply forgot him, then they would finally have their chance to erase him.
I grabbed the bars, checked that the corridor was empty, then whispered:
“Richard, before Kyle can get rid of you, I’ll make sure you escape. You trust me, right?”
His eyes widened in surprise, then softened into a half-smile. Though the bruise at his mouth must have hurt, he still couldn’t hold back a laugh.
What? I’d spoken with full determination, and he was treating it like a joke. I pouted.
“Why are you laughing? I’m serious.”
“No reason. It’s just… the only one who will leave this prison is you, Veronica.”
I almost lost my balance right there. Barely managing to steady myself, I stared at him in disbelief.
What was he talking about? Had he suddenly changed his mind about escaping with me?
I asked carefully:
“What do you mean, I’m leaving alone?”
I thought I had convinced him, but was he wavering? Or did he naïvely believe his innocence would soon be proven, and that he’d be released?
But Richard’s words exceeded even my wildest guesses.
“I won’t escape. But don’t worry—I haven’t changed my mind about helping you. I’m working on a way to get you out of Fortress soon.”
Excuse me? Just me? How was it possible for only one of us to escape?
Of course, if only one of us had to escape, it should be me. And yes, if we were about to get caught, I’d abandon Richard without hesitation to save myself.
But still—our plan was supposed to be a joint escape. Trying to calm my frustration, I pressed on:
“Why? What’s your reason?”
“Because I’m a criminal charged with treason. Until the court declares otherwise, I must remain imprisoned.”
At that, my face twisted into an odd expression.
Right. This was a prison. He and I were both inmates. I had gotten used to it—it was three meals a day, a private room without rent, and sometimes even comfortable—but it was still prison, no matter what.
“But Richard, there’s never going to be a day when a guard comes and says, ‘Prisoner 14395, step out, you’re free.’ Maybe in fifty years, sure.”
Lowering my voice, I imitated a guard’s gruff tone. Richard fought a smile, his lips twitching as if my antics amused him.
“Even if I have to waste my life here unfairly, the law exists to be upheld. If a convicted criminal escapes as he pleases, then justice in society collapses.”
Thump, thump. I pounded my chest.
Alarmed by my sudden movement, Richard rose to his feet with a worried look. But even that kind expression only fueled my frustration further. I burst out:
“Richard, aren’t you angry? Don’t you feel wronged?”
He blinked, confused. Was there ever a man so exasperating?
The law and justice should be upheld? Yes, true. But people usually applied that to others, not to themselves. Gripping the bars tightly, I declared:
“You’re not a real criminal. You’ve been framed.”
“No. I am a criminal.”
“…What?”
The words slipped out of me, trembling and thin.
