Chapter 41
The warden’s questions were vague and unclear. Why? Why had Veronica been reported as a witch and arrested? Or was it about her testimony in court?
No matter what question was asked, the answer remained the same. Everything had been for Veronica. To save her and protect her from Lord Glück.
From the beginning, the lord had never intended to leave Veronica alone after she gave birth. After their son’s death, he sharpened the knife of vengeance, determined to kill her.
Even if she had been released after a light sentence, she would have been killed by Lord Glück’s hands.
“I had no choice. To keep Veronica under my shadow and protect her safely…”
“I see. I understand your intentions, Director. The guards won’t bother Prisoner #14356.”
Once the warden left the office, Kyle covered his eyes with his bandaged hand. A faint, thin smirk escaped from the corner of his mouth. His final words were true, but mixed with lies.
“You’re right, Veronica. I am the mastermind, the dark figure behind it all.”
Muttering to himself, he pictured her looking at him with resentment.
Was killing Prince Georg the only way to save Veronica? He could no longer be sure.
At the time, it had seemed there was no other choice, but in truth, there were alternatives.
He could have searched the vast castle, found Veronica’s room, woken her while she slept, and helped her escape. Or reported her as a fraud pretending to be a saint rather than a witch…
That would have been far better for playing the savior or hero.
So killing Prince Georg and branding Veronica as a witch was likely the result of his selfish desires.
Kyle did not regret his choice.
“If locking you up allows me to possess you completely, I will never regret it.”
Veronica would eventually have no choice but to love him. To survive, she would have to choose him.
Until then, even her hatred and resentment would belong solely to him.
When I arrived at Fortress Prison, Richard had already returned to the underground cells.
He greeted me from the opposite cell as if he had never left. When I asked how he had been moved back to the underground, Richard said it required a little effort.
That effort meant causing a disturbance to earn the punishment of solitary confinement.
“Causing a ruckus wasn’t difficult. Even staying still, other prisoners kept picking fights.”
I had thought it would be fine since he wasn’t a murderer or violent criminal, but perhaps I had been wrong.
“The three prisoners sharing my cell tried to give the newcomer a proper initiation. I made a big fuss to get back to solitary confinement.”
Unlike the last time he fought a group of prisoners, he didn’t seem to have a single scratch. Still, it was surprising he could move cells so easily.
“So you’ll stay in the underground for now?”
Richard shook his head.
“Unfortunately, only for a week. After that, I must return to the first floor. But don’t worry. I’ll cause trouble again and return to the underground whenever needed. I won’t leave Veronica alone.”
A surge of grief rose, and I bit my lip. Tears quickly welled in my eyes. Seeing me choke back sobs, Richard pressed himself against the bars, trying to get closer.
“Should I come down more often? As soon as I go back up to the first floor, I’ll cause another disturbance and come back down. So don’t cry.”
“Are you an idiot? How do you know whether you’ll be punished in solitary or tortured? You can get hurt! Are you asking me to watch you get injured?”
As each wound appeared on his body, seemingly unaware of my anguish, he made irritating noises as if to comfort me.
“I was wrong. I acted thoughtlessly. Don’t cry. If you cry now, I can’t come over and comfort you.”
Richard reached out as if wanting to wipe my tears, but his arm, stretched across the corridor, couldn’t reach me. He frowned in frustration.
“Don’t apologize. I’m not crying because of you, Richard.”
Sniffling, I rubbed the tears from my eyes that had seeped into my prison uniform.
“Then why are you crying? Was the trial outcome bad?”
Richard likely caused the disturbance to get back to the underground partly to hear the trial’s verdict. He must have hoped for an acquittal, but unfortunately, the news was the opposite.
“I’ve been sentenced to death.”
“Why…!”
Shock trembled in Richard’s eyes.
I opened my mouth to explain but closed it again. At this point, what did the reason matter? What mattered was that the escape had to be on schedule.
No one knew when the execution might be set, so counting days was meaningless. I had to escape the prison before that day—nothing else mattered.
“We have to plan as quickly as possible. There’s no time for careful preparation. If Richard doesn’t agree, I’ll go alone.”
“So, the only way now is to escape. We just have to hope we don’t get caught trying.”
Richard’s face darkened, accepting there was no other option. I stared at him, gauging his thoughts.
I had chosen him as my escape partner, but there was no turning back now.
“Do you regret agreeing to escape with me?”
“…No. I just hoped there would be another way.”
I had worried about how to convince him if he refused, so that was a relief.
But he spoke of the escape passively. It was my insistence that drove his agreement, not his own desperation.
I couldn’t trust such a passive answer, so a small lie was needed to push him along.
“Earlier, you asked why I received a death sentence, right? Apparently, the Security Bureau turned to the Second Prince. It’s a deal to execute famous criminals and political prisoners in the newspapers to distract the empire’s citizens.”
“For that reason…”
“Now you understand, right? Richard won’t be pardoned either and will rot in prison his whole life. He might even get a death sentence like me. Escaping with me is the only way to survive.”
“Understood. Let’s prepare for a joint escape.”
Richard nodded, determination lighting his previously lifeless eyes.
It had taken time to convince him, but now that the decision was made, no further words were needed.
If the necessary force to escape the prison could be secured, I was confident about hiding once outside. Alone would draw less attention than two escapees traveling together.
Two escapees together were too risky. Until then, we would stick together.
I exhaled quietly.
‘I never thought I’d actually like him, but I’ll stick to the original plan. Once we escape, I’ll leave Richard behind and go far away alone.’
I felt sorry for him, but this was my plan. I never intended to travel with him in society outside the prison.
After all, we came from worlds that could never mix. The crown prince’s knight and a scammer pretending to be a saint—hardly a compatible pair.
If I hadn’t been scamming, I wouldn’t have ended up in Fortress Prison, and I wouldn’t have met Richard.
We would go our separate ways, live our own lives, and finally enjoy the freedom we had been denied in prison. Roam anywhere, read newspapers or books without censorship, wear pretty dresses instead of drab prison uniforms and show them to Richard…
No, I’d have to get used to him not being by my side.
“Veronica, where do you plan to go after leaving prison?”
“Huh? Anywhere… wherever my feet take me.”
A runaway wouldn’t have a specific destination. Having one would only get me caught first. Most fugitives make the common mistake of returning to their hometown.
As a foreigner with no hometown or family, I’d be even harder to track.
I smiled wryly, feeling proud of that, but Richard’s words brought me sharply back to reality.
“Then come with me. Live a new life with me.”
