Chapter 56
Even when you try to pull off a scam, there’s a limit to what’s reasonable. You can only con someone with something that’s within your reach — no one dares to steal what’s too valuable.
In that sense, the ring Kyle gave me was far too grand a gift for me to simply accept. I wasn’t bold enough to pull that off.
I tried to slip the ring off my finger to give it back.
“I appreciate the thought, but I can’t accept the ring.”
“No. Keep it on.”
Kyle caught my hand to stop me from removing it and looked at me seriously. His gaze seemed to ask why, so I gave him an excuse.
“What if I lose it? It’s too expensive, and it means too much. Some inmate could steal it…”
Honestly, if someone only stole the ring, I’d consider that a blessing. In a prison full of violent criminals, if they saw me wearing a ring that looked like it belonged to a noblewoman, they might cut off my finger to take it.
The thought made me shudder. It really was too dangerous to wear.
“Then you don’t have to worry. I had a matching necklace made for you.”
When another velvet box came out of his suitcase, I felt a little overwhelmed.
It was much larger than the ring box, though flatter. When Kyle opened it, a dazzling white necklace sparkled inside.
“Ugh, it’s so bright…”
Kyle laughed softly, amused by my reaction.
At least, unlike the ring, it didn’t have a giant gemstone hanging from it. Kyle lifted the delicate necklace and led me to the mirror.
Brushing my hair aside, he clasped it gently around my neck.
“You won’t be able to wear the ring while you’re in prison, so keep it on the necklace instead.”
I touched the pendant resting just above my collarbone. The cold metal against my skin felt unfamiliar.
In the mirror, I saw myself — absurdly draped in luxury — and Kyle, watching me with a proud expression.
A strange feeling welled up inside me, and I instinctively realized something.
It was time to choose Kyle for real.
As Richard said, staying alive had to come before love.
Within a day, everyone in the prison was treating me with pity.
The guards were warmer than usual, and even the inmates stopped picking fights. They just gave me sympathetic looks.
It wasn’t hard to figure out why — word about my execution had spread.
Those loose-lipped guards again. Did secrets even exist in Fortress Prison? I just hoped no one found out about the jewels…
Kyle’s gifts made me uneasy, but they did cheer me up a bit. I could almost forget that I had only two weeks left to live.
“No! I don’t want to die in two weeks!”
I shouted without meaning to. But no one thought it strange. The guards didn’t even try to stop me.
Of course they didn’t — who could stay sane after receiving their execution date? They understood my outburst.
I swung between mania and despair like a pendulum, full of energy one moment and hopeless the next. Every day felt like an emotional rollercoaster.
Then the guard opened the iron door and announced it was time for the daily walk.
I wasn’t in the mood, but I followed his advice and went down to the yard.
“A bit of sunlight will help. Locking yourself away isn’t good. You should see as much sun as you can… before you die.”
I wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be comforting, but I let it slide and went down the stairs.
Kyle said he’ll get me out during the transfer. I just have to trust him. There’s no other way.
I’d come to accept reality. All I could do now was stay calm and wait.
But then— thud, thud, thud.
Footsteps echoed urgently down the corridor. They were heading my way. Just as I turned around, a large body collided with me.
“Ah! …Richard?”
I was about to struggle when I recognized the arms holding me tight. His heavy breathing hit my ear — three deep breaths in quick succession.
Richard, who was always calm and composed, must have heard the news about my execution. That was the only explanation.
Realizing that, I gently patted his arm.
“Did I scare you that much?”
“When I heard you were going to die… I couldn’t think. I just had to find you before they took you to the gallows.”
Richard was trembling, panting, clutching me so tightly I could feel his heart pounding against my back.
He was that afraid — maybe even more than I was.
I was the one sentenced to die, yet seeing him more terrified than me made me want to comfort him.
“It’s two weeks away. There’s no need to panic yet. I’ll say goodbye before I go…”
Richard froze. Then I felt his breath hitch, warm and wet with tears.
The dam he’d built up inside broke, and he began to sob.
“No… You can’t.”
He buried his face in my shoulder. His tears soaked through my clothes.
“You promised me you wouldn’t die.”
“Richard…”
I hesitated, then spoke softly.
It was time to tell him the truth — that Kyle planned to help me escape, and that Richard should forget about me and return to his old life.
Forget the wicked woman — the witch, the fraud, the prisoner — who only brought him pain.
I brushed the wetness from the corner of his eyes.
“Forget me now.”
“What…?”
“It’s time for us to say goodbye.”
“You mean… you don’t want to escape anymore?”
Of course I do. Who wouldn’t?
Honestly, I was envious of him. Even though he was falsely imprisoned like me, once the First Prince regained power, Richard would be free.
But I — just a foreign con artist, a so-called witch — could only die publicly on the scaffold.
“I gave up on escaping. It’s impossible to get out of this fortress. But that doesn’t mean I plan to die. Kyle said he’ll smuggle me out on execution day.”
Richard looked lost in thought, then made a firm decision.
“Then choose me instead of the warden.”
Was he begging me not to truly become Kyle’s woman?
I felt a pang of guilt. He still doubted my heart to the very end.
I only pretended to accept Kyle because it was my only way to survive. I never truly intended to love him. I just needed him to believe that I did.
But Richard’s next words caught me off guard.
“I’ve thought of a way we can escape.”
“There’s no need. I told you, I don’t have to.”
“I’ll escape too. I’ll get you out of this fortress myself. I’ll make sure you’re free.”
I couldn’t understand why he was being so stubborn.
“How? Don’t do anything reckless. If you’re caught, you’ll be executed too.”
He would, no doubt. As a political prisoner and target of the Second Prince’s faction, they’d love an excuse to brand him a traitor and kill him.
“No. If we go together, we won’t fail. I’ll make sure of it.”
Richard placed a hand over his chest, as if swearing an oath before God.
“I love you — with all my soul.”
I never expected him to confess to me.
It was as if his words carried the weight of his very life. He seemed to shine in that moment.
When someone speaks with such desperate sincerity, it’s hard not to be moved — even if you know it’s foolish.
I couldn’t help but take his hand.
Even if I knew it would fail, I wanted to try — to run away with him.
What I hadn’t accounted for… was my own heart.
I
