Chapter 115
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 115
* * *
Creak.
The sound of wood groaning reached my ears.
With each subsequent footstep, my foggy mind began to sharpen and clear.
I had ordered a beverage with Lucian, and after drinking the tea....
"...!"
My eyes snapped open.
Darkness enveloped everything around me, making it difficult to see my surroundings. Even a musty stench assailed my senses.
I attempted to rise, but my body refused to obey. My hands and feet were bound.
"Lucian...!"
Once I grasped the situation, I frantically looked around in search of Lucian.
Fortunately, Lucian lay beside me, his hands and feet bound just as mine were.
"Finally awake."
Relief at finding Lucian beside me was short-lived; a voice from above made me lift my gaze upward.
Though the surroundings were dim, recognizing the person's face proved not difficult.
"Uncle...?"
"You recognize me, so it seems you've regained some of your senses."
The empty meeting place, losing consciousness after drinking tea, bound hands and feet—all of it made one thing certain.
"This was your doing."
"Yes."
Nob Rilprey readily admitted to having kidnapped us.
The reason was obvious without asking. There was only one reason he would kidnap me.
"To resort to such petty schemes shows how terrified you truly are, doesn't it?"
Afraid I would steal the position of head of House of Bellomen from him.
"You lack awareness. Your mouth still runs as freely as ever."
Uncle bent his knees to meet my gaze.
"Yes."
His greedy face drew closer to mine.
"I obtained this position through my own efforts. I cannot allow someone like you to take it from me."
"I knew you were petty. But I never imagined you'd sink this low."
"Say whatever you wish. After today, you'll never see me again anyway."
"You intend to kill me?"
"I only engage in profitable ventures."
Nob Rilprey's mouth twisted into a cruel smile.
"They still have slavery on the Northern Continent, don't they?"
Surely not....
"I plan to sell you to the Northern Continent. Killing you would be tedious to dispose of, and selling you would at least net me some profit."
Those words were more horrifying than death itself.
On the Northern Continent, slaves were not treated as human beings. I could not fathom what fate awaited me there.
"Send Lucian back. The child has done nothing wrong."
I couldn't allow Lucian to suffer such a terrible fate. If I couldn't escape this place, then at least I had to ensure Lucian returned home safely.
"It's not the child who stands in my uncle's way—it's me. So please, let Lucian go."
"I'm afraid that won't be possible."
"Why not?"
"Because Lucian is an obstacle to my dear friend's future."
"Lucian is only seven years old. How could a seven-year-old possibly be an obstacle to anyone?"
Only the Duke of Bellomen had reason to view Lucian as a threat.
Without the Duke of Bellomen, there would be no reason for Lucian to be an obstacle at all.
"Could it be that the Duke of Bellomen ordered this?"
"Would His Grace, busy as he is with state affairs, truly have time to concern himself with a small fry like Lucian?"
"Stop dodging the question and speak plainly."
"I have no reason to tell you that."
He twisted his head teasingly for a moment, then his lips curved upward as if he'd realized something amusing.
"On second thought, I think I'd rather tell you. I'm quite curious to see the look of betrayal on your face."
Nob Rilprey laughed loudly, as though he'd found an entertaining toy, and opened his mouth once more.
"Lucella, how do you think I managed to kidnap you so easily?"
Someone had helped him.
"Didn't you notice something strange? There must have been something different from usual."
"I told you to stop dodging."
"Haven't you thought about who would benefit most if Lucian were gone?"
Someone who acted differently than usual, and someone who would gain the most from Lucian's absence.
Edwin's face suddenly flashed through my mind.
The way he claimed his leg hurt despite the doctor's assessment that he had no injuries, the way he refused to meet with Amelia, whom he supposedly adored.
"Surely not..."
"So you've finally figured it out."
As I stared at my uncle with trembling eyes, he applauded as if confirming the answer.
"That's right. It was Edwin."
"..."
"I pretended to understand his loneliness and offered to be his friend, and he readily took my hand. That way, he could feed me false information."
"..."
"How does it feel? To be stabbed in the back by the child you protected so carefully?"
I couldn't bring myself to speak.
I had already sensed that my relationship with Edwin wasn't what it used to be.
Ever since the day Edwin came to the Imperial Palace Banquet holding the Duke of Bellomen's hand, I couldn't cherish him as I once did.
Before being a fair adult, I was a person, and I was Lucian's aunt.
It wasn't easy to embrace a child who caused me pain and caused pain to my nephew.
I thought Edwin must have felt my changed attitude. He was perceptive, and I had been avoiding him under the pretense of being busy.
Even knowing the child felt hurt, I didn't correct this distance between us.
I had believed that in time, Edwin would come to understand me.
Above all, I believed Edwin would never change.
Because Edwin was the protagonist of this world.
He was intelligent and kind enough for this world to choose him as its protagonist, so I thought he would grow up just fine without my attention.
I believed there was no possibility of him becoming corrupted—that was simply how protagonists were supposed to be.
But I was wrong.
I had overlooked the fact that before Edwin was this world's protagonist, he was just an ordinary child.
'I regretted so deeply how I'd been trapped by the original story, seeing only Lucian as a villain. So why couldn't I see Edwin clearly?'
The past weighed heavily on me with regret.
Yet what struck me harder than regret was shock.
Even if I had neglected Edwin, even if he had felt hurt by me, I never imagined he would commit such a horrific act—cooperating in the kidnapping of me and Lucian.
"Your expression is quite satisfying. I was right to reveal this."
Nob Rilprey, wearing a satisfied smile, turned away from me.
"So abandon any hope that someone will come to rescue you. As long as Edwin remains at the Duke's Mansion, you will receive no help whatsoever."
Having finished his words, Nob Rilprey left without so much as a backward glance.
The moment he departed, the slightly ajar door swung shut.
Soon after came the metallic click of a lock. He had secured the door with a padlock.
As the faint light that had seeped through vanished, only pitch-black darkness remained.
"Haah...."
I exhaled the breath I had been holding.
The suffocating darkness made my despair all the more acute.
'Edwin had joined hands with his Uncle.'
Regret over the past, betrayal by Edwin, and shock—I could scarcely gather my wits.
But now was not the time to lose myself. I had to escape this place before my Uncle sold us to slave traders.
I struggled against my bonds, inching my way toward Lucian.
"Lucian, you need to wake up."
"Mmm...."
"Lucian!"
I shook his small shoulders firmly, and Lucian's eyes opened. The drug still lingered in his system—his gaze remained hazy.
"Lucian, are you awake?"
"Aunt?"
Lucian started to stretch carelessly before stopping short. His hands and feet were bound with rope.
"Why are we tied up? Where is this? We were at the Café, weren't we?"
"Lucian, about that..."
How could I explain this situation? How could I tell him without shocking the child?
As I searched for words, Lucian's face suddenly filled with horror as he spoke.
"Don't tell me we've been... kidnapped?"
Clever Lucian had deduced the situation with little difficulty.
I spoke to the child in the calmest voice I could manage.
"Yes."
"What?"
"Lucian, shh."
I gently quieted the excited Lucian.
There were surely guards stationed outside the door, and making noise would only invite trouble.
I helped Lucian up from where he lay trembling on the floor.
"Aunt, I'm scared...."
"It's alright. Your aunt is here."
"But...."
"Don't worry. Claude and Amelia will come looking for us."
Even if others might not notice, Claude and Amelia would surely realize something was amiss. We hadn't shown up by the appointed time, after all.
Claude possessed an almost animal-like instinct. If anyone could find us, it would be him—he'd certainly have people searching as we spoke.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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