Chapter 23

There was no way Lydia could answer.

She had taken silver coins in exchange for keeping a secret, and she had already spent them all.

On top of that, she didn’t even know the Chamberlain was under house arrest, so she must have been even more terrified.

“I-I just happened to pass by…”

Klaus’s voice rose slightly.

“If you lie before the Emperor, your tongue will be cut out. If it’s revealed that you dared to move the Imperial sacred creature for your own purposes, your limbs will be severed.”

All of a sudden, the ground beneath Lydia grew damp.

Oh no, the poor child was so frightened she had an accident.

Klaus frowned and gave an order to the soldiers.

“Throw her into prison until she decides to confess.”

You crazy bastard, Klaus!

I hissed at him right in front of the Emperor, but it didn’t matter.

The guards strode in and grabbed the child by both arms.

“I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty… but I never…”

The small girl was dragged away, tears streaming down her face.

I should have shown Lydia to Lucas.

If it had been him, the one who said everyone was the Emperor’s child, he wouldn’t have threatened to cut out a little girl’s tongue.

But it was too late.

The Prime Minister had gone somewhere, and my small, precious friend had been taken to prison.

* * *

I went on a hunger strike all afternoon while waiting for Lucas.

Now that I thought about it, Klaus didn’t seem to care whether I starved to death as long as I didn’t disappear again.

Whenever food was brought, I knocked the bowl over and made a mess, but he didn’t even blink.

I was angry, and I hated Klaus.

But if I ran away again out of spite, who knew who he might decide to kill next.

I sat in the golden Audience Chamber wearing the cloak the Queen had given me, but I felt nothing but miserable.

While I was enjoying this luxury, my tiny friend was probably locked alone in a rat infested underground cell, crying.

Come to think of it, that Prime Minister only ever showed up when it suited him.

I waited and waited in front of his office, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Before I knew it, it was almost evening.

I decided to go to the underground prison by myself.

I was afraid of what might happen if the Emperor found out, but more than that, I couldn’t stand the thought of her being alone.

I didn’t know exactly where the underground prison was, but judging by the name, it had to be somewhere below.

I followed the servants’ stairs as far down as I could.

Even after passing the servants’ quarters I visited every night, the stairs kept going.

The musty smell grew stronger.

At last, when the stairs finally ended, a shabby wooden door appeared.

Thankfully, it was old enough that I could slip through a gap.

Beyond the door was a dark, empty corridor.

Was this really still Herera Palace?

The bottom of the grand castle felt like a completely different world.

The black stone floor was filthy with dust, and pale patches revealed chains and torture devices scattered around.

Oh no, Lydia…

How could they lock such a small child in a place like this…

Klaus, I really hate you now.

Images of hardened criminals tormenting Lydia in the same cell filled my mind.

Suddenly, courage surged through me.

I dashed down the corridor, peering into each barred cell.

I had expected them to be full of rough criminals, but most of the cells were empty.

Then I found Lydia in a small cell.

Thankfully, she was alone.

“Sob… sob…”

She was crying all by herself.

The loose bars couldn’t stop me.

I slipped through and Lydia looked around in fear.

“H-how did you get here… P-please don’t come closer, Sacred Creature. Sob… someone as lowly as me should never have been close to you. Sob…”

I burrowed into her arms and rubbed my face against her.

Even as she told me to go, she stroked me and pressed her face into me, continuing to cry.

As I warmed her cold body, a thought suddenly struck me.

What if me coming here only added to her crime?

Lydia cried out through her tears.

“Sob… why did you go outside alone… no one will believe someone like me… sob…”

I understood why she resented me.

I gently licked away her tears, then left the cell.

The stairs I had carefully descended earlier, I now flew up them.

I headed straight to the Prime Minister’s residence, and at last, there was candlelight inside.

I scratched at the door, and he appeared, greeting me warmly.

“Kitty. Why didn’t you come to the banquet hall? His Majesty was in quite a mood.”

I lowered my head silently, and his large hand stroked me as usual.

“I went to the Temple and found Tobias’s address. So, will you only agree to the deal if that boy comes back?”

At the word deal, I perked up.

Lucas smiled.

“Changed your mind? Will you guide me now?”

I nodded quickly and dashed out of the room.

Lucas followed me with a faint smile.

As I slipped through the servants’ passage, he clicked his tongue.

“Kitty. If the Prime Minister of the Empire uses this path, the servants will be quite shocked.”

There was no helping it.

I didn’t know any other way.

Lucas had to bend halfway just to get through the small door.

As he said, the startled servants scattered, bowing frantically.

He followed me faithfully all the way to the end of the stairs.

At the prison door, he sighed.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to the servant who was imprisoned because of you today. I can’t overturn His Majesty’s orders on a whim.”

Don’t be ridiculous, I’ve seen you defy the Emperor plenty of times.

I thought that, but for now, I shook my head.

I was simply leading him to the one who gave me the fruit, as promised.

Lucas reluctantly pushed open the prison door.

Then he followed me deep inside.

At last, he saw Lydia in the small cell.

A heavy sigh echoed through the quiet underground prison.

“Why is such a young child here?”

It seemed he hadn’t known the servant imprisoned today was someone this young.

The girl, still crying, lifted her head in surprise at the sound of a voice.

Then she saw me and quickly lowered it again.

Tears fell onto the dirt floor.

Lucas crouched down, looking between me and Lydia.

“Smart kitty. Are you saying that child gave you the poison fruit?”

I nodded, and Lydia shuffled backward on the floor.

“N-no, that’s not true, sir…”

Lucas sighed.

“Kitty. I explained this many times. That fruit can kill people. It’s extremely valuable. And you’re saying that child had it?”

I nodded firmly again.

Lucas finally stood and turned toward the bars.

“In that case, child, you’ll have to speak with me. Come closer.”

Lydia kept retreating, sobbing.

Eventually, she pressed herself against the dirty wall and curled up.

Lucas sighed again.

“Do you know who I am?”

Lydia answered in a faint voice.

“I-I’m sorry. I don’t know…”

I almost wanted to sigh myself.

Lucas answered simply.

“I am the Prime Minister of Kella.”

Gasp.

Lydia sucked in a breath, but Lucas continued without hesitation.

“I often act in place of His Majesty. It won’t end well for you if you defy me.”

Maybe because she had retreated so far, Lucas even resorted to a threat.

Still, she didn’t come closer.

Instead, she knelt from a distance, sitting properly with her head lowered.

Lucas spoke again, holding back a sigh.

“Come closer.”

Lydia slowly moved forward on her knees.

Her tear stained face was pitiful.

I slipped inside the bars and licked her face, and she stayed still.

Lucas carefully observed how she didn’t react to my closeness.

I stepped down from her lap and sat just in front of her, waiting.

Little by little, she moved closer.

At last, she stopped about an arm’s length from the bars.

Lucas slowly bent down and studied her.

But to Lydia, the Prime Minister of Kella was more terrifying than a tiger.

Her shoulders shrank even more as she lowered her head.

Lucas asked in a gentle voice.

“What is your name.”

Even saying her short name without a surname made her lips tremble.

“L-Lydia.”

“Lydia.”

His voice, calling her name, was warm.

“Long before Kella existed, there was a country called Lydia. Did you know that?”

Lydia hesitated, glancing nervously.

Maybe she was embarrassed for not knowing, or afraid she should have known.

“I-I didn’t know… Your Excellency.”

Lucas explained slowly.

“It was a very prosperous and powerful country. You have a good name.”

I let out a deep sigh in my mind.

It was a shame our Emperor wasn’t here.

He really needed to learn how to talk to children.

Lydia burst into tears again, but quickly stopped and gathered her courage.

“Th-thank you, Your Excellency.”

Lucas continued in a gentler tone.

“The sacred creature doesn’t treat just anyone this warmly. Taking into account that it cares for you, I will ask. But you must answer truthfully.”

Sniff, Lydia swallowed her tears.

Lucas warned her once more.

“If you lie here, even the sacred creature won’t be able to help you. Anyone who dared to harm His Majesty receives the wheel, a punishment more painful than burning.”