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Chapter 234
The place the knight led him to was a secret space that Richard had never once seen before.
As he descended the stairs into the underground, Richard looked around with a strange sense of unfamiliarity.
He had assumed it was a storage room—even after seeing the guard stationed at the entrance, he hadn’t questioned its purpose. He never imagined something else was hidden within.
It seemed even someone like the Empress had things she wanted to handle in secret, without letting her own son know.
Judging by this man’s reaction, even Father doesn’t know about this place.
It wasn’t particularly surprising.
The discord between the Emperor and the Empress had long been chronic.
Even so, the reason their relationship managed to maintain even a facade of civility was probably because they each held a piece of the other’s weakness.
The irony was that this very fact was also the root of their mutual hatred.
“This way, please,” the knight said, politely gesturing toward the end of the corridor.
Each step on the stone floor echoed with a cold, hollow sound.
Soon, the knight stopped in front of a door.
As if to prove someone was imprisoned inside, several layers of locks were fastened tightly around the doorknob.
The knight ordered a subordinate waiting nearby to bring the keys, then opened a small window at eye level on the door.
Pointing through the gap, he said, “That person inside—she’s the one.”
“That woman is...”
“Do you recognize her?”
Of course he did.
How could he not recognize that face?
That woman lying there with the appearance of a criminal was, until not long ago, a lady-in-waiting who had poured tea into his cup at Teresa’s palace.
The memory of her clear, gentle face, smiling quietly at Teresa’s jokes, was still vivid in his mind.
Now, in contrast, she was curled up on the filthy floor, her body hunched tightly.
Thankfully, she had turned in her sleep with her back facing him—otherwise, based on her current state alone, it would’ve been impossible to guess her status.
Staring intently at her, Richard asked, “Who else knows that she’s here?”
“Only a select few, including myself. Her family believes she died in a fire.”
“What have you found out so far?”
“...Almost nothing. She claims she didn’t even know there was a fire. She says she left the palace before it happened.”
“Is that true?”
“If you go by the recorded time of her departure, yes... but...” the knight trailed off, looking awkward.
Soon, his subordinate returned with various keys in hand.
As the man began unlocking the padlocks one by one, Richard said to the knight, “I’ll go in alone.”
“Pardon?”
The knight stared at Richard in surprise.
Though he acted mature for his age, Richard was still just a boy, not yet of age.
Whether it was concern for Richard or concern over what he might do, the knight was understandably hesitant to leave the boy alone with a prisoner.
“What, should I call my nanny here if you’re that worried?”
“N-No, Your Highness!”
Startled by the sharp edge in Richard’s voice, the knight quickly stood at attention.
Just then, the door swung open.
Perhaps to wake the prisoner, the subordinate held a canteen in hand.
Richard snatched it from him and said, “I want to question her quietly. Everyone stay far away.”
Then, deliberately, he shut the door behind him.
He even closed the small window at eye level, completely separating the inside from the outside.
As he walked over to the maid, Richard slowly surveyed the room.
It was so sparsely furnished that it was hard to believe a person was being kept there.
There wasn’t even a blanket, let alone a bed. The maid hugged herself with both arms, as if that were the only warmth she had.
Richard dragged a chair from near the wall and sat in front of her.
Instead of pouring water on her to wake her, like the others might have, he quietly set the canteen by her head and waited in silence.
There was no way she could be in a deep sleep in such a state.
Sure enough, sensing the presence of another, the woman slowly opened her eyes.
The woman, blinking blankly in her half-sleep, spotted Richard’s booted foot and gasped, suddenly bolting upright.
She stared up at him, wide-eyed, before stammering uncertainly, “Y-Your Highness...?”
“Drink some water first.”
With that, Richard bent down, picked up the canteen, and placed it gently into her hands.
He gave her a slight nod, urging her to drink.
But the woman remained frozen in place, her expression dazed and confused.
She didn’t seem willing, and Richard couldn’t force her to drink against her will.
With a shrug, he asked casually, “Did you really set fire to Her Highness’ residence?”
“T-That’s… how could I possibly do such a thing?!”
The maid cried out, her voice rising like a lightning strike.
But Richard didn’t press the question any further. He knew full well she wasn’t the type to do such a thing.
That question had been meant to lead to a different answer.
“Then... was it Her Highness herself who did it?”
The maid, who had been about to speak, immediately closed her mouth, her face tightening with emotion.
Perhaps the presence of Teresa’s beloved nephew had made her let her guard down, even if only a little.
Tears welled in the corners of her eyes.
Watching her reaction, Richard took in a deep breath.
So it was true, then.
When he heard that the maid had left the palace before the fire broke out, Richard had begun to wonder—could the one who started the fire have been Teresa herself?
Teresa had been a tragic figure.
Ever since her daughter had been taken from her—gone to a place no hands could reach—she had never been truly okay.
And now, Richard was paying the price for turning away from that truth.
“Did Her Highness ask you to do anything before she died?”
“...”
“Like... deliver poison to my cousin’s father?”
The maid flinched at the question, as if startled that Richard could possibly know so much about Teresa’s affairs.
Instead of answering, she bowed her head low before him.
Her voice trembled with urgency. “Please, let me go. Even if I must die afterward… There’s something I must do for Princess Teresa, one last time.”
“Then tell me what that is.”
“I’m sorry. Her Highness told me not to reveal it to anyone.”
Instead of scolding her or raising his voice, Richard simply looked down at her with a dry gaze.
He knew well that violence wasn’t an effective method for opening the mouths of people like her.
That was why, rather than splash water in her face, he had set the canteen beside her—to quench thirst, not inflict discomfort.
In that same calm tone, he asked, “You haven’t given me even the bare minimum reason to trust you. So how am I supposed to just let you go?”
“That’s…”
“Don’t get me wrong. I believe you’re innocent. I believe you’re acting out of loyalty to Her Highness. But if I’m to help you, I need more than just belief.”
And he truly meant it—if the maid chose to be honest, Richard was willing to help her.
He wasn’t trying to interfere with whatever plan Teresa had left behind. He just wanted to understand what thoughts had occupied her final moments.
Even after her death, he still wanted to remain her kind and loving nephew.
Of course, that didn’t mean he was about to release someone who might do something reckless without asking questions first.
Did his sincerity come through in his words?
Or maybe the maid had chosen to trust the kindness of the family Teresa had once cherished.
After a long silence, she finally raised her head, her expression resolute.
“A letter,” she said.
“...A letter?”
“She said there was something she wanted to say, one last time, to her younger brother—His Grace, Archduke Ernst. I was on my way to deliver it to the Bilfaud estate.”
Hearing her confession, Richard’s eyes narrowed sharply.
-- End Of The Chapter --
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