Dirty Heart - Chapter 44

Sizzle-!

The iron skewer heated in the fire touched Alex’s thick thigh. At the same time the stench of burning flesh spread sharply, Alex, who had been unconscious, snapped his eyes open and writhed in agony.

“Aaaagh!”

From the unbearable pain, his body arched like a bow. The more agonized groans spilled from his mouth, the deeper the torturer drove the skewer in.

It felt as if not only the skin but even the muscles were melting away. At this point, it was certain he would be crippled for life. Of course, that was only if he managed to leave the underground prison alive.

Alex could no longer even lift his head. His consciousness blurred again, and at some point, it felt like even his sense of pain had disappeared. Rather than endure this humiliation, he desperately wished to bite his tongue and end his life.

“Stop.”

At that moment, a cold and authoritative voice echoed through the underground prison. It was the Duke of Erhardt.

“Your Grace.”

The man who had been enjoying himself with the skewer immediately dropped to his knees the moment he spotted the Duke.

“Leave now.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

After the torturer disappeared, the Duke looked down at Alex, who had been reduced to a wreck. There was not a trace of sympathy or pity on his face. His gaze was utterly indifferent, as if he were looking at a tool that had outlived its usefulness.

“Alex Lanchester. It has already been over ten years since I kept you by my side. Since you became my son’s closest companion, I have always held you in special regard.”

“Your Grace. I will not ask for forgiveness for my insolence. Now, please… kill me.”

Even as he begged to be killed, he finally broke down in sobs. He had long since surpassed his physical limits, and the fact that he was still breathing was practically a miracle.

Yet even at Alex’s desperate plea, the Duke merely scoffed.

“Not yet. At the very least, you must fulfill your usefulness before you die.”

When the Duke lifted Alex’s chin, his face, soaked in blood, was revealed.

“Listen well, Alex. The sin of defying your lord’s command must be dealt with severely. However, I will grant you a special way to atone for your sins.”

Soon, a cold and precise voice settled into Alex’s ear.

***

A northern port covered in thick fog. Charlotte walked along the dock, gripping a heavy leather bag, with four nuns leading the way ahead of her.

Immediately after ordering Marco to eliminate Courtney and Liam, she fled at once. The enormous sum of money she received from the Young Duke of Erhardt had all been converted into gold bars that could not be traced, so now all that remained was to escape to a distant foreign land and live in luxury.

‘I wonder if that idiot Marco handled it properly.’

But the doubt lasted only a moment. She soon let out a cold sneer. Even if he had failed, it didn’t matter. The orphanage had already turned to ashes, and she was fully prepared to leave this place.

“Director, I can see the ship!”

One of the nuns walking ahead spoke. They were called nuns, but in truth, they were no different from Charlotte, accomplices of the same kind. The ones who had taken the lead in exploiting and abusing the orphanage children. Creatures no different from devils hiding behind the name of God.

Even after spotting the ship, they had to walk quite a while before reaching the dock. Soon, Charlotte approached the captain standing at the bow, clutching the heavy leather bag tightly to her chest, and whispered.

“We are crossing the border, right?”

“Can’t you tell from the fact that I’ve got the ship out at this hour waiting? Anyway, if you’re here, pay up first.”

Charlotte opened the bag and took out a gold bar.

“The agreed payment. Once we cross the border safely, I’ll pay the rest.”

“What are you dawdling for? We have to cross the border before dawn if we want to avoid trouble!”

The rough-looking captain snatched the gold bar and urged the director’s group to board.

Soon, as the nuns boarded the ship one by one, the captain hurriedly raised the sail and untied the rope from the mooring post. Creak, creak. The old fishing boat rumbled as it slowly began to move away from land.

Once the boat left the pier and entered the fog, Charlotte finally let out a sigh of relief.

‘As expected, God is on my side!’

A smile spread across her lips as she hugged the heavy leather bag. The money obtained by exploiting the orphanage children, the massive government subsidies, and even the enormous sum received from the Erhardt ducal house. Everything was inside this bag.

“Director….”

Just as she was lost in the joy of dreaming about the golden future ahead, one of the nuns approached her cautiously and spoke.

“What is it?”

“It’s the captain. He’s someone we can trust, right…? They say sailors aren’t even to be trusted with their own families….”

“There’s nothing to worry about. As long as you pay them properly, they’ll do anything….”

At that moment, Charlotte’s voice abruptly cut off. Through the window of the wheelhouse, she saw vague figures moving.

“Wait a second…. Hey! You’re not the only one on this ship, are you?”

Charlotte shouted sharply toward the captain standing at the bow. He had clearly promised that he would handle the stowaway crossing alone.

“Now, how could I keep such a good opportunity all to myself? Us sailors are tight-knit. We take it as a virtue to help each other out.”

The captain spat thickly, then the men hiding in the wheelhouse revealed themselves one by one. In their hands were sharply honed knives.

“I-I’m getting off, so turn the ship around right now!”

Sensing the danger, Charlotte panicked and demanded that the ship be turned around, but out on the open sea, it was nothing but a meaningless act.

“Turn around? We’ve already come this far. Want me to tell you what happened to all the people who screamed to turn the ship around like you?”

With a sinister smile, the captain pointed his chin toward the sea.

“They all became fish food. Boys, take care of them.”

At his gesture, the men all drew their knives at once.

“Aaagh!”

“P-Please spare me, ghk!”

In an instant, all four nuns bled out and sank beneath the seawater. Cut down by blades that flew at them before they could even resist, they were literally buried in the sea.

Meanwhile, even amid the chaos, Charlotte seized her chance. Clutching the leather bag desperately, she leapt onto the railing.

“Hey, you crazy bitch! Get down right now!”

“A-All the gold bars are in this bag…! If I jump, you won’t get a single coin! Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Charlotte shouted as she stood precariously on the railing. From her perspective, it was her last bargaining chip.

“Alright! Fine! Then we’ll spare you!”

As if the negotiation had worked fairly well, the captain’s voice softened.

“But we split the gold bars exactly in half. How about it?”

“Liar! You’re going to kill me anyway!”

“This woman hasn’t spent her life being fooled, has she? I’m telling you to come down first! If you fall in like that, there’s no saving you!”

“Aaagh!”

Before the captain even finished speaking, the ship was struck by a wave and rocked violently.

Splash! Unable to withstand the sudden recoil, Charlotte finally let out a scream as she was thrown into the cold dawn sea.

“Gasp, huff! I c-can’t, I can’t swim! Ah!”

“Damn it! I’ll throw you a rope, grab this first!”

She barely managed to grab the rope the captain threw, but even so, the heavy gold bars dragged her body mercilessly down into the sea.

“S-Save me. I, I can’t breathe!”

She knew in her head that if she let go of the bag, she could live, but the greed she had built up over decades was far stronger than her will. Even in the agony that felt like her breath would be cut off at any moment, Charlotte never let go of the bag.

‘No! Do you know how I gathered this money…! I can’t let go, never!’

At that moment, shadows moved quickly beneath the water. It was a school of blue sharks drawn by the scent of blood flowing from the nuns’ corpses.

“Ugh, what is that now! Ah, get away!”

Fish with sharp teeth began to bite into Charlotte’s arms and legs without mercy. As the pain of flesh being torn away spread, her consciousness gradually blurred, and soon her breathing was completely cut off.

Glug-.

In the end, her corpse, still clutching the bag of gold, sank forever into the cold sea. The tears and suffering of the children she had exploited all her life ultimately dragged her down into the abyss.

Meanwhile, the captain, who had been watching the entire scene from the deck, clicked his tongue as he looked down at the now quiet water.

“Damn it. Just ended up feeding the fish.”

The gold bars had already sunk beyond reach, so unless he brought in a diver, retrieving them would be impossible.

If you get greedy for nothing, the sea turns into a predator that devours everything in an instant. The captain knew this better than anyone, so though it was a shame, he had no choice but to be satisfied with the single gold bar he had received earlier.

“Ah, whatever! Clean up the ship! Let’s wait for the next customers!”