The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 133

Chapter 133. The Night the Black Moon Rises (3)

“Welcome, Sir Aide.”

The warden greeted him with a bright expression. In the warden’s office, a dinner table had been set for him. It wasn’t as lavish as a noble’s banquet, but the dishes were made with ingredients that would be hard to obtain in a prison.

“Thank you for your cooperation during my stay on the island and for the meal. This is a small gift in return for welcoming me.”

Before sitting at the table, Damian held out a bottle of wine to the warden.

“Isn’t this that famous Selgona wine?”

The warden’s eyes widened as he took the bottle, breaking into a broad grin.

“That’s right. It’s the finest wine produced in the Dalton duchy,” Damian answered with a smile.

“My goodness. Thank you so much. It’s my first time having such a high-quality wine.”

Before coming to Peric Island, Damian had heard that the warden was a heavy drinker. So he had deliberately brought top-grade wine that ordinary people rarely even get to see.

“Please, have a drink.”

After sitting down, the warden moved to pour the wine into a glass.

“I’ll be taking a ship later, so I won’t drink. I get seasick easily. Please enjoy it yourself.”

Taking the bottle, Damian generously filled the warden’s glass.

“Thank you.”

With a moved expression, the warden lifted the glass, savored the aroma, then drank it down in one go. His face flushed with emotion, as if intoxicated by the taste.

“I heard some of the guards went to the mainland today.”

After they began eating, Damian spoke.

“Yes, once a month we rotate staff with the mainland prison. Those heading to the mainland all left today, and new guards will arrive tomorrow.”

“I’ll also meet Her Highness the former Crown Princess today and then return to the capital.”

“Isn’t it dangerous at night? You should leave in the morning.”

The warden spoke in surprise. He knew the aide’s schedule ended today, but he hadn’t expected him to leave immediately after finishing his work.

“Duke Dalton has only recently become Minister of State, so he’s extremely busy. I need to return quickly to report and assist him. The weather is calm today, but there’s no telling what it will be like tomorrow.”

“If that’s the case, it can’t be helped. The sea’s weather is unpredictable. Then please travel safely.”

“Yes. Please have another drink.”

As soon as the warden’s glass emptied, Damian smoothly poured more wine.

“Thank you.”

The condition of Peric Prison he had seen was miserable. Even strong men would become physically and mentally ruined after just a few months. There was no need to see it with his own eyes to know how Emilia, with her frail body, must have endured here.

After a while, as he refilled the warden’s glass again, Damian finally asked what he had wanted to know.

“How has Her Highness the former Crown Princess been? Before I meet her today, I’d like to know how she’s been.”

“According to the guard in charge, she doesn’t complain and lives quietly. In a way, she’s quite pitiful.”

The warden, having blurted out that the former Crown Princess was pitiful, looked at him with a startled expression. But seeing no change in Damian’s face, he relaxed and sipped his wine.

Damian gave a small nod and murmured quietly, “I see.”

There’s no way she could be doing well. If he had properly checked on her, he wouldn’t be able to say she was fine. Still, it was fortunate that the warden didn’t seem particularly interested in Emilia. Since he felt pity for the former Crown Princess, it was easier to ask questions here and there.

“His Grace Duke Dalton is paying special attention to Her Highness the former Crown Princess. Please refrain from excessive surveillance and take care with her meals.”

“Ah, I see. Normally, we don’t confine prisoners in the room at the very top of the tower, but the rooms below are damp because of the seawater, so I assigned her to a place that’s relatively better. Other places don’t even have bathrooms, but though it’s small, that room has one, and we provide enough water for a week.”

Hearing that the duke was paying special attention to Emilia, the warden grew more talkative.

“I see. You did well.”

In truth, since Emilia was the most important prisoner here, it seemed more likely they had locked her at the highest point to prevent any chance of escape, but Damian went along with the warden’s words and praised him. The warden’s face brightened further, relief showing in his expression. He had been uneasy, worried that the duke’s aide might become angry after seeing the poor conditions of the prison. If a report were submitted as things were now, he and several others could be punished.

“I’ll take even better care of Her Highness the former Crown Princess. I’ll make sure she’s comfortable, so please don’t worry.”

“Please do. Then I’ll be going.”

Having quickly finished his meal, Damian stood up.

“Yes, then have a safe return. I’ll tell the subordinates not to disturb you.”

“Thank you. Then I’ll see you next time.”

After shaking hands with the warden, Damian stepped outside and gave a faint smile. He had made the man drink strong alcohol, so the warden would fall asleep early. There were fewer guards than usual, and even the sentries appeared only sporadically, as if today was a rest day. It was the perfect day to get Emilia out.

He hurried toward the tower where Emilia was confined.

***

At that time, Emilia was standing by the window, watching the red sunset. A certain person with eyes the same color as the sunset came to mind.

‘Is Louid doing well?’

The last time she saw him in the courtroom, he didn’t show it, but his complexion hadn’t been good. Still, he was strong, so he might have recovered by now, but she couldn’t hear any news, so she worried.

“Ha….”

She let out a sigh and lowered her gaze.

‘It’s frozen a little more today.’

The sound of the waves was weak again today, and the ice was thicker than a few days ago, but the entire sea hadn’t frozen over.

Waiting for the sea to freeze might be nothing more than a futile hope. Likewise, hoping for Louid’s memories to return might also be unrealistic.

‘His memories might never come back.’

She still couldn’t speak about what happened that day. When she tried to talk, she couldn’t breathe. Just as the black magic placed on her hadn’t been lifted, he would still be the same. Her expression slowly darkened. Before she knew it, the sunset had vanished, and darkness began to creep in.

After a while, she weakly returned to her usual spot and sat in the dark prison, holding the doll. She was used to the biting cold, but today her nausea was worse than usual, and she couldn’t even swallow the potato soup that had been given as a special meal.

Originally, she had only been given one piece of coarse bread a day, but for some reason, special meals had been provided for the past three days.

“My baby, why do I feel like this?”

Several times a day, her mood lifted, then sank into depression again. As she sat with a blank expression, she heard footsteps climbing the stairs outside the door. Emilia slowly turned her head toward it.

‘Who could it be at this hour? Is it the guard?’

Usually, in the morning, the guard would put food and water through the small square opening at the bottom of the door, and if she left the empty dishes outside, they would be collected the next morning. During the first month after she arrived, they opened the door every day to check on her, but lately they only asked a single question from outside to confirm she was alive, and if she answered, they left right away.

She suddenly remembered there was something she wanted to ask the guard. She was used to the cold, but the floor was too hard, and sleeping with only a thin blanket didn’t seem good for the baby.

If the guard speaks, I should ask for another blanket!

It was the first time someone had come in the evening, but it was probably just to check if she was alive. She sat quietly and waited for the guard to speak.

“…?”

But then she heard a metallic click at the door. A moment later, there was another click, and the heavy iron door slowly opened. A man wearing a robe with the hood pulled low over his face stepped inside. He stood silently, looking down at her.

“Who…?”

The guards changed often, so she didn’t know their faces or names. But the man in front of her didn’t seem like a guard. His uniform was different, and his behavior was somehow off. As she raised her head to get a better look at his face, the man pushed his hood back.