The Whipping Maid of House Calley - Chapter 145

“Miss Sheila, so this is where you were.”

When her eyes met Rufus’s, Sheila pointed toward the quiet end of the corridor. There was no point in listening any longer to the voices spilling out from the Count’s room.

Once they moved to the empty end of the hallway, Sheila urgently spoke first.

“Is there any new news about the Young Count?”

Rufus shook his head weakly.

Despite all of Rufus’s efforts, Cedric had been transferred to the royal guard without any intervention, and he was now being detained there, awaiting investigation and trial.

At the words that there was no new news, Sheila’s face darkened.

“Instead, news came from the Broden side. It seems Mr. Fred has also been arrested on charges of violating the royal decree.”

Sheila looked at Rufus with wide eyes. A complicated mix of emotions filled them.

“So… it ended up like that.”

She had thought she would never be able to throw Fred into prison for life. Fred was only the type to bully his powerless younger siblings, not someone capable of causing major trouble outside.

Even the matter of him selling Fabiola had been difficult to punish legally.

At the time, there were no relevant laws, and on the surface, it had taken the form of an arranged marriage.

That such a Fred had ended up being arrested was hard to believe. It felt surreal.

However, the biggest reason her feelings were complicated was still Cedric. He had been arrested for the same crime as Fred.

Seeing that Fred was arrested later, it seemed the anonymous report had targeted only Cedric, and that Fred had been arrested based on Cedric’s confession and the evidence he submitted.

That meant Cedric hadn’t withdrawn his confession, and that things were steadily progressing.

He had only been trying to save her….

“…I bought you from your brother only to protect you. No matter how you take it, that’s the truth.”

She had only just managed to trust him….

In reality, even after buying her from Fred, Cedric had never shown any sign of it.

She had also spoken with Rufus more often after his apology, and Cedric’s words had never seemed false.

Rufus had said he was only instructed to make sure Sheila never learned about the sale.

“Nothing changes for you. The only difference is that your brother won’t be able to touch you anymore.”

I believe you. I do….

After making her believe, why did he get himself arrested? Did he really think this was the punishment she was giving him…?

“He’s seriously an idiot….”

“Pardon?”

Rufus, who hadn’t realized Sheila’s thoughts had shifted from Fred to Cedric, asked back.

“It’s nothing.”

Sheila replied briefly, then continued in a worried tone.

“Fred and the Young Count won’t receive the same punishment, right? The Young Count is still….”

After all, he was someone who had the Crown Prince as a friend, so he wouldn’t receive a heavy punishment….

“May I speak honestly?”

At Rufus’s expression as he cut her off to ask, Sheila felt uneasy. Still, she answered.

“Yes. Please tell me honestly.”

“To be honest, I don’t know either. The only thing we can rely on is His Highness the Crown Prince, but given the Young Count’s personality, whether he’ll accept His Highness’s help….”

From what Rufus had observed, Marquis, the Crown Prince, had never once defeated Cedric, and Cedric was not the type to beg for his life from Marquis.

Even if Marquis tried on his own to reduce the sentence, it was obvious Cedric would refuse.

“Besides, His Majesty the King is known for having a very strict temperament.”

As the negative answers continued, Sheila squeezed her eyes shut. Then she opened them again and asked with desperate eyes.

“Isn’t there any way? I might not be much help, but I’ll do anything I can.”

Clinging to Rufus in desperation, as if grasping at straws, a thought suddenly flashed through Sheila’s mind.

“Or… what about this?”

Glancing around to make sure no one was listening, Sheila lowered her voice and continued. Rufus listened to her with a serious expression.

***

“You bastard. It wasn’t enough that you tried to scam your own friend, now you report me too?”

“Ha… you piece of shit! How many times do I have to tell you it wasn’t me?”

“If it wasn’t you, then who? Who else would pull something like this?”

After repeating the same accusation over and over, Fred grabbed Ernest by the collar and yanked him up.

“Let go! Are you letting go or not, you bastard?”

Ernest grabbed Fred by the collar as well, refusing to back down.

The two had been arrested together at the Peace Valley casino.

The three gamblers who were supposed to play with them, along with the dealer Vincent, were taken in as well.

Originally, the officers had stormed Peace Valley to arrest Fred for human trafficking.

The sales contract Cedric submitted as evidence after confessing to violating the royal decree bore Fred’s signature, and based on that, an order was issued to arrest Fred immediately.

By sheer coincidence, the officers arrived right when the gambling scheme Ernest had set up was in full swing.

Fred, completely played by Ernest, had come with all the money Cedric gave him as capital. Just as he was about to bet everything, believing Ernest was on his side, the officers burst in and arrested him.

With the game collapsing right before he could win everything, Ernest and Vincent panicked and tried to stop the officers, and the gambling den quickly descended into chaos.

The officers arrested Ernest and Vincent’s group as well for interfering with Fred’s arrest, and during the process, the rigged deck of cards was discovered, revealing them as accomplices in a rigged gambling scheme.

Fred, who had been betrayed by Ernest, and Ernest, who lost everything right before taking all the money, were both equally shaken.

While Vincent and the gamblers were being interrogated, Fred and Ernest were locked in the same holding cell, snarling at each other whenever they had the chance.

“You bastards! Can’t you stay quiet!”

An officer came in swinging a club and subdued the two.

Even as they were beaten with batons, both of them, filled with rage, refused to let go of each other.

“You bastard. Do you think I’ll go down alone? If I’m taken in, I’ll expose everything, including how you brokered the Fabiola deal!”

“You piece of shit! I told you it wasn’t me!”

Ernest felt wronged. He had intended to fleece Fred, but he never reported him.

But Fred seemed convinced that Ernest had planned everything with the gamblers to take all his money and get him arrested.

Thud! Thud!

As they were being beaten by the officer, another officer entered and said, “Fred! You’re being transferred to the capital for investigation. Get out here now!”

Fred, barely separated, was dragged out by the officer.

Ernest wiped the blood from his nose.

“Because of that bastard! Damn it!”

Ernest, who lost his job and money while trying to fleece Fred and was even arrested for rigged gambling, let out a furious scream as if it were all unfair.

***

Unlike the other prisoners, Cedric was being held alone.

Standing before him, Marquis paced restlessly.

Keeping Cedric confined separately was the only thing Marquis could do as the Crown Prince.

But there was no need to even mention how poor the conditions were in a prison where criminals were held.

And Cedric’s face, which had grown noticeably gaunt in the meantime, made Marquis’s heart ache.

“Cedric. I told you! You should’ve denied it no matter what. Then we could’ve said there was some kind of mistake during the investigation and somehow resolved it.”

As Marquis raised his voice in frustration, Cedric firmly shook his head.

“I have no intention of denying the crime.”

At Cedric’s polite but resolute response, Marquis’s expression twisted.

No matter how many times he told him to speak casually, Cedric insisted that, as a criminal, he couldn’t do so and maintained formal speech to the end.

“His Majesty must be greatly enraged. I’m well aware of His temperament, so there’s no need for Your Highness to go out of your way.”

As Cedric said, Roland III was indeed furious.

In particular, the fact that the first person to violate the royal decree was Cedric, a promising young noble, made it all the more unforgivable.

If Cedric would just retract his confession even now and claim innocence, there might be a way to resolve things somehow, but the biggest problem was that Cedric had no intention of doing that.

“Please return now. This is not a place for Your Highness to remain for long.”

Cedric closed his eyes with his gaunt face. It was a sign that he had no intention of speaking any further.

Even before being transferred here, Cedric had been refusing all visits.

The only reason Marquis was able to enter this place was because of his status as Crown Prince.

But even that meant nothing if Cedric kept his mouth shut.

“What on earth is it? What is it that’s driving you this far, Cedric?”

Frustrated, Marquis shouted loudly.

Cedric was a man born as the eldest son of a great noble house. In terms of arrogance, he was even more so than Marquis, who, as the second prince, had been pushed out of the line of succession.

And yet that man was now a criminal, waiting for punishment in a filthy prison. And for the grave crime of violating a royal decree.

‘Does he not understand how terrifying the punishment is?’

Marquis looked at Cedric with eyes full of resentment, unable to comprehend why he refused even the chance to be saved.

Even with a gaunt face, Cedric maintained a firm expression and didn’t move in the slightest until the very end.