After escorting Sir Aaron back to his office, Michael rushed to the basement to meet with Luca and Kyle. But before separating, Sir Aaron looked at Michael seriously before saying that he would see the Duke later.
Painful hoarse screams and pleading cries echoed on the staircase leading to the gate, the warm light from the torches on the walls lit up the dark passage, enough to lead someone down the stairs until they reached the dungeon gates.
Michael closed the door tightly behind him before he had to descend the stairs, towards the sound of screams and cries that began to grow louder. When he reached another gate, several guards greeted Michael before opening the gate and letting him in before closing it again.
Michael approached Kyle and Lyonnel who were already standing stiffly in front of a specific cell with a deep frown, he did not need to look inside the cell to find out what was going on inside. All the screams and cries he heard on his way to this place and the fact that Kyle was the one waiting outside the cell, was enough to prove that it was Luca who had personally stepped in to take care of the former servants from the eastern side of the manor.
Luca Silverna, known as the righteous judge. Not only he listens from both sides of the story and even the third side of all the cases he handles, he even went through all the evidence and listened to all the interrogations his subordinates were carrying out before making a decision about whose fault and what their punishment will be. But, no one would ever know what he had done to those criminals who were put on the death row in the Silverna dungeon, how horrified the situation there was.
Like what happened now. The difference is that what happened now inside the cell was his personal matter with the poor servants, they should have known from the day they worked at the Silverna residence what they could and could not do. This simply was their punishment.
“Ck… Father has never been… this furious before. Did something happen while I was gone?” Lyonnel asked in a low voice, his hand caressed a small white cat on his arms. “They looked familiar.” He narrowed his eyes, trying to recognize the already beaten up faces inside the cell.
“They are the servants from the eastern side.” Kyle informed, he shook his head and chuckled, continuing to watch the Duke who was now taking off his bloody gloves.
“Eastern, huh? Hera’s place?”
Looked at the young master beside him, still stroking his guardian. Michael explained, “They dared to embezzle Lady Hera’s budget and deceive the Duke by sending out false information about her for years.”
“They did what?” Lyonnel's jaw tightened, his eyes glowed coldly. “Tsk… They don't deserve my pity earlier.”
“Also…” Michael bit his tongue, wondering whether to tell Lyonnel about Hera or not. After a while, he finally opened his mouth. “The Duke's anger wasn't just because of them… But also because of Hera's guardian.”
The little white cat in Lyonnel's arms raised its fluffy head towards Michael, he hissed and leaped from Lyonnel's arms before turning into a beautiful child.
“Who is he? Or is he a she?”
“Whose guardian?”
Both Lyonnel and his guardian shouted, one with excitement and one in disbelief.
Michael didn't intend to answer their questions, he shifted his gaze towards Luca who had already opened the cell door and was standing in front of them with his cold gaze. “Sir Aaron would like to say something about Hera's condition, Your Grace.” He bowed slightly.
No more voices could be heard after Luca came out, he nodded, wiped his bloodied face with a white handkerchief.
“And also… Hera has a message for you.” Michael looked hesitant before he added. “The same thing that Zane said before.”
In the eastern hallway, once again, the door leading to Hera's door was covered with a large painting. The painting on display is not a painting that Michael and Mrs. Shin saw before, instead it was a painting of a flower field with a very blue sky.
Inside the bedroom, Hera and Zane sat across from each other at a table beside the open window.
While Freya, who had just delivered Hera's lunch, had to return to her job in the kitchen. She had to wait for someone to take over her job in the kitchen before she could be completely by Hera's side, but before that Freya could only deliver meals and help Hera get ready every morning and night.
The room was quiet, only the sound of the rain could be heard. A cold wind blows through the window, filling Heras' room with the scent of rain with a hint of lavender fragrant from the small flower pots on the table.
“Tell me something, Zane.” Hera tapped her fingers on the table, not looking at Zane but at the tomato soup Freya had served just a moment ago. “Has today's… event happened before? Because I don't remember ever getting their attention in my past memories.”
Zane was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
“Do I need to worry?” Hera tilted her head, then took a spoon and started stirring the tomato soup in front of her. “Will it affect my plans?”
“It won’t. I’ll make sure of it. Don’t worry.” Zane reassured her once again, he could still see Hera's wary gaze every time they stared at each other or when they chatted, that girl did not fully trust him yet.
“Un… Sure.” Hera nodded, she slurped a spoonful of soup. “Tomorrow the Duke will have to go to the palace for a while. The others will be at… I don't know whose banquet they'll be attending. So, I still have to wait another night before I can sneak out after sending a letter to grandma.”
Hera’s eyebrows creased. If she wanted to live in peace, like she had been before but fell apart when they found her, she needed to make sure Michael couldn't trace her whereabouts at all. But how? Hera glanced at Zane, she's not sure how strong Zane's barrier is, is it strong enough to make certain people can't find her?
“The problem is… I can't ignore what happened today, if I suddenly disappeared, they would try to find me.” Hera whispered her uneasiness as she put the spoon in the bowl and pushed it away from her, today she ate nearly twelve spoons of soup. Her food intake was slowly rising, a little, not a lot.
Zane took away the bowl and put it on the silver salver before closing it, “There's no need to think about that. I have my own way of dealing with it.”
“...” Hera was silent for a few moments. “Are you going to threaten Michael with what he did to Aria?” She then asked casually.
Zane was surprised that she knew about it, his eyes narrowed sharply at the girl, who tinkered with the lavender plants without noticing his gaze. Even though he had lived several lives with Hera, Zane still couldn't guess what was on the girl's mind.
“Well… I never discussed my plan to escape from this place with anyone before. But, you already know about the plan. The same day. The same time. The same route. The same carriage. But... somehow I feel like someone will panic if I suddenly disappear, huh?” She chattered.
Of course Zane knew about her route out of this manor, seventeen years in the manor without anyone noticing what she was doing, Hera discovered many secret passages within the walls of the manor. It became her playground and no one ever bothered with any trail she left behind. She even wandered all the way to the dungeon, once, and decided to never go there again for the rest of her life.
Zane discovered that fact when Hera decided not to go anywhere and just stay in the manor until she died on that cliff after blatantly cursing Zane. Surely Hera doesn't remember about that event in her life, even without remembering it she hasn't trusted Zane completely yet.
He needed to make sure Hera trusted him in this life, he had to make sure Hera leaned on him in unexpected times. And to ensure that happens, Zane needs to make sure Hera never remembers what happened that night.
Zane took a deep breath before voicing his suggestion. “You can always take Freya with you. Why don’t you ask her now?”
“Take me where?”
Zane is kinda shady at times and I don't fully trust him