episode_0171

After finishing her conversation with Priscilla, Genea headed straight to the dungeon with the knight waiting outside.

The clank, clank, sound of armor regularly echoed through the hallway. The hallways of the mansion, which had become a heavy atmosphere where no one could open their mouths due to a terrible incident that had occurred not long ago, were so quiet that the sound of the armor of the knight walking ahead could be heard noisily.

Genea, who was walking down a corridor that felt unusually long, tried to bring out a story that she had unconsciously kept inside as her mind became more distant as she got closer to the dungeon.

“Lord Balderich. Charlotte… … .”

Hearing Genea’s voice, the knight stopped walking and looked back. When the periodic clanking sound of the armor stopped, Genea trembled as if hypnotized.

Zenea, who saw the knight looking at her, belatedly realized what she was trying to say, narrowed her eyes and spat out the words.

“… … It was a mistake. Pretend you didn’t hear it.”

Genea closed her mouth as she said that, and the knight who was looking back turned and started heading towards the dungeon.

‘It’s a shame… … .’

Genea, who was walking quietly, sighed inwardly.

‘I told Priscilla that I would face my sins, but I haven’t even met Charlotte in person yet, and I’m already shaken like this… … .’

After all, I’m not as good as him.

Genea thought of her husband, who never let go of his work even before he died, and at the same time, the sight of him coughing up blood and collapsing flashed before her eyes.

For a moment, Genea felt as if someone was squeezing her heart, and at the same time her vision became distant, she frowned and bit her lip.

“… … .”

Of course, the pain was not actually caused by being unwell, but was an illusion created by Genea’s guilt and responsibility, so it disappeared like a ghost with the blink of an eye.

‘okay… … . It was originally like this. Facing your own sins. Even if you have made up your mind and strengthened your will, you are still afraid.’

I didn’t know that the sin was so big that it made me feel pain. Genea tried to hide her slightly trembling right hand by squeezing it with her left and walked as if she were calm.

After leaving the main building and walking for a while past the outbuildings, Genea finally arrived at the entrance to a dungeon that looked like the entrance to an underground tomb.

“Jenea.”

Genea looked at the knight’s voice calling her, and the knight opened his mouth with a slightly worried expression.

“Are you okay?”

Genea, who was about to ask why she was asking such a question, realized that her hand was shaking so much that she could no longer cover it with the other hand, and finally let out the sigh she had been holding in.

“You ended up showing your ugly side.”

“… … Do you mind?”

“You are asking a really meaningless question. How do you see it in your eyes?”

Genea suppressed the trembling of her hands by clenching her fists so hard that her nails dug into her palms, and looked at the knight with her back straight.

The knight was worried at the sight of Genea, whose complexion was still pale and her hands were shaking slightly, but he thought that expressing his opinion here would be trampling on the master’s will with a foot of clay, so he quietly bowed.

“I apologize. I made a mistake.”

The knight nodded heavily and opened the dungeon door. As soon as the dungeon door was opened, thick and heavy air passed by Genea’s cheek.

I haven’t even gone inside yet, but the air is like this. What on earth is inside like this?

Genea became impatient and urged her by looking at the article.

“… … Come on in.”

“The steps are slippery, so please be careful when coming down.”

The knight lit the torch hanging next to the entrance and slowly began to go down, and Genea followed the knight and slowly entered the inside of the prison.

As we descended into the dungeon, the air became increasingly thicker and humid enough to feel water on our skin. Naturally, the further down she went, the more severe Genea’s guilt became.

That terrible guilt made Genea feel like the stairs going down were like a road to hell.

How much further did it go down? The driver ahead suddenly stopped, looked at Genea, and said.

“Jenea. From here――”

Through the gap created when the knight looked back, Genea was able to see the bottom of the dungeon beyond where the knight was standing.

I was astonished by the poor to terrible level of the environment.

“Oh my god, what kind of water is this… … .”

The ceiling was full of cobwebs left by dead spiders, the stone walls were wet and slippery, and the water on the floor was so cloudy that it even had a foul smell.

In a place like this, Charlotte was in a place like this? Because of my words, because of my misjudgment that caused me to lose myself?

“Get out of the way.”

“But Genea.”

“Get out of the way quickly!”

The knight trembled at the sound of a loud voice echoing through the dungeon. Because of her loud voice? No, sounds like this were something we heard every day at the Knight Academy.

The knight was overwhelmed by the atmosphere of Genea. The moment the knight swallowed dry saliva and stepped aside, Genea went inside without hesitation, not caring at all that her dress and shoes were getting wet.

“Charlotte, Charlotte… … !”

“Jenea! It’s dangerous to run like that!”

Genea called Charlotte’s name and headed into the dungeon. The floor was slippery and she almost fell several times, but that didn’t stop her from walking.

But the more she went inside, and the more she shouted her daughter’s name over and over again, the more she couldn’t hide the feeling that something was strange.

‘Why, why aren’t you answering?’

“Charles! Charlotte! Answer me!!”

After screaming and wading through the current, there was only a yellowish stone wall waiting for us.

In an instant, an eerie sensation ran down Genea’s spine, and the creepy sensation made Genea stop breathing.

‘Did he escape? no. That can’t be possible. The dungeon is locked from the outside. If it escaped, there should be other traces. Then why aren’t you answering? Are you sleeping? no. There’s no way you can sleep in a place like this. Then why?’

In my head, I was thinking that I had to keep my cool, but I couldn’t stop my body from shaking.

At that time, a small sound like a clanking chain was heard coming from the right.

“Charlotte?”

When I turned my head, what I saw was a wet skirt attached to my legs and delicate hands wrapped in restraints.

Because of the angle, the light from the torch did not reach beyond that, so only the silhouette was visible, but for some reason, the sitting posture was a little strange.

“Charles… … ?”

The posture of leaning your back against the wall and lowering your head to one side. Zenea felt a level of anxiety that could not be expressed in words coming over her as she looked as if she was sleeping while leaning against the wall.

There is nothing strange about sleeping. That’s because it’s a physiological phenomenon. But in such harsh conditions, is it possible to sleep against a wall? The child who grew up as none other than the duke’s eldest daughter?

“Balderich… … . Balderich… … !! Hurry, hurry and open the door!!”

The knight who was following right behind took out the key from his belt and ran towards her. As the knight ran, the light from the torch she was holding naturally began to illuminate the inside of the cell.

Charlotte’s body, which had only been visible as a silhouette, began to become visible little by little. Charlotte’s appearance revealed like that made Genea freeze like a stone.

“Ah… … .”

This is because the corner of Charlotte’s mouth, which was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, was covered in bright red blood.

The flowing red hair was like his, and the red blood dripping from the corner of his mouth was also like his.

What was revealed was punishment for a sin created by a moment of misjudgment, and a terrible reality that no sane mind could accept.

“No… … .”

The door made of iron bars opened with a clanging sound, but Genea could not move a single step.

The world behind the bars was so non-ideal that it didn’t feel real. It looked as if a terrible nightmare had been drawn into a picture and then cut out and placed.

Genea slowly stepped into the picture and stretched out her hand towards the child in the picture.

“No, no, no… … .”

Charlotte’s appearance became clearer as she got closer, and the strong smell of blood that overpowered the fishy smell from the stagnant water began to distort Genea’s mind little by little.

Genea stretched out her trembling hand towards Charlotte, the moment her fingertips touched Charlotte’s cheek――

“No… … !”

The warmth of the lukewarm blood made me realize that this was reality.

“Charles? Charlotte? baby… … ?”

The blood on his fingertips had a vivid warmth, and that warmth had the same smell and color as what had come out of his mouth that night.

“Baby, please. Open your eyes. baby… … !!”

Genea cried, caressed Charlotte’s cheek, and shook her body. But Charlotte didn’t open her eyes.

Charlotte was definitely breathing, but Genea didn’t have the energy to check for it right now.

“No. Oh my, it can’t be like this… … !!”

“Jenea!! Genea!! Pin it!”

The knight couldn’t watch Genea’s ruined state any longer, so he took Charlotte away from Genea’s arms and tried to calm Genea down.

It actually backfired.

“… … .”

Genea blinked her eyes blankly, looking down at the blood soaking her palms.

For Genea, this was hell. A hell called reality.

“Ah… … . I’m sorry, Charles. I’m really sorry. I really wanted to tell you this, I really wanted to tell you this… … .”

Genea looked at Charlotte with empty eyes and said she was sorry over and over again.

It was a moment when Genea’s heart, which had been shaking precariously, was completely broken.