Ch.126The Last Endurance (1)

Caden departed the next day, leading his army. The purpose was to eliminate all the supporting forces that had been backing the Payne Family and plotting against them.

Actually, completely annihilating them didn’t make sense… he was moving to subjugate them as subordinate families.

By the morning of Caden’s departure, he had already received letters of surrender from several families.

The twins, Daisy, and Judy saw him off from early morning.

Despite Caden’s fierce opposition, Judy had to stay behind. Since there was little chance of an actual war breaking out, he told her not to worry and to rest.

All four women had their own thoughts.

And among them, the twins were the most anxious.

They still hadn’t received an answer from Caden.

Although Caden had said he would give his answer about the family after returning, Asena knew he had already made his choice.

…Whether it was acceptance or rejection.

After Caden left, Asena set her body in motion.

There was something she had to do.

She entered the underground prison, escorted by guards.

Perhaps because the Payne Family was notorious for their crimes, the prison was well-constructed.

Not a hint of light entered, dulling the prisoners’ sense of time, and torture devices were scattered everywhere.

The screams of prisoners echoed within the prison, unable to escape outside, and a damp, unpleasant air lingered.

Asena felt… considerable satisfaction knowing that Shallon Payne was confined in such a place.

The cruelty within her, not often shown to Caden, was revealing itself again.

“…Listen carefully to what I say.”

She spoke to the guard escorting her while holding a torch.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Overwhelmed by the atmosphere Asena Praester exuded, the guard answered firmly.

“…What happens here… must remain confidential. Especially, it must not reach my brother’s ears.”

She said coldly.

Usually respectful but also frightening, their family head was giving such a warning, and the guard couldn’t muster the courage to answer differently.

Even he, who had followed Caden through the fiercest battlefields, couldn’t overcome the fear of Asena.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Satisfied with the guard’s answer, she continued down the cold stone stairs.

It was so dark that the path ahead was only visible by the flickering torchlight.

Nevertheless, Asena’s steps showed no hesitation.

The sound of her footsteps echoed through the prison, and the torturer who had been watching the prisoners with folded arms in the dim prison jumped up at Asena’s appearance.

“…Where is Shallon Payne?”

Asena asked in her still icy voice, and the torturer bowed obsequiously and guided Asena to Shallon’s cell.

The soldier and torturer followed, beginning to light the torches hanging on the walls.

The underground prison gradually brightened, and soon even the other imprisoned inmates began to stir in the light.

But one figure lying on the opposite side of the cell where Asena’s footsteps stopped did not move at her appearance.

“……..”

“…Shallon Payne.”

Only after Asena called her name did the prisoner respond with a twitch of her body.

Though Shallon might have lost her sense of time and didn’t know if it was night, it wasn’t for Asena.

The torturer had already promptly placed a chair behind Asena.

Asena sat elegantly on the chair and waited for Shallon’s response.

“…Praes…ter…”

Shallon, still lying on the floor, slightly turned her head to answer.

A cracked voice and eyes reflecting the torchlight. A slumped body.

Asena spoke.

“…I see you can recognize me. Perhaps they’ve given you too much water.”

Even at this simple remark, the torturer responsible for Shallon’s meals became restless.

“…Ha. Yes… I can recognize your hateful face anywhere.”

Shallon whispered.

Asena didn’t even snort at those words.

“…I didn’t come to have a conversation with you. I just came to see your state. I’ve only been contemplating… what treatment to give you.”

“…Just kill me.”

Asena answered as if it were obvious.

“I will. Did you think you could survive? Have you forgotten the Praester family motto?… After touching my brother… almost killing him… did you think you could survive…?”

Anger gradually rose in her voice, but soon disappeared with Asena’s sigh.

“…I’ll make your death painful. Just know that.”

Shallon Payne’s body twitched again… and slowly began to tremble.

“…Whether by starvation… burning… stabbing… I’ll let you taste every possible torture before killing you.”

Asena thought it was a fitting punishment.

The Shallon Payne before her had almost taken her own life too.

If Caden had died… she would have died too. Not only that, Kirsy would likely have died as well.

The Praester family would have completely collapsed. This level of punishment was merciful.

Shallon’s body gradually crawled toward the bars. Her face with sunken eyes was revealed in the light.

“…I…”

“…..”

“…I’m sorry…”

At the mention of a painful death… Shallon seemed to have abandoned her last shred of dignity.

She realized that a peaceful death was a luxury.

Her suddenly changed behavior felt awkward… but also understandable.

No matter how hard one tries to maintain face, when the courage holding it up breaks, people change too easily.

“Please… kill me without pain… Lady Asena…”

Shallon begged, even raising her speech level again like before.

“…I… I was foolish… With unnecessary greed… I thought Caden was no longer a Praester… In a moment of emotion, thoughts of revenge came to mind…”

She banged her powerless head on the floor.

But Asena could only scoff.

“…Revenge…?”

“…Ah…”

“Revenge, you say?”

Shallon’s head remained frozen against the ground, not moving. She seemed paralyzed with fear.

Asena continued.

“…You’re probably the only one who survived after nearly killing the eldest son of the Praester family at the Academy. Where else would such mercy exist? You should have been grateful to be alive, yet you harbored thoughts of revenge…?”

Asena was increasingly regretting not killing Shallon at the Academy back then. If she had killed her then, she wouldn’t have had to experience this immense pain.

An answer came from Shallon’s frozen head. Her rough inner self seemed to be stimulated again.

“…How is ordering my head to be delivered considered mercy…”

On the day of the incident, Asena had given Shallon a letter containing an order.

She had handed her a letter demanding Shallon’s head, telling her to deliver it to the family head.

Asena said:

“You’re still alive, aren’t you?”

“…………….”

At that simple answer, Shallon’s mouth closed.

“If I truly wanted your head, I could have received it that very day.”

“………….”

“Haven’t you thought about why I gave you a letter ordering your head?”

Asena had given Shallon a choice back then. Die or run away.

Of course, since Shallon knew all this, she had nothing to say.

“Don’t attach other reasons to your actions. Revenge, how pathetic….”

“…….”

“Even if my brother wasn’t a Praester, you knew he shouldn’t be touched. If it had been ignorant bandits… I could understand them not knowing my brother. But you, knowing how specially I regard my brother, clearly attacked him with intention.”

“………”

“So even though my brother escaped, for days…”

Asena’s expression gradually distorted.

“…for days… you chased after him. You must have known this would happen to you if my brother returned alive.”

Shallon crawled on the floor and stretched her hand through the bars.

She seemed to want to grab Asena’s feet and beg.

The torturer watching nearby didn’t allow it.

“You wretch!”

The arm of the once-noble Shallon was kicked by the torturer’s foot.

“…Ugh!”

Asena was once again looking down at her elegantly.

“As much as you bared your teeth at my brother, it was only a matter of time before your family attacked me.”

“…No… no…”

“There’s a big difference between having thoughts and taking action. And since you took action, you must pay the price for touching us.”

“No… I never intended that…”

“…You say no… but your family clearly turned their backs on our family the moment an opportunity arose.”

Asena said that and then corrected herself.

“…No, actually… the family doesn’t matter. The fact that you attacked my brother alone means you must die. You and your entire family.”

The monster Asena harbored briefly showed itself.

She bent slightly at the waist.

Despite her death already being decided, Shallon felt a trembling fear.

“…The price for trying to take my treasure… is not small.”

Asena spoke quietly so that even the torturer couldn’t hear.

Realizing she had no more chances, Shallon’s fists gradually clenched.

Asena looked at her and asked:

“…You still feel wronged, I see.”

“………”

“Understand that your perspective and mine are different. Surely you had your reasons. But…”

Asena stood up from the chair and looked down at Shallon crawling on the floor.

“The weak are always wronged.”

“…Sob… hnngh…”

And then she turned away.

Asena never looked at Shallon again.