“Right?”

Smiling, Cartsatuna hesitated for a moment but soon nodded.

“Even if I say Igraine didn’t cooperate with the spy, the princess won’t listen.”

In the princess’s mind, I was already someone she couldn’t trust.

The kingdom is a country with strong royal authority. In the eyes of the princess, the First Lady, circumstances like mine were out of sight.

‘It’s getting darker in front of my eyes.’

In the past, I fell victim to Aris because I was foolish and powerless.

Now, I was confident I wouldn’t fall for such schemes, but this time, I had openly opposed the intentions of those in power.

Cartsatuna, who saw me, seemed to have made up her mind and grabbed my hand. It was cold but had a smooth texture.

“Don’t worry too much, Igraine. I’ll try to convince the princess.”

“But if you do that, Cartsatuna, you might be out of the princess’s favor.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

I was a bit surprised by her firm response. Either my gaze was embarrassing for her, or her face blushed a bit.

“I’ve been a close friend of the princess since we were young. The princess won’t easily push me away, even considering her temperament. Right now, she’s just suffering from an unprecedented experience. And regardless of that, I believe in Igraine. You’re not a bad person.”

I had been curious for a long time.

“How can you be so sure?”

Cartsatuna blinked. Even though I should just be grateful for her help.

“How can you be so sure that I’m not a bad person?”

“Just…”

“Just?”

“Just, I feel that way. You’re not a bad person. In fact, you’re a very good person.”

‘Innocent lady.’

It was too calculating to say that about me.

I had my own reasons for surviving, but in reality, Princess Lelatu and Cartsatuna were used to catch the spy.

Receiving absolute trust from someone who had nothing to blame me for was a bit unfamiliar and perplexing, leaving me speechless.

After a while, the words I brought up were,

“Miss.”

“Yes.”

“Do you happen to, in a different sense, um, see me? I mean, see me as a man, that is.”

Ahem, I cleared my throat repeatedly.

Although I had the expertise to speak calmly, I didn’t have the confidence to casually ask if she liked me.

Cartsatuna stared at me with a blank expression.

“……”

“……”

Nodding quickly at the silent gaze, I added,

“No, right?”

“Yes.”

“Yes…….”

Cartsatuna let go of my hand. It was more awkward to release it carefully.

“Anyway, don’t worry too much. There will be many people, not just me, trying to help you. Even Count Hubert Lorenst is doing everything he can to find a way to save you.”

“…?”

Did I hear it wrong?

Hubert is trying to help me?

‘It must be Aris, not me.’

But Cartsatuna’s expression remained unchanged, as if she hadn’t misspoken.

“I will continue to persuade the princess. And…”

What was she trying to say?

After hesitating for a moment, Cartsatuna finally sealed her lips.

“Miss?”
“No, it’s nothing. I have something to think about, so I’ll come back later. Oh! I brought clean wine and bread because I thought you might be hungry.”

Cartsatuna extended a basket covered with a cloth.

A faint smell of bread wafted through the air.

Cartsatuna’s silence was momentarily uncomfortable, but my empty stomach, which hadn’t received decent food for just one day, rumbled.

After Cartsatuna left, I carefully chewed on the soft white bread and sipped the wine. The feeling of the buttery bread blending smoothly with the wine created a sense of paradise, despite being in a prison.

In my past life, no matter how hungry I was, I wouldn’t have been able to swallow food like this.

‘Perhaps experiencing the worst once makes a difference. Well, at least I’m not being sent straight to the gallows.’

With a full stomach, my mind became a bit clearer.

I tried to avoid it, but in the end, it was the ending in prison.

It’s sigh-worthy.

“Is there really no way?”

I lifted my head. A semi-transparent snake-shaped figure wriggled from the ceiling. Tyrene, who soon extended her head outward, looked down at me with blue eyes.

“What way?”

“Any way to escape from here. Or maybe you can go out and check on Hubert or the princess.”

“I can’t leave you and go far.”

“That’s not helpful.”

Tyrene’s tail shook vigorously in discontent.

“Can’t you just sweep away the guards?”

“If I could, I wouldn’t have been eaten by humans in the first place.”

“Yeah. I didn’t expect much, to be honest.”

“Heh.”

Tyrene snorted. That was it.

‘Why is she so quiet?’

If it were usual, she would have burst out with all sorts of sarcastic remarks.

She looked somewhat anxious.

“Do you, by any chance, worry about what might happen to me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

In response to Tyrene’s counter-question, I blinked.

‘Well, I am Tyrene’s hope. The last remaining spirit. Strictly speaking, a half-human, half-spirit.’

Tyrene’s hope is me.

As a tool to fulfill his revenge.

I said I wouldn’t do it for Hilda, not for Tyrene, but as the situation approached death, or at least expulsion, I felt uneasy for no reason.

‘Perhaps it’s because I’ve seen spirits go through that.’

I sighed.