Eugene spilled out the things he had been hiding in haste.

“So, Sophia Madam tried to impregnate Madam Edith using Hans.”

“She messed that up and is now being taken away.”

“And… she cast a binding spell on Madam Edith fearing she might escape.”

“…!”

For the first time, intrigue colored the otherwise dull eyes of Elizabeth and Aizen.

“A binding spell? What’s the range?”

“It’s set so neither she nor Walter can leave the estate. I don’t know where the scroll to release the spell is hidden.”

“So Edith is under a binding spell.”

Elizabeth’s lips curled in a slight smirk. Sophia, who had never pleased her in any way, was finally useful.

“Heard that? Don’t release people into the territory, search the estate thoroughly. If need be, set it on fire so they come out on their own.”

Aizen nodded gracefully and disappeared.

Elizabeth questioned Eugene for several more hours but no more useful information was forthcoming.

“Since you provided useful information, I won’t reclaim your bail. Keep your mouth shut and live, understood?”

“Thank you, Madam Elizabeth.”

Finally showing a shred of goodwill, she leisurely sipped her wine, waiting for Aizen’s report.

‘I never thought Edith would also be a rat in a trap.’

Elizabeth imagined setting fire to the castle if Aizen couldn’t find Edith.

As long as Isazel and others would be safe, that’s all that mattered.

Wouldn’t the tedious times she had to spend in Fortrion watching the Duke and the stableman also disappear?

She had never been interested in the pitiful history or fate of the Duke; she’d rather they disappeared without a trace.

‘If I can’t find her, I really should set fire to the estate as an accident.’

Just as she was about to sip her wine, she noticed a strange light reflecting in the glass. A light in the early evening when even the moon was obscured by trees.

She stood up and peered out the window to see what was happening, and dropped the wine glass she was holding.

Cling-clang—

“What are all these people doing?”

Hundreds of angry peasants, holding torches and farming tools, were gathering along the horizon.

‘What is the meaning of this?’
Edith, who was crouching on the ground to conserve energy, suddenly heard murmurs of people from beyond the wall.

There were neither windows nor clocks in the secret passage, so it was impossible to tell how much time had passed, but it was clear that something significant had occurred.

‘Could it be that Elizabeth has called for reinforcements in the meantime.’

According to Benjamin, her higher-up was Queen Patricia. It was no exaggeration to say that she had the protection of the capital’s noble family, so it wasn’t impossible for mercenaries from her territory or soldiers from nearby nobles to support her.

It would have been better if they had let people out of the mansion.

Edith tensed her entire nerves, but couldn’t hear what they were saying.

Only judging from the noise that reached her ears, it seemed the scale was enormous. It was only a matter of time before the secret passage was discovered, or before Elizabeth found her.

‘I should move deeper into the passage for now.’

It was at that moment while she was thinking about her next move.

Creak—

The sound of the old, worn-out entrance to the secret passage opening not far from her echoed. Then, footsteps followed, making her body stiffen.

Someone had discovered the secret passage and was approaching her location.

Holding her breath, she accidentally kicked the lamp she had put on the ground, extinguishing it.

“……!”

As the metal part collided with the brick, making a loud noise, a hand suddenly grabbed her.

Frozen with fear, she couldn’t even scream. The thought that she might die crossed her mind.

“Edith.”

Not until a familiar voice reached her ears.

“……Walter?”

Turning her body to confirm the identity of the stranger, Edith froze on the spot again, but this time for a different reason.

The Walter standing before her eyes was exuding an entirely different aura than when she had sent him out of the mansion.

With a sword belted to his waist, Walter seemed much more rugged and masculine than she remembered, radiating a strong presence as a man.

When she met his eyes, which seemed to have added a few more layers of shadow, her head and body involuntarily recalled the night she had spent with him. It seemed she couldn’t forget the moments when he had called her name again and again.

Just looking at him made her heart pound and beat rapidly, and her chest tingled with surging emotions.

Why did you come back when I sent you away with such feelings…

Hiding her moist eyes by narrowing her gaze, Walter’s expression crumpled.

Though she was in a poor situation, hiding in such a narrow and dark place, her reaction seemed to say that encountering him again was the most unfortunate thing in the world.

“Walter, go away. There’s someone who can help me more than you can.”

It seemed she really meant it. She had been wielding her sword and unleashing magic just thinking about this moment, so how ludicrous it was for him to come running like a dog seeking its master.

“The one who was thrown away comes crawling back, you’re not to my liking, Edith.”

“……”

“Or did you never even consider that I might come looking?”

Unable to say anything, Edith watched as Walter twisted his lips into a distorted smile.