“Suddenly?”

“I heard it happened on the way back from attending a party?”

“Well, he was always weak. That’s why he came down to Alphonse to recuperate.”

Through Yuriel’s hazy consciousness, the sound of conversation echoed.

‘The young master collapsed?’

At the name Cassian, she abruptly stood up and grasped the bars.

“Did you say young master Blanchet collapsed?”

Startled by the hoarse, cracked voice, the guards turned around.

There sat a withered young woman.

Although it was a detention center, meals were still provided regularly, but they had never seen this girl eat even a proper bowl of gruel.

To the point where one might wonder if she would die like that.

It was quite pitiful to see a girl young enough to be their child sitting like that in detention.

Seeing her dazedly insisting on her innocence, she seemed to have been falsely accused.

But in the end, the two of them were merely pawns of those in power.

Once the lord of Alphonse labeled her a thief, that girl’s fate was as good as sealed.

“Is this the time for you to worry about the young master? You should be more concerned about yourself.”

Hearing the guard’s words, Yuriel’s face turned deathly pale.

So it was true that the young master had collapsed.

‘Then could it be…’

An ominous feeling enveloped Yuriel’s entire body.

Come to think of it, given his terminal condition, it wouldn’t have been strange if he had died just yesterday.

‘But I thought he was fine…’

Though his face had been pale, it was just his usual level of pallor, and his complexion and breathing hadn’t seemed bad.

He had always been a fearsome and hateful figure, but hearing that he had collapsed still made her feel strange.

Above all, if something happened to him… there would be no hope left in her world.

The words of the guards during the interrogation suddenly flashed through her mind.

[The victim’s side has no intention of settling.]

She had already guessed that Lady Catherine would not agree to settle.

If she had been a bit more merciful, she might have let her go on the condition of staying away from Hael…

But Lady Catherine was not that kind of person.

She would likely think it safer to frame her with a theft charge to ensure she never appeared before her son’s eyes again.

Rather than relying on a promise she might not keep.

Even Hael would probably be unable to persuade Lady Catherine.

Hael’s absence for the past three days made that painfully clear.

It all felt like it was her own stupid fault.

Should she have not given Hael any chance at all?

Should she have never entered that mansion in the first place?

Or… should she have run away from that young master sooner?

What would become of her now?

Once again, the words of the interrogating guard flashed by.

[Theft, and at a party hosted by the lord no less. You’re looking at a minimum 3-year sentence.]

At this rate, she would be imprisoned for 3 years without fail.

Her body trembled with fear.

If she was locked up for 3 years, what about her mother…

Could her mother, who was now unable to work, survive?

‘Mother’s medicine…’

That young master would not look after her mother for the sake of her, who had lost her usefulness.

She had to find a way out of here somehow.

But for three days now, she had been helplessly confined here, only being pressured to confess.

With the persuasion that if she didn’t, her sentence would only increase.

As despair washed over her, tears welled up.

The cold touch of the wall cooled her forehead.

After some time had passed like that, a guard came in and said something, and the guard watching the door approached.

“You have a visitor.”

A visitor? Could it be Hael?

He might have spent the past three days persuading Lady Catherine and come here.

If it was Hael, he wouldn’t think she had committed theft.

Her heart pounded with a glimmer of hope.

Led by the guard’s hand to the visitation window, soon the door opened and the person who came to see her entered.

“M-Mom?”

As she emerged from the shadows, the face fully revealed was indeed her mother.

Reflexively rising to her feet, she quickly grasped the bars, and her mother’s appearance came into clearer view.

A body withered in just three days, a tear-stained face, reddened eyes…

Her heart ached painfully at the sight of her mother, no different from a bare branch.

Though she had thought her mother would know by now after three days had passed, actually facing her brought tears to her eyes.

“Yuriel.”

Her mother’s voice was completely hoarse, as if she had been searching for her all this time over the past three days.

There was no need to see to know.

During that time, her mother must have been running around frantically searching for her everywhere.

The hand cupping her face was cold, as if it had embraced the chilly night air.

The rough hand caressed her face, wiping away tears repeatedly.

“Mom knows you didn’t do it.”

A faint warmth could be felt from the hands clasped together.

At those words alone – that she knew she didn’t do it – tears finally spilled over.

As she lowered her head, tears flowed onto the floor.

After barely wiping away her tears in a moment, she raised her face to see her mother clasping her hands.

Up close, her eyes were hollow as always, but still beautiful within. Today, they seemed to hold something like resolve.

Was it because she was here? But…

“You’ll be able to get out soon if you just endure a little longer.”

“Get out?”

“Yes. The lord promised to make it happen.”

It was unbelievable.

Surely the last time she saw the lord, he didn’t seem like he would allow such a thing…

There’s no way he suddenly believed in her innocence. A fact even the guards didn’t acknowledge.

But seeing her mother’s smiling face, it seemed the lord really had said such a thing.

While she was dazed, her mother hurriedly wrapped the scarf she had brought around her neck and handed over her only coat and blanket.

Saying there wasn’t much visitation time left.

She couldn’t even say anything like what would happen if her mother gave those things to her.

Her mother wrapped those things around her and was immediately pulled away by the guards.

The words that the visitation time was over echoed in the air, and the guard dragged her back to the cell.

Leaning her body against the wall, questions swirled in her mind.

‘Why would the lord…?’

Suddenly, she recalled the moisture glistening in her mother’s eyes as she said those words.

And her face that had looked somewhat strained.

The eyes that had held resolve, on reflection, had been trembling slightly.

Her eyelashes had fluttered, and her gaze had been unfocused.

Just as they always were when she spoke of her father.

Now she understood.

Her mother… was hiding something from her.

[This is the timeline separator]

The attending physicians surrounding Cassian’s bedside finally breathed a sigh of relief only after he opened his eyes.

This time it had truly been a dangerous crisis.

They had all been gloomy at the sight of him sweating coldly for days without waking.

The physicians investigated the reason why the young master, who had been fine until just recently, had ended up like this.

Upon hearing that he had attended a party and stayed for a long time, they clutched the back of their necks.

He should have been resting absolutely, yet he went to a party.

It was clear that the young master had ignored their repeated advice.

What was done was done, and their duty was to save him.

But as days passed with no improvement, the head physician gradually turned ashen.

Given the serious situation, he finally reported all the facts to Blanchet.

True to form, Duke Blanchet maintained his dignity even regarding his son’s affairs and gave only one order.

To save him by any means necessary.

On the other hand, the Duchess Blanchet left word that she would come here immediately.

The physicians became even busier at the news of her visit.

Given the distance from the capital to here, it meant she would arrive in two days at the latest. None of them were unaware of the Duchess’s love for her son.

They couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of punishment would be meted out if there was anything displeasing after she personally checked.

Just as the entire mansion was entering a state of extreme tension, Cassian woke up.

At the twitch of his fingers, the physician made a great fuss.

“Young master? Young master!”

As Cassian sat up, he endured their noisy examination in pain.

Only after they had disappeared outside did butler Raynold enter with a pale face.

For a long while after that, Cassian said nothing.

Just as Raynold was finally catching his breath, he heard an unexpected question.

“Where is she?”

For someone who was nearly dead to wake up and have their first words be asking for Yuriel.

However, his face remained as motionless as ever, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

“Miss Yuriel is currently under investigation in the Alphonse detention center regarding that incident.”

After that, the butler subtly included how the young master had been unconscious for three days, the physicians’ visits, and how worried the lord had been.

But as always, this arrogant young master said nothing in particular.

Not a single expression crossed his face the entire time he listened, to a frightening degree.

“What about her mother?”

“She is beside herself with worry for her daughter.”

“…”

“Fortunately, the lord took pity on the child’s circumstances and decided to grant her a pardon.”

“A pardon?”

For the first time, a crack appeared in Cassian’s face.

His raised eyebrow seemed to say, how dare they grant a pardon without my permission.

Of course, it was true that Yuriel had deceived the young master, but if he had kept her by his side to that extent, he must have had some feelings for her, so why was he so displeased with her being pardoned?

It was truly a cruel sight.

Moreover, it wasn’t even him who had been robbed, but Lady Catherine.

Nevertheless, Raynold’s voice gradually became more subdued.

“Yes. It seems that since it’s her first offense and there are sufficient mitigating circumstances…”

“Not that.”

“…Pardon?”

“There must be a real reason. The real reason why the lord decided to release her.”