‘Why is there still no news from outside, why on earth.’

There was no warmth at all in the dark underground prison.

Cold and gloomy, this place where no sound could be heard except for the wind.

As even the concept of time disappeared here, the maid’s heart began to grow anxious.

At first, she resisted to the end, saying it wasn’t true.

Though she was slightly shaken inwardly by what Clea had said, she had still served the ducal family loyally for over several decades.

She firmly believed that the Hersher family would not easily give up on someone like her.

She thought they would do their best to save her somehow.

The reason she believed this without doubt was because of what Aria had said to her.

‘Surely they’re not planning to not save me.’

She had seen and heard quite a lot while working as Aria’s maid.

So if she told the truth here, the Hersher family could suffer considerable damage.

Although she might bear the stigma of being a family that betrayed their master, it would be different if it was done for the imperial family.

The maid bit her lip as she thought of one person.

And then she voiced her desperate wish toward that person.

“Lady Aria, I miss you.”

She had been by Aria’s side assisting her since she was young.

She had considered it fortunate to become the maid of someone more beautiful than other young ladies.

Even now, as the situation was turning bad, her loyalty to her remained unchanged despite wavering.

Right now, she was still someone who would do anything for Aria.

If only Aria would be saddened by her death.

“Who are you people!”

As she was lost in such gloomy thoughts, suddenly a commotion was heard.

‘What’s that sound?’

Multiple footsteps followed by shouting.

Not only that, but an unpleasant sound of metal clashing against metal could also be heard.

The maid was bewildered.

This was none other than inside the imperial palace. And it was an underground prison for special criminals at that.

It was common sense that a fight breaking out in such a prison was absurd.

Nevertheless, the maid held onto hope, just in case.

‘Could they have sent someone here to rescue me?’

After the screams completely disappeared, the footsteps came very close.

And soon after, a small group holding torches arrived in front of her.

The figures illuminated by the torches were all familiar faces.

“I’ve been waiting! I knew you would come to save me!”

Seeing these welcome figures after so long, the maid smiled with certainty.

They were the guard knights who protected Aria, belonging to the Hersher family like herself.

So she thought they must have surely come here to save her.

But the guard knights did not look at the maid favorably. Rather, their gazes were very cold.

“Why are you still alive?”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m asking! Why are you still alive and not dead!”

One of the guard knights barked at the maid.

Hearing his words, the maid’s hopeful expression completely froze.

She wondered if her ears had gone bad from being imprisoned for so long, but with the words that followed, the maid realized.

“Do you know how much crisis the family is in now because of you alone? If you were given the honor to die for Lady Aria, you should have committed suicide as soon as possible!”

That her ears were not wrong at all.

And that wasn’t all the maid came to know.

Their hands still held blood-stained swords.

As they glared with bloodshot eyes full of killing intent, the maid wished this was a dream.

“Because you didn’t die, your family has now been completely wiped out.”

“What do you mean? My family being wiped out.”

The maid was bewildered.

Who would have known that despite clearly being the one sacrificed, she would receive news that her family had been wiped out instead of a reward.

As unbelievable things kept happening one after another, her reason was gradually becoming numb.

“We have to kill you for our families to be safe. So just die here. This is all the young lady’s will.”

The knights approached the iron bars with the forged key they had obtained when coming here.

The maid moved away from the iron bars in fear. She was full of desire to live somehow.

However, if that door were to open, it would all be in vain.

If they opened the door and came inside to slash her with their swords, she would meet her death.

The maid wanted to live.

Until just a moment ago, she had thought she would gladly die if Aria told her to, but now her thoughts had changed.

“Please spare me!”

“Be quiet and shut that mouth. There’s no one here who can help you anyway.”

Though she desperately cried out to be spared, the knights’ expressions did not change at all.

They were only interested in opening this door quickly and entering to eliminate their target.

Not wanting to die like this at the hands of those who had even wiped out her family, the maid bit her lip and looked around.

She wanted to leave behind something that could somehow hold them back. But there was nothing that could be of help.

The despairing maid just sat down on the cold floor.

But then, someone appeared behind the knights.

“I told you, didn’t I? That Aria wouldn’t save you.”

A calm voice reached the maid’s ears even in this chilling situation.

“Damn it, why won’t this door open!”

The excited knights were completely unaware of the presence behind them.

They were just pushing against the door that wouldn’t open, clearly very angry.

The maid was very surprised at the appearance of this unexpected person.

It was none other than Clea, who had imprisoned her here.

“I can save you.”

Her voice was barely audible amidst the strong voices of the knights.

But the maid was somehow able to understand through her lip movements.

“If you don’t want to die here, say it. Say you want to be saved.”

In her despairing state, the maid could not help but choose this sudden glimmer of hope.

Even if it was a deal with the devil, surviving was the priority now.

“I’ll tell you everything! So please save me!”

Pleased with her desperate struggle to live, Clea smiled and said quietly.

“Good answer.”

The knights also sensed something strange at the maid’s cry and turned their heads.

But it was already too late.

The imperial knights, who had strangely few in number earlier, were now so numerous it was hard to count.

Realizing they were completely surrounded by many, the Hersher family knights were flustered.

From then on, it was a one-sided battle.

Although the Hersher family knights were also well-trained and fierce fighting continued at first, it was impossible to overcome the numerical disadvantage.

After the situation was settled, the iron bar door opened.

The light footsteps of someone approaching gradually grew closer.

“How does it feel to have survived?”

The maid knelt down and looked up at Clea.

Having already surrendered, she was kneeling submissively before Clea.

The maid now bowed her head to the point of being servile.

Clearly until yesterday, she had hated Clea, blaming her for ending up like this.

But now she was rather grateful to Clea.

“Thank you so much for saving me.”

“Surely your only words aren’t just thanks?”

At Clea’s sardonic smile, the maid trembled as she looked at the corpses strewn nearby.

The floor was soaked in blood. Those who had been shouting at her to die until just now had become corpses.

It could be said to be satisfying, but the maid was more afraid of Clea in front of her now than of them.

Even now, with just a word from her, the knights with blood-stained swords could make her like those fallen ones right away, she thought.

“I am not the culprit.”

“Then who is the culprit?”

Clea asked next.

She was silently listening to the maid’s words.

The surroundings were quiet.

A place had been created for just one person alone.

The maid thought,

Who would have known that she would end up in a place to betray the person she had sworn to serve loyally.

But her heart had already grown cold.

She hadn’t hoped for anything, but she never thought her family would be wiped out because of her.

It was clearly strange.

Who would have known loyalty would be repaid like this.

Tears began to well up in the maid’s eyes.

Her loyalty had already turned into a desire for revenge.

“The culprit is Aria Hersher, she tried to assassinate Her Highness the Crown Princess.”

Hearing the words “Crown Princess” from the person who had been most loyal to Aria, Clea burst out laughing for a moment.

Normally she would have said not to call her that since she had not yet ascended to the position of Crown Princess, but now she could overlook that much.

“Can you prove in an official setting that Aria is the culprit?”

“Yes, I can.”

Clea was satisfied with the answer that came without hesitation.

“Then I’ll give you one gift.”

“A gift, you say?”

The maid was perplexed, not expecting the word gift to come up in this situation.

“Your family is still alive.”

The maid was surprised once again at Clea’s words.

“You understand what I mean, right?”

The maid nodded, and having received a sufficient answer, Clea left her seat thinking.

‘Even your loyal servant ends up breaking like this, huh.’