I’m the Youngest Daughter of the Serpent Family
Chapter 66
I reluctantly stepped back.
Since there was no way I could overpower Basad anyway.
“Where is this place, Basad?”
“It is the basement.”
“……What kind of place is it?”
In the darkness, Basad's eyes flashed menacingly for a brief moment.
“It is where the family's sinners are imprisoned.”
A sinner of the family?
“……So someone bad is in dere?”
“That is correct.”
“……Is Daddy in dere too?”
Basad did not answer. But silence was as good as an affirmation.
Something significant enough for Kaid to confront a sinner in person. And the reason Durias accompanied him…….
“Please return now.”
“Otay.”
“Thank you.”
Basad assisted me so I wouldn't lose my footing on the stairs.
Stepping out through the half-closed hidden wall door, the intense light dazzled my eyes. Even though I had only been in there for a brief moment.
That was how pitch-black it was beyond that wall.
Thud.
The wall door closed. Had I not approached and knocked on it myself, I probably never would have known such a place existed in my entire life.
My feet wouldn't move easily. Seeing my gaze still lingering on the wall, Basad led me forward.
“The head of the family would not want you to take an interest in the basement, Young Miss.”
“Who's caught in dere?”
“I do not know that either.”
Basad shook his head as he answered. I took one last look at the receding wall before turning my head away.
Just what was happening down there right now?
Walking outside behind Basad, my eyes widened.
“Ah.”
An errand.
Durias had gone on an errand.
“Durias went to bring someone. Are you curious?”
“Uh-huh.”
“It’s a secret.”
And…….
“How you could be born into the Astrophel family…… Durias stepped away to look into that.”
Even what Kaid had told me.
All the circumstances strongly pointed to the person locked in the basement.
He said he went to fetch someone to find out the secret of my birth.
And that person was now captured and brought in as a sinner of the family. Down in that basement.
The puzzle pieces were slowly coming together in my head.
Then does the person in there know who I am and where I came from……?
If I go inside, will I be able to hear the answers?
“Young Miss.”
“Uh-huh?”
“Why the sudden pause? Your complexion doesn't look well.”
Basad was looking at me as I stood there in a daze.
I quickly shook my head. For now, whatever I figured out, it wouldn't do any good if those around me noticed.
“It's nothin'.”
I resumed my steps, which had stopped without my realizing it.
Yet all my attention was pulled toward behind me.
I have to go in there. But how can I get inside?
No suitable way came to mind.
* * *
The noisy outside grew quiet.
In the end, Irene had discovered this place.
Kaid clicked his tongue, scowling as if troubled.
“The young miss was tailing you.”
“I know.”
“I see. Then why didn’t you stop her?”
“Because she'd be curious.”
“……Aren’t you being too soft on the young miss?”
To think that was the only reason. Durias wore an incredulous expression.
The two of them had sensed Irene's presence right from the moment she began following behind them.
How could they fail to notice when she was toddling after them with such utterly clumsy skill?
Kaid had even chuckled under his breath the entire way.
Watching Kaid subtly enjoying being shadowed, Durias shook his head in disbelief.
Irene must not know about the existence of the basement yet.
“Wouldn’t it be troublesome if this place were discovered?”
“It would be.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to be careful? The young miss would be shocked.”
“She won’t be able to enter anyway, so it doesn't matter.”
Kaid spoke calmly as he looked down at Ella, who was lying unconscious.
With her pheromones bound, her body had become severely emaciated.
Having gone without water or food for days, she was bound to be nearing her limit.
For he had instructed them not to give her anything unless she opened her mouth.
“Wake her.”
“Understood.”
In the pitch-black dungeon, one couldn't even guess how much time had passed.
Losing one's mind could happen in an instant.
For that reason, when not interrogating her, they blocked her acupoints with pheromones to keep her unconscious.
Though that in itself must be driving her crazy.
Durias stepped into the cell and placed his hand behind Ella's neck.
“Still, her mental strength is quite impressive. She's somehow managing to keep her sanity.”
“Well, what a relief. It would be troublesome if she went mad too early.”
“It is indeed fortunate that she confessed before losing her mind. We've secured the necessary information to some degree.”
One by one, he released the pheromones that had been blocking her vital points.
Soon, with a faint groan, Ella's closed eyes fluttered open.
“Ugh…….”
“You've opened your eyes, Miss Ella. Do you know what day it is today?”
As the sharp, pungent scent of venom drifted to the tip of her nose, Ella drew in a sharp breath.
“I see you still want to live.”
Durias stood up as if relieved he didn't need to take further measures.
Catching sight of another silhouette beyond her blurry vision, Ella flinched and curled her body inward.
“L-Lord Kaid is here…… W-what brings you…….”
Fearful, Ella's eyes trembled pitiably.
“I-I told you everything. I confessed every single detail without leaving anything out.”
“So Durias told me.”
Then why……?
Ella wore a bewildered expression.
Durias shrugged and explained on his behalf.
“The head of the family wished to hear the story directly.”
He kindly helped Ella sit up. Focus was returning to her dazed golden eyes.
“Miss Ella will have to say it once more.”
Soon, upon seeing Kaid's face clearly filling her vision, Ella's lips quivered violently.
Watching the pale face overtaken by terror, Kaid took a step closer.
“Speak.”
“……W-what should I…….”
“Everything, without leaving a single detail out.”
“…….”
“What happened with Estella on that day.”
Kaid added with a brief pause,
“I know very well how foolish you are, so don't even dream of lying.”
Ella's heart dropped.
If she uttered nonsense…… her head might fly off this time.
Ella exhaled slowly and shrank back hesitantly.
To have to tell the story again…… Her mind went blank and her throat tightened.
When she only parted her lips without being able to utter a word, Kaid tilted his head.
“Why aren't you speaking? Did you babble words that you can't repeat in front of me?”
“N-no, that's not it. ……I have never told a lie.”
She hastily denied it.
Seeing her golden eyes shake in panic, Kaid's eyes narrowed.
He instantly realized she was hiding something, but let it slide for the moment.
“I see. Then there shouldn't be anything you can't say.”
Ella's mouth went completely dry.
The reason Kaid had personally come down to the basement was likely because he had sensed something amiss.
I must never make a mistake.
Her entire body stiffened, and cold sweat ran down her back.
Durias clicked his tongue and said,
“There is no need to be nervous. All you need to do is report just as you told me.”
“Y-yes, understood.”
Stay calm. Just do as I did before. Even Durias accepted it and let it pass.
She had no expectation of walking out in one piece.
Yet if she were lucky, she might be able to leave even if she ended up half-crippled.
Realizing this was her last chance, Ella took a deep breath.
“Half a year ago…… I received a message from my clan. They said they would give me a chance to return if I obeyed their orders.”
Ella's voice trembled with anxiety.
Anticipating a long conversation, Kaid sat down in a chair and asked,
“What order was it?”
“……It was an order to bring them the heir egg of the Astrophel family.”
The Astrophel family was far too fortified for outsiders to infiltrate.
So they attempted to make contact with Ella, who served by the side of the lady of the house.
Knowing she wished to return to the embrace of her clan, they sought to take advantage of it.
“I…… I naturally said it was impossible. That I couldn't do such a thing.”
“Then why didn't you report it?”
“That was…… because I feared I would be cast out from here as well if it became known that I had contacted them…….”
Since outsiders were always subject to suspicion, Kaid nodded, granting that it made sense.
“Continue.”
“I clearly told them I couldn't…… but they kept coming to coax and sway me. So without realizing it, I…….”
Kaid let out a cold chuckle. What a completely pathetic excuse.
To think she turned her back on Estella's benevolence in taking her in, choosing instead to join hands with her clan.
In the end, Ella was simply confessing that she had weighed her options and committed treason.
As Kaid broke into a derisive laugh, Ella's face froze solid.
“I almost feel pity for Estella, who gave her affection to someone as worthless as you.”