Previously
Evgenia enters the dungeon and is struck by Richard's beauty, though she remains devoted to Euclid. Upon seeing the horrific burn scars on Richard's hand caused by the original Evgenia, she feels immense guilt and decides to release him immediately to sever their ill-fated connection.
Though I regretted my sharp tone, it was already too late to take back my words. Richard, who had worn a bewildered expression the entire time, slowly bent down, picked up the key ring, and began undoing the shackles around his ankles.
Watching this, I unconsciously bit down hard on the inside of my cheek. The irons he was unlocking were no ordinary shackles; they were enchanted restraints forged to suppress mana. Wearing them was the sole reason he had obeyed Evgenia’s orders so submissively until now.
If Richard, now a free man, suddenly turned around and grabbed me by the throat, he could snap my neck in an instant.
‘Though that’s only if I weren’t wearing this bracelet.’
I glanced down at the bracelet on my wrist. It looked like a simple trinket, but it was actually a magical artifact that protected its wearer. Thanks to it, I had felt completely safe—not just when climbing down from my room, but even now.
‘Spoken like a true Basilian. Who would’ve thought there’d be so many outrageously expensive magical artifacts lying around a dressing room!’
Reassured by the sturdy bracelet, I turned away and pulled out a box that had been tucked in the corner of the cell. Just as I expected, inside lay a black robe and a pair of boots.
Strangely enough, the moment I had stepped into this underground dungeon, I had an instinctive sense of what was inside that box.
I handed the robe and boots to Richard, who stood there awkwardly after shedding his chains, this time speaking in a gentler tone.
Though still wary, he accepted them without a word and slowly pulled them on.
The clothes and boots fit him perfectly, as if tailored just for his frame, which struck me as odd. But giving away nothing, I handed over the last item I had brought: a black pouch.
Richard took it without uttering a sound. A quiet sigh of relief slipped past my lips, confident that my errand here was finally drawing to a close.
Naturally, with a happy future beside Euclid in mind, this was merely the first step. But every journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Feeling unexpectedly refreshed, I spoke with a bright lilt. At that, Richard’s brow furrowed deeply, showing emotion for the very first time. Taken aback by his reaction, I flinched without realizing it.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t even apologized yet. How careless of me.’
“…“
As I went on, Richard’s face contorted further. Even though I was pouring all my sincerity into the apology, the cold edge in my voice seemed to make it impossible for him to sense my genuine intentions.
Feeling all the guiltier, I offered the words I thought would bring him the greatest joy.
What words could possibly be more welcome to someone born into an illegal slave market who had lived his entire life in chains? It was true that the slave brand remained, meaning his legal status had not changed, but after escaping the Basilian ducal estate and seizing control of the underworld, he was said to have rid himself of the mark entirely.
‘He’ll figure out how to remove it once he’s out of here.’
I spoke nonchalantly, even though I had stuffed it full of jewels from Evgenia’s dressing room. The black pouch, which I had found in a drawer there, was exceptionally lavish with a shimmering luster, matching the immense value of the treasures inside.
‘With this, maybe he’ll forgive me for all the hardships he endured…’
I stole a glance at Richard, who was staring quietly at the pouch I had handed him, and then down at his scarred left hand. Catching sight of the raw, painful wound pricked at my conscience. Then my eyes caught an embroidered design on the left sleeve of his robe—a golden flame identical to the one on the pouch.
Yet I brushed it off as nothing special.
I had no idea back then.
In this world, a slave’s brand was burned into the back of the left hand.
Nor did I know… the true significance of the golden flame.
( ‘Everything will be fine… right?’ )
After sending Richard away, I emerged from the annex as well. I had assumed I would feel relieved once he left the ducal estate, but strangely, a heavy weight seemed to settle over my chest.
To tell the truth, I had harbored an uneasy feeling that facing Richard wouldn’t be easy, even before I stepped into the annex.
Still, that was because I thought severing the ties of his resentment would prove difficult, not because I ever expected him to refuse to leave.
‘I never imagined he’d actually resist going!’
I let out a long breath, recalling the baffling scene from moments ago.
Did he not understand?
Had living as a slave for so long dulled his senses?
As Richard’s crimson eyes wavered in confusion, a sudden wave of bewilderment washed over me as well. Then, without warning, he sank to his knees before me.
Hearing that unexpected address, I caught my breath sharply.
Richard, who had seemed frozen in place, knelt before me.
He clung to me, his voice trembling.
Even having read the novel several times over, I couldn’t conceal my astonishment at the unimaginable sight before me.
What was more, the emotion laid bare across his face made him look startlingly young.
Only then did Richard’s age dawn on me.
( ‘He was only eighteen…’ )
Four years younger than Evgenia.
A boy still so young, wounded, and starving.
In that moment, a deep wave of sympathy welled up for Richard as he clung to me, pleading not to be cast aside.
Even so, I did not waver in my resolve to send him away from the estate.
Fortunately, perhaps sensing that my mind was set, Richard slowly rose and walked out of the dungeon.
His retreating figure, moving so hesitantly as if hoping someone might call him back, lingered in my mind.
‘Ugh, Evgenia was the one who locked him up, and I’m the one who set him free. Why am I the one feeling guilty?’
I shook my head, brushing off the lingering gloom.
If things went as planned, I would soon be married, and I couldn’t afford to keep Richard around out of some fleeting pity.
Evgenia, knowing nothing about him, had bought him as a slave purely for the color of his eyes, but he was truly a ticking time bomb.
His true background was something even the mighty Ducal House of Basilian—second only to the imperial family—could barely handle.
Besides, despite showing a side of himself I never anticipated today, Richard was by no means weak.
He had been planning to escape the ducal estate on his own before long anyway.
Granted, it had helped that Evgenia, having lost her mind in her frantic rush to avoid a forced marriage, dropped a key ring and mana restraints right in front of his cell, making his getaway all the easier.
The point was, Richard had broken through the heavily guarded Basilian estate all on his own, slipping past knights stationed at every turn, and vanished into the night.
‘In short, suppressing his powers was the only thing holding him back. He’s monstrously strong.’
Once free of the Basilian estate, Richard had completely erased his slave brand and conquered the underworld, rising to become the master of a vast assassination syndicate known as Black.
Right. So there was no need to worry about him.
Whether he took over the underworld or used the money I gave him to pursue his freedom was his own business.
Even if he followed the original plot in pursuit of vengeance, it didn’t matter, so long as I wasn’t one of his targets.
Once my thoughts settled, my chest felt noticeably lighter.
Now I could head back to my room and reassure Anne, who had to be sick with worry…
A voice behind me froze me in my tracks.
2. The Villainess’s Family
( ‘Did… did I just get caught?’ )
I had checked the knights’ patrol routes and schedules down to the minute!
In my sheer panic, I didn’t even register how unusually informal the call had been. I merely clutched at my wildly pounding chest and held my breath.
Please, don’t let it be me they noticed!
Yet, directly defying my desperate wish, the steady, unhurried footsteps came to a halt right in front of me.
Swallowing hard, I slowly lifted my head.
A man who looked unmistakably like a knight—clad in a crisp uniform, hair cropped neat, a sword strapped to his hip—was staring straight at me.
He must have recognized me the second he saw my face.
Yet even when confronted with Evgenia, one of the most dreadful figures in the household, he didn’t flinch. Not an eyebrow twitched.
The man’s identity clicked into place in an instant.
It would have been stranger not to know.
Raven hair and vivid blue eyes, identical to Evgenia’s.
This man was undeniably…
( ‘Alexis.’ )
Evgenia’s younger brother and a Royal Knight: Alexis Basilian.