Chapter 9: Trials Behind Iron Bars

Several hours had passed. Lara Schmord stared at the silver-gray iron bars with bleary eyes. Tied up in an awkward position, her arms and legs had long since lost their sensation. Still, the primal urge to survive burned clearly in her mind.

It was cold and she was starving. By now, her parents were surely worried that she hadn’t returned to the mansion. Her brother Saeki was probably whipping up some spaghetti… the mental picture was unmistakable.

‘Why must I suffer such misfortune?’

‘Is this all linked to the heroine? Ah… come to think of it…’

That small glimmer of hope that had once shielded her suddenly flashed in her mind. Could it be that from the very start she was doomed to be the sacrificial pawn for that absurd situation? The thought sent chills down her spine.

‘Oh, dear… it seems I’ve been stepping on mines all along.’

While Lara shuddered in despair, a strange clanging of an iron door echoed from afar. As a pale yellow light emerged from the gloom, a gravelly voice broke the silence.

“Really, you’re not just generous—you’re downright merciful. Who would have thought you wouldn’t even nick a finger of that heinous criminal who soiled the desk with his mess?”

“Indeed. Tch. Looks like that wretched sinner finally stirred.”

An older guard spoke up. With a hardened expression, he shoved a lump of dry bread and a milk bottle into the cell, his face wrinkled in disapproval.

“I’d love nothing more than to sing praises by scorching the behind of the one who dared insult the Duke, but thanks to His direct orders, I can’t.”

“It’s so unfair! Please, get me out of here!”

“Unfair? We saw everything! That mad, deranged grin on your face as you were dragged in—devilish wretch, we know your true self!”

As the guard bellowed, a startled Lara banged her head against the wall. While she whimpered in pain, the guards snickered merrily before leaving the cell.

Unable to free the arms bound behind her, Lara awkwardly hobbled to the food tray and grabbed a piece of bread as if it had been tossed there carelessly. Mid-chew, she began choking and coughing. With a wooden stopper blocking the milk bottle’s spout, she couldn’t drink it, writhing in agony on the floor.

In her own twisted way, she fancied herself refined. Ah… maybe she should just admit it, she thought, as tears of regret welled up. It was the first time she’d ever tasted bread drenched in her own tears.

* * *

Diches had arrived at the rear annex behind the Knight Order building. Judging by the still-warm urine left at the entrance, it was clear he had only just gotten there.

“Enough with this endless chase. No matter how much you run, you’re already in my grasp.”

Exhausted, he longed to be swept into someone’s arms to ease his fatigue. Adjusting the office glasses that dangled from his suit pocket, Diches scanned the dim surroundings with sharp eyes.

Just as he wondered if he had tracked the footprints correctly, something darted out from behind a massive thicket.

“Woof-woof!”

It was a large guard dog. Overcome with joy at seeing its master, it jumped onto Diches’ shoulder on two paws and began licking his chin enthusiastically.

“Johnny, look at this. Doesn’t your unwavering loyalty prove it?”

Gazing at the dog’s wagging tail, Diches slowly ran his hand along its neck. The possessiveness in his gentle caress was unmistakable.

“Did you really think you could ever escape me?”

“Woof!”

“What a foolish thought. As long as the collar around your neck remains intact, you’re forever mine. Don’t even think about running—it’s useless.”

“Woof!”

Indeed. Johnny, the pet dog, had trailed his master’s scent all the way from the Duke’s mansion to the Knight Order. Ever since his unauthorized rampage in his master’s office, leaving a mess behind, he’d been frolicking around in the garden.

“There’s no place more fitting for you than my home. Sing away, my little canary.”

Diches, as if cradling a cherished little bird, smiled conspiratorially. He finally seemed thoroughly satisfied.

Enveloped entirely in his master’s possessive hold, Johnny panted joyfully.

“Take care of Johnny.”

“Commander, leave it to me!”

After entrusting Johnny to a knight, Diches turned and headed for the underground cell. As he was greeted by a guard at the door, his gaze fell on a knight standing with his back turned outside. The knight’s silver hair, resembling a high-temperature wig, glowed subtly in the dim light.

“Sir Edgar III.”

“Ah, Commander, have you graced us with your presence?”

In a measured tone, Edgar III turned to reply.

“Shall I step aside for you?”

“No.”

Diches noticed that Edgar III was conversing with a rookie knight named Raan inside the cell. Intrigued about their private discussion, he couldn’t help but be curious.

“Don’t mind me; continue your conversation.”

“But…”

“It’s fine.”

Yielding to gentle persuasion, Edgar III had no choice but to relent. He turned back toward Diches and returned to stand before the bars, exchanging a quiet look with Raan.

“I’ll get you out of here soon.”

“Thank you, Edgar III… If you hadn’t protested from the start, none of this would have escalated. I truly appreciate it.”

“Don’t thank me. I feel unworthy of even being called your friend for putting you through such trouble.”

Edgar III pressed his forehead against the cold iron bars—a rare moment of genuine emotion from someone typically so reserved. Diches’ eyes widened ever so slightly at the unexpected display.

“Just wait a little longer.”

In that moment when Edgar III—no, Lady Elina III—lifted her forehead slightly, a large hand extended from beside her and brushed across her short hair. Its gentle caress startled Lara even more than it did Lady Elina III.

“Your wig is askew. A little adjustment, and it won’t be so obvious.”

‘What? A wig? Are you serious?!’

It appeared that, contrary to what the male lead might have believed, Lady Elina III was disguised as a man.

Lara sighed in relief. It was a small consolation—at least not all the clichés had been destroyed.

After fixing Lady Elina III’s wig, Diches turned and left the cell.

“I don’t think it’s something so shameful that it must be hidden.”

Leaving behind a cryptic remark, Diches departed swiftly. Lara, initially confused, soon grasped its meaning and burst into tears.

‘No, that’s not it…! It’s not hair loss!!’

After lying on the cold, hard floor for what felt like hours, the one who had asked for patience had gone home, and no matter how long she waited, he did not return.

‘I must have been wrong to trust and wait so much.’

After all, who would care whether an extra had truly soiled himself or not?

In this world, the heroine’s precious time was far better spent nurturing a romance with the male lead than clearing an extra’s name. Even now, who knew with which handsome lead she might be sharing an intimate moment?

‘It’s sad being single… Lord, do even extras have a destiny in love?’

But no reply came. Apparently, even God sleeps. Well, she had to believe it.

Left alone in the inky darkness, Lara’s mood turned sour. As drowsiness began to overtake her, she resigned herself to fate.

‘I guess I’ll have to sleep here tonight.’

Whoever said that the step after giving up is self-justification.

‘Yeah, might as well sleep. If a centipede, a mouse, or a cockroach shows up, I’d bite my tongue and die.’

Even before she could bite her tongue, she would have passed out. With great effort, Lara closed her eyes and tried to sleep, praying that this bleak night in the cell would pass safely.

Under a thinning moon in the deep night, a cool breeze brushed her cheeks, prompting Lara to open her eyes. Though darkness obscured her view, she sensed movement—and even heard a faint rustle nearby.

‘…What on earth is that?’

Blinking slowly, she felt her body sway. Was she still half-asleep? Lara cautiously lifted her head and then suddenly opened her eyes wide.

She was outside. A refreshing night breeze was blowing—but inexplicably, her body was levitating in mid-air, hurtling swiftly from a height about twice that of an average person.

“Ahhh! What is this?!”

“Shh.”

A small voice from below made her lower her head. She saw Lady Elina III dashing energetically beneath her.

“You can sleep a little longer.”

‘Would you sleep more if it were you?!’

Lara was dumbfounded and terrified, desperate to get down immediately. She wished someone would just scoop her up and run—what madness was this?

Before long, her discontent was short-lived.

“Everyone, here!”

As they entered the forest connected to the Imperial Knight Order’s back gate, a woman strikingly resembling Lady Elina III awaited them. The gust that had been carrying Lara dissipated, allowing her to land gently on the ground.

“Come on, get on! We must hurry.”

A firm shove on her back sent her onto a carriage. In an instant, the carriage sped through the forest.

Though the impromptu midnight escape felt like it had turned into a wild chase, Lara was just relieved to have finally escaped the underground cell.