Clang! Clank!
The iron bars slammed shut mercilessly, the sound reverberating in my ears as I stared blankly ahead. Beyond the bars, a pair of scornful eyes gleamed with contempt.
“How dare you attempt to poison the Madam? Don’t think you’ll walk out of this prison alive, you ungrateful wretch.”
Albert, the guard who had dragged me here, spat those venomous words through gritted teeth, even making a motion as if he would spit at me for real. Thankfully, he refrained, though his anger was palpable as he turned and walked away. Still, his words echoed ominously in my mind. If it were truly concluded that I had attempted to poison someone, I wouldn’t leave this place alive. After all, I was just a mere maid, an orphan with no one to miss me if I disappeared.
“Albert, Albert! Please, I beg you, let me speak to the Count!”
I clung to the bars, shouting as loudly as I could.
“It wasn’t me who poisoned the Madam’s tea! I know who the real culprit is! Please, just let me speak to the Count!”
“Don’t spout nonsense. You’re the one who brought the poisoned tea leaves, so who else could it be? Who are you trying to frame for your crime?”
He jabbed a finger at me, spittle flying as he raged.
“It wasn’t me! The real culprit is—”
“The real culprit, you say?”
Before I could finish my sentence, a soft yet cutting voice sliced through the air. My tongue froze instinctively. The cold presence that accompanied that voice seeped into my very skin.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
My heart pounded so loudly it felt like my eardrums would burst. The sound of footsteps, deliberate and unnervingly steady, echoed against the cold stone floor.
He was coming closer.
“Sir, you shouldn’t be down here!”
Unlike me, frozen in place as if my fingertips had turned to ice, the guard panicked and started fussing at the sight of him. The commotion quickly dimmed, leaving only the sound of his approaching steps to fill the suffocating silence.
When he finally stopped in front of me, I couldn’t bring myself to look up at him.
“Sir, please! If the Count finds out, you’ll be severely punished.”
“It’s fine, Albert. I’ll explain it to my father myself.”
“But, sir, if you get in serious trouble…”
Albert was at a loss, nervously shifting from foot to foot. Adrian, however, responded with a calmness that seemed almost leisurely. His angelic demeanor, the one he displayed for others, had completely vanished. All that remained was the suffocating pressure and paralyzing fear he exuded.
“Tell me,” he said, his beautiful voice—praised by all—smooth as silk. “Who is this ‘real culprit’ you claim to know?”
I couldn’t move. My teeth chattered softly, the sound faint but unmistakable.
“Hm.” A quiet hum of curiosity escaped him as he tilted his head slightly, studying me. His gaze roamed over me, sharp and probing, as though he could dissect me with just his eyes.
“You really are different.”
“…”
“You know, don’t you? Who I am, what I’ve done.”
“…”
“How did you find out? I’ve always made sure to be thorough.”
His tone wasn’t angry. If anything, he seemed intrigued, scanning me as if I were some fascinating new puzzle to solve. His scrutiny was so intense it felt as if I’d been pierced by a blade. The more I trembled in fear, the deeper his smile grew. I couldn’t meet his eyes, but the weight of his gaze pressed heavily upon me.
Adrian Kaiser von der Pfalzgraf.
The heir to the Pfalzgraf family.
The man the world hailed as an angel.
But I knew the truth.
The recent string of murders and attempted killings that had shaken the region—all of it was his doing. The sweet and gentle young master was, in reality, the demon behind the chaos.
No one else could have known this.
Because I was the only one dragged into this horrifying game world.