* * *
Seeing Lowell’s doubt, Zephyros looked on the verge of tears.
“I told His Highness I was no good at this kind of thing, but he insisted I deceive the Emperor for the kingdom’s sake. Do you know how hard it’s been pretending to be brainwashed this whole time?”
Zephyros’s pitiful complaints didn’t seem like an act, forcing Lowell to accept that Zephyros was indeed the ‘support’ the Crown Prince had mentioned.
‘Though calling him support feels… unreliable…’
Lowell briefly suspected the Crown Prince had foreseen all of this but shook the thought away.
If he had, he would’ve sent a more reliable option.
“How did you deal with the soldiers?”
“I laced today’s meals with Sleeproot. Just in case anyone skipped their meal, I burned a little inside the prison too. The effect’s short-lived, but it’s hard to notice the taste. It grows in the Maia Kingdom. I’ve built up a resistance, so I’m fine.”
“I see. How long does the effect last?”
“It varies, but for about an hour, even loud noises shouldn’t wake them. The knights dine separately, so we’ll need to escape through the secret passage.”
Lowell squeezed his eyes shut, frustration tightening his chest.
Zephyros’s face also darkened with anxiety.
“Still, you should run while you can.”
“The moment my location changes, they’ll know something’s wrong. Your betrayal will be exposed immediately.”
Growing more nervous, Zephyros kept glancing toward the stairs, clearly wary of new soldiers, knights, or Count Clarke himself appearing unexpectedly.
“We can’t just sit here. Count Clarke will soon report to His Majesty that you’ve been captured. He even asked for your hair and fingers as proof. He plans to use them to threaten the Grand Duke.”
“Threaten him?”
“Yes. After seeing how obsessed His Grace was with you during the ball, they figured they could use you against him in the worst-case scenario.”
Lowell clenched his jaw, recalling the Emperor’s unnerving, possessive gaze after he’d been stabbed, and fought off the nausea.
“First, untie the knights. Is there any way to treat them, even slightly? They’re all badly hurt.”
“One of my guards has weak divine power. I left him stationed at the door. I’ll bring him.”
“Good. And if you have pen and paper, I need those too.”
Zephyros didn’t even ask why he was being asked to do such a thing and moved swiftly.
He was the type who preferred carrying out orders faithfully rather than thinking and acting on his own.
“Here it is!”
“We’ll try to resist from inside the prison as much as we can. Please deliver this letter to Lord Felix.”
“But…”
Zephyros looked conflicted about leaving Lowell behind in a place like this, but there wasn’t exactly a better option.
He wasn’t particularly skilled at making plans like these, so there was nothing more to be done.
“As soon as I finish the letter, take it and move immediately. You have to deceive the Count well enough not to raise suspicion when you leave.”
“I-I’ve been learning how to lie more naturally lately, so I’ll give it a try.”
Lowell wanted to say that it wasn’t a matter of “trying” but that they had to succeed, for Felix’s sake if nothing else—but in the end, he stayed silent.
‘He’s the type to feel more pressure if I push him too hard, so I better not.’
Confirming the treatment had started in the next room, Lowell placed the pen on the paper.
He knew clearly what he had to write and that he needed to do it quickly.
Yet, his hand refused to cooperate as he wanted.
[To my dearest, Felix]
It wasn’t much different from the way he usually started letters, but perhaps because of the emotions behind it today, the pen felt unbearably heavy.
[I thought you might be shocked to hear that I was captured by Count Clark, so I hurried to ask someone to deliver this letter.]
The first paragraph of the letter was a complete lie, meant to reassure Felix.
Even if it was inevitable, it still left an uncomfortable feeling in his chest.
‘I’m sorry for lying… This will be the last time.’
Lowell forced his trembling hand to move. He wanted to send his honest feelings along as well.
[Do you remember the time when I was sick and lying in bed, and you told me fairy tales?]
The letter continued, ending with Lowell’s quiet but firm resolve.
For the ever-skeptical Felix, Lowell even added a drawing, marking it with symbols and details only the two of them would recognize—things impossible to replicate.
No one would suspect this letter was forged.
“I’ve been rescued. Don’t tell Lord Felix we’re still captured until he finishes his mission.”
“Huh? Wouldn’t it be better to rescue you immediately?”
Zephyros opened his mouth in disbelief, trying to protest, but Lowell remained firm.
“If he rushes here before finishing his task, it’ll only put me in more danger. At the very least, the Emperor and the summoning circle need to be dealt with first.”
Though Zephyros clamped his mouth shut at the explanation, he still looked unconvinced.
“If he learns the truth too early, he might lose his composure or fall under the Emperor’s control… and that could affect the summoning circle. Please think of both my safety and Felix’s as being in your hands.”
Worried that Zephyros might let his personal feelings interfere, Lowell deliberately explained carefully while encouraging him to stay focused.
“Yes! I’ll definitely protect this.”
Sure enough, the words worked.
Zephyros replied even more briskly, his expression filled with determination.
As he took the letter, his hand briefly brushed against Lowell’s, causing him to flinch and pull back as if burned.
Lowell pretended not to notice the bright flush rising on Zephyros’s face, and Zephyros hurried out of the prison.
What followed was suffocating silence and waiting.
“I’m sorry…”
The priest, who had mentioned his weak divine power, staggered away, panting from exhaustion.
The knights, though battered, forced themselves to stand with sheer willpower.
“Are you alright?”
Lowell asked the knights as they changed into stolen soldier uniforms, but he regretted the words immediately.
They might’ve received simple treatment, but there was no way they were truly alright.
Among them, Tia and Tony were the most severely injured.
As Felix’s close aides, they’d clearly been subjected to the harshest torture.
“Thanks to the treatment, we can at least move. We’re used to fighting while wounded, so you don’t need to worry.”
Lowell could tell they were exaggerating just to reassure him.
But there wasn’t much he could do, so he nodded quietly.
“Wear this. It should buy you at least ten seconds of protection.”
Seeing Lowell frozen with worry, Tony dressed him in a knight’s uniform and wrapped his golden hair and face with cloth for concealment.
“Everyone, cover your faces and heads with spare cloth or clothing.”
With a keen eye, anyone could still distinguish Lowell from the others by his smaller frame, but even a moment’s hesitation from the enemy could be enough.
“Would it… be alright if I carried a dagger? If there’s one available…”
Lowell cautiously asked, unwilling to just stand by defenseless.
His hands were still injured, so wielding a sword was impossible—but a dagger, he might manage.
“Just a moment.”
Charis rummaged through the restrained soldiers and let out a triumphant noise as she retrieved a short dagger, roughly a handspan in length.
* * *
