Chapter 126
Holding a candlestick, Nina walked to the deepest part of the basement, stopping in front of the spot where the footman was imprisoned.
There was a small barred window set into the thick wooden door, through which she could look inside.
In the pitch-black darkness, with not a single ray of light, she could see a deep, black shadow writhing within.
“M-M-Madam…?”
Ah, this must be the right place.
She had decided to leave the interrogation to her husband, the expert, and had almost forgotten about it…
“M-Madam! P-Please, spare me, please…!”
Startled, Nina stepped back as the man’s shadow lunged toward the bars.
The man’s face, faintly illuminated by her candlelight, was nothing like what she remembered.
When noble houses hire footmen, appearance is an important criterion.
They must be well-behaved, tall, and clean-cut.
“M-Madam, p-please, l-let me out, please, I-I was wrong…”
But now, his face was covered with a spreading skin disease, his hair wild and disheveled, his whole appearance filthy.
He looked less like he’d been interrogated, and more as if he’d been tortured.
Rattle, rattle.
“M-Madam, please, I-I’ll do anything you ask, just let me out, out of here!”
The footman—what was his name, James?
Nina wrinkled her nose and stepped back again.
He looked as haggard and grotesque as a zombie from a film, and reeked with a foul odor.
How long had he been locked up here… about two months?
Being shut in a place like this, which could make even a healthy man sick, it was no wonder he had become so ruined.
“You’ll do anything I ask?”
James pleaded, eyes desperate.
“Yes, i-if you just l-let me out of here, I’ll do anything!”
If he’d only engaged in gossip, he would have simply been dismissed.
Why on earth had he gone so far as to leak things outside and create this mess?
Nina slid a pen and paper through the bars.
“…From now on, write exactly as I dictate.”
“I-If I do this, will you let me out?”
At a time when he should be begging for his life, was he really trying to negotiate with her?
It seemed this man still hadn’t come to his senses.
“Well, that depends on how well you do.”
Of course, she had no intention of letting him out. At least not yet, but sometimes, a harmless lie is necessary.
Looking down at James, who was scribbling in a frenzy with desperate hope, Nina gave a meaningful smile.
After finishing her business in the basement, Nina washed herself thoroughly, from head to toe.
Her whole body, soaked in the basement’s dank air, felt as if it were tainted with mold.
She even used bath salts in the tub, and after her bath, donned a robe and dried her hair.
Even after a full hour of scrubbing, she still couldn’t shake the feeling of being unclean.
It was a place she never wanted to visit again.
Crossing the small parlor on her way back to her bedroom, Nina sat down on a chair with her legs crossed.
‘I’ll set aside the letter to send to House Nord here…’
She planned to quickly check the rest of the mail she hadn’t been able to read earlier, as she dried her hair.
“Tsk, there’s a lot to reply to…”
The president of the bar association, Henry, Lady Catherine of the Barrington Barony, and so on.
Today, there were few places where she could send a stock answer.
Especially the packages from the association president and Catherine seemed thick with documents.
‘I should take my time replying, so I don’t wear out my wrist.’
Nina first opened the envelope sent by the association president.
‘So that’s why it felt so thick…’
Inside was confirmation that the litigation support funds promised in the capital had been safely delivered, along with receipts.
“As expected of someone who deals in the law.”
Every expense was neatly itemized, clearly determined not to allow even a hair of suspicion.
“Hm, it’s the same on this side, too.”
She had guessed as much from what Jessie and Yona had said, but it seemed most agreements had been smoothly settled here as well.
‘That means, after deducting delivery, retainer, and consultation fees, I’ll get most of it back.’
The president had offered to refund the remainder, but that would make her look a bit stingy.
‘I’ll just consider it money that’s left my hands and donate it.’
Honestly, she regretted losing a bit of money, but she didn’t want to tarnish the praise she’d received from Her Majesty the Empress.
After setting the documents aside, just as she was reaching for the next letter—
Knock, knock, knock.
“Wife, it’s me. May I come in for a moment?”
For once, it was Ash’s voice at the door.
“Yes, just a moment!”
She couldn’t greet him looking like this.
Jumping up in a hurry, she undid her belt to tie her robe more securely—
“I’ll just come in for a moment.”
…Creak.
The door opened.
Erica
Noooooo😭 what kind of cliff hanger is this?!
Um, she clearly said, “just a moment”, and yet he STILL opened the door and went in?! I swear if he says something or even THINKS something like, “is she trying to seduce me again?!”, I’m going to blow my top! Hopefully, for ONCE, he’ll admit that this was HIS mistake, and he’ll just fall in love with her even more after seeing her gorgeous body.
Well. That’s my two cents.