Amy lay curled up on the damp, filthy floor of the prison. After being kidnapped by Lady Esmaine, she had been waiting for the day she would die. Just the day before, a stranger had broken in and forcibly cut out her tongue, leaving her unable to speak.
She slowly raised her trembling hand and held it up toward the bright moonlight. It was already nothing but skin and bone. Even that small motion was exhausting, and her arm dropped heavily back to the ground.
How long do I have to live like this? Why hasn’t Lady Esmaine just killed me already?
Through the haze in her mind, she remembered a moment from long ago. The young Crown Prince had once snuck into her room on a stormy night, clutching a pillow and saying he was afraid of the thunder. She had scolded him for being silly but still lifted the corner of her blanket and let him crawl into bed beside her.
In the warmth of his small hand and the sound of his steady breathing, it was she who ended up falling asleep peacefully. The Crown Prince she remembered had never truly been afraid of thunder.
There’s still a bond between us. Maybe the Crown Prince will come to save me.
That was the only reason she had not yet let go of hope.
Then, she heard voices from the stairway.
“What exactly are we supposed to find down here?”
Amy stopped breathing. It was the voice she had been longing to hear.
She could not even move. All she could do was open her eyes wide and stare at the entrance to the cell. There stood the Crown Prince, his face pale. Beside him, pressed close with a mocking smile, was Lady Esmaine.
“Oh, Your Highness. Don’t you recognize her?”
Lady Esmaine gave a playful smile. Amy ignored her completely and focused only on the Crown Prince. Her heart felt like it was about to burst.
He had come. He was really here to save her.
The Crown Prince briefly glanced around the prison cell. His golden eyes swept across her without expression. Then, his face twisted in disgust.
“What is that smell? This is disgusting. Let’s go.”
As he turned away, Amy gasped without meaning to. The Crown Prince flinched slightly, as if he had heard something, and began to turn his head. But before he could fully look back, Lady Esmaine leaned in closer with a smirk.
“I shouldn’t have brought you here. Still, it was amusing.”
“I don’t see what part of this is supposed to be funny.”
Without another word, the two of them walked away from the prison.
Silence returned.
Amy sat still, pulling together what remained of her thoughts.
He didn’t see me?
That could not be true. This cell, though underground, had a narrow opening near the ceiling. Moonlight came through the iron bars and lit her figure clearly. Anyone who knew her would have recognized her immediately.
So, the Crown Prince…
Her rational mind arrived at a painful truth.
He saw me. He saw me and left me behind.
The Crown Prince who had grown up by her side, who had once clung to her and begged her to marry him, had looked at her lying there in that miserable state. He had grimaced, complained about the smell, and walked away without hesitation.
Amy slowly opened her eyes. That distant memory still left a bitter taste in her mouth.
It wasn’t even then that I died. That came years later.
She looked around. Everything was exactly the same as she remembered.
This place is still as cold as death.
Even the shackle around her ankle was identical. She nearly laughed at the absurdity of it. Sitting upright on the icy ground, she kept her back straight. Each time she exhaled, a cloud of white breath rose into the air.
She sat that way for some time before finally hearing the sound she had been waiting for.
Footsteps.
Someone was approaching. The steps stopped right in front of the cell.
Amy slowly opened her eyes.
A noblewoman stood behind the iron bars, dressed in lavish clothes and covering her mouth with a fan. She looked down at Amy with eyes full of contempt.
“How dare someone like you summon me here?”
The woman’s voice was filled with rage and disgust. Amy, who had once served as the head maid of the Crown Prince’s palace and now worked under the Second Prince, remained calm.
“Weren’t you the one who wanted to hear my confession, Lady Esmaine?”
The noblewoman didn’t answer, but Amy could tell she was startled. She had not expected her identity to be exposed. Amy smiled to herself.
You always act like a watchdog when it comes to the Crown Prince. Did you think I wouldn’t know what you’ve done?
On the surface, Amy remained polite.
“As I have said from the beginning, this is all a misunderstanding, Lady Esmaine.”
“Lady?”
Her voice lifted at the end with irritation. Amy quietly clicked her tongue in her mind. Now that she had been caught, was she done pretending?
Still, Amy responded in a gentle voice.
“Ah, forgive me. Crown Princess-to-be.”
“Hmm.”
Though the noblewoman still hid behind her fan, she could not hide her satisfied smile. Amy pretended to gag in her thoughts but remained composed on the outside.
“You said I was in love with the Crown Prince. But I have never had feelings for him. Not even once.”
“It is easy to deny things with words.”
Lady Esmaine’s voice was cold and sharp.
Of course, she does not believe me that easily.
Amy lowered her head to hide her annoyance, but only for a moment. She looked up again and continued speaking.
“If I may be blunt, doesn’t the Crown Princess-to-be have a younger brother? Baron Dorian, if I’m not mistaken. The one who is expected to become Duke Esmaine someday.”
“Why are you bringing him up now?”
Lady Esmaine’s graceful expression immediately twisted in displeasure. Amy gave a crooked smile. That was exactly the reaction she had wanted.
Amy spoke clearly and without hesitation.
“To me, His Highness the Crown Prince is just like him.”
“What did you just say?”
“He is troublesome and requires a lot of attention, but he will eventually rise to a high position. That is the only reason I show him proper respect. Beyond that, I feel nothing for him.”
Perhaps sensing the truth in Amy’s words, Lady Esmaine’s sharp eyes softened slightly.
“Is that really how you feel?”
Amy raised one hand solemnly and answered with a calm but firm voice.
“I swear in the name of the god Delial.”
Then her voice rang out powerfully, echoing through the prison.
“Even if I were to die a hundred times, I would never desire His Highness the Crown Prince with personal feelings. No, even a thousand times. No, ten thousand times. No—”
Amy’s eyes widened as she kept increasing the number. Lady Esmaine interrupted her in horror.
“Enough, that’s enough. I said I get it.”
“I’m glad to hear the misunderstanding is resolved.”
Amy bowed deeply. Lady Esmaine cleared her throat awkwardly. In hindsight, it did feel like she had acted too hastily in having Amy arrested. But still…
She constantly interferes with His Highness. Can she truly have no feelings for him?
Lady Esmaine narrowed her eyes and studied Amy closely. Despite her disheveled and pale appearance from the torture, Amy still held the beauty and elegance expected of a noble daughter from a once-prominent family. The moment she realized this, the suspicion she had tried to bury began to rise again.
As if she could read Lady Esmaine’s mind, Amy added one last blow to drive her point home.
“Oh, by the way, did I mention something important?”
“What is it?”
“I will be leaving for the northern duchy soon.”
“What? Isn’t that a barren, lifeless land?”
Lady Esmaine asked with confusion. Amy nodded.
“Yes. I’ll be going there to live with the Second Prince.”
“You? With the Second Prince?”
“Yes.”
Lady Esmaine stared at her in shock, forgetting even to hide her face behind her fan.
“Didn’t the Second Prince swear never to return to the Crown Prince’s palace? Are you saying you’ll stay there with him forever?”
Amy answered calmly.
“Yes. I intend to bury my bones there.”
“You should have just said that from the start.”
Lady Esmaine’s face finally brightened. She immediately ordered the guards to remove Amy’s shackles. Amy bowed politely, as though she had never been mistreated. Pleased by Amy’s respectful behavior, Lady Esmaine lightly tapped her shoulder with her fan and laughed.
“See? Isn’t it good to know your place? You nearly lost your life for nothing. Be more careful from now on. You won’t always have the luck of running into someone as forgiving as me.”
“You are absolutely right. I will remember that well.”
Amy responded obediently. Lady Esmaine looked relieved, as if a weight had been lifted from her chest, and smiled brightly.
“Then off you go. I’m sure you have plenty to prepare for your trip north.”
“Yes. I’ll take my leave now.”
Amy bowed respectfully and began to limp up the stairs. She could feel Lady Esmaine’s eyes on her back and clenched her teeth. Each step was agony. Her ankles, fractured from the torture, throbbed with unbearable pain. But she didn’t show it.
She just grit her teeth and cursed silently.
Lady Esmaine, I hope you fall down exactly five times on these stairs.
There were exactly five steps in the Crown Prince’s palace. With that little curse, Amy finally left the hell that had been the Crown Prince’s residence.
In the distance, the Second Prince’s palace came into view. It was tall, but everything about it looked worn down and shabby. Amy glanced back at the Crown Prince’s palace. It glittered like it was brand new.
She clicked her tongue silently and clenched her jaw.
Your days of living in luxury won’t last much longer.
Images of the Crown Prince’s childhood flashed through her mind. He had once been so gentle, so adorable. Her hand tightened into a fist.
“I’m back,” Amy whispered in a faint, broken voice as she arrived at the rundown Second Prince’s palace.
Suddenly, there was a loud commotion. Two maids in uniform came running out, their faces filled with shock. Clearly, they had not expected Amy to return alive.
Amy stared them down without saying a word.
