YWPWYLFDM 10

Chapter 10

Because Eila’s hearing was extremely sensitive, she could hear it clearly—though it was a sound that would normally go unnoticed.

Glancing sideways, she saw him with a bitter expression. His face revealed everything he was thinking.

“She enjoys going outside this much… is it really okay to keep this little girl confined?”

That was probably what he was thinking.

Eila pretended not to hear and focused on putting the sandwich in her mouth.

No matter how guilty Cloud might feel toward her, there was no way he would betray Byron to help her. Sympathy that couldn’t be acted on was useless.

Why did time feel so slow?

When she was younger, she hated being locked in a room alone. It was a lonely, frightening time. Yet those moments always seemed to pass too quickly.

But now? She wanted to get back to her room as quickly as possible to investigate the hidden space, yet time refused to move.

Even while eating dinner, even while letting Laura handle her hair, Eila felt an impatient frustration at the stagnant passage of time.

“All done. Your hair is so beautiful today as well, Miss. Your master will surely be proud.”

Laura set down the brush after finishing her work. It was a sign of freedom at last.

“Thank you, Laura.”

Then hurry and lock me in this room.

Eila offered her thanks without meaning it, and Laura replied with a lifeless voice:

“You’re welcome.”

It was just as usual. Laura opened the attic door and climbed down the ladder. Soon after, the sound of the lock clicking into place echoed.

Eila, lying on the floor with her ear pressed against the door, sighed once Laura’s footsteps had completely faded.

From now on, it was entirely her time.

“I should start investigating here first.”

She approached the northern wall and shone her lamp on it. It was just a plain stone wall, without a single decoration.

Normally, secret spaces had some sort of mechanism—ornamented bricks, torch holders, anything—but here there was nothing. A completely ordinary wall.

“…I was sure there’d be something here. Was I mistaken?”

Her excitement deflated slightly. She had hoped to find some clue, yet there was nothing.

But she refused to give up.

“There has to be a reason. Otherwise, the interior and exterior wouldn’t differ.”

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Eila rested her chin on her right hand and scrutinized the wall, searching for even the tiniest anomaly.

She stared so hard her eyes began to sting, but nothing stood out. She thought she might have to give up…

“Hmm.”

A gap between two stones caught her eye—a gap slightly wider than the others.

“It might just be a mistake from when it was built…”

Still, she couldn’t ignore even the smallest difference.

The gap was too narrow for an adult’s finger to fit. A dagger might be needed, but fortunately, her small, childlike fingers could just squeeze in.

She inserted her finger into the gap. Her skin scraped against the stone, stinging slightly, but she gritted her teeth and pushed deeper.

Soon, she felt something catch her finger. At that moment, a click sounded, and the stone wall opened—it seemed she had pressed a hidden button to reveal a door.

“Interesting.”

Though she had studied many secret spaces, she had never seen one like this. It seemed ancient.

She shone her lamp into the opening, but her expression fell into disappointment.

The space was completely enclosed—a secret vault, not a passage. Inside was nothing but dust.

“No, it’s too early to be disappointed. There’s still the opposite wall.”

She closed the door, thinking this. The stone door was heavy, and she had to push with all her strength to close it, sweat forming on her forehead.

Once she knew what to look for, finding the second space was easier. Though it was slightly different from the northern wall, the wider gap immediately caught her eye.

Again, Eila pressed the hidden button. With a click, the door opened.

“Found it.”

She shone her lamp into the opening, unable to hide her smile.

Inside was a deep passage whose end she could not see.

There was no need to hesitate—she would soon find out where it led.

Eila stepped onto a protruding brick and began descending, one careful step at a time.

The passage seemed designed for climbing, allowing someone to hold onto and step along the protrusions like rock climbing.

Even with careful steps, her footsteps echoed through the narrow space. The sound was eerie in the confined corridor.

It must have been countless years since a living person had entered this passage.

After some time, she finally reached the floor and spotted a small hole letting in light.

“Where is this?”

She peered through the narrow opening to see outside. Though almost nothing could be seen, she was relieved to get a glimpse of the situation.

“The first-floor lobby, I think…”

The light she had seen earlier came from a torch carried by a patrolling guard. Once the guard moved away, the light filtering through the gap disappeared.

Now, how could she exit this space?

Eila scanned the area. Just as in her room, there had to be a button to open the passage to the outside.

“Ah. There it is.”

No need to search far—the button was hidden near the small hole she had been looking through. It seemed it could be pressed from both sides.

If she could get outside, the night would be hers.

She was skilled at moving silently and gathering information while avoiding people.

Eila pressed the button with a mischievous smile. The stone wall slid quietly open, giving her a path.

Now, she had a clear first task: to steal clothes suitable for movement.

Nighttime movement was far easier in training clothes than pajamas. She took a dark-colored training outfit from the room where Laura and Capella kept her clothes and returned to the lobby to open the passage.

But she had no intention of returning to her room just yet.

Her most urgent task was to sneak into Byron’s room.

Even if she couldn’t go in immediately, she needed to find a way to enter secretly.

Changing clothes in the narrow passage, she peered outside before stepping out.

Luckily, the guard she had passed was not nearby, likely inspecting elsewhere.

Focusing intently to ensure no one could hear her footsteps, she quietly exited the building.

Outside, she saw torches flickering in the distance, carried by other guards, but avoiding them was easier than breathing for her.

Silent as a cat, she slipped toward Byron’s room on the second floor. Light spilled from the window—he wasn’t asleep yet.

Of course, for night-loving Byron, it was still too early to sleep. No doubt he was drinking again.

A leafy tree provided a perfect hiding spot to observe Byron’s room. Eila climbed lightly and concealed herself among the leaves.

As she expected, Byron wore only a silk bathrobe and drank wine. His hair was still wet, red locks dripping, and his eyes glassy from the amount he had drunk.

“……Ophelia.”

Murmuring while gazing out the window with his wine glass, Byron spoke.

“My Ophelia… why… did you not choose me?”

Drunk and pitiful, he stared into the air, as if looking at Ophelia herself.

Hidden, Eila clenched her fists.

If possible, she wanted to rip apart the mouth that dared to speak her mother’s name. Such a name did not deserve to be on that filthy tongue.

Rodrik had “taken” Ophelia, it seemed. From the start, Ophelia’s choice was not Byron, but Rodrik.

The phrasing of taking and retaking a person rather than an object felt unsettling, but according to Byron, he had never truly possessed her at all.

As expected.

As she had predicted, Byron had intruded between the lovers Rodrik and Ophelia.

“…It doesn’t matter. Whoever you love… I love you.”

Byron set his glass on the window sill and took something from the pocket of his robe. A purple jewel glimmered in the moonlight—it was a dagger.

He kissed the cold metal as if it were precious Ophelia.

“You are the only woman who can stand by my side. My beautiful Ophelia.”