Episode 6
The next day, I perked up my ears, waiting for the sound of footsteps descending the stairs.
Meals in the prison were served from the top floor down, so by the time the food reached the underground cells, the soup was slightly cold, and the portions a bit lacking.
I usually recognized mealtime by the commotion from the prisoners above—and by now, it should be about that time.
Looking out into the corridor, just as expected, a guard appeared, pushing a food trolley. It wasn’t the usual guard stationed underground, but a stranger.
“Breakfast,” he said.
I glanced over the peas, carrots, and potatoes on the plate and shook my head. The menu today wasn’t appealing.
Not that I planned to skip the meal entirely, though.
While I was doing that, the guard who had just handed over the food was about to push the trolley away.
“Hey! Wait a second!”
I stuck my hand out through the bars and waved. The guard stopped and looked back with an indifferent expression.
“It’s standard rations. I can’t give you more. Not that there’s any food left, anyway.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s the prisoner in the opposite cell. You forgot to release his chains.”
I pointed directly at Richard. The guard’s eyes followed my hand toward the cell across from mine.
What’s the point in giving him food if his hands are chained and he can’t eat?
But the guard merely smirked at the sight of Richard’s chains attached to the wall.
That’s when I realized—he hadn’t forgotten to release them. He’d left Richard chained on purpose.
“You can’t just leave a prisoner like that—how is he supposed to eat? He hasn’t even caused any trouble! Why keep him tied up inside the cell?”
“If he wants to eat, he’ll figure it out. None of your business.”
Just then, Richard quietly interjected—completely unhelpfully.
“It’s fine. Please don’t worry about me. Just eat your meal.”
“See? Even the prisoner says so. Don’t concern yourself.”
I felt my anger boiling over as the guard snickered.
Being wrongfully imprisoned, enduring torture to admit to a crime—I could tolerate all that. But there was one thing I absolutely couldn’t tolerate: starving someone.
Even if you imprison and torture someone, you still have to feed them!
And that guard had crossed the line. How dare he starve Richard?
I was furious—beyond rationality. At that moment, I was acting out of pure, unfiltered rage. Pointing at Richard’s chains, I demanded:
“Release him. Right now.”
“What?”
The guard furrowed his brows and stomped toward me with a threatening expression, stopping close to the bars.
“You’re just a prisoner. How dare you give orders to a guard?”
“I said—let him go.”
Even as he raised his voice threateningly, I stepped closer and glared at him with even more intensity.
Red with anger, the guard kicked the bars and fumbled for the key ring on his belt. It looked like he was planning to drag me out.
“You’ve got some nerve! I’ll teach you a proper lesson myself!”
“How pathetic. Do you think I’ll be scared if you beat me?”
“Stop! Leave her alone! If you need to take your anger out, do it on me instead!”
As the guard struggled to find the matching key, I stood firm, unafraid, while Richard thrashed against his chains to stop him. The underground cell soon filled with noise and tension.
Then, hurried footsteps echoed as the Guard Captain came down the stairs and shouted over the chaos.
“What’s going on down here?!”
At his approach, Richard and I quickly went silent.
The vile guard straightened up and tried to act calm as he responded.
“It’s nothing. The witch was being disrespectful, so I was taking her to the torture room to teach her a lesson.”
“The witch? Don’t you know the Warden is handling her personally? She’s not a prisoner you can mess with.”
“But…!”
“Did you not hear me? Get back upstairs. Now.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Furious, the guard glared at me but still obeyed the higher-ranking captain and left the underground level.
I kept my sharp gaze on him until he disappeared down the hallway.
In the newly quiet space, I asked the guard captain to unchain Richard.
Fortunately, it seemed there were no instructions to keep him bound, so he released Richard without protest.
After the captain left and his footsteps faded away, silence fell over the dungeon once more. No one spoke in the heavy atmosphere.
I sat stiffly in my chair, no longer in the mood to eat, while Richard gently rubbed his now-free wrists, looking a bit awkward.
“Thank you for speaking up for me. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to genuinely care… You’re a better person than I thought.”
I turned back indifferently at Richard’s hesitant words from in front of the bars.
He didn’t meet my eyes directly—his sideways profile looked a bit awkward.
As he brushed the back of his neck with one hand, his collarbone and veins stood out under the thin prison uniform. It seemed he’d lost even more weight.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve always helped others, but no one has ever stepped up for me. Not like this.”
The normally stern and guarded Richard looked surprisingly relaxed, his demeanor softened.
But that moment didn’t last—his expression turned serious again as he warned me in a firm tone:
“But don’t ever do that again. The guards here in Fortress are ruthless. If that other guard hadn’t intervened, you really could’ve been hurt.”
He’d just thanked me, but now it felt like he was scolding me instead—his tone and expression rivaled those strict priests back at the seminary.
I could almost imagine him in pure white priest robes, standing beneath moonlight at a remote countryside temple… Quite the picture.
“Are you even listening?”
Startled, I looked at Richard. He had clearly noticed my wandering thoughts—his eyes had narrowed.
I suddenly felt guilty and found it hard to meet his gaze. Maybe I really did deserve a scolding…
“I—I know. I’ve been here longer than you, after all.”
“No. That’s exactly why I’m saying this—because you don’t seem to know. Promise me you won’t argue with the guards again.”
His persistent gaze told me he wouldn’t give up until I made that promise. But I couldn’t agree so easily—after all, arguing with people like Kyle was practically my daily routine.
You could say defiance was my defining trait.
Still, Richard didn’t look like he’d let it go unless I gave him something, so just to reassure him, I nodded reluctantly.
“Fine. I won’t promise, but I’ll try.”
When I responded curtly, Richard let out a long sigh. Whether it was guilt or unease, he looked troubled.
Not a bad outcome—this meant he now owed me something. If I kept stacking up that debt, maybe I could get him to help me escape…
“…By the way, what’s your relationship with the Warden?”
The question sounded casual, but a chill ran down my spine.
Richard’s jewel-like eyes were now gleaming with cold suspicion—like he was trying to unravel a mystery.
“What’s my relationship with the Warden?”
Could he be suspecting me of being Kyle’s informant?
No. I couldn’t let Richard start doubting me now. I’d worked too hard to gain even this sliver of trust.
I quickly straightened my limbs, which had been lounging lazily, and asked back:
“Why would you think there’s anything going on?”
“The Guard Captain mentioned the Warden earlier. I’ve never heard of Caseynis protecting prisoners, but maybe he’d strike a deal.”
It seemed Richard suspected I had made some kind of arrangement with Kyle regarding him—as if I was ordered to get close to him and set a trap.
It was true: in this infamous Fortress prison, it made no sense that a witch like me could survive without some kind of protection.
But if I really had anything left to bargain with Kyle for, it would only be this body.
Feeling cold sweat on my back, I hurriedly explained:
“No, that’s not it. The Captain just meant that the Warden enjoys torturing me. He probably just wants to torment me more because he thinks I’m a witch.”
But Richard’s downcast eyes didn’t brighten. He still didn’t look convinced, and that made me nervous.
I’ll need to explain this again tonight—seriously this time. Before his doubt turns into certainty.
