Chapter 22
At Lillia’s voice, sharp as a rebuke, the door opened immediately and two knights entered.
An unpleasant sense of déjà vu made Ella’s face twist in disgust.
“Are you planning to strap something onto my body again?”
“After you’ve angered me this much, do you think that would be enough? It’s been a while—let’s go.”
“…”
“To that place.”
At Lillia’s final words, the knights who had entered grabbed Ella by both arms.
It was a familiar but far from pleasant situation. She considered struggling but stopped when memories of before resurfaced.
The men holding her arms would never let go until Lillia ordered them to—that much was certain.
So, rather than waste her strength, she quietly followed where Lillia and the knights led her.
Walking in front, Lillia glanced back at her unexpectedly docile demeanor and smiled in satisfaction.
She must know where she’s going. Well, of all people, she wouldn’t be the one not to know… that place.
But Ella’s calmness wasn’t for the reason Lillia assumed. She simply wasn’t afraid of the situation.
However, that sense of ease flipped over in an instant.
She was not familiar with the layout of Duke Mayer’s household. Aside from her own room, she could count on one hand the places she knew.
Where on earth are they taking me?
She couldn’t guess the destination and didn’t bother asking—she knew they wouldn’t answer. Still, she couldn’t ignore the odd expressions of the servants they passed along the way.
Some sneered, some turned their heads to pretend they hadn’t seen her, but she noticed them all.
Most wore faces of pity as they looked at her.
What…?
Before she could dwell on her suspicion, Lillia’s party stepped out of the main entrance and walked toward a corner of the garden.
The sun, in the process of hiding itself, was already painting the sky crimson.
When Ella finally saw their destination, her eyes visibly wavered as she turned to Lillia.
“This place…?”
The musty stench of dust stabbed at her nose. The air was so acrid it was hard to breathe.
When the padlocked basement door was opened, a cloud of dust rushed out, making Lillia cough.
Waving away the dust before her eyes, Lillia stepped inside. The knights shoved Ella forward, and she stumbled onto the basement floor.
The moment her palms hit the ground, a chilling memory surged through her.
I-I was wrong! Mother, I’m sorry! Please, don’t do this…
Ella’s breathing grew ragged. It was a familiar yet alien memory—one that wasn’t hers.
The woman on her knees, rubbing her hands together and begging Lillia… that was the real Ella.
Her head spun. Her already weakened body reeled under the weight of the foreign memory, and nausea churned inside her.
Ella…? Why… have you been here before…?
Though it wasn’t her own experience, her eyes burned. The memory was that desperate.
Lillia approached the bowed Ella.
“I didn’t expect to bring you back here. Five years… has it been?”
Wearing a strange smile as though recalling fond times, Lillia whispered like a snake.
“Do you remember the ‘discipline’ you received here when you refused to behave? How much effort I put into correcting a vulgar, wicked girl…”
“…”
“And then you left home, and in no time you forgot your place entirely. Ungrateful wretch.”
Her voice was laced with bitter contempt and hatred, nothing like that of a mother to her daughter.
“For a beast lower than a human who doesn’t know its place, the rod is the only cure.”
Smiling wickedly, Lillia jerked her chin toward the knights.
At her signal, they picked up shackles from the floor and stepped toward Ella.
At the clinking of metal, Ella slowly raised her head, her mouth dropping open in shock at the sight of the shackles in the knight’s hands.
These people… what on earth did they do to her daughter?!
An indescribable fury rose within her. How could any parent do this to their own child?
I should have realized when I saw the scars on Ella’s body… I should have prepared something back then!
She cursed her past self for dismissing it because it wasn’t her own pain.
Ella, you’ve lived like this all this time?
What crime was magic? She hadn’t even chosen to be born with it…
Hot tears welled up in an instant, and she tilted her head back to keep them from falling.
The pitch-black ceiling greeted her gaze.
Not a single ray of light reached this place… it was utterly desolate.
Guilt stabbed her—toward the girl named Ella, whose face and name she barely knew.
It wasn’t her fault, and they had never met before this, but still she felt sorry—for not helping while she suffered this way.
Lillia, staring at the tears in Ella’s eyes, sneered.
“Being here must be bringing back memories. You came here often enough… didn’t you miss it while you were away?”
“…”
Ella glared silently at her, but to Lillia she was less frightening than an insect.
Lillia stepped closer and gently stroked Ella’s hair.
“Let’s reminisce a little.”
The seemingly affectionate words were followed by a sharp jerk of Ella’s head backward as Lillia’s fingers clawed into her blonde hair.
It must have hurt, but Ella didn’t let out a single sound.
Seeing her unfazed expression, Lillia tightened her grip.
When Ella still didn’t react, Lillia clicked her tongue and let go.
“Stubborn thing. Shackle her.”
At her order, the knight stepped toward Ella with the shackles.
That moment lasted only a few seconds—but to Ella, it felt like an eternity.
“….”
She blinked slowly, looking at the knight, then at Lillia—and suddenly burst into laughter.
The unexpected laugh made Lillia falter.
She barked something sharply, but Ella didn’t hear.
She could not forgive Lillia for treating her daughter like this.
Realizing no one would come to save her, she knew instinctively—if she wanted to escape, she’d have to rely on the unknown power of magic. She’d have to use it.
She had sworn never to, but this was the moment.
She had always avoided magic, partly for many reasons—but mostly because of fear.
Even with a strong suppressor on, her magic never faded. She feared it.
But the moment she decided to use it, she felt the power, long stagnant, begin to surge.
The wild magic battered her body mercilessly, not lessening in the least despite the restraints.
Feeling the magic rampaging inside her like a wild horse, Ella made a silent plea—not knowing to whom.
Ella, I’m sorry to ask this, but please… Just this once. Help me get out of here safely, and I swear I’ll make sure your parents never do this to you again. Just lend me your strength.
She closed her eyes. The basement was pitch-black, so her vision was nothing but darkness.
She steadied her breathing and quietly focused on the magic flowing through her body.
After a brief moment, an unknown light flickered before her eyes—so briefly she might have thought it an illusion.
“….”
She slowly opened her eyes. Her pale blue irises now glowed with a color unseen before.
Meeting her gaze, Lillia abruptly stopped speaking.
A shiver ran down her spine. This was clearly her daughter, yet she seemed like a stranger.
It was humiliating—she was supposed to be in complete control here.
Ella’s eyes should have been filled with fear, looking up from the floor.
Then why—!
Why were those eyes looking at her like that?
Lillia clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms.
“You’ve grown a lot bolder. Do you still think you can do something in this situation?”
“Well… who knows?”
There wasn’t a trace of fear in Ella’s calm face.
The unfitting expression made the back of Lillia’s neck prickle.
Pointing at the restraining collar around Ella’s neck, she raised her voice.
“You can’t even take that off by yourself! What can you possibly do here?”
“This thing?”
Ella touched the collar and spoke slowly, smiling softly like a spring flower.
Following her hand, Lillia and the knights froze in shock.
“…!”
The knights, until now silent observers, stood frozen in place.
“W-what…!”
Lillia stumbled back in shock.
With a faint crack, the collar around Ella’s neck crumbled to pieces.
