### Chapter Nine: Conversations in the Cell (Part 1)
“Aunt, I meant no offense.” I tugged at the corners of my mouth and flashed a slight smile.
“Pepé, I was hurt back then…”
“I know.”
I nodded and began walking alongside her, speaking softly, “Before I arrived, Aunt Bella must have been desperately protecting Father, right? I understand. Many years ago, we talked about this. I know you value Father’s life more than your own.”
After my words, Bella froze for a moment, “You— you remember?”
“Yep.”
I nodded again.
After a brief silence.
“The past…”
Aunt Bella hesitated, seemingly unsure of how to start. I glanced at her, waited for a moment, and then she suddenly changed her tone and shook her head, “Never mind, let’s not discuss the past.”
“I’ve long since given up on fantasies, Pepé. Nothing ever happened between me and your father. Nothing in the past… and nothing will happen in the future.”
She looked up at the sky, “I am a Workshop Hunter, sworn to serve Shanter Castle. Your father gave me a second chance at life, and I will repay him for that debt with the rest of my life. That has already been decided. All other emotions are simply weak and unnecessary burdens. I made that mistake once; I won’t make it a second time.”
Aunt Bella’s expression…
It looked like she had cleared her mind about many things during these days.
I tilted my head in thought.
“Father is about to become Emperor.” I said to her.
This wasn’t really a reminder, nor was I trying to advocate for anyone. I believed that whether it was me or her, and even Mother, we all understood one thing very clearly: the Emperor of the Empire is allowed to have concubines.
The reason being, the Emperor needs to produce more exceptional offspring to ensure competition among them and ensure the next heir isn’t a bumbling fool causing chaos in the Empire.
Just like Edward, if he were to inherit the throne, who knows what the future of the Empire would look like? I heard that several of Emperor Keynes’s sons were nothing but dead weight. Therefore, Edward’s biggest “rival” was Lafael, the fourth in line at that time.
And yet, Keynes was overly suspicious and protective, unwilling to let his bloodline gain power. That’s how I ended up falling off a cliff later.
It was Keynes’s tacit acceptance that led to this “vicious competition,” but what the Empire truly needs is a positive and mutual competition among the princes— “positive” is merely an ideal state. Regardless, competition is always necessary; it’s a tradition, an essential factor for ensuring the long-lasting prosperity of the Empire and maintaining the stability of the “Winter Moon” rule.
Although the current situation is that Father is getting old, and Lafael is undeniably the one most suitable to inherit the throne among the younger generation of “Winter Moon.”
However, the “rules” have existed for centuries.
No need for me to remind anyone; everybody knows this better than I do.
“Mother, did you say something to Father or to Aunt?”
I merely guessed this and wanted to confirm it.
“……”
As my gaze swept over, I noticed Aunt Bella’s face showing a dazed expression, “She… indeed said something to your father… said… said I should have a child…”
“Hmm.”
Just as I expected.
Before she could finish, I immediately interrupted her, “So, Aunt Bella, do you want a child?”
“I—”
Bella seemed a bit distracted.
She probably didn’t have an answer or maybe she already did but was just afraid to say it.
“Alright.”
I smiled again, intending to end the topic here, “Aunt Bella, you two should decide your own matters. I, as a junior, have no right to interfere. I didn’t come to see you for this reason.”
…………
With a loud *clang*, the lock on the dungeon door opened. The meticulous gray-haired Female Hunter held a torch and led me down to the dim, damp stone chamber. The sound of footsteps echoed clearly, and in the depths of the dungeon, I could hear countless shouts and cries for justice.
“I want to see Skarlij—”
“d*mn it, you can’t treat me like this! You can’t!!”
“Ugh—”
“Spare me… spare me my life…”
Countless hands reached out from the stone rooms on either side, some dressed lavishly, others in rags; their eyes gleamed with hope upon seeing Bella, but that hope was quickly whipped away by the guard Hunters.
After turning through countless corners, those voices finally quieted down.
Bella led me to the deepest cell, where more Hunters with strange weapons stood guard. Upon seeing us, they bowed and paid their respects. Bella immediately instructed them to leave, and then pointed to one of the cells, saying, “The person’s right there. Go ask whatever you want.”
“Okay.”
I nodded and glanced at her, “Aunt Bella, please leave too.”
After she walked away, I approached the cell.
“…Hey.”
Thick iron bars confined the person inside, the gaps so small that even goat cheese wouldn’t fit through. The cell had minimal amenities: just a straw mat for a bed and a filthy, smelly bucket in the corner. That was it.
In the darkness, a figure lay quietly on the bed, the armor long removed, clad only in gray prison clothes, seemingly oblivious to my arrival.
I frowned slightly, “Satoski, wake up.”
Satoski remained unresponsive.
But I knew he definitely heard me.
Heh.
I like that little stubborn attitude of yours.
*Crack crack crack crack crack—*
Frost spread from underneath my feet, carpet-bombing the cell. In an instant, the entire straw bed was covered in frost, and just the right amount of it didn’t touch the man’s body. The biting cold made him let out a yelp and roll off the bed in a hurry.
“Looks like you’re still alive.”
I watched with interest as the man rolled off the bed, realizing the ground was also covered in biting ice. The cold vapor made him shout in panic as he clumsily got up, and his elbow seemed stuck in the frost, pulling off a layer of skin in the process, making him scream again.
That sound was almost instinctive; he then charged at me furiously, the chains rattling loudly, and with a *thud*, he slammed against the bars.
“Either k*ll me or let me go! What the hell do you want from me!! Ah!?”
The man grabbed the bars with both hands, shouting at me through the gaps, wild eyes hidden beneath disheveled hair, fixating on me.
Smells terrible…
I took a step back.
Frowning, I covered my nose and said in a mocking tone, “If you really want to d*e, it’s actually not that hard, is it?”
“……”
The man suddenly fell silent.
“…It’s you.”
After a moment, he seemed to finally recognize who I was, his violent emotions gradually fading, and he slumped down onto the ground, where the frost hadn’t covered.
“You know who I am?”
I retorted, backing up while pinching my nose, and sat down on my side of the tightly secured bars.
Our eyes met.
“Ha.”
He looked at my nose-holding expression and suddenly burst into laughter, “Just a little girl.”
“Is that so?”
I wasn’t angry.
Thinking for a moment, I decided to drop a bombshell: “I’m a victim of your so-called ‘Destiny Plan’ and also the most successful case currently at the ‘clinic,’ no doubt about it.”
