What day is it today? The fourteenth or the fifteenth, perhaps?

Judging by my hazy memories, it seems as though the sun has risen and set at least twice.

Thus, although I didn’t know the exact date, one thing was certain. I had been imprisoned in this underground dungeon for at least three days.

“……count!”

I was extremely hungry, but it was bearable.

Since I had been dragged here with all my limbs intact, I wasn’t in any pain or discomfort.

But what crime had I committed to end up in this place?

“Viscount Eyrive!”

I opened my eyes at the thunderous cry that hit my ears.

It was only when I spotted a man cloaked from head to toe in a long black robe standing beyond the bars that I realized the shout I had just heard had actually been a whisper.

He was breathing heavily and gripping the cold iron bars. He looked exceedingly familiar.

“Ciel.”

“Ciel.”

“We do not have much time! You must escape at once. I will guide the way, so hurry and use the power of the shadows!”

I regarded his unusually disheveled appearance with a sense of novelty.

Ciel was my aide. However, he looked nothing like his usual self today.

His blonde hair, which was usually swept back with not a strand out of place, hung messily over his glasses. The area beneath his chin was drenched in sweat.

I calmly asked Ciel,

“What about His Highness Rockfels?”

“Ha! Who? His Highness Prince Rockfels, you mean? I cannot even get in touch with him! I spent the last three days pleading with him without a single day’s rest, yet he never once showed his face!”

I see.

“D*mn it! Attempted regicide? There isn’t a single person who believes you’re capable of such a thing. What an absurd accusation! It’s such a shoddy farce that even a passing dog would laugh at it!”

“I’m telling you!”

I agreed with him on that point.

“Enough! I’ve had enough. Once we’ve escaped, let’s flee somewhere far away and leave this damned Kingdom of Talion to its own devices. If all else fails, we can seek refuge with the Golden Hawk, the Grand Duke of the Ighert Empire. He would gladly hide you and even grant you citizenship.”

I lowered my gaze to the patch of moonlight that was spilling across the dungeon floor.

It was so small that I could have covered it entirely with one hand.

When I looked up, I saw the full moon hanging high above a window no larger than the patch of light itself.

The sight of the moon always reminded me of Prince Rockfels.

Perhaps it was because his silver hair had the same cold brilliance. He was my superior and benefactor, my salvation and my master.

Throughout my imprisonment, I had calmed my mind and body through meditation, waiting for him to come.

Of all the people I knew, I believed that Prince Rockfels would be the one to recognize my innocence and protect me from this sudden accusation.

The trust we had built up over the years was so strong that I had never questioned it.

Yet it seemed that Prince Rockfels was not coming after all.

‘So that is how it is.’

Had he abandoned me after all?

Even when I finally came to that conclusion, I didn’t feel empty inside.

In fact, my mind grew calm and my vision cleared.

It was truly strange.

“I hate to say it, but we can’t afford to be sentimental. Hurry up and move! Don’t lie and claim that the restraints are stopping you from leaving. I already know you’ve neutralized every restraint in this dungeon.”

Ciel’s eyes gleamed coldly as he stared at my feet.

Thin, elongated black lines spread outwards from my shadow like a spider’s web. They climbed the walls and ceiling, extending all the way to the floor above.

“You were also the one who rendered all the guards unconscious, weren’t you? You must have used the power of the Black Death.”

The Black Death.

That was the name of my ability, and it was also the title by which I was known.

I was the master of all shadows. The supreme ruler of darkness.

Such epithets all originated from the power I possessed.

From my transcendent ability to command shadows.

“Don’t you find it strange, Ciel? They know who I am, yet they’ve locked me in such a crude prison. They must know perfectly well that it’s useless.”

Ciel scoffed at my words.

“Considering that Prince Rockfels is behind this, it’s not strange at all. He must have believed that even if you were confined in a prison like this, you would never attempt to escape.”

“That’s not it, Ciel. That’s not what this means…”

The Black Death was allowed to run completely unrestricted. Yet Prince Rockfels had still not arrived.

These two facts led to only one conclusion.

Prince Rockfels wanted me to kill myself.

Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted upstairs.

“By order of His Highness, Prince Rockfels! Kill the intruder on sight and capture Viscount Iselin Eyrive alive! If she cannot be captured, kill her!”

‘Capture me alive or kill me…….’

A hollow laugh escaped my lips.

Was that command not yet another cruel reminder that Prince Rockfels had abandoned me?

All color drained from Ciel’s face as he desperately rattled the iron bars.

“Viscount! We have no more time to waste. You can see the situation I’m in, can’t you? I’ve been branded a traitor alongside you, and now I’m about to have my head severed from my body! At this rate, we’ll all die. Please—if only for my sake, come out of there!”

Death.

What did the death Ciel spoke of truly mean to me?

I had once escaped that dreadful fate before, all because of Prince Rockfels.

Seventeen years ago, he had rescued me from my doomed homeland, where I had been fated to die young and leave behind nothing but black ashes.

‘You are awake. I am Rockfels Brenhilder, the prince of this nation, the Kingdom of Talion. Now that you have lost your parents, I am the only person you can depend on. Remember my name and face.”

Prince Rockfels had been only seventeen at the time, yet he cared for me, a girl four years younger than him, as tenderly as a parent would.

Some believed that the prince saw me as a replacement for the dog he had lost in his youth. However, he paid no attention to this speculation.

I devoted myself wholeheartedly to serving Prince Rockfels, determined to repay my debt to him.

Yes, I had willingly become his dog.

Many resented seeing an untitled girl guarding his back, but whenever they revealed their contempt, the prince merely sneered.

“Most people are narrow-minded and utterly lacking in insight because it is far easier to live that way. They belittle you for the same reason — it is the easier path. So pay no attention to their meaningless noise. Only someone like me can recognize a precious jewel like you, someone who can distinguish a true gem from a worthless stone.”

A salvation sent by the gods.

That is what Prince Rockfels had been to me.

I owed him my life. Because of him, I had experienced emotions so intense that they were almost blinding.

I had gained not only the freedom I had never dared to desire, but also countless experiences too precious to be measured.

This undeserved life I had been allowed to live…… was a blessing bestowed upon me by Prince Rockfels.

How could I possibly resent someone to whom I owed so much simply because he had abandoned me?

I could not.

‘This is enough.’

I had always considered my life itself a debt I would carry forever.

Now that the opportunity to repay it had finally arrived, it was only right that I do so.

“Viscount!”

As the sound of numerous people approaching grew louder, Ciel’s voice became increasingly urgent.

“Ciel.”

At my calm summons, Ciel stopped breathing and stared at me.

Then, without the slightest trace of urgency, I continued.

“There is a chest hidden deep beneath my bedchamber. Only my blood and date of birth can break the powerful spell sealing it. What lies inside will save your life. If you find yourself in danger before you can retrieve it, seek out His Highness, Prince Rockfels, and offer him a bargain. He knows the value of that item better than anyone.”

Ciel’s already pale face turned deathly white.

“No! I refuse! I’ll pretend I never heard any of that, Viscount. Please stop playing around and…”

“Thank you for trying to save me. I truly mean that.”

With my free hand, I seized the broken restraint and drove it into my neck.

“No… don’t! Please, don’t!”

Ciel’s anguished screams gradually faded into the distance.

Perhaps that was why Prince Rockfels did not cross my mind, even as my vision blurred in my final moments.

All I felt was a crushing sense of guilt towards my aide.

The moment I repaid the debt of my life, I finally felt completely free.

That freedom was death itself.

And yet, why could I smell the faint fragrance of mint and feel the warm sunlight caressing my cheek?