***

Winston’s story was truly shocking.

Only after hearing it did I finally understand why Cardien was wary of Chelsea, and why Winston looked so gaunt.

After finishing his story, Winston guided me to where Chelsea was being held.

Chelsea hadn’t been sent far away like Wigen.

However, the place where Chelsea was detained was…

‘…The underground prison.’

When the firmly closed door opened, stairs leading underground appeared.

They weren’t as narrow and dark as the temple stairs, but the damp gloominess characteristic of underground spaces filled the area.

I hadn’t expected her to be given a separate building like Wigen.

No matter how serious her crime, Wigen had a clear and definite position as the Elder of the Council.

It was obvious what kind of treatment a mere maid like Chelsea would receive if she had done something wrong.

And if Winston’s words were true, Chelsea’s crime was by no means light.

So, Chelsea being locked in the underground prison was, in a way, a very natural consequence, but…

“…Watch your step.”

“Yes.”

Feeling a lump in my throat, I bit my lower lip hard and moved my feet downward.

One step at a time.

The further down we went, the more distant the sounds and light from above became, replaced by a musty smell and damp air that clung to my skin.

‘Come to think of it…’

I recalled what I had read in the original story about the underground prison of the Mercedes mansion.

A place where those who committed serious crimes were imprisoned.

Also, a place used as a torture chamber.

The Mercedes family had many enemies and showed no mercy.

Thinking about how many people might have died here…

I had the illusion that I could detect a faint metallic smell in the musty air of the basement.

Chelsea was locked in such a place.

Suddenly feeling a chill down my spine, I carefully asked Winston who was walking ahead.

“Um, Butler. Has His Grace decided how to deal with Chelsea…?”

Winston, who flinched at my question, slowly shook his head.

“I haven’t heard anything. However, given the severity of the crime… it will be difficult to ask for mercy.”

“I see…”

If even Winston couldn’t be certain…

My heart sank.

At that moment, the stairs ended, and several doors appeared before us.

I reflexively looked to the left.

That was the infamous torture chamber of the Mercedes family.

I was anxious that Winston might open the door to the torture chamber.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the door Winston touched was the rightmost one.

Click.

Creeeeak…

As he unlocked the door, the sound of rusty metal grinding echoed ominously.

As he unlocked the door, the sound of rusty metal grinding echoed ominously.

What unfolded before my eyes was a long corridor lit by a few torches.

On the left were iron bars densely arranged to confine prisoners, and on the right were the long corridor, torches, and a few chairs that seemed to belong to guards.

Tap, tap.

Winston crossed the corridor, his shoes making sounds.

I quietly followed behind him.

The torchlight didn’t reach beyond the iron bars.

Perhaps because of this, beyond the bars felt like another world.

Like an abyss or the depths.

Tap.

Eventually, Winston’s steps came to a halt.

It was the innermost cell.

“This is it.”

I flinched and turned my head.

As I stared blankly at the iron bars, Winston quietly spoke.

“I’ll wait at the front, so please talk comfortably.”

“…Thank you, Butler.”

Winston gave me a slight bow and left.

I looked at the iron bars and slowly moved toward them.

For a moment, I thought I saw something glittering in the darkness.

I instinctively recognized it as the glass bead hairpin I had given to Chelsea.

Indeed, Chelsea was beyond these bars.

“Chelsea, can you hear me? It’s me.”

“…Tutor Pellington?”

Chelsea’s voice came back.

But that was it.

Chelsea didn’t make any more sounds.

However, I could be certain.

That Chelsea was looking this way right now.

What could I say to Chelsea in this situation?

In truth, what I wanted to say to Chelsea was already decided.

“…I heard from the Butler.”

I raised my head to look at Chelsea beyond the bars.

Her black eyes, darker than the darkness itself, were directed at me.

It felt like something was pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe.

I still couldn’t believe it.

And for good reason…

“Chelsea… was the Elder of the Council’s agent?”

The moment I finally uttered those words, a heavy sense of reality weighed down on my shoulders.

Chelsea, the spy of the Head of the Council, Wigen Sandes.

When I first heard this from Winston, the shock was too great.

‘Come to think of it, it does make sense.’

In the original story, Wigen knew the internal affairs of the Mercedes mansion to an astonishing degree.

That’s probably how he was able to devour the Mercedes family when Cardien was weakened.

‘But Cardien was extremely thorough with security.’

He was so distrustful that he handled all those tasks one by one with his own hands.

For someone who didn’t trust others and had extremely limited his surroundings, information was leaked too easily.

It was puzzling even when I read the original, but since the work had many plot holes and Cardien became quite careless later on, I thought the information must have leaked then.

So this time, I thought I should keep Cardien’s mind firmly in place to prevent information from leaking like in the original.

To think that the information was leaking through Chelsea all along.

Looking back, Chelsea was the only one among the Mercedes people whose background was unclear.

And what was even more shocking was.

“Chelsea.”

I could feel Chelsea raising her head at my call.

I moved my lips and struggled to make a sound.

“Why… did you confess?”

That’s right.

The reason Chelsea’s identity as an agent was revealed was because Chelsea herself revealed it.

From what I heard, last night, after putting me in my room, she went straight to Cardien and revealed that she was Wigen’s agent.

I couldn’t understand this point.

In the original story, Chelsea never had her identity exposed.

In fact, the name ‘Chelsea’ never even appeared in the original.

Which means, if she wanted to hide it, she could have hidden it until the end.

So why did Chelsea suddenly reveal her identity?

‘It’s fortunate, though.’

It’s fortunate that Wigen’s schemes can now be prevented, but…

“If you hadn’t revealed it, you could have continued to hide it.”

I’m not sure what emotion is behind my words.

I should be relieved that Mercedes’ information will no longer leak to Wigen, so why do I feel so unsettled?

The only thought in my mind was, why did it have to be Chelsea?

More than betrayal, I just felt sad.

That’s when.

“…The tutor…”

At the sudden voice, I flinched and looked in that direction.

Chelsea’s deeply sunken voice came from the darkness.

“…I was ordered to harm the tutor.”

“…!”

Even without saying who, I knew immediately.

The person who controlled Chelsea.

Wigen Sandes.

“I felt no guilt about extracting information from Mercedes.”

“….”

Chelsea, who had finally started speaking, quietly continued.

“…You asked me before. You were curious about my past.”

“…I was.”

“I am a criminal.”

“….”

Even without seeing her face, I could tell.

Deep self-hatred was evident in Chelsea’s voice.

“My parents sold me to a crime guild because of poverty. From childhood, I committed crimes. Pickpocketing, extortion, blackmail, fraud.”

“….”

“When people reached a certain age, the guild would cut ties by selling them as slaves to other countries. I was also going to be sold, but someone paid a large sum to take me out of the guild.”

“That person was…”

“Yes, it was Lord Wigen.”

“….”

“Lord Wigen gave me orders. To become a maid of Mercedes. And to report on Mercedes’ activities every month.”

“….”

“Everything was planned.”

Step, step.

Slowly, footsteps approached.

Eventually, Chelsea’s figure emerged from the darkness.

Seeing Chelsea, I could no longer continue speaking.

Chelsea, whom I faced again,

“Until you appeared, Tutor.”

was wearing such a sad smile.