“Rochelle Kotov.”

He was the man who had remained silent ever since Ivan left. Kaiten approached, tapping Rochelle’s cheek a couple of times with the tip of his shoe, then let out a dry, deflated laugh.

Rochelle opened her eyes and looked up at his face. Though the corners of his mouth curled upward, his expression was twisted with a harsh grimace.

“Hah, should I call it fate, or is it just that your luck is exceptional…?”

“…What?”

“Get up. Come with me.”

His voice was low, muttering words she couldn’t understand. Rochelle, still unable to fully grasp the situation, blinked and slowly pushed herself up. Her legs, now skinny and weak, trembled uncontrollably.

“Where are we going?”

Rochelle pushed her dry, brittle hair back from her forehead and asked. Kaiten didn’t answer, simply turning his body away. It was clear from his demeanor that he didn’t want her to leave this filthy, sewer-like place.

Step, step. Soon, the sound of his boots grew distant. When they reached the iron door of the prison, his back was shrouded in darkness, making it hard to see him clearly.

Rochelle obediently followed in his footsteps.

***

The place Kaiten led her to was a bathroom. Even Rochelle, born a noble and adorned with all the riches and jewels anyone could desire, was stunned by the sheer luxury of it.

As she straightened her posture and slowly took in her surroundings, a mocking smile rose in her heart.

Where did all these lavish treasures come from? With the monarchy abolished, the hierarchy must have collapsed as well. Did the commoners now have such expensive n*de paintings scattered about their bathrooms, just as they wished?

No, of course not.

‘…In the end, you people are just imitating the very nobles you claim to hate so much.’

For the first time, the tightness in her throat seemed to ease a little. Even though these were all pointless thoughts, Rochelle couldn’t shake the illusion that she and her parents had somehow fought and won a war against them, even if it was a silent one.

As the confusion that had shackled her mind gradually faded, Rochelle finally noticed a young woman with brown hair staring intently at her. The woman, who had been busily sweeping the floor, froze with the broom still in her hand.

“Sir Kaiten? What’s going on all of a sudden? That woman…”

“Ivan’s orders. Wash her thoroughly and help her get cleaned up.”

“Why the sudden grooming? Isn’t she the noblewoman Sir Ivan captured not long ago, Rochelle Kotov?”

“Yes, you know well. Hurry up, Fabi.”

Fabi, unable to hide her displeasure, set her cleaning tools down in a corner. She then approached the bathtub, testing the water temperature with her hand, and shot Rochelle a slight frown.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to undress?”

But Rochelle’s gaze was fixed on the dripping faucet. The sight of the water made her heart race, and her thoughts drifted far away, leaving her no room to be wary of the unfamiliar woman.

Unable to resist her thirst, she dashed over like a wild animal, pressing her mouth to the faucet and gulping down the fresh water.

“Hey, hey! That’s not drinking water!”

“……”

“Hey, can’t you hear me? Listen to me!”

Startled, Fabi hurried over and grabbed Rochelle by the shoulders, pulling her back. Her frail body tumbled backward without resistance, and Fabi also fell hard onto the floor, causing quite a commotion.

With pain shooting up from her tailbone, Fabi was about to shout furiously at the stubborn noblewoman when Kaiten’s explanation from afar made her gasp and cover her mouth with both hands.

“Fabi, that woman hasn’t eaten for a week. She’s like a wild animal now.”

“Oh my, a whole week? Was she denied water, too?”

“……”

“No wonder she looks like a dead rat… Listen, I’ll go get you some snacks so you can eat something simple. Can you wash yourself alone? You can, right?”

As she stood up, Fabi shoved Kaiten out of the bathroom, scolding him for daring to peek at a grown woman’s bath.

Then, going over to the third drawer by the window, she pulled out a few butter cookies she had hidden and put them on a small glass plate. Glancing over, she quietly sized Rochelle up from head to toe.

Rochelle, cautiously surveying her surroundings, finally seemed to relax a little. With trembling hands, she began unbuttoning her dress one by one.

Her skin, once as clear as white jade, was now cracked like a snake’s, and her body was covered in dried blood and scars, as if she’d been torn apart by a wild beast.

Even so, her shapely br*asts and the graceful curve of her arched waist could not be hidden. If she had been a man, she might not have been able to resist the urge to reach out and touch such a beautiful woman.

Perhaps that’s why the noble Yevgeny had been so captivated by her charms.

After a brief stay at a sanatorium, Fabi’s older sister had said she’d seen Yevgeny, his eyes full of love, and the beautiful woman Rochelle Kotov, blooming like a peony, together on a ship bound for Castiya.

But what was Yevgeny doing when Rochelle was captured by the revolutionaries?

And why, after capturing the noblewoman, hadn’t Sir Ivan immediately taken her to Brittany for execution?

“Ugh, I told myself not to think above my station.”

Reaching this point in her thoughts, Fabi hurriedly bit her lip.

The intentions of those in power were not for a mere commoner like her to understand. She just needed to faithfully carry out the tasks given to her.

Fabi approached with the tray, setting the plate of cookies and a cup down carelessly on the marble step beside the bathtub. Rochelle’s cheeks were flushed a faint red as she sat with her eyes half closed.

“Eat. You’ve been starving, haven’t you?”

“……”

“It’d be best to have some warm vegetable puree to recover after fasting, but… I’m not the cook, so there’s nothing I can do.”

She had no desire to help a noblewoman, not even a speck, but she couldn’t just leave this frail, battered woman alone to collapse.

So she spoke gruffly, but Rochelle bowed her head in thanks without hesitation. She didn’t care what kind of food was in front of her.

“Thank you.”

Rochelle whispered softly, reaching out and gripping the yellow cookie so hard it crumbled in her hand.

Then, like a child just starting on solid food, not even knowing how to use her strength properly, she shoved the food into her mouth with both hands. It was a pitiful, graceless act, unbefitting of a noble.

Fabi silently fished out the floating cookie crumbs from the water, waiting for Rochelle to finish the last piece. Rochelle was now panting, thumping her chest.

“Drink some water, too.”

Fabi handed her the cup. Only after gulping down the water did Rochelle finally relax, her body going limp with relief.

By their laws, Rochelle was a prisoner. It was still too soon for her to let down her guard, but her face showed a strange sense of peace. That’s how desperately she must have needed warmth and food.

Seeing the miserable woman up close, Fabi’s thoughts became very simple.

“Excuse me. Could you lift your head a little so I can wash your hair?”

“……”

“There are still too many wounds on your body for me to use soap—it’ll sting too much. Instead, I’ll apply ointment after I’ve dried you off, okay?”

Rochelle nodded. Perhaps because her tension had finally eased, her whole body throbbed with pain.

As she tried to sit up, following Fabi’s instructions, her weak limbs kept slipping under the tub.

It would have been easy to get annoyed at the floundering, but Fabi washed Rochelle clean without a word of complaint.

Then, using a soft towel, she carefully dried Rochelle’s body and began combing her damp hair. With every stroke, clumps of Rochelle’s beautiful purple hair came out.

“Ugh…”

No matter how numb a person is, it’s impossible not to feel pain. As Fabi frowned and clicked her tongue, Rochelle smiled gently as if to reassure her, softly touching her own hair with her battered, broken nails.