Chapter 4

Surrounded by eight maids, Grand Duchess Rosalind slowly descended the stone steps of the underground icehouse.

She was draped in a luxurious white fox fur, its hem sweeping across the bloodstains on the floor, and her brows furrowed in disgust.

"What's all this noise in the middle of the night?"

When she saw the heir lying in a pool of blood with his wrist broken, her face went ashen in an instant.

"My son."

Grand Duchess Rosalind shrieked and strode forward.

She didn't spare Lord Mason a single glance, pointing straight at me, her finger trembling faintly.

"Where did these troublemakers come from, daring to break into the Hall residence and try to assassinate my son?"

"Guards."

"Bring the heavy rods and beat these two lowly wenches to death on the spot, then throw them out to feed the dogs."

Sword in hand, Lord Mason stepped forward and planted himself firmly in front of me.

"Your Highness, Grand Duchess."

"The Enforcement Bureau received a secret report and is conducting a full investigation into the Hall estate abducting women from decent families."

"No one may obstruct this case. Anyone who does will be charged with interfering in official duty."

Grand Duchess Rosalind let out a cold laugh, her eyes full of contempt.

"The Enforcement Bureau?"

"Ferris Mason, you're nothing but a dog my imperial brother keeps. How dare you bark in my presence?"

The moment she finished speaking, hundreds of heavily armed private soldiers suddenly poured into the outer grounds of the Hall residence.

Dressed in matching black armor and wielding spears, they surrounded the icehouse in an instant, sealing it off completely.

The dozen or so Imperial Guards Lord Mason had brought were outnumbered in the end.

The private army disarmed them by force and pinned them to the ground.

The air inside the icehouse was oppressive beyond bearing.

Grand Duchess Rosalind yanked the sword from the guard beside her.

She leveled its tip straight at Millie's pale, blood-smeared face.

Twisting black into white, her tone as vicious as could be.

"Abducting decent women? What nonsense."

"It's plainly this lowly village girl, greedy for the wealth and glory of the Hall estate."

"She loosened her own clothes and ran to my son to seduce him."

"My son refused, so you pack of troublemakers held a grudge and struck to kill."

Millie shook all over with rage, tears welling in her eyes.

"You're lying."

"You were the ones who seized me by force."

Grand Duchess Rosalind gave a cold snort and pushed the sword tip forward half an inch.

"Still talking tough with death right in front of you."

"Even if I kill every one of you today, no one would dare say a single word against it."

I looked at Grand Duchess Rosalind's haughty face.

Listening to her vicious words that turned black into white.

The rage in my chest nearly burned my reason to ash.

Dragging my broken, useless leg, I crawled forward little by little.

Blood left long streaks across the ice.

I crawled to Lord Mason's side and, from inside my close-fitting coarse cloth jacket, pulled out a small square wrapped in layers of oiled paper.

With my bloodied fingers, I tore the oiled paper open.