I Transmigrated as an Extra in a Trashy Dark Romance Game - Chapter 26

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※ This work contains depictions of coercive relationships, explicit language, and other graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

* * *

In the damp, somehow moist feeling, Edith opened her eyes, still sensing the lingering dizziness.

What met her gaze was the cold wall of a dungeon and Knight Commander Carlton, kneeling in shackles as if tortured, covered in blood. And before him, the Crown Prince, legs crossed on a chair, watched Edith as she awoke.

The Crown Prince’s face, looking down at her with a tender smile, seemed even more sinister due to the gloomy atmosphere.

“Young lady, did you sleep well?”

So this criminal of a Crown Prince even drugged me. Edith clenched her teeth, suppressing the rising anger within her, and asked,

“Your Highness, what is the meaning of this?”

Fortunately, her body was unbound and free. It seemed the Crown Prince had been waiting only for her to wake.

“You said you’d help, didn’t you, young lady?”

With those words, the Crown Prince rose from his chair and walked step by step toward Edith.

His approach felt like the advance of a reaper, terrifying. As his hand reached for her, she tightly shut her eyes.

He grabbed her arm, pulled her up, and led her before the knight commander. Then, he all but threw Edith toward Carlton and said,

“My loyal knight commander dared to defy my orders and even keeps his mouth tightly shut, refusing to speak. Whether it was Carlton or not, I knew you were ignoring my warning. I prefer definitive methods.”

Edith lamented her own foolish judgment for thinking the Crown Prince, who liked definitive handling, would rely solely on Carlton for surveillance.

“It’s a pity, young lady. Anyway, Carlton stubbornly refuses to speak only about matters related to you. So, young lady, help me tame him again.”

Though his words were a request, his tone and imposing attitude made it a command. He smiled as he looked at her face.

“What on earth am I supposed to…?”

Edith was confused about what exactly she was supposed to do.

“You said it yourself, didn’t you? To give more treats. It seems my loyal dog has taken a liking to you…”

The Crown Prince’s words were cold and detached.

“If I offer you as a treat, wouldn’t he pledge his loyalty to me again?”

‘He’s insane!’

Edith wasn’t sure if the Crown Prince even possessed a human heart. His absurd words and the look in his eyes, which seemed to view them as anything but human, sent chills down her spine.

“Carlton, how is the treat I’ve prepared? It’s a special dish. I hope you enjoy it.”

The Crown Prince personally unlocked Carlton’s shackles, looked at his face, and smiled deeply. The smile he wore when he had warned her before carried an ominous premonition, and it was right on the mark.

“Violate the young lady.”

Edith’s eyes widened, wondering if she had misheard. But as if to confirm she hadn’t, Carlton beside her began to plead, pressing his forehead to the floor.

“Forgive me, Your Highness. I will tell you everything about that day. Miss Moulton is completely innocent!”

“No, that is no longer important. I merely wish to verify your loyalty. If you disobey my order… I cannot guarantee what will happen to the young lady you are so fond of.”

His smile gone, the Crown Prince spoke in a voice cold enough to freeze the very air.

“Now, quickly. I dislike this damp place and wish to leave soon.”

He glanced at the two of them from the corner of his eye, then turned and walked back to sit in his chair, crossing his legs. His words were, in effect, a threat that if his command was not obeyed now, both Edith and Carlton could be killed.

The order to do it with Carlton before his very eyes if they wanted to survive was utterly inhuman. Edith shuddered.

She looked at Carlton with eyes full of despair and fear. He, in turn, looked back at her with a face full of self-loathing, then closed his eyes and apologized.

“My lady, I am truly sorry.”

* * *

A wet, rhythmic sound echoed continuously in the damp, dark dungeon. The skirt of her dress, already filthy from being dragged through dust and across the floor, was hiked up to her waist, swaying with the owner’s movements.

Propped up on his elbows, Carlton couldn’t bear to look down at Edith’s face and turned his head away. In his movements, mechanical like a machine, an inexpressible guilt and remorse were palpable.

To avoid being swept away by those motions, Edith had her arms wrapped around his back.

“Ah! Ngh…!”

“Sorry… I’m so sorry, my lady.”

Biting his lip so hard it seemed he might burst into tears, Carlton muttered in a voice so small only she could hear. Seeing the same Carlton who had once terrified her now looking so vulnerable, Edith found herself forgiving him inwardly.

She had resented him most of all since that day. But seeing him now—a pitiful side character forced to obey the Crown Prince’s cruel command to protect her—she felt sympathy and deep pity for him.