If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 259

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

She realized that the knights had let go of her arms only when she pitched forward and landed face-first on the floor.

“N-no, I’m neither of those things.”

Teschen blurted out, struggling to keep the pain from showing on her face even though she was sure her nose was broken. She quickly lifted her head from where it had hit the floor and looked up at Cain.

“I can be useful. Whatever you ask of me, I’ll accomplish it. Even the Grand Duchess herself once trusted me. There’s nothing I can’t do.”

In her desperation, she blurted out an admission—that she had infiltrated the estate on orders from the Grand Duke’s family. But Teschen was past the point of caring. If it meant escaping this place and surviving, nothing else mattered anymore.

Cain looked down at the pitiful, tear-stained woman groveling at his feet. She was nothing like the dignified head maid she had once been. No matter how proud someone may seem, a few fundamental needs can reduce anyone to this state.

Cain could only compare the person before him to the Teschen he had seen a year ago as he finally spoke.

“You’ll do anything?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“So you could go back to your previous work?”

“My previous work…?”

“As a spy.”

Teschen blinked rapidly, not quite grasping what he meant.

“The difference is, this time, the roles will be reversed. Do you understand what I mean?”

“If the roles are reversed…”

“I’ll send you back to the Grand Duke’s residence.”

“P-pardon?”

“You’ll report everything you see and hear there to me.”

Her mouth fell open. She had never considered such a scenario. She’d sworn to do anything to survive, but being a spy against the royals was not a decision to make lightly.

“Can you do it?”

Teschen hesitated. Was he truly giving her a choice? The answer was clear—it wasn’t a choice at all. She would either succeed or die, nothing in between. And so, her answer was already decided.

“Yes! I’ll do it. No matter what, I’ll succeed!”

Not wanting to sound as if she’d agree to anything just to get out of her cell, Teschen added a few more desperate words.

Everything that followed happened so quickly it barely felt real. Once Cain got her answer, he ordered the knights to take her out of the dungeon.

Blinded by the flood of sunlight, Teschen staggered and clung to the nearest column until she regained her balance. Her eyes, long used to darkness, took a long time to adjust to the daylight.

“Follow me.”

One of the knights barked. They had no sympathy—whether she struggled with the brightness or not, all they cared about was that she kept up.

Bent over, catching her breath, Teschen slowly straightened up. One of the knights stopped and glared back at her, clearly impatient. Afraid of being yelled at—or worse, dragged back to her cell—she forced her trembling legs to move and scurried after them.

One step, two steps. Teschen felt like a toddler learning to walk. As her legs started to cooperate, a laugh bubbled out of her lips.

“Haha…hahaha…”

She couldn’t hold back her laughter. Whether she was awake or dreaming, she didn’t know. How many times had she imagined this day?

“At last…”

Freedom. She could almost taste it in the fresh air filling her lungs. Even if Cain intended to keep her under surveillance to ensure she followed orders, for now, she was free. She almost wanted to dance for joy.

“Your clothes and personal effects are here. Clean yourself up and get changed.”

“Are we leaving for the Grand Duke’s residence right away?”

“That’s impossible for now. One look at yourself should tell you why.”

She felt the knight’s scornful gaze. Teschen ran a hand through her matted hair and over her dirty face. She could easily imagine how she must look—worse than any beggar on the street.

After the knights left and closed the door, Teschen took a look around. The room felt more like a storage closet than a guest room.

‘If you think being released from prison means you’re truly free, you’ll find out soon enough that’s not the case.’

Cain’s parting words rang in her ears as she had left her cell.

Not free just because she was out of the dungeon? Teschen snorted to herself. So long as she could escape this place and get inside the Grand Duke’s house, Cain wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on her.

The expression on her face was completely different now from when she’d been willing to do anything, even grovel, just to get out of her cell.

She looked over at the pile of clothes stacked in the corner, determined to get back on her feet.