When That Door Opens - Chapter 56

“I see.”

Even though I had anticipated it, my heart sank.

Roman was dead. The man who had trampled my life had died so easily.

No, it wasn’t an easy death. Lakian had dedicated the last three years to eliminating that colossal presence. Not just three years, but his entire future.

I needed to stay sharp to ensure his sacrifice wasn’t in vain.

“May I see the Duke’s body myself?”

“Personally, my lady?”

“Why do you ask?”

The knights hesitated, looking at each other awkwardly. That alone was enough to tell me. Roman’s body must be in a terrible state, courtesy of Lakian.

To avenge my grudge and to become a demon who could never be forgiven.

“Where is the slave who caused this incident?”

“He resisted fiercely to the end but could not escape the encirclement. He is bound in the prayer room.”

* * *

Again, the prayer room.

As I stepped on the blood-soaked carpet, I recalled the day we reunited. That day, too, the room was filled with blood and corpses. As soon as the knights saw me, they straightened up and parted.

“Keep your head up, you bastard!”

In the midst of them, Lakian was kneeling, bound. A knight grabbed the back of his neck to keep him from collapsing forward.

Despite being prepared, Lakian’s condition was worse than I had expected. It seemed even more severe than three years ago.

Well, he did kill a Grand Duke. It was surprising that he was still alive. No, he was alive precisely because he had killed the Grand Duke. He could only die after paying for that great crime.

Lakian seemed unaware of my presence. Blood was continuously dripping from his chin, half-conscious.

I checked his eyes first. Fortunately, the one remaining eye was intact.

“Where are the others?”

“They surrendered earlier and are bound in the garden.”

“Confine them in a suitable place. I will personally punish them. There is something I need to verify, so do not torture them.”

“What do you mean by verify?”

“How could a mere slave accomplish this? There must be someone behind this. I will uncover who is behind it. Perhaps those jealous of the Grand Duke orchestrated this.”

“As you command.”

The knight spoke with a dubious expression. He seemed to question why they should avoid torture when all they needed was a functioning mouth for testimony. Despite sensing his suspicion, I ignored it and continued.

“Also, the man who was watching over me in the room earlier, Derek, should not be imprisoned. He is not a criminal.”

“…What?”

“Despite the orders from that demon to torture me, he ignored them and helped me. I am unharmed thanks to him. Although he began as a criminal, he repented for his sins, and thus deserves mercy.”

The atmosphere among the knights grew even more peculiar. Their murmuring made it clear they were suspicious of the relationship between Lakian and me.

I paid no attention to them. I had a card to play that would erase their doubts in an instant.

“This man is the ringleader behind all this. Wake him up immediately.”

“Yes.”

Splash.

No sooner had I spoken than a knight poured water over Lakian’s head. As cold droplets splashed onto my hand, I gritted my teeth. I fought the urge to glare at the knight who had poured the water and instead extended my hand.

“I will execute him. Give me a dagger.”

“You mean, personally?”

“This is the criminal who killed the Grand Duke of Schultz and even desecrated his body. Shouldn’t I be the one to punish him?”

“Indeed, you should.”

The knight promptly handed me a dagger with utmost respect. I slowly approached Lakian. The water soaking the carpet seemed almost like his blood.

“Raise your head.”

Lakian managed to lift his head, straining to keep his eyelids from closing. With an impassive face, I knelt on one knee before him, gripping the dagger, and spoke.

“To think you dared to imprison Astel and use my safety as leverage to kill the Grand Duke. To honor his spirit, I shall personally punish you.”

With those words, I stabbed his chest. Lakian, who had been momentarily frozen, slowly lifted his head. He stared at me blankly.

I looked at him without flinching. Trying to remain as composed as possible, I pulled the dagger out of his chest.