Chapter 56.1

Chapter 56.1

“Let go! I said to let me go!”

“Oho, shut up, criminal”

Emma was gagged and taken to the Van Wert Castle’s underground dungeon. Despite having been told that the truth would be revealed in the castle, the soldiers, who carried Emma like luggage, threw her into the deepest and darkest part of the dungeon. A dark pit that was too narrow for a person.

“Argh!” Emma kicked, screamed and twisted until the gag came off. The prison, surrounded with dark walls on all sides, was located in the farthest corner. The surrounding area was devoid of prisoners.

“What on earth am I guilty of?!”

Emma furiously spat. When the door closed without a reply, she stared at the heavy wooden door and clenched her teeth. There was a steel-barred window at the top of the door that allowed her to see the outside, but as the soldiers went out, they covered it.

‘I’m scared…’ The rats crawling through the old bricks and the bugs wriggling between the cracks were appalling. The unpleasant smell that permeated the entire prison paralyzed her sense of smell. Humid and damp air came up to her ankles and wrapped around her whole body, making her shiver. Fortunately, she was able to distinguish between night and day through a narrow hole near the ceiling, but as the day got darker, coldness gradually flowed in from there. Emma shivered. The dress she draped over her body had long since been soiled, and was too thin to withstand the air rising from the damp floor.

The inside of the cold and dark cell was so eerie and ominous that it would not be strange if a ghost appeared at any time. ‘At times like this, I have to stay alert.’ Emma walked inside with her arms crossed in front of her chest to keep her body temperature from dropping. Then, gradually, her body started to get heavy and she started to get tired.

A cacophony of rusty hinges twisted in the distance, and then the sound of blunt footsteps coming closer echoed inside the dungeon. ‘… There are several people.’ Emma’s forehead scrunched up anxiously; she was staring at the closed prison door, all tensed up. The door opened. At the same time, a sudden bright light burned her eyes. Emma had no choice but to close her eyes tightly.

“Hoo, who do we have here?”

A familiar, dreadful voice rang in her ears. Emma, who recognized the person’s identity by the voice, bit her lips. ‘So it was you!’ She thought it was strangely quiet despite it being a good time to take advantage of her. Now fears had finally come. Emma suppressed her horrified heart for a moment and looked ahead with a frown. As her narrowed pupils gradually became accustomed to the light, the person’s abominable face in front of her finally became visible.

“Miss Herman. Nice to see you again.”

“Mr. Collin,” Emma replied curtly. She raised her chin, straightened her back and glared at him.

Collin raised his eyebrows in disapproval. “You have good posture, but you don’t look so good here, are you?” Collin twisted his mouth at the soldiers behind him. “Well, she is a high-class thief, so it’s only second nature for her to act like a dignified lady. But you have to admit, her acting was unnatural, wasn’t it?” Colling laughed derisively.

The crime she was so curious about was finally revealed, but it turned out to be nonsense.

“A thief?” Emma blurted exasperatedly, “and what did I steal exactly?” Emma clenched her fists.

At this, Collin’s lips twitched and he said in a mocking tone, “Oh, you still didn’t know? Trespassing and theft are felonies.”

“Where?”

“The lodge in Grok. You went yesterday, right? I heard you broke in boldly.”

“Break in? There was a keeper in the mountain lodge. I definitely got permission and went in!”

Collin waved his hand as if he didn’t want to listen further. “Ah, you lie every time you open your mouth. It’s probably because of your low status, so you don’t mind deceiving your conscience. How can you cover up the fact that you broke inside the lodge by deceiving a foolish man?”

“What?” Emma was dumbfounded. ‘Don’t start with me when you’re the one who’s done wrong!’ Anger surged up in Emma’s scarlet eyes. “Please check the facts properly. There are several witnesses on our side!”

“Properly?” Collin snorted. “The problem is that the witnesses are from your side. They are not qualified as witnesses because they will be biased,” he laughed.

Emma felt furious. “That doesn’t make sense! The lodge keeper lied!”

“Your acting is excellent,” Collin shook his head. “Anyone who sees it will believe it’s real,” he said. Collin had a sarcastic smirk on his face as he beckoned his hands in the air. “Bring the evidence.”

“Here it is.”

The things that Collin’s aide brought were things Emma brought from the mountain cabin.

“To be so shameless… unfortunately, here is the proof,” Collin said.

“The lodge keeper said he was going to throw it away so he told me to take whatever I wanted!” Emma yelled.

“Really? It doesn’t make sense… It looks simple on the outside, but it is an antique that has been around for decades.  Who dares throw it away? Who do you think would believe such a lie?” As Collin asked, a murmur of agreement echoed from behind.

It was completely unreasonable.