Chapter 22 At The Bottom Of Hell
"Where... where did I go wrong──..."
Kaine asked himself in a hoarse voice inside the dimly lit cell.
How could he have protected that beautiful person? He kept thinking endlessly about meaningless things.
──Was it because he got engaged to Prince Werner?
──Was it because he met Sarah Belts?
(No, that's not it...)
Kaine shook his head alone.
──It was because a useless and foolish man named Kaine Ricciardi was by Lady Rhiannon's side.
That was the answer, Kaine realized.
"My fault, that person died! It's my fault...!"
Kaine sobbed alone in the dusty prison.
It was true that he had an unworthy, faint longing for Rhiannon.
However, he had carefully hidden it deep in his heart, knowing it must never be discovered.
But maybe someone had seen him gazing at Rhiannon with passionate eyes.
Or perhaps, out of jealousy, he had disrespectfully glared at Werner.
Tears flowed endlessly onto the crumpled red ribbon, a gift to his former master.
Kaine blamed his powerless self.
He should have been the closest one, yet he couldn't save even one important person.
Thinking about that beautiful person who died alone felt like molten iron being poured into his heart, causing him immense pain.
(If I had been more reliable... If I had more power...)
Overcome with strong self-reproach, Kaine lashed out.
The guards came, beat him, and put heavy handcuffs and leg irons on him.
Still, Kaine struggled with all his might, hurting himself, and finally, he exhausted himself and fell asleep right there.
A whole day passed.
When Kaine opened his heavy eyelids on the hard floor, he suddenly noticed unfamiliar footsteps echoing in the dungeon.
It wasn't the guards' footsteps; it was a lighter sound.
Kaine slowly lifted his face.
"Kaine, are you okay? Are you alive?"
Kaine was surprised to see Sarah Belts appear, tilting her head slightly.
He looked up at her with a puzzled expression as she peered down at him from outside the cell.
Sarah spoke to him in a friendly manner, even though it was their first meeting.
"Wow, those scars on your cheeks are pretty bad. You okay?"
Despite her words of concern, Sarah smiled innocently, like she was talking to a stray cat on the street.
Her features, which had captivated many princes, were indeed cute, but not strikingly beautiful.
Plus, there was something hollow about Sarah Belts' smile.
Kaine managed to sit up unsteadily and glared at the suddenly appearing Sarah.
"...You've got some nerve. You came all the way here to laugh at me for losing Lady Rhiannon?"
"Not at all! I came to help!"
With that, Sarah fixed her passionate gaze on Kaine.
"Come on, let's get you out of this cell. If you tell the princes, 'I was troubled by Rhiannon's persistent advances,' they'll surely believe you. I'll back you up too."
"...What do you mean?"
"Don't look so scared. You don't want to die here, do you?"
As she said this, Sarah cheerfully clasped her hands and tilted her head cutely.
"Kaine, if you stick to the game's scenario, you're gonna get executed. But I can help you."
"......"
"So, let's make a deal! Please, be my boyfriend. Then I'll get you out of here."
"...Huh?"
Kaine was momentarily confused by Sarah Belts' innocent and straightforward words.
(Game? Scenario? What is this girl talking about...)
Ignoring Kaine's dazed expression, Sarah continued to chatter away.
"See, isn't that exciting? I've actually had my eye on you for a while. But I couldn't get close because of Rhiannon. So, I had to make sure Rhiannon met her end as quickly as possible."
"Did Lady Rhiannon bring about my ruin...?"
"Yeah. Rhiannon's the villainess, so she was in the way of my reverse harem plan. Plus, I just can't stand girls who are cuter than me, so I wanted her out of the picture fast."
"Don't mess with me! That person died because of your selfish and ugly desires!"
"Hey, no need to get so mad. Kaine had to deal with that spoiled girl for so long, right? I was just thinking of freeing Kaine..."
"What do you know! Don't act like you understand!"
Kaine shouted with a voice that was completely hoarse.
Sarah Belts flinched in surprise at the intensity of his anger.
She probably never thought Kaine would get this mad.
She seemed to have a pretty naive mindset.
"Hey, hey, don't be mad! Why is it so bad? It's not a bad deal! I've got some money since the princes are supporting me... If it comes down to it, we can run away together."
"...What about the princes?"
"Oh, I don't care about those guys. In that game, Kaine was off the table, but Kaine is my number one. I've always had a weakness for dark-skinned characters~."
At Sarah Belts' words, Kaine fell silent, looking displeased, and then asked in a low voice.
"...Are you talking about my skin color?"
"Yeah, but what of it?"
"Lady Rhiannon never mocked me for my skin color."
At Kaine's words, Sarah Belts momentarily twisted her face in disgust and bit her nails.
Though she usually acted carefree and innocent, her ugly true nature seemed to show through.
Kaine laughed at Sarah Belts.
"Who would want to be your lover? I only pledge my loyalty to Lady Rhiannon."
"Oh, is that so..."
Sarah Belts' face twisted in humiliation, turning bright red with shame and anger.
The innocent charm that once attracted the princes was nowhere to be seen.
"...Hmph, I feel terrible. I came all this way just to end up like this. Well then, looks like Kaine's on the execution path."
"Bye-bye," she said, waving her hand casually as Sarah Belts skipped away.
And the next day, just as Sarah had said, Kaine Ricciardi was executed for the crime of adultery.
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