Romanoff Dukedom: Repentance (3)

Sitting on the cold, hard cement was Zarya.

Her tattered uniform barely protected her from the winter weather. However, she was apathetic towards her body, herself. She was just there, eyeing the ground as if it was the only thing within her sight.

As of the moment, Zarya had been confined in the prison located behind the main mansion of the Romanoff Estate.

Though the interior of her cell was clean, the neighboring cells were not because they were occupied. There were only beasts within that prison, every single one of them covered with wounds of various sizes.

The odor emanating from their filthy bodies would suffocate not only the nobles but also the commoners. The amalgamation of the smell of excrement, urine, sweat, rotting fish, and garbage wafted through the air.

Knowing that it would soon be her fate, Ilya was only indifferent. She had not spoken a word, not even a plea, as she was being taken to the prison. The young lady wouldn't even notice if she was thrown down a cliff.

The sole thing in Zarya's mind was regret.

She kept on blaming herself for Erwin's death. It was for the reason that Erwin wanted to protect her that he had been discovered by the Valk League.

'Erwin, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not being able to stand up for myself. I'm sorry for always pestering you. I'm sorry for making you run around just to keep me safe. I'm sorry for suggesting that I should just work in the Romanoff Estate so that I can be near you and Dorothea. I'm so sorry. I'm really sorry. Please… please forgive me.'

As she hugged her knees, her uniform was catching all of her tears. The cloth that stuck to her skin was cold, but her heart was even colder. She could feel the emptiness that struck her upon witnessing Erwin's last moments.

'If only I hadn't approached you. If only I hadn't insisted on living with you and Dorothea. If only I hadn't begged to work in exchange for your efforts. If only… if only you were still alive, I will beg for your forgiveness again and again. I promise to stay away from you and Dorothea.'

Zarya let her forehead touch her quivering knees. Her eyes were already swollen from her hours of crying, yet her tears refused to cease.

'Erwin, I know that you had a disagreement with Dorothea. She didn't want to let the Duchess know of our situation, but objected, saying that the Duchess would be able to help us. I'm sure that Dorothea will blame herself too. She knew you had good intentions. So…' Zarya sniffed, 'Please come back, hmm? We will apologize for doubting you.'

In the midst of the darkness, Zarya continued to mourn Erwin's death.

The guards could hear her cries from all the way to the entrance. Withal, they acted as if they heard nothing at all. Most of the prisoners sent there were once grievers as well.

"Hey, this prison is for beasts only, right?" One of the guards asked, "So why was a maid from the main mansion sent here? Beasts are not qualified to work in the mansion as far as I know."

"Why are you even asking me? Do I look like I'm the one who hires the servants?"

"I was just asking. There's no need to be that cheeky, you bastard."

"Cheeky? You're the one being cheeky by questioning that maid's identity. You should just shut up. If someone hears you, they'll report you to the Duke."

The guards then embraced the usual silence between them. In actuality, there were twenty guards assigned to the prison that night. Since the prison was built to contain a total of one hundred criminals, tight surveillance was implemented.

As was the custom, the prisoners sent in the said place were those who had committed crimes directly against the Romanoff Family.

Though the Emperor didn't want to give permission at first, he ultimately allowed the Romanoff Duke to create his own prison. It was because the Erantel Prison was already overcrowded. Until the conclusion of the construction of the new prison, the Duke could keep the prisoners in his designated area.

The guards stationed by the entrance spotted someone approaching the prison. Hence, they went on alert, informing the others while they were at it.

Soon enough, they figured that it was Duke Romanoff and Ius. They immediately assumed a position for salutations as they waited for the two's arrival.

It took the Duke and Ius a little over a couple of minutes to traverse the stretch of grass separating the mansion and the prison. While they were walking, the sound of their footsteps loudly accompanied them.

Ius had his head down, muttering incoherent things. The Duke, on the other hand, focused his gaze at the gated entryway of the prison.

'It might be better to reinforce the entrance with two more gates. I should also erect another wall that could stop most intruders and those who are going to attempt to escape.' Duke Vartos thought as he surveyed the surroundings of the prison.

As soon as they stepped inside the vicinity of the prison proper, the guards welcomed them stiffly. It was a rare occurrence for the Duke to pay a visit to the prison, more so that he was together with Ius.

"Where's the warden?" The Duke asked, "Summon him this instant."

The guard nearest the door gave a salute as he heeded the Duke's order. In a short moment, the warden came out of the prison and approached Duke Vartos."

"My Lord, what brings you to the prison at this time of the night?" The warden queried, bowing his head thereafter.

"What else? To visit a prisoner. Take me to where the maid was imprisoned."

"Maid? Do you mean the most recent one to be brought here? If that's the case, please prepare yourselves from what you will witness."

The Duke just nodded. Without further ado, the warden led the way towards the lowest level of the prison.