Romanoff Dukedom: Repentance (4)

The Romanoff Dukedom's Prison, better known as 'The Penitentiary', was designed similarly to Erantel Prison.

But then again, Erantel Prison was built only two decades after the completion of the Penitentiary. Duke Vartos kept its existence hidden from the Emperor in order to abate the monarch's suspicions against the activities within the Dukedom.

Even before he was given the permission, the Duke had already been using the Penitentiary. He had allowed other wolf clans to use it in his stead, only asking them for favors on behalf of his benevolence.

The Penitentiary had eight levels. The ground floor, the only one above the surface, was reserved for the guards' quarters. They were all paid to stay inside the prison for months at an end.

The first underground floor down to the third were for prisoners who had committed petty crimes. Theft and abduction without claiming any lives were included in the aforementioned crimes.

The cells on these floors were well-maintained. They were always cleaned by a group of dedicated servants twice a day.

But starting from the fourth underground floor, there were only criminals who were deemed to be obstructive to the peace that the wolf clans were trying to preserve.

Duke Romanoff and the other elders came to the conclusion that it wouldn't be necessary to provide a clean environment for the criminals on these floors. In a way, discord within the surroundings would incur discord within the mind.

Even if the prisoners went berserk, the cells were reinforced in order to contain the strongest of attacks. There was no escape for them unless they passed through the front gates.

"Duke, I can only allow you a maximum of an hour. Beyond that, you have to get the permission of the elders." The warden said as he gave the Duke a glance.

Duke Romanoff merely nodded his head, compliant to the rule that he had implemented himself.

As the three crossed the last plight of stairs that would take them to the fourth underground floor, they were hit with the malodorous stench that spread throughout the space. There was no ventilation of the sorts built on the floor, so it would be much worse to linger around.

The warden halted his steps by the opening of the corridor. The Duke and Ius shortly followed suit.

"The prisoner you came to visit is located in the last cell on the right side. The guards who attempted to interrogate her didn't get a single word out of her regrettably."

"Is that so?" The Duke said, "Thank you for taking us here. For the time being, you can leave. We will make sure to leave before we exceed the one-hour limit. However, if we happen to stay longer, fetch us personally, warden."

"Certainly, My Lord."

The warden proceeded to bow his head at the Duke and took his leave.

Without further ado, the Duke and Ius walked their way towards the cell where Zarya had been imprisoned. They didn't bother looking at the prisoners who dared call them out, hurling insults upon complaints at them.

The corridor was lit poorly with torches, but the darkness wasn't an impediment for the two. Even if there were no source of light, the two wolves would be able to find their way sans any trouble.

It took them nearly five minutes to arrive, considering that they had to traverse half a kilometer. Ius, who could now hear Zarya's cries, finally woke up from his reverie.

The young man looked at Zarya, his brows knitted deeply. He could see just how distraught she was by observing her figure alone.

"If I'm not mistaken, your name is Zarya, right?" The Duke queried, inching further towards the barrier, "I am Vartos, Duke of Romanoff. I've come to ask you some questions."

The Duke didn't get an answer in return. Zarya just kept her reticence, hugging her knees as she continued to sob. The man was sentient that it would be difficult to urge the young lady to speak. That didn't mean that he had the patience to wait until she uttered a reply.

Ius, on the other hand, went to stand beside his father. He grabbed a steel bar and rattled it, attempting to garner Zarya's attention. But that wasn't enough. So he thought of another way.

"I'm the one who killed Erwin Pelt."

Just as he expected, Zarya reacted to his words. The young lady slowly raised her head, yet her gaze remained on the floor.

"Ius Romanoff, yes, you're the one who killed my savior," Zarya responded, her voice almost a whisper.

"Savior? How laughable. That man was using the Romanoff Clan all this time for his own benefit."

At that point, Zarya finally looked at Ius directly. Her eyes were bloodshot, swollen as she had been crying for hours.

"Romanoff Clan? For his own benefit? Yes, he might've done that. But for me who has nothing, he and Dorothea were the only people I could turn to. I could care less about what your clan thinks of him."

"Are you aware of how inconsiderate your statement sounds? The Romanoff Clan is protecting more than hundreds of thousands of wolves! Erwin Pelt was trying to endanger their lives by making a deal with the Orschettas!"

"What do you know?!" Zarya yelled, but her voice hardly became louder, "I've been trying to survive on my own for years! If not for them, I would've died inside that heaven forsaken forest! I don't care about the lives of others! I don't care about what you're planning to do to me! But Erwin will forever be a good person in my eyes!"

Zarya then got up on her feet, less at ease, more of a struggle. She stumbled as she did so, feeling her muscles tremble at her own weight. She took a step forward, and another, until Ius was within her reach.

"If you have nothing more to say, just please leave. If you're planning to kill me, I'll kill myself before you take another breath."