[Bonus chapter]

Cassey was told that she and Penny could not leave the room until further instruction. It baffled her but she knew it would not make any difference if she pestered the servants. They did not like her anyway.

But when she heard the sound of the carriage, she could not help but look out the window. Tyrone was leaving with a woman who was holding his arms.

Her eyes narrowed and a mocking laugh escaped her lips.

"Ha! He confined us so that I could not find out that he was having an affair or did he not want that woman to find out about us?" Her instincts told her it was later, since he had already told her that he was well satiated when it comes to sex and he did not need her.

Here, she was thinking that he would be affected when she would tell him she was seeing other men. She was still delusional as before.

"Mommy! Look, I have made a castle." The young girl showed her scribbles that were challenging to recognize with an excited look on her face when Cassey patted her head.

"That is like my daughter! You will learn to write soon." The girl smiled brightly, getting compliments from her mother.

"Then, shall I draw you now?" she asked cheerfully when Cassey nodded her head.

The girl walked back to her chair and started making lines again. Cassey looked at the door again, heaviness returning to her chest.

"Ha! Why should I care if he did not care for me?" she cursed as she stood up. Since Tyrone had already left with the woman, she was sure that her curfew had ended too.

As she had expected, no one stopped her this time when she walked out the door.

She headed to the library. Instead of wasting her time, she would try to discover what she had missed these years. She would collect proof of her innocence and ask for her freedom again.

With a determined heart, she stepped into the library and started to look for records of the war.

"Do not ruin those parchments. They are important." She heard the cold voice of the librarian. "What are you looking for?"

The women looked irritated but Cassey did not mind. She knew she would be at a loss if she would throw a tantrum here.

"I am looking for the recording of the last war and what happened after that!" she asked politely but the face of the librarian twisted and crumpled into something ugly.

"Ha! When I heard from other maids that you are shameless, I must have underestimated you! Are you trying to emphasize how you destroyed the duchy?" the woman shook her head.

She walked towards the aisle on the other side and reunited with many files in her hands.

"We are told to still serve you politely and do not inform anyone that you are living here so that no one could come to arrest you. Do you know we are doing treason to protect a criminal like you?" She placed the files firmly on the table and then mutterd curses as she walked away.

Cassey tried hard not to cry, but looking at the hatred in the eyes of everyone, it was too unbearable for her. Her eyes had already turned blurry. She wiped the tears but it kept on falling again and again.

She closed her eyes and covered her face at the end. It was extremely difficult not to be affected. But after a few breaths. She read the files again.

"The Duke who committed treason!"

"The family of Nottinghamshire faced their demise in the last war."

"They sold their souls for money. The ducal family lost the favor of the empire."

"The saintess has taken birth. A new light for the empire."

"The tears of the goddess will wash away the sins of the demon Duke."

She was horrified to read the titles of the newsletters. Each of them was secured for a while.

With trembling fingers, she picked up the first one.

"A long-awaited war with the dark sorcerers and demonic beasts ended before it could even start properly.

It had never happened before and it could not be a coincidence. The archmage of the dark tower had accepted that he had received the intel from the family of duke. The wife of the duke has personally given all the maps and plans to him in exchange for rare gem

The duke has committed treason for wealth. And to make sure no one would doubt him, he had taken the lead in the war.

But did he not come alive while many lost their lives? In the end, it was only an act to get sympathy from others. But everyone is suffering because of the royal family. They should feel shame and leave the empire. No, all of them should die and rot in hell for their crimes." She closed the file as she could not read it anymore.

Tyrone.. He was so much revered and loved by the public. He was their hero. The miracle man who brought peace to the empire. Only one who can stop the demonic beasts. But now he was hated so much and it was because his war tactics and all the planning was leaked!

"No wonder he hates me so much." She whispered softly. As she opened the next file.

"The Royal palace arrested the whole ducal estate. All the vassal families and the staff serving Duke Tyrone Nottinghamshire would die with him. Today will be the end of his sins and justice will prevail.

Everyone gathers in the plaza to see the open trial and vote for the sins or innocence of the duke.

The man who was the light of the empire once had brought darkness to all of them." her eyes trembled so hard and tears started to spill out of her eyes.

She was not here but she could imagine how much he had been broken when everyone would have treated him as a demon, a beast and hated him and it was all because of her?