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With so many courtyards, side halls, and beautifully landscaped gardens, who would suspect that there was a dungeon within the residence? Who would expect the faux mountain in the eastern courtyard to be the entrance to the western cell block?
After a patrol passed, Rafael slipped easily into the dungeon. It was dug deep, and he followed the wall down for quite some time before hearing the sound of a child crying.
Rafael knew he was on the right track. His infiltration was going surprisingly smoothly.
There were lamps lit inside the cell block, though the light was dim. After descending, Rafael noticed that no one was guarding the area. He quickly moved over to open the door of an empty cell and hid inside.
Each cell was sealed tight, with only a tiny opening in the iron door. Once Rafael hid inside, he would remain undetected as long as no one opened the cell door. Before closing the door, he wrapped a wire around the latch to make it appear locked. Unless someone looked closely, they wouldn’t notice anything amiss.
There were crying sounds coming from the third cell to his left. He didn’t get too close, but because he heard the sounds after entering the dungeon, he knew people were locked up in that direction.
He guessed that those inside were the concubines imprisoned by Eleanor, or perhaps their daughters. These women likely loathed Eleanor, but may have grown numb and compliant. If they realized someone had broken in and thought they could seize an opportunity to escape, they could very Well scream for help.
Thus, Rafael chose to remain farther from the occupied cell.
Pressing his ear against the wall, he could hear a soothing voice from the left.
“Jack, don’t be afraid. Curtis, you
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don’t need to be scared. Daddy and Mommy are here. My dear, trust that our parents will notice you’re missing. They’ll go to the authorities or ask Sophie for help. Sophie knows Prince Rafael, remember? They will definitely come to rescue us. Don’t be afraid.”
That should be Daniel speaking. He reassured his family, but his voice trembled slightly at the end.
Daniel still didn’t know who that temperamental woman was or why she had brought him and his family here. Judging by the way she conducted herself, she was likely formidable.
His mind was in a jumble. He couldn’t focus enough to think about whom he might have offended. The things the woman had said were strange. It didn’t sound like someone who had a grudge against him.
Just as Rafael settled into his hiding spot, footsteps echoed nearby. Someone was approaching from the left.
He quickly opened the small iron flap and pressed against the wall, peering out to see who was passing by.
The footsteps stopped just outside Daniel’s cell. A voice laced with impatience said, “Stop your whining! You’re disturbing everyone else’s rest. Since you’re in here, you’d better accept your fate. The only way you’re leaving is in a coffin!” It was Henry’s voice.
me. Do what you will, whether to kill or torture me.”
“Sir, may I inquire where this place is?” Daniel asked urgently. “Why have you taken our family captive? Have I offended you or your family? If I have, I offer my apologies here. But my wife and children are innocent. Please let them go. If you have a grudge, take it out on “When the time to kill you comes, I fear you’ll just hide behind your wife and children. You’re a worthless coward. Just shut up,” Henry replied coldly.
The drug in Daniel’s system was nearly gone. He leaned against the small window, peering outside. “I won’t hide. Just let my wife and children go. I don’t care how I die.”
“I loathe your kind-the ones who pretend to be brave. It’s as if you look down on a prince consort like me,” Henry retorted. Then, he turned away icily and stepped into one of the cells.
Eleanor had forbidden Henry from visiting during the Emberfest Festival, so he decided to hide in the dungeon to accompany Melanie Lester. He had bribed the guards, but letting the concubines out was out of the question.
Even if he wanted to come in, he didn’t need any special permission from Eleanor. Sometimes, faking a plea for her kindness was a mere ploy to make her feel like everything was still under her control.
Daniel stood frozen, stunned by Henry’s words.
A prince consort? The man outside was a prince consort? Which princess was he married to?
Putting together the crazy woman’s actions and hearing the man outside call himself a prince consort, Daniel immediately recalled an old story.
This incident had occurred long before he was born. Eleanor had fancied his older relative, Hector. She had petitioned the then-king, Augustus, for a marriage. However, Augustus was unwilling to grant the request. Since Hector had no affection for Eleanor and didn’t want to be a prince consort, he avoided her openly and subtly.
From that moment on, Eleanor harbored a deep hatred for the Devin family.
Recalling this old tale, Daniel remembered what his dad had once said-among the Devin family’s many sons, only Daniel and Hector bore the closest resemblance to their great-grandfather.
Daniel suddenly felt a chill run up his spine, and a wave of suffocation washed over him. The feeling took a while to subside.
Daniel found it absurd. So many years had passed-Hector had sacrificed himself, and his sister-in-law was gone.
Even so, was Eleanor still fixated on Hector?!
Even if she had her obsessions, why would she go as far as to abduct Daniel? Was she planning to…
The shame and anger churned within him, making it hard to think further.
It was absurd utterly absurd!
But then, Daniel remembered the miniature chastity belt sculpture Eleanor sent when Hector fell. At first, they hadn’t known about it. When Sophie returned the sculpture, however, it caused stir. Only then did the Devins learn ofit. Daniel had discovered the matter only after returning to the capital.
As absurd as it seemed, it was still possible.
Eleanor was far from the virtuous figure the world painted her to be. Her facade had blinded the public Even when family members reported her, no one suspected that they would end up imprisoned by her.
It wasn’t just imprisonment. The man who proclaimed to be a prince consort said that since Daniel and his family were here, the only way out was in a coffin. No one knew they were missing, so no one would come to rescue them. With how insane Eleanor was, it seemed Daniel and his family would truly perish in this place.
As he reached his conclusion, despair washed over him. He opened his arms and drew his wife and children close, his voice trembling as he comforted them.
“Don’t be afraid. In the end, it’s just death. We’re men of the Devin family, and none of us fear death. Jack, Curtis, do you remember what I told you about your Uncle Hector and his sons? They are our family’s and the kingdom’s true heroes. They sacrificed themselves on the battlefield and fought countless battles to reclaim our kingdom’s territory. We must be like them-fearless in the face of sacrifice, unafraid of death.”
The children stopped crying. They remembered Hector and knew he was a hero of the Devin family and Starhaven.
However, Jack and Curtis continued to tremble all over.
One moment, they were safe at home. The next, a group of rough men had dragged them here and imprisoned them.
The oldest of the two children had yet to reach eight. How could they not be afraid?
Thalia was equally terrified, but as a mother, she steeled herself. Pushing aside her fear and worry, she joined her husband in comforting their two sons.
But when the couple exchanged glances, their eyes were filled with despair and helplessness.
Rafael listened to Daniel and Thalia’s words in the cell next door. He couldn’t help but feel a swell of admiration. His father??n??aw’s spirit truly radiated through every son of the Devin family, especially considering that Daniel had little interaction with Hector. Daniel was just a businessman, but he still possessed such unwavering resolve.
Theodore had taught them well.
What did it mean to be a true noble family? They embodied it.
Even without many officials in the court, the Devin family members’ unity and integrity were enough to make many so??alled noble families feel ashamed.