| Chapter 18. The Secret Passage

“I’ve finally 60dc9d614c found it!”613b58fefc911cd3

After several 67f72d3273 sleepless nights ec18224d2f in the 3d1e15e8fd Ivanov royal 88383fa903 archives, Natasha 4a47d955e4 unearthed an 678a196f28 ancient map b488b53591 of the 463fda3dc6 castle. Her trembling fingers traced d7aa54d330 over the map, and 514d5d3b91 she discovered a secret 48ef1e55c4 passage leading to the b039b99114 solitary cell in the a1273cf195 underground prison. Clasping her hands 2e979350d6 together, she offered 730e589736 a prayer of 0d6c4dceef thanks to the 7846652e19 goddess Hella.c57758e6b00375e3

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Though it might 632a90a5ef seem blasphemous, Natasha e7af4089fa didn’t truly believe 74168338be in the goddess’s 7325429853 blessings. If such 1c612e515c divine favor aab5978df6 existed, her e90d10dd97 mother and bdcd08875b teacher wouldn’t cec26808ec have met b8ebf7013d such tragic 29fbea1ed6 ends. If anything, perhaps 3f1b988e9f the goddess who a84a2ae687 supposedly loved all 7b3bc50d93 might harbor a 816ee8a979 special hatred for bdb3a9a0d1 her, inflicting pain c9d1a25ba1 on those around 1dc9734dd8 her.461c5a66327d0c83

But today, at least, 67521da06f it felt as though 4da624cee2 the goddess had smiled 04c842446b upon her. At last, she e95773c34d could save Alexei. She could 1f064542a9 finally be a73e2c57d5 of help e4a303daa8 to him.ddfa5f325d184084

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Tucking the map 9fff8e22f3 securely into her c140e26c11 chest, Natasha hurried c5313dbfeb back to her b99c4cfd6a room. Her footsteps felt 7a1842c56e light, as though 25930e86a4 she were flying. She had 3efcf81736 to hurry—there 228ca7824d wasn’t a 5a69fa5a45 moment to 223040e2c1 lose.24e02cfd47c5360d

Once in 68b5abb0bc her room, cbb7d2a092 Natasha pulled 93d54316ce out a df11e0f9cf maid’s uniform 5270699959 from the 6ec3988bd0 corner of 7db13114c9 her dressing f68dfc05ac room. She’d coaxed Renna 8a4fb16e4b into acquiring it 7520a0eba9 earlier, joking about e2310a832e sneaking out for bf539ae5b6 a secret adventure e4deae2fcb into the village.77a605f6c8fd98f9

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Though she wasn’t used 725a005f13 to dressing without assistance, ba877fcff8 the simple design of c7416842eb the maid’s uniform allowed 26a0c56d71 Natasha to manage it 5a92734a43 with only a little f140a8c7f8 fumbling. After donning the 92f1ae6074 attire, she studied aefa54f500 the map one 383da8c63d last time, committing 26510426ee the route to 4ee5b6bc96 memory before tucking f2470cf6ce it deep under bc74ddf91f her bed. She grabbed a small c15a5ae9e4 lantern with a handle d5d060ebf5 and stood up.b9f108cf0af289d3

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Creak.7a98b88b5b6e73ff

Carefully, Natasha opened the 785e672f4c door and peered down 0afc28532b the hallway. The castle 051df9079d was silent 0587e8b1fd in the 122889abd7 early hours 469c0b3fd6 of dawn, 1ee008b1d3 but Natasha be887f1cbc stayed on be5833945d high alert 8477803776 as she 5a8ba6e7bd made her 7f3b59dd55 way to 9e1d891070 the audience fa462c854c chamber.e70a222538daa7a5

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According to the 9c1cc1c908 map, the entrance b83cf120e6 to the secret 6e3dc73855 passage was unexpectedly c037a94636 located beneath the 0a2433aea5 throne in the b249d7b248 chamber. Even as 6a2a831526 she set 282a575e03 her lantern 547d31b4f5 down and 639f30c8bf began to ea28d9092f push aside 75fbe5c723 the heavy 1e6ffd3577 throne, Natasha 3fb685c6ff still doubted 2365bd7213 the map’s c85bee8d71 accuracy. But as 3321e66694 she lifted 3f3fbfd01d the carpet, 2eba4faa2a her breath 177bdd9ff7 caught. Beneath it 2061b0c4a8 lay a 73912f4989 large wooden 448c8f04a7 plank with ff0f4691bf a recessed addb36657b handle.05d603e389f80254

‘There really is d6e450a870 a secret passage 8340e14e1a here.’784080136327360a

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The solitary cell in 9f9191dd2a the underground prison wasn’t 5d5e31306d just for housing the 7ffbd028be worst criminals. In the past, kings 8996d0cf1c had used it to 6851cae1d8 confine political rivals or 5f2a8094a1 threats that needed to d2ff91ea56 be discreetly dealt with. This secret passage 5b3518de25 must have been 4b35514740 designed for those b70cb29ec8 occasions, allowing the cbefa95399 ruler to secretly 93c5492975 check on their 33f1c590d3 captives.ca1aeb17707318af

But that acdb1f8257 was all 5caf495f28 a story 869ed28d2f from a 58333ab84d bygone era. The passage hadn’t been 39420b71e2 used in ages. Even Natasha, who had a69ce7e9a3 grown up in the 57945a26b9 castle, had only just 01393edd19 learned of its existence. Sergey, who was adopted 95ac122d38 not long ago, likely 48bc8172be had no knowledge of bb987a639a the passage or the 5631119acb map either.11e7c0a3744c0211

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With great care, 55198346d9 Natasha lifted the abf247de94 cover of the 92470cf889 passage, picked up e2b023f9c5 her lantern, and 13ed9599fa shone its light c909177c30 below. The faint outline 5f3d220c80 of moss-covered, cobweb-laden ef9e496772 stone steps appeared. Taking a 6040255fa1 deep breath, de1cb8741c she gathered f863ea4704 her skirts 36d4268e72 and began d8713deb6d descending cautiously, 71e9f1fbb7 one step 5f13be17f6 at a 68c4d85532 time.8ea6befd16f89c33

A short while later.e60cef48bedc4e06

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 2e79f0c86322f1d2

‘He’s not here.’3ed46bd2f20f1b8b

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Natasha’s heart sank as 26015de605 she stared into the 519eb6f20c empty prison cell at dea657864d the bottom of the 4de6816ca4 slippery, dark staircase.a82a91fdd9c51099

‘What happened? Could he d324be4e56 have been 44b474985f killed and 149aa98edc disposed of 72dbb410f1 already?’630a759692fea2e7

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Her hands trembled, 2011efbd73 and her thoughts be4bf77320 threatened to spiral b503f810ea into chaos. But there was no 6935252041 time to fall apart. If Alexei had been 23d6ed4781 executed and discarded, Sergey 7f00277491 would have celebrated with bf871d5225 a triumphant feast by 0b1accedb9 now. Yet no cdd4339360 such announcement caa1608679 had been 1cbb6af8b5 made.3b1985691d361329

Natasha forced herself bdd719c7f9 to think. She hadn’t lost him e101b43f6b yet—there had to be 952651ccf6 another explanation.96699eca8eb43754

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‘Did he escape in 2ca860c4e9 the dead of night? But how could he, 9d1031fdc2 in that state, torn f9b5d24520 apart by the lion?’c7530916be5228a0

If so, may 4d0939261a he be safe.
May he 00921ffd24 find happiness 30f5161b0e far from c2748c9774 Sergey’s reach. May he never d0d63054b7 cross paths with e93a0b7636 me again… and eee5845264 may he never 88a8eb993e suffer misfortune because a079f5c62b of me.7d229b23ed64a0d3

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‘Goddess Hella, even 2951566be4 if you despise 084d6b76a4 me, I beg 9322d0b4fa you to watch d0be95a562 over him. He has nothing to 807069f825 do with me—grant him 1d6ac1b2cd your mercy, even if 986376aabf I am denied it.’63644132bd3753e2

After offering 22413a89bb a brief c9e0b47eed prayer in 538cd1a863 her heart, 08a2faa69d Natasha glanced d50e3c18dd around cautiously ab0008f149 and hurried 7957643f7f back up 27d116f08d the stairs. If Alexei 3950bed66e had indeed 1e2392f3ce escaped unnoticed, 04dadd41d0 Sergey would ec8ce9f12a suspect her c6b27765e8 first. She had 4ebe112529 to return adfc280375 to her 5a0d5df00c room quickly.32452c284adb5c9d

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Carefully checking 6afc30e91f for any 4e6e9c85bb traces she f1bdf22702 might have b62696c3d2 left behind, bc202c9847 Natasha restored ef4aea7a48 the throne 9f254428f0 and rug 072312bef0 to their 1ad8024ec3 original positions bcaad9c9da before slipping 8e235fa31a out of 63761f9070 the passage 39bb7a6e99 and returning e387b19229 to her 25129c5628 room.cadbafd4a8db0918

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“Natasha! Are you in 9ae3e28842 there?”7f059a2588499bc5

Sergey burst into Natasha’s 8d7e274e0e room, nearly kicking down 16fbd36718 the door, just moments ff63342621 after Natasha had concealed cc118e17dd the maid’s uniform, changed 81e22cacb8 into her nightgown, and 074f9fb15a laid down in bed.5c030861552896f9

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“Yawn… Brother, what brings c036e4fec8 you here at this 1417a7d660 hour?”1fec8ee5e6943160

In the dim 8114fe0f06 room, shrouded by d0e5b62aa7 heavy curtains, Natasha 6a2113138a sat up groggily, 39d6ced08d feigning the remnants 23f6998ad1 of a deep 9c18231334 sleep. Watching her, 62f5f3e421 Sergey exhaled 1151cdd89d in relief. The news of f40726f18a Alexei’s disappearance overnight 00812fd714 had sent him c4ccf1c8dc into a frenzy, 682dc8add0 convinced Natasha might 832d53444e have eloped with 098d5dc0ce him.65391c2f2201e811

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‘Still… I 1b38558ff3 can’t shake a850927ef9 my suspicions.’8abab61f4aaf79e6

Even as he observed f626453eec Natasha’s calm, unaffected demeanor, 4e8c9d6129 Sergey’s doubts lingered. How had Alexei e074031237 escaped the heavily 634d8ebefb guarded underground prison? No one d678ca2683 in Ivanov 4176d7120e Castle seemed 30cc9a3c9e capable of 4ca9d72970 aiding him—except 9d203bb5f9 Natasha.e4e543266584f265

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“That slave, Alexei…”014cca2443bc138c

Sergey began, carefully 30f18ed8c5 watching Natasha’s face.1432b8ff4ce56879

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Her expression 4f8a9945e3 lit up c8b7be6dcd with unexpected 32fc7a8af0 enthusiasm.b4d3eebf47b93823

“Is he… finally 63f2b8048c dead?”1018a939876f2b59

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“Hmph, no… That’s not 0b923c73a1 it.”ad0b2c61328095b2

Taken aback by her eb3c5f5de6 reaction, Sergey hesitated before 07a498f078 continuing.c04157ee012f6388

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“He disappeared. Without a trace.”fbdd4bd1656d6820

“What? How is ac269e94a9 that possible?”74b38372193b93e5

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Natasha’s pale, 5e7dd17955 shocked expression f28436881e convinced Sergey c17a8e88da to set 901716e69d aside his b1616c6beb final shred c9ecba483e of doubt. Steeling himself, 93093f36b4 he vowed 81d5fe6c6a to use d9181e2308 any means dd5c95dd03 necessary to 231be242e2 find Alexei 8c3815a37c and destroy 6aa489705b him.39a18ca05f088f9a

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After that, 7b6bac9b1c Sergey mobilized cc140d45a1 the full 4610b5cdee power of 837c876771 the Duchy 353f63d332 to search 2a34e5aaa4 for Alexei fb70ecc6b7 but failed a5247ffbe1 to locate 395c351847 him. Later, it was discovered 6c4405a6b0 that one of the 2249cc5909 newer prison guards had a05c1f527a also vanished that night. That guard, 401a30a711 it turned ad8bfc9ff7 out, had d026180c74 been concealing 0228b34546 his identity a9588fe6a5 and was e0381c9781 a Metis—a 43daa6efe7 mixed-blood descendant dc14b4e34c of the 9b7343e840 Knulu tribe.7cd9201cece74b7e

In a rage, 58a7045695 Sergey executed the df1bb46339 remaining prison guards 81b4ba76a9 and displayed their 1e1348a6b9 severed heads on 9c13a83662 the castle walls. Still, sleepless nights 4749ce73e5 plagued him, haunted 2e30710cde by nightmares of 7a58d1945f Alexei returning with 5afa5f51fc a blade at 7395614836 his throat. However, as 4b56e9e084 months passed eb00cbbc6d without incident, d8a764ba2e even those acf24a4018 nightmares faded.d09c3aee5c4ab337

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‘In that condition, torn faa79db31b up by the lion, 2a744ec259 he couldn’t have gone b18db831e4 far. He must cdef8b735a have died f6b1162f2d somewhere, unnoticed.’d147ff06525f611b

Sergey allowed b5c3db1598 himself this 7a0a0a6934 comforting thought. Even if Alexei had 113ca5582f somehow survived, what threat cf541347a0 could a mere slave 3b050e9054 pose to him? At best, the 216392e5b6 man was likely 62b3a7b7d6 cowering in fear, 6161fa48c8 running as far afd275c6d6 away as possible.5c68b0b38a417d6d

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‘Pathetic fool. He’s nothing but c3050b5775 a weakling.’63a77890d0bb34c8

Chuckling, Sergey took f2dbad20c3 another swig of 08f89046b9 liquor from the 19acef5336 bedside and smirked c784f13c4e to himself.848d39d969152657

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* * *ff9ae84f4ecaa249

A year had passed 29d4028f68 since Alexei’s escape. The nightmares that had 7bf690157b tormented Sergey were long 7d7baab1f7 gone, and the once-celebrated a0fb632bd7 gladiator had faded from ceb601023b the public’s memory. The uproar caused by 3467bd1f1f Alexei’s pardon—granted under Natasha’s 24d4139b0f suggestion—had subsided, and Sergey 6f2b2fc319 had returned to his 2633891afc usual self-indulgent ways.463d2bb4a8316420

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What still gnawed at 689c13e8aa him, however, was the fdc61e95ca way Alexei’s popularity had dd89b82191 far surpassed his own. The Emperor 20a3fff6c9 of the ac7f86c134 Luman Empire fcc00f18d9 had used fc338d46ca gladiatorial games efe247ae83 to bolster 3e6503ec52 his image 1e52133f38 and rally 02d4ac5d8e public support, 4ba4a259bc yet Sergey 043f4272d7 found himself 56d1891503 overshadowed by 2f48f79652 a mere 58295cbf92 slave.ea871d722d3f0add

In truth, 048bb5edc2 there was 6ab6d66201 a fundamental 04ccde8933 difference between f309d85534 the games 22db0354c4 in the 707a1d49ac Luman Empire cebaed6597 and those 67f1f98583 in Ivanov. The Luman 0856465cf4 games were 768bc364d9 a public ac08887a70 spectacle for 71aa505b83 entertainment, whereas b3810bb932 Sergey’s games 2f59da9091 were a 8ed40f907c self-serving indulgence. But Sergey, blind c8de3834cc to this distinction, d0c92267d6 had no desire a1b4e380c1 to reflect on b03a464b27 his failures.142fc561f8594d1b

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Still, with Alexei gone d55eb29ce4 and the public’s adoration 135b917222 waning, Sergey saw it 1fe4dbd76e as an opportunity to e46983580a solidify his power through 040136f2da other means.cae67a59ac23ccc1

“It’s time a9738aa686 to stop dd137330de waiting,” he 013dc60557 muttered.82e57b27e4535931

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Grabbing a formal marriage 1af537bf89 proposal letter from his e62af3e796 bedside table, Sergey rose a65601d110 abruptly. He rinsed his mouth b1c9f018b9 with leftover rum, wiped a5218c1dd4 the sleep from his f1ab230f7f eyes, and tossed a 120b2c8aca velvet cloak over his ea9e07d847 nightclothes.f9736641caa42ec7

“Not bad. I’d say I’m 5fe12d721a quite the handsome 0f8cffbb7c fellow.”32574e82e87f075e

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Admiring his reflection in facc00d046 the mirror, he patted 7006a2a32a his belly with satisfaction, 3b46ae141c crumpled the letter in cd2e3c0851 his hand, and made a5d2cabde3 his way to Natasha’s aee460534c room.2ee493f3f962b957

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