| Chapter 18. The Secret Passage

“I’ve finally found 5de8aee680 it!”f36705fadbcafb3d

After several sleepless ee063d7546 nights in the 85e442db59 Ivanov royal archives, eca3e4870a Natasha unearthed an 11457d9c0f ancient map of 7ff9be8781 the castle. Her trembling ac82fe4463 fingers traced b641cfe934 over the e6909f5d03 map, and 9bc654200e she discovered 62618abf0a a secret 9391684757 passage leading 36204a9fe8 to the fa65f7688b solitary cell 5a6daa0700 in the 070556559e underground prison. Clasping her hands 4337c08dc3 together, she offered 5542e0a4c3 a prayer of 354c8879cb thanks to the 46583f796a goddess Hella.6bacb290835e57fb

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Though it might 8041a5f699 seem blasphemous, Natasha 543e63ff65 didn’t truly believe 44bb2234e2 in the goddess’s 51d9004b15 blessings. If such ac17627c65 divine favor d5f9d0ac6e existed, her 66431e74b8 mother and a49eaae2fe teacher wouldn’t ce875f0383 have met a56e3a8858 such tragic 5c5b8002e9 ends. If anything, perhaps the 9c7f98679c goddess who supposedly loved 885cb9e94a all might harbor a d13a1307a2 special hatred for her, 28c0828f50 inflicting pain on those e9a7f3a6a0 around her.5c995aae165f7b68

But today, at least, dc0e8612be it felt as though e23f38e7c5 the goddess had smiled 15ad6d10a0 upon her. At last, f70fcd5fc3 she could 67a1f8a025 save Alexei. She could finally 1b55801f3c be of help 6d374df4ba to him.99ce7762c572c2b6

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Tucking the 6d0dbd17f0 map securely 027c734773 into her 7c7ef4b746 chest, Natasha 5ad6dd04f5 hurried back d8a9baf429 to her a956873c4c room. Her footsteps 649531c0ef felt light, 728fd4f44a as though a66bc0cefe she were bcfd2d0cdf flying. She had to c1b568d8f7 hurry—there wasn’t a 36c8688725 moment to lose.a76d84ac53e0b013

Once in 6d12eb2371 her room, 9c21680521 Natasha pulled b65c62c111 out a fc959a3551 maid’s uniform 41204ea676 from the 5053232861 corner of 5da656b14a her dressing 083e17b990 room. She’d coaxed Renna into ee3681c7e8 acquiring it earlier, joking ec50ff2629 about sneaking out for ba680fd198 a secret adventure into 4b3a3d637f the village.c2aef80d58c700d1

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Though she wasn’t used 0c3131f4b8 to dressing without assistance, ad49c770a6 the simple design of 441111c2fa the maid’s uniform allowed 6b276f6253 Natasha to manage it 2734118c4d with only a little 47cc099aef fumbling. After donning 6e994459a3 the attire, 635830b174 she studied acffbc0aec the map 188af3e575 one last 87dd12c3ae time, committing a0c1ccaba6 the route ff8eb75144 to memory c7ce801ee9 before tucking 4665f2875c it deep fd423c158c under her 659cf6b7f7 bed. She grabbed 1808b15fed a small 75c5d1fec3 lantern with 52ed9e3ffc a handle 2420c2ea64 and stood 38ca06389f up.919227316608a584

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Creak.a997c1a4ee17f8ac

Carefully, Natasha opened the 07806ab92c door and peered down 5af6136fdb the hallway. The castle 051761d521 was silent ed862a4852 in the c917daca70 early hours a35c81d50c of dawn, 476c6d2d52 but Natasha c5c6dc3294 stayed on 58fc7fa0d7 high alert da9f942ee1 as she 3b28cd77a7 made her 96489e8cca way to c9b410839b the audience 75004818dc chamber.9d64efcb07944554

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According to the 9a5d8ee8b7 map, the entrance ce2b744fdc to the secret 2efd8c8982 passage was unexpectedly a79e36db8d located beneath the b33ca93dea throne in the d76242664a chamber. Even as 904074ffaa she set 746c4eafb9 her lantern 4a8ed58575 down and 3f4d92db05 began to de0ff86c2c push aside 62e1a93d75 the heavy 83657d34f6 throne, Natasha c49e60faf3 still doubted a8bbe783ac the map’s 08af4c724b accuracy. But as cbc6e68139 she lifted e22094af95 the carpet, 9e41ec9c1e her breath bcce194fec caught. Beneath it 6a0200806c lay a 4ffe5d85fa large wooden 2769c3bf74 plank with f8cdba562e a recessed f89cfc3b85 handle.4d8382b7e71a6b59

‘There really fb6e00bb46 is a 19199bb82d secret passage 943a841030 here.’da94fcdf02d40760

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The solitary cell in 36589bc94b the underground prison wasn’t 8c7e84b3cf just for housing the 34e15a01e4 worst criminals. In the 2daa95fcf3 past, kings 5be374c6ab had used 656dc77cdd it to 38bf2859aa confine political 0845229f36 rivals or 3ce641e831 threats that c0adbc607e needed to b44aab63c5 be discreetly 8fefa4ac35 dealt with. This secret passage must 211b94bdd2 have been designed for ca514ed51d those occasions, allowing the 816f28798d ruler to secretly check c14c15e1d3 on their captives.20a47ef86c366020

But that 690430985b was all 32e241516a a story 94c3dbbd87 from a 624495c1af bygone era. The passage 09a6d9962c hadn’t been 058565f802 used in d06b6fa93f ages. Even Natasha, d27e46225b who had 15b44137d3 grown up 122f6d87fa in the 3c10678a97 castle, had a273e981f0 only just 1d7108edef learned of 4e41078aff its existence. Sergey, who was adopted 8828cc7d3b not long ago, likely 40c4b911e8 had no knowledge of 71c147a23e the passage or the da466b4515 map either.1641a7688bc7c406

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With great care, 53240e5e63 Natasha lifted the 99c229951e cover of the d768ec40c6 passage, picked up 97527608e5 her lantern, and 56c180f4be shone its light 9389cfd095 below. The faint outline 37e8468de1 of moss-covered, cobweb-laden 593f8969c6 stone steps appeared. Taking a 9cac703e52 deep breath, 95a9a570a0 she gathered b6b71c6e6c her skirts 50258ae878 and began 35bf1964d1 descending cautiously, d03e5aced4 one step 534dbaa839 at a c1f2a4df46 time.6485930c449f7df1

A short fe3c54fc71 while later.d5879f32ba1ea00d

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 0a026da61635d74a

‘He’s not here.’fa7d6cb3ed06adba

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Natasha’s heart sank as 9895be8fc5 she stared into the d73728a25e empty prison cell at 5081738af3 the bottom of the 4faa689ebd slippery, dark staircase.97a4e8bc1a4a865e

‘What happened? Could he ff138781d0 have been 2345382570 killed and 5213cb4e30 disposed of 03b59112d4 already?’07999426abb4902f

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Her hands f8361af193 trembled, and 111a50dff7 her thoughts 95dfe4e130 threatened to 76c579bf9a spiral into f07710caee chaos. But there was no 719219f7b7 time to fall apart. If Alexei e930e0d7d3 had been 8daefd061b executed and 976e7061e8 discarded, Sergey dcd1a2a771 would have 8b0713e894 celebrated with 3a545d521a a triumphant 4b4c10a2fe feast by 0505e1379a now. Yet no such 7744473788 announcement had been 2f794f98cc made.66615cac7c9f3e7f

Natasha forced herself to fa485143b4 think. She hadn’t fb7fb20e70 lost him f331fef047 yet—there had a30dac14da to be 82c357439e another explanation.b69c32ce89abea87

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‘Did he escape in e623fcaba6 the dead of night? But how could 1487c57e2a he, in that 6f015c7a27 state, torn apart 03dcf542bf by the lion?’e16493c62727f170

If so, 3ebe9d79fd may he 29a2cd8990 be safe.
May he 58211b5f85 find happiness 00fb2f770c far from 1b8bd821de Sergey’s reach. May he never cross 6e7843fcfb paths with me again… b5f397adcc and may he never 1b809395cc suffer misfortune because of fa313e51c6 me.7fa0c80954e5dead

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‘Goddess Hella, even ccfece7b0c if you despise 874740762d me, I beg 1bdf6d5beb you to watch d8c3f8f5c5 over him. He has nothing 7a7b1eefd0 to do with 06e3d4d2b8 me—grant him your 3d0fccbc88 mercy, even if 140530dc9f I am denied a61e3d4881 it.’deb457e9ba93858a

After offering a brief ee62ab03d1 prayer in her heart, 14172ca92b Natasha glanced around cautiously 49b423c927 and hurried back up 1dbaa094ca the stairs. If Alexei had 9f7a65a1b7 indeed escaped unnoticed, 425b7f25f0 Sergey would suspect 324ab92d60 her first. She had 648b870e8d to return f53b85faea to her b3357ce1f1 room quickly.1fddbdcc22db287f

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Carefully checking 65444e02c7 for any d1539b8953 traces she fed4bd9823 might have cfcc2932c3 left behind, 905baee170 Natasha restored cb614f69b2 the throne a23381d01d and rug 649f8483d0 to their 84a7ef7f33 original positions 1820372bea before slipping 0175128b94 out of 0ec5937e47 the passage baee844ce5 and returning 21c1e0ce2b to her dd99c14ac1 room.482f51f0c5ffff7c

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“Natasha! Are you in e32e6218bd there?”ad2d5721b99ca61c

Sergey burst into a4c7d82bb6 Natasha’s room, nearly bcfdb3740e kicking down the 6f031544f4 door, just moments 0ce052c8bd after Natasha had 2dee5020c6 concealed the maid’s 742cd271cd uniform, changed into 35231b7fcd her nightgown, and ec002d8c3e laid down in 3390216613 bed.d4c8e1768cf22fe2

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“Yawn… Brother, what brings 3d02c8f428 you here at this e2e8b5105d hour?”29e8e8bb4122dca9

In the dfcfaa1e27 dim room, 0f5e542cd9 shrouded by 97e1f0d90e heavy curtains, 16ab9a01ba Natasha sat 317a3a23e2 up groggily, 0fc7200bb3 feigning the 9ae33bc092 remnants of 0062e38e59 a deep 7b8819a602 sleep. Watching her, Sergey 6cdb4e4d85 exhaled in relief. The news of 7f0474014b Alexei’s disappearance overnight 856cd7cc23 had sent him bd55439f9b into a frenzy, f3535f4d98 convinced Natasha might 25b3442872 have eloped with dbfb9f5828 him.f9759d08b2e13392

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‘Still… I 73b20ea15c can’t shake 45d43b5407 my suspicions.’13541cd593485def

Even as he b87169d564 observed Natasha’s calm, 9d4d0babec unaffected demeanor, Sergey’s e36be3ec09 doubts lingered. How had caaa5125d0 Alexei escaped b503c34bd8 the heavily 80bf9d69c7 guarded underground 1b189161b5 prison? No one in 47273c15cb Ivanov Castle seemed dc46f2e35e capable of aiding 89938bd85d him—except Natasha.f4c7e40d5f2ea77e

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“That slave, Alexei…”eb9473fa847a8631

Sergey began, carefully 407eb86d84 watching Natasha’s face.bf5cceb0b904bb86

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Her expression lit up 40b67bcf8e with unexpected enthusiasm.99bf5248516bcc34

“Is he… finally dead?”6b8c0994afc56173

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“Hmph, no… That’s b65fb10d1f not it.”d56bb8d656a96efb

Taken aback 6bba0fd0b7 by her 4051a5ca95 reaction, Sergey 062b340f5c hesitated before afc1c2b0eb continuing.24c1c0e6e4710ba1

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“He disappeared. Without a trace.”ddb33f6ecc6882b1

“What? How is 73006b60c5 that possible?”4a9669dc3f2979f7

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Natasha’s pale, 506446ca79 shocked expression d3b012f19e convinced Sergey a6e6f4cd4a to set 86d92535a4 aside his db2e897b59 final shred 1458d728de of doubt. Steeling himself, he vowed b857fd8e71 to use any means 928e7ef5c8 necessary to find Alexei 09a960c82d and destroy him.dc52398576e5a748

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After that, Sergey mobilized fabfc28b30 the full power of 1254fe2d83 the Duchy to search 064fdee5d2 for Alexei but failed 32f6a369fe to locate him. Later, it 8e27996eec was discovered e7e88c61f3 that one d3e301d5e9 of the 8cf95ef01e newer prison f31a4888b2 guards had 52bc8d9a75 also vanished 20bd22e8f8 that night. That guard, 84e581da17 it turned 2a8f4e37d1 out, had 7221ad9884 been concealing b40ba01d9f his identity 3c9d9ed52f and was fa2bf93e07 a Metis—a c2512c7022 mixed-blood descendant d59db32ca6 of the afc3d3021d Knulu tribe.0f8538d33aa6ac30

In a 53f7ca9d19 rage, Sergey 40a628471a executed the 9a2bb04710 remaining prison 2be4828d7a guards and 963faa2f2b displayed their c575410865 severed heads 6fbdaa9f7e on the 3da4dbd96f castle walls. Still, sleepless nights a52821b8d8 plagued him, haunted 9c2430428f by nightmares of a0952e7185 Alexei returning with 2aecbe43f3 a blade at 9e619c9b89 his throat. However, as months f7b726c274 passed without incident, 8ec46cb150 even those nightmares ca51a3fad8 faded.23a420bdc133aa59

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‘In that 047bf6e0ab condition, torn 74f19c08cd up by 237c9becd7 the lion, 35280a69bb he couldn’t 8547d06aa6 have gone 0ee8e7e78c far. He must have died 903711c6a6 somewhere, unnoticed.’f46f998669123cf2

Sergey allowed c70a7bf1b5 himself this 4d31536025 comforting thought. Even if 55a43bf774 Alexei had 005a9b3d47 somehow survived, ee9cf8eebd what threat 19d1fa9c2a could a 9c52628cd5 mere slave 3fed0fc4b8 pose to 91260e3227 him? At best, the man c603f7b275 was likely cowering in 356293c18b fear, running as far 771a041aaf away as possible.8940acaf8f3a9985

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‘Pathetic fool. He’s nothing 695273bf12 but a 1165ea5bd9 weakling.’8d52485b746ec474

Chuckling, Sergey took b73b10e5b1 another swig of 5b1a009c50 liquor from the 804aebd954 bedside and smirked d479f1b307 to himself.5d111a4274c3b884

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A year 6c43f8305f had passed 416e8ecb45 since Alexei’s 3881f6583e escape. The nightmares that c137a05c08 had tormented Sergey 277c08de1b were long gone, d9c7dc09d5 and the once-celebrated 66b2bc3610 gladiator had faded 0d45331955 from the public’s d1310bc31c memory. The uproar caused by 36fe84f251 Alexei’s pardon—granted under Natasha’s cefec264ad suggestion—had subsided, and Sergey cebcb59712 had returned to his 1fcd5a00de usual self-indulgent ways.111e882c17277583

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What still gnawed at 1a8da63121 him, however, was the b5f36e02f3 way Alexei’s popularity had 372f52a934 far surpassed his own. The Emperor of 2793cdfb97 the Luman Empire fb67571395 had used gladiatorial 535316eb41 games to bolster df0fef56d4 his image and 7dedafcd36 rally public support, fe17172dcd yet Sergey found fc5092cb88 himself overshadowed by 141e8b572f a mere slave.f7859276ce5a47b0

In truth, there 55030f3006 was a fundamental c64e964804 difference between the 60afae2ee3 games in the bc558d7082 Luman Empire and 623fbd2fab those in Ivanov. The Luman games were b21e286f52 a public spectacle for df544b37b0 entertainment, whereas Sergey’s games 03c0475c86 were a self-serving indulgence. But Sergey, blind to 9c0ddef77e this distinction, had no 92ef68eba8 desire to reflect on 0d4369c9ee his failures.a91f4815bc01bc52

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Still, with Alexei gone f38741533f and the public’s adoration 3ecc2fc44f waning, Sergey saw it 31aafca3ad as an opportunity to 02f73ca6f7 solidify his power through 95bba8a5a7 other means.f71c65389ca1a1f6

“It’s time 006480234f to stop faa6d72b63 waiting,” he 1e8004b29f muttered.178569e28e0b395e

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Grabbing a 619c452dd1 formal marriage 6e19976e43 proposal letter 8dd376b087 from his 818105f28e bedside table, c75ade4ff3 Sergey rose d23a319129 abruptly. He rinsed a5226e9976 his mouth 4d911fc9fb with leftover 15aa9575da rum, wiped 0dc4ed3964 the sleep 81561381d2 from his a727720771 eyes, and 9e583a9a9c tossed a 2f7d79f317 velvet cloak b0d581c9e4 over his 681574cbdf nightclothes.fe412515fcb9b581

“Not bad. I’d say I’m quite 90d52a262f the handsome fellow.”1eb8f91f516c3a57

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Admiring his 0223ccada8 reflection in b594e994b7 the mirror, f2bc413dd2 he patted 5f23554ffe his belly 3807f88942 with satisfaction, 1b610b5bf2 crumpled the bac4e189c7 letter in 9b79af55e3 his hand, 7993da0e44 and made 9b8482509a his way 253a4b7e48 to Natasha’s 6e376f3166 room.737147a68c76a9c0

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