Chapter 187: My Prison Chronicles (2)

Good news always came unexpectedly.

"Mage Duchess."

I was tending to my duties as usual when my secretary approached. Normally, I preferred reports to be made in writing unless it was urgent.

I've known her for decades. This child wouldn't dare to ignore or forget my words, so what she had to say must have been something important enough to warrant a face-to-face report.

"What is it?"

"The teleportation mage summoned by His Highness the Crown Prince has returned. The Executive Manager has also arrived at the capital."

Indeed, it was news worth reporting in person.

In fact, this was something I had been expecting. My baby came the last time the Crown Prince called for the teleportation mage, so I harbored a faint hope that it might be the case this time again.

"Alright, you may leave."

"Yes, Mage Duchess."

The secretary, having delivered the good news, turned and left without further ado.

She was always diligent, but she seemed particularly endearing today. I should reward her with a bonus soon.

I watched the secretary leave and turned my gaze towards the window where I saw a clear, cloudless sky.

"It's a beautiful day."

I murmured to myself, feeling content.

Yes, today was indeed a beautiful day.

'If only it had been like this sooner.'

I had ordered my mages to immediately report baby's arrival in the capital to me ever since he was sentenced to probation in the academy.

Until now, I was kept unaware every time he arrived. He fortunately hadn't returned without my knowledge, but the possibility of that happening was always concerning.

Baby would need a teleportation mage if he were to come to the capital. If he arrived by carriage, then it meant that he was going to stay longer, so there would be no need to rush.

'I'm so glad.'

I lightly touched my chest, feeling my heart beat faster than usual.

How many times had I asked him to stop by the Magic Tower when he came to the capital? I've told him several times, so he would surely come without me needing to ask.

Of course, given the Crown Prince's summons, he wouldn't arrive immediately. The matter must be significant if it had to involve traveling from the academy to the capital.

Still, the thought of him coming to see me made me happy.

It would be alright even if he arrived in the evening. After all, I cherished the feeling of happiness and anticipation I would feel as I wait for him all morning.

'Although it's unfair that I'm the only one who's feeling this way.'

But it was alright. Eventually, he would long to see me as well. It was bound to happen. All we needed was time.

***

However, he didn't come until the evening.

'...He's late.'

My hand tightened around the pen in frustration. I expected him to be late, but I didn't expect not to hear from him until nighttime.

The moon was already high in the sky. And yet, I couldn't leave the Magic Tower in fear that he would arrive late and turn back if I wasn't there.

I wouldn't easily let him go even if he came late. If he returned without my knowledge, then I would personally visit the academy.

He should take responsibility for making a lady's heart race from the morning. I also believed that he wasn't the kind to be so cruelly indifferent.

"Mage Duchess!"

"You're causing quite a stir. What would the other mages think?"

Perhaps because of my mood, I replied sharply to the secretary, who had seemed charming earlier.

However, the secretary remained distracted despite my reaction. It was odd; she wasn't usually so undignified.

"Th-the Executive Manager..."

The news I've been waiting for instantly made my ears perk up.

Yet, it only took one sentence to make my soaring hopes come crashing down.

"He's been imprisoned!"

"...What?"

What did she just say?

***

I immediately tried to rush over to where baby was imprisoned as soon as I heard the news.

Despite the secretary's attempts to dissuade me, I was determined.

"The Executive Manager has barred visitors for today. He hasn't seen anyone except the Minister of Finance."

'No visitors.'

But I sank back into my chair, drained by the news. No visits meant that he didn't want to see anyone.

How much suffering was my baby going through to make such a decision? Just how pained was he...?

Thankfully, the no-visitors ban was just for one day. Yes, I could endure one day. I would give him space so he could sort his feelings out.

***

"I-I greet the Mage Duchess—"

"There's no need for long speeches. I'm here to see the Executive Manager."

Of course, I headed straight to the underground prison the next day. After all, visits were already allowed.

'This place.'

I glanced around as I followed the guard inside.

The underground prison was a place I thought I'd never have any connection with; so, I never paid it any mind.

'...Goodness, in this place...'

My hands trembled. The air was cold and harsh, built solely for confinement and devoid of any warmth.

Baby... my baby... you're telling me that this is where my baby is? My poor, young, and precious baby?

'No.'

I shook his head frantically. The thought of my baby being alone in this cold, dark place broke my heart.

I wanted to free him immediately and shout in protest against the injustice of imprisoning someone meant to be a companion to a duchess.

But I refrained, knowing that making a scene would only complicate matters for him.

"The prisoner... has agreed to the visit."

A different person hurried over. By the look of his uniform, he seemed like a jailer.

'Prisoner.'

The term grated on me, but I let it pass after seeing the jailer's uneasy demeanor.

It was somewhat comforting to know that some questioned his status as a prisoner even within the underground prison.

"I will guide you. It's a bit deep inside, so the path is complicated."

I followed the jailer down the stairs, and my tears threatened to fall the deeper we went.

Was he really here? How I wish it was just a prank, that maybe baby was just playing a trick on me with the secretary's or the jailer's help.

That would've been more preferable. I'd be willing to laugh it off even if he were to tell me now that it was a just joke.

"Your Grace, thank you for coming."

However, everything collapsed the moment I saw him beyond the bars.

***

I accepted the visit with a heavy heart. Soon after, the jailer and the Mage Duchess arrived.

The jailer hurried away upon their arrival, but the Mage Duchess approached the bars even faster.

"Baby, are you alright?"

'I'm not okay.'

I swallowed back the words I couldn't bring myself to say. To be honest, I was okay earlier. However, seeing mother Mage Duchess in this place made me feel embarrassed and devastated.

Interpreting my silence in her own way, the Mage Duchess's ears drooped as she gripped the bars.

"How hard must it have been for you that you're not even able to speak properly...?"

The Mage Duchess's hands on the bars trembled slightly.

But contrary to her belief, I was silent out of sheer embarrassment.

"Have you had any discomfort here? Do you miss being outside?"

My imprisonment just started yesterday; there hadn't been enough time to feel longing or discomfort.

"You must be struggling with your meals, too..."

I've been eating well; the Minister brought so much food that I even shared it with the guard and the jailer.

"It's getting colder. I hope you haven't caught a cold."

Thanks to the blankets my guard brought, I haven't been feeling cold; I even sweated a bit while sleeping.

...How strange. These were supposed to be words of concern from the Mage Duchess.

'So why do I feel guilty?'

Each concern pierced my heart like a dagger, making me wonder if she was mocking me.

However, the Mage Duchess was incapable of deceit. Her ears drooped powerlessly, and her eyes and hands trembled pitifully. If this were an act, then it defintely deserved a standing ovation.

"I'm fine, Your Grace. Please don't worry."

"How can you say you're fine...?"

The words I said while intending to calm the distressed Mage Duchess only seemed to backfire.

'Damn it.'

I was too short-sighted. Claiming to be happy and fine from behind bars would only seem like a cruel joke.

As I went back to being silent again, the Mage Duchess frantically searched her pockets.

"Baby, take this."

Soon enough, a familiar bottle emerged from her pocket.

It was the ginseng extract made from our blood. I missed the chance to bring mine in the rush of my imprisonment.

'No wonder I've been feeling off.'

Apparently, I missed my regular dose.

"Thank you, Your Grace."

The Mage Duchess gently touched my protruding hand as I reached through the bars, cupping my hands carefully as if she were afraid it might break or that she would lose it. It was almost making me feel embarrassed.

"Baby, my baby..."

Her trembling voice as she called out to me sounded like a mother who had lost her child.

But, Your Grace, it's only a five-day sentence.

Did she misunderstand it as five years or even fifty?

'Is it really five years?'

It suddenly made me anxious. Did the Mage Duchess hear that my sentence was extended before she came here?

Although my rational mind screamed that it couldn't be true, the Mage Duchess's pitiful state was enough to silence it.

Thus, the Mage Duchess held my hand for a long time, unwilling to let go.