Obsession... What's That? I Just Wish Someone Would Help Me Escape - Chapter 14
But… had I really had such connections, I wouldn’t be trapped in this place.
“But you never acquired an ability.”
Prisoner number 21 boasted triumphantly.
Isn’t that something you’re born with, without any effort?
Prisoner number 20 responded with a look more of resignation than resentment.
“Right, you must have used your connections again. We’ve admired them for a long time. And I can never understand someone who leaves their fiancé for another man.”
I sighed and made a face.
“That? He had an affair with my cousin.”
Prisoner number 20 gasped, covering her mouth.
“Oh my! I didn’t know, I’m sorry. Your cousin, that must be Viviana, right? Always acting so saintly, and now this? What happened to them…?”
She stopped mid-sentence, realizing that making a fuss was a mistake.
I sighed with an upset expression.
“Well, they conspired against me, sold me out, and eloped in the name of love.”
A look of sympathy and regret flashed across their faces.
I shrugged my shoulders and continued slowly.
“So, it seems you were upset because you couldn’t even initiate conversation, yet I, who was luckily assigned to the same cell as them, angered you. The reason might be petty, but I get it.”
Prisoner number 20 twisted her lips.
“You b***h, are you trying to provoke us now?”
“If you have a rational interest in Prisoners number 1 and 2, I might be able to help.”
“Ah! No way! How dare you!”
Prisoner number 20 slapped my forearm with a smack and then placed a finger to her lips, gesturing for me to be quiet.
What’s it then? Truly baffling.
I looked at Prisoner number 20 in disbelief, as she was making a fuss like a teenage girl.
“It’s not that we’re hoping for such things. Just being able to watch from a distance would be great, and we’d like them to know that we’re always supporting them…”
She was talking like an idol’s fan.
As Prisoner number 20 awkwardly squirmed in embarrassment, Prisoner number 21 added with a solemn expression.
“No one in this world deserves to have Lords Johann and Enrique. It would be better if they ended up together…”
Is that how it was? You guys, stop fantasizing about their relationship on your own!
I made a serious face, and shook my head.
“Anyway, I recognize that the feelings you have are genuine admiration and longing. It’s truly admirable that you can like someone so purely even in such harsh conditions.”
Surprised by my compliment, Prisoner number 20 and Prisoner number 21 clamped their mouths shut.
Prisoner number 20, with flushed cheeks, twirled her curly hair and pouted her lips.
“Well, yes… That’s it. Now that you know, be careful in the future.”
I leaned in close to Prisoner number 20, looking directly into her eyes.
“But without action, it all becomes meaningless. There is a way to naturally convey your feelings, want to hear about it?”
Prisoner number 21, who had been listening intently, spoke up.
“Your method might have worked in high society, but it’s useless here.”
Though she showed a hint of agitation, the sarcasm was still there.
I replied with an unfazed expression.
“The environment and circumstances might have changed, but gathering nobles in one place here is just like a ballroom, isn’t it?”
Prisoner number 20 blinked silently for a moment before prodding eagerly.
“Alright, tell me. What is it?”
“Bringing them something they like. Of course, anonymously.”
Prisoner number 20 cocked her head.
“Something they like?”
“They enjoy the chocolate pies received during religious events and the potatoes distributed during labor. How about leaving those anonymously at their door?”
“Ah… I remember someone did that before, sending anonymous gifts to the manor. It was incredibly intriguing to guess who it was.”
Her cheeks flushed, looking like any other lady of her age.
Just until recently, she was a normal person attending tea parties and gossiping.
Prisoner number 21, with a grave face, looked down at the ground before slowly raising her gaze.
“Gift tribute… I’ll keep that in mind.”
I curled the corners of my mouth, feigning a kind smile.
“Right, you must never reveal or hint at it first to keep them curious. I’ll take care of it.”
***
After another day of exhausting labor, I returned half-dead.
Entering the prison and staggering down the corridor, I noticed a stack of potatoes piled up in front of our cell.
Among the potatoes, there was an anonymous note.
―I’ve been watching you from afar for a long time. Just know that there is someone who admires and looks up to you.
It must have been Prisoner number 20 and Prisoner number 21 who left these.
They probably extorted them from the lower-ranking prisoners.
As I was about to pick up the potatoes and enter the cell, I heard Johann’s voice.
“What’s this?”
Johann and Enrique, who arrived a bit later than I did, looked at the potatoes cradled in my arms.
I smiled sweetly at them, the note crumpled in my hand.
“Oh, I gathered these. I thought you liked potatoes.”
If I’m to preserve my life and succeed in escaping, I knew who I had to win over first.
Johann and Enrique, the two top-ranked prisoners in this prison.
