Masters, Are You Going To Imprison My Sister?

Yuria washed herself thoroughly. She had been in the dungeon for a few days, so she wasn’t terribly dirty, but she wasn’t clean enough to go see a noble.

While washing with cold water and soap, she suddenly thought of her sister who was in prison.

After wiping herself with a towel and changing into new clothes, Yuria was given bread and a glass of water. After taking a bite, she realized she was hungry. It’s not that they didn’t feed her in prison, but she had no appetite at the time and never thought of eating anything. And how much was she concentrating on retrieving her memory? Layla didn’t even touch her food, so her sister had been starving for days.

The knights knew this and showed kindness by handing her food. The freshly baked bread was soft and warm. After eating all of the bread, rinsing her mouth with water, she thought of her sister again.

Yuria would always think of Layla when she was weak. Like finding light in the dark, or finding fire in the cold, it was almost a reflex action for Yuria.

Each time she used to think she wanted to depend on her sister, but now it’s different. The more she remembered Layla’s face, the stronger she could be.

‘Let’s do it well. Even if you meet the duke, don’t be terrified.’

We become weak with each other, and we become stronger with each other. It is a blessing to have someone who can do that.

After finishing preparations, Yuria went straight to the duke’s office with the knights.

People who came across them looked at her as if they were seeing a strange creature and murmured. She didn’t withdraw from the gaze because she knew she was innocent of herself, and she came out with a promise not to give up in any way.

Yuria soon met Emily, who was walking down the hallway with a worried face. Taking a deep breath, Emily closed her mouth as soon as she spotted her. She soon stretched out her arms and tried to hug Yuria, but she couldn’t resist and just grabbed her hand.

“… Yuria…!”

“Aunt Emily… Hello?”

“Oh my God, how did you get here? Everyone acted like they’d never let you go…! Have you ever been accused of being falsely accused?”

She looked at the knights on both sides as if to be wary of Yuria.

“… That doesn’t seem like that. Anyway, what happened…?”

Instead of answering, Yuria smiled as if not to worry. Faced with that smile, Emily had a face that looked like she was about to cry.

“… Sorry.”

The knights stopped her from reaching out to Yuria in a hurry.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help. I’m really sorry. I’ve told the head maid several times that you’re not like that, that there’s a misunderstanding, but she doesn’t listen… I try not to let you in the prison…! I really have nothing to say to the two people who left first. Especially for Leisha….”

“… No. That alone has helped me a lot.”

“Aren’t you going to tell me why you came out? Are you having a hard time speaking? Then tell me this one thing. Are you going to be punished? Otherwise…”

“I am not going to be punished. That’s all I can say for sure. So don’t worry too much.”

Yuria gently grabbed her hand and then released it again. Emily looked melancholy at Yuria’s back as she left.

Yuria, who arrived in front of the office after a while, looked at the two men standing in front of her and pondered for a moment, then bowed her head with the knights. This is because among the men, the man leaning against the wall with a blank face was the second master of the mansion, Isley Emers, and the one standing with a frown in front of her was the third master, Arthur Emers.

Arthur’s eyes ran down Yuria’s face. The place where the eyes finally reached was the faces of the knights.

“Where are you taking the maid?”

“I am taking her to the Duke’s office. There was an order to do so.”

Why? What would my mother do to meet the maid? Arthur, who was about to ask, bit his mouth. He couldn’t figure out why they did what they were told anyway. With a brief sigh, he realized that it was better to take Isley than to ask the reason. Then the knight entered the office and came with the duke’s permission. Only then Yuria was able to enter her office.

Inside the office were the Duke, her assistant, and Osses. The Duke reached out and pointed to the sofa in the office.

“Sit down on the sofa.”

“Yes.”

Yuria was so nervous that it was only after she sat down on the sofa that Osses was not smiling as usual.

The room was so quiet that it felt uncomfortable. Even though I had come to speak, I wondered if I could open my mouth. The situation in which the two pairs of bright red eyes stared intently at her face made her even feel a heavy pressure.

The duke called her assistant and whispered something. Then the aide went out and came back with the two men after a while.

They were Isley Emers and Arthur Emers. They entered the room with strange faces and sat across from Yuria. They looked like they didn’t know why they were called.

Such a face was dyed with absurdity or ridicule at the Duke’s subsequent words.

“The reason I called you guys is because of a maid named Yuria Hanson who is sitting over there. She was the lover of Count Nigor for a year and was closest to him. She’s a witness to prove that Count Nigor was involved in the slave auction, and I will tell you the story today. I thought that hearing her story would be helpful to you who have worked with her in the future.”

The three young masters were quite surprised. The only information they knew about Yuria and Layla was simple basics, or that they were both born and raised in the Countess of Nigor. Because they were interested, but never tried to find out more than that. It was surprising, but if you think about it, it was not so surprising that Yuria and Count Nigor were related. James Nigor had an insidious personality that revealed a woman to a ferocious disposition. Everyone could not help but flirt with the beautiful Yuria.

“Mother…. Why are you telling such a story now?”

Arthur expressed his disappointment, just like Osce before, and Isley sat down on the sofa with a frown on his face.

“Like this.”

At that moment, a small, soft voice came from somewhere. Five pairs of eyes turned to where the sound was coming from.

“… I didn’t know so many people would listen to it.”

It was Yuria. She clasped her hand, trembling with nervousness and fear of being surrounded by high-ranking nobles. All around her, even the duke, were powerful aristocrats.

‘Take a deep breath and calm down. If you still can’t calm down, think of Lala.’

Yuria took a deep breath. Still, when her heart did not settle, she quietly closed her eyes and thought of Layla. She recalls her soft light brown hair, her cheeks always dyed red, and the warm smell that comes from holding her in her arms. Then she was soon able to calm her mind.

“Is that why you don’t like it?”

“… No.”

“Then how about we start the story now?”

“All right. But, first of all, convince me. Can you get us out of jail?”

“Sure.”

At this time, Arthur and Osses’s faces frowned slightly.

“Mother, when did you make that promise?”

The Duke did not answer her son’s question and spoke to Yuria.

“Is that enough?”

“My sister and I never stole anything. She’d never even thought of it. Can you relieve our injustice?”

“Okay.”

“We will leave the mansion as soon as this is done. Promise me that you will send us quietly and that you will not do any harm.”

“…  When things go smoothly, I will let you go. I could give you a prize.”

Yuria was so focused on the duke that she didn’t notice the faces of the young masters. If she had seen their faces, if she had met those eyes, she might have run away, horrified by the gooey and eerie feeling contained within. Even if she hadn’t run away, it would have made her barely calmed heart fluctuate again. Fortunately or unfortunately, she did not see their faces.

“… Really? then…”

Yuria was afraid to utter the following words. But she closed her eyes and said,

“Could you do it in the name of Duke Emers?”

At that moment, the air in the room became heavy. Four pairs of red eyes stared at Yuria coldly, and as she felt that gaze, she raised her hand and touched her neck.

It was because she felt like she was suffocating from the sudden pressure. Her face heated with tension and sweat ran down her forehead. The duke looked down at her with cold eyes.

“It’s off topic.”

Nobles valued honor. To put a name on it means to bet on honor. They put their names on promises that must never be broken. The act of giving a name was done between nobles or the royal family.

It could not be used for promises of no value or meaning with common people.

“Sorry. But… I’m a person of deep distrust, so I can’t be sure easily. If the Duke promises in the name, I…  I think I can fully trust the Duke and tell the story.”

Ensuing silence. silence. silence…

Yuria, who had lost all her courage, could no longer face that stinging gaze. So, she bows her head and looks only at the sweat dripping down her chin line and onto the back of her hand. Scratching the wet back of her hand with her fingernails, she recalled her sister’s face again. This time she had a mischievous smile.

‘… Lala, I’m so scared. I’m afraid I’m going to die. But I will do my best for you and for us.’

Then the courage rises. Yuria slowly raised her head and looked at the Duke. Suddenly, the duke withdrew her cold gaze and returned to her usual state.

“Good. I will take the name of the Emers family.”

“… Thank you.”

“Now tell me. your story.”

“All right…. I am.”

Yuria took a breath and opened her mouth again.

“I was born in the Countess of Nigor. She had a strict but caring mother, a loving father, and a younger sister. We were very happy.”

Tuk, tuk, tuk.

The Duke tapped the desk with her finger.

“What I need is not the story of your birth, but the story of Count Nigor.”

“… Yes, I know.”

Not only Yuria, but everyone in this room will know this. But, isn’t it too rude to take only necessary information and leave out the misfortunes Layla and herself has suffered? If there is anything you want in that misfortune…  Aren’t you supposed to take all your misfortunes and all you want?

So Yuria decided to tell her story before giving the Duke the information she wanted. No one wants it, it’s just an unhappy story. A story that must be avoided by those who hear it, in a hurry to see if that misfortune will reach them.

Maybe she just wants to be grumpy at her for bringing back bad memories that may have simply been blamed on her sister and herself. She smiled awkwardly as she met the red eyes staring at her.

“…  Can you still listen to me? I will definitely tell the story the Duke wants.”

Finally, the duke nodded as if to continue.

TL/N: Laisha is Yuria and Layla Mother