Rosie's Games

Chapter 266: Toes

"Still alive?" Lucas asked in a chilly tone.

"Yes, Your Grace," Denys answered as he walked next to him. Their footsteps echoed as they entered deeper into the dark dungeon.

The air was thick with a scent of mold and decay.

Denys glanced at the Duke and shivered inwardly. Something must have happened inside that room earlier as it completely changed the Duke's mood.

While the Duke carried the air of authority around him right now, there was also something else that Denys could only recognize as fury.

The Duke was angry.

Right now, Denys was not certain if it was because of Lady Rosie or because of the one that they were about to interrogate.

The sounds of rattling chains attracted their attention as they approached the only cell in the mansion's prison that had an occupant in it— a live occupant.

"Open it," Lucas ordered and Denys immediately complied.

The two of them heard ragged breathing, and the sound of the rattling chain intensified.

Denys used the torch that he was holding to illuminate the small room.

They immediately saw the prisoner that was huddled in the corner, her body was covered in bruises and cuts, her eyes wide with fear as she looked up at the two men.

She must have known that her fate had been sealed.

"You—" the woman screeched. "How dare you detain the Princess of Lonyth in this … nasty place! What do you see me as!? Do you think I am someone that you could easily bully? I am the Princess of Lonyth! I am the future Queen!"

This woman was none other than Princess Freda, the wife of the Crown Prince of Lonyth.

However, unlike her majestic and beautiful appearance just a few days ago, she was now nothing but a shell of the past. She had lost a lot of weight. Her eyes were sunken, her cheeks hollow, and her breathing came in shallow gasps.

Her skin was stretched tight over her bones to the point where her veins were standing out like cords on her pale bruised flesh.

Despite this, the fire in her eyes was still there.

"I was not expecting you to even have the strength to speak," Lucas said.

Princess Freda glared at him.

"But that is a good thing," Lucas continued. "I instructed them not to cut your tongue."

"You are a vile person! If the people of Lonyth—"

"To the people of Lonyth, you have gone mad because of your husband's death," Lucas interrupted. "Princess Freda was a loving princess who loved her husband so much that upon hearing the news of her husband's death, she fell ill. She became mad and now, she was clinging to the little life she had left while… calling out for her husband's name."

"Pitiful, isn't she?' Lucas smirked.

"You— How dare you to do this to the—"

"To the woman who wanted to kill thousands of people?" Lucas asked. "Oh, I was planning to do worse. However, that can wait."

"I will never tell you anything! Not even if you kill me."

"Oh, I will kill you either way," Lucas said, assurance apparent in his tone. "But I am giving you a chance on how to die. Being skinned alive before death is more barbaric than dying a quick painless death, but it is your choice."

"I will never tell you anything."

"I am not in a hurry," Lucas said. "Denys… go ahead and remove her toenails."

"What?"Princess Freda asked. "You—"

"Slowly Denys… we wanted the Princess to feel everything." Lucas smiled a smile that made Princess Freda's skin crawl.

"No! No… not that—"

"Men—" Denys called out. Two other people walked inside the cell and held the Princess, stopping her from making any other movements.

Not long after, the Princess's bloodcurdling scream echoed inside the entire dungeon.

"No— No—" Princess Freda cried.

"I know it was the Thun family," Duke Lucas said after they finished removing the nails from her toes.

"You— If you knew it was them then— stop it— Stop this!"

Lucas snorted.

Not long after, Princess Freda's screams turned into sobs and then they quickly turned into her calling the Duke's name.

She started begging.

"I cannot say it," Princess Freda said. "Please— you must believe me— I cannot say it even if I wanted to."

However, Lucas only stared at her blandly as if he did not hear a word that she said.

"Enough—" Lucas said. "We are leaving."

The three other men disappeared from the room, leaving Lucas and Princess Freda alone.

"What you did was hurt someone that I care about," Lucas said. "The consequences will not be light."

"I didn't know! I didn't know that it was like this— I swear— they— Ahhh— the one who approached me — I cannot say it—" Princess Freda started screaming again. This time, she fell to the floor, her mouth started bubbling before she lost consciousness. josei

Seeing her like this, Lucas walked out.

"Once her toes start healing…" Lucas said. "Pull them out again."

"Yes, Your Grace," a man wearing a black hood answered.

Lucas did not spare her another glance as he left the cell and started walking out of the dungeon.

"Should I investigate the matter clearly?" Denys asked.

"No need," Lucas answered. Those people would never stop until they harvested enough souls to make them stronger. However, if his suspicions about her were right, then their actions would all be for naught.

He walked out of the dungeons with Denys in tow.

"Your Grace, the beast tide is upon us. Should I call the others back? The night will become more and more dangerous from now on."

"No," Lucas said. "I will personally deal with it."

"But the moon is about to align together. Your wedding—"

"Will happen," Lucas said without batting an eyelid. "It will happen …"

Lucas eyed the direction of the tower where Rosalind was. "Let's go to the walls." Almost immediately, he disappeared from where he was standing.

He then appeared standing on one of the walls that had been under siege by beasts of various sizes and shapes.

Lucas' eyes narrowed.

'This is not enough,' he thought inwardly.

Their blood would not be enough to satisfy him tonight.

....

Tomorrow, I will have rest day from my workout. :D