Chapter 42: Escape

 

     “Liz, are you all right?” A pale Keefa  ran up to her. However, Liz wasn’t scared of being in prison, rather he saw her trying to escape somehow squeezing herself between the iron bars, both hands and a leg on it.  He laughed and took out a key from his pocket. It’s the key to her prison cell. 

     Liz was surprised, “How did you get it?”

     “I’m the prince.” 

     Before she was able to answer, Keefa said while opening the door, “I’d like to ask one thing from my previous life. Eugene gave Cecil a floral hair ornament. If you remember what Cecil did to it, I’d like to know.”

     She was even more surprised since she had just dreamt about that hair ornament.

     “I took special care of it all the time…I don’t know what happened to it after my death. I suppose the landlady had probably disposed of it with the furniture of the room.”

     Keefa had said before that after Cecil’s death, Eugene visited the room and found it empty. That’s what it is.

     “Why are you asking about it now?” Liz asked albeit suspiciously.

     “Sheena just showed me her hairpiece.”

     Liz looked up agitated. That’s impossible.

     …No, if it were possible —

     “It must have been made to look exactly like it. It would have been rusty, since it had been 500 years.”

     “Sheena told me that her hair piece was left with her in the basket when she was abandoned in the monastery when she was a baby. It was probably her mother’s. She had always cherished that accessory. It must’ve been passed down from generation to generation by her ancestors.”  Keefa said softly, his face was like a statue.

     Liz felt that she has a heavy weight on her chest. It’s terribly heavy.

     Sheena wants Keefa to think that she’s the descendant of Cecil. Someone who has the same face as Cecil and from the same bloodline. If so, Keefa would be so happy and would think that seeing Sheena was fate.

     Liz clenched the iron bars tightly. They’re making a fool out of the both of them. They don’t think that Keefa’s a person that has emotions. They just think that he’s like a chess piece that they can move as they want, just like in their previous life.

     “How much does he want to make a fool of us…!” Keefa groaned. His frustration was painfully obvious. They share the same pain.

     “The Duke of Igner is that butler of his former life. The head butler of the Howard family.” Liz said in a low voice.

     “…Did you notice it?” Keeffa looked glum. As Liz nodded, he smiled and touched his dark brown bangs with his hand.

     Keefer looked glum. As Liz nodded, Keefer smiled and touched her brows with one hand.

     “I finally got the evidence that Duke Igner and Sheena are involved.  A local, who Sheena often spoke with in Colorado. The man had been hired as a servant of the Duke. The servant was also caught, but he did not tell the truth. He’d  usually stay in a secluded mansion and would rarely come out in public. I wish he’d come to the temple once to see Sheena so that he’d be captured then.” Keefa heavily exhaled.

     Then, he looked at her and raised his eyebrows, “Why were you locked up?”

     “I don’t know. The saint suddenly claimed that I was the one who brought the manastone.” 

     “Why did she say that?”

     Liz shook her head. She felt uncomfortable with the saint. Similar to Sheena. That was —

     While she was thinking, she grasped on the iron bars, and suddenly raised her head and was shocked. Through the bars, was Keefa’s face right in front of her.  He seemed to have been looking at her for quite a while.

     “What are you—!”

     “That’s a face with something to say,” Keefa happily smiled as he understood a little. 

     Liz steadfastly turned her face away.  

     She slowly said, “She is a saint, but I think she is a fake.”

     “Yes.” Liz’s eyes widened when he affirmed. Keefa raised an eyebrow.

     “Sheena changed her face. The duke had a companion who could change one’s features. Probably that kind of magic, but the duke wouldn’t possibly part with such a powerful magician.”

     The padlock clattered with dry metal sound. The door of the iron bars creaked when it opened.

     “I was thinking of what the duke’s purpose is. Sheena—who will eventually be adopted in the future—becomes the crown princess. What’s the rest?　If he were a butler in his former life, he would be insured. It’s just a matter of time. If that mage replaces the current saint. The saint and crown princess would be on his side. The opinions of the current saint would be respected by the next saint. The duke would obtain the future saint and queen, and would have no enemy around him. In the future, he’ll be able to control the country from behind.”

     For that purpose, Sheena tries to convince Keefa and exile Liz as a criminal.　

     Keefa’s dark brown eyes were filled with anger.

     “I’m not going to let that happen. I’ve had enough of this farce. I will not do as I did in my last life. Will you help me?”

     Liz went out of her cell and nodded, “Of course. Let us finish it.”

     Keefa smiled. Happy to have a strong ally.

     “Let’s go before I’d be found by the fake saint.”

     As Liz was about to run up the stairs to escape, the  priests’ voices were heard from above.

     “This way! Prince Keefa is going to take Liz out—!”

     “…!” There is only one exit from this dungeon. The back is a dead end.

     Keefa grasped her arm, “This way.”

     They quickly went to the back.

     “Wait.Then the mice in the bag…!”

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     “It’s fine. When I was a child, I had the priest show me the drawing of this dungeon. At that time I heard from the saint about a secret passage that wasn’t listed there. Only the saint, chief priest, and the king know. However, I was told of it in case of emergency. I laughed thinking that there wouldn’t be an emergency, but it came unexpectedly early.”

 

* * * * *

 

     It’s true that Manon’s sleeping on the clinic bed, but the current saint is calling for the chief priest in the temple—

     Lloyd and the chief priest hurried back to the temple.

     “For the time being, I will go to the person who claims themself a saint. Okay? Don’t do anything until we grasp and know the situation.” the chief priest said, serious and headed towards the first temple.

     Lloyd remained and cautiously looked around. The priests and maids are working as usual. Nothing changed, it’s the same scene as it usually is. There was nothing suspicious.

     Lloyd caught a long-haired priest nearby, “Did you see the saint? What was she like?”

     “What? It was the same as usual, but she’s originally a person who doesn’t show up in public, I haven’t really seen her lately. It’s been a while since I saw you…are you alright?”

     “What do you mean?”

     The priest, who had been silent for a while, was greatly shocked and he blankly blinked, “You don’t know!? Liz, the candidate you brought was the one who brought in that stone! The saint told us so and at her order, was taken to prison.”

     “Oh…” he was speechless. Then, the chief priest returned. He looked pale. There is nothing but a bad premonition about the expression on his face. Lloyd briskly went to him, leaving the long-haired priest.

     “Lloyd.” The chief priest solemnly said.

     “Calm down, listen. A wedge was driven into Manon’s heart. A magical wedge. If it activates, I was told that Manon’s life would be gone.”

     “…!” Lloyd was appalled. The chief priest had a had over his forehead.

     “The saint in the temple is a fake. The impostor set up that manastone. If I let it go, I’m told that Manon’s life is not there.”

     “…Is it possible that she has been lying that she has driven a wedge into it?”

     Lloyd thought to confirm it, but it’s like he’s hanging on a string. However, the chief priest sadly shook his head and denied it.

     “The priests who were with Manon at that time told me, when she sealed up the manastone, a little thin black thing flew from the stone towards her chest. Soon after, she collapsed. When I heard it, I wished that it was a mistake…”

     Tremors ran through his body. That stone was aiming at Manon from the beginning. The life of Manon—the real saint — is in the hands of that fake.

     “Does that fake know Manon?”

     “…I’m not sure. I don’t know the details yet.”

     “Chief priest, they placed  Liz in the dungeons.”

     “Yes, I heard. I’ll do something about it too. For a moment—”

     “Chief Priest.” he suddenly heard someone call, and turned swiftly. Just behind him stood the saint, accompanied by her ladies-in-waiting. No, it’s the fake who replaced the current saint.

     Lloyd’s back became cold. He didn’t feel any sense of presence until the priest was called. Also—

     ‘She looks just like the saint!’

     The face, body, voice, and the very saint who Lloyd knew from his childhood.

     ‘Isn’t she the same..?’

     It is a dreadful spell. It is no wonder that the other priests and maids were not aware of this.

     The fake saint smiled, “What’s the matter? Lloyd.”

 

     He can’t help but turn his face away when he was called by his name. No, he can’t say bad things. The life of Manon— the real saint—is at stake.

     With all chagrin, Lloyd began to walk.

     “Where are you going?”

     The voice from behind.  Lloyd responded, wanting to ignore her. “I am going to the archives. The documents there are piling up.”

     “That’s a lie. You’re not allowed to go to the dungeon. I’m sorry about Liz ,but she is a criminal. No one’s allowed to go to the dungeon till the crime is settled. Of course, the chief priest and Lloyd too.” He got goosebumps from the gentle smile that the fake saint had, it seemed to see through everything.

     Then, a priest came running, breathless.

     “It’s bad! His Highness Prince Keefa shook off the guard, and went into the dungeon—!”

     “Immediately close off the stairs going down to the dungeon at once. Catch them when they try to go out.”

     “No, it was blocked…but, His Royal Highness was nowhere to be seen…and Liz Stefan disappeared!”

     “What?” the face of the fake saint distorted and vigorously turned to the chief priest.

     “I have done nothing, I’ve been in the First Temple with the saint, right? Perhaps Prince Keefa had powers and perhaps used magic.” the chief priest said curiously and quite foolishly.

 

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