Put Me Back in Prison.

"Put me back in prison."

The words that came out of my mouth were the craziest thing that could possibly be said amid this chaos.

The ceiling was blown open, and the floor of the hospital room was littered with shards of the chandelier.

Adrian furrowed his brow as if he couldn't believe his ears.

"What did you say?"

"Didn't hear me? Send me back to prison. You can slap any charges on me you want anyway. Property damage, assault, whatever."

"…"

"So send me back to where I was."

Adrian's eyebrow twitched.

His face was the picture of utter incomprehension.

"What's your reason?"

Adrian growled lowly.

"What's your scheme this time? Planning to conspire with that woman again?"

"Conspire? Please."

I snorted and pointed to my legs.

My trembling legs looked like they could barely hold me up.

"Look at me. I can hardly walk—what do you think I can do? I just…"

I paused for a moment and stared straight at Adrian.

"…want to pay for my crimes."

"Pay for your crimes?"

"Yeah. Take responsibility for what I've done. And…"

I took a breath.

"Leoness von Austria. Put me in the cell next to hers.

Her crimes happened because of me in the end. So we should bear them together."

I just stated the plain facts.

Part of it was because I wanted to live, part guilt, whatever—you get the idea.

Adrian fell silent for a moment.

Then he let out a hollow laugh.

"Pay for your crimes… Ha. The arrogant Elise de Bellaph, crawling back into prison of her own accord. What, putting on an act of piety now?"

Adrian looked at me with contempt.

"Remember this."

He strode toward me and roughly grabbed my chin.

"I'm the one locking you up there. Whether you rot in that cell or atone, it all happens under my permission."

"Harsh words for your fiancée."

"I've never once considered you my fiancée."

"Well, whatever. Deal's a deal."

I shook off his hand and shakily extended both of mine.

Esilla approached and fastened restraints engraved with strange runes around my wrists.

The cold touch of metal.

But my mind felt at ease, somehow.

"Tell Lilliana… when she wakes up… to take care."

I glanced one last time at the unconscious Lilliana and started walking.

"Moving out."

With Esilla's icy voice, I headed back to that hellish underground prison.

///

The path down to the underground prison was long and treacherous.

The security was several times stricter than before.

"This way."

Esilla stopped in front of the exact cell I'd been held in.

One side was my old room.

The other was Leoness's old room.

But why was one wall still wide open?

Cold wind poured in through the hole.

"Hey, Esilla?"

"What is it?"

"The wall? Didn't they fix the one I broke?"

Esilla frowned at my question.

"It'll take time for the magic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠engineering corps to arrive. Besides, because the lady used black magic, restoration spells aren't working properly."

"Ah."

"So we've temporarily sealed the outer wall with a barrier. The inner wall is still as is."

In other words…

"So we have to share one room?"

"Yes."

Esilla opened the iron door on the opposite side of the cell I'd used, looking annoyed.

"You're both accomplices anyway—no need for isolation. Enter."

I started to step in but hesitated.

Esilla had grabbed my shoulder and wouldn't let go.

"Lady."

She called to me.

When I turned, her eyes gleamed in the darkness.

"It was unexpected for Lady Bellaph to return to prison of her own volition."

"I told you, to pay for my crimes."

"A lie. I know ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you don't feel guilt."

Esilla's hand slid down my shoulder and gripped my restrained wrists.

"You're a villain. Punishment by others suits you better than this atonement charade.

I'm not removing the restraints. Who knows when you'll try to escape again."

"I'm not escaping."

Ignoring me, she rubbed her thumb over the smooth, cold surface of the restraint, then shoved me inside.

"Please behave this time."

The heavy iron door shut, and Esilla's footsteps faded away.

I stared blankly at the door.

…What was that just now?

The crown prince, Esilla…

Why were they all acting like this toward me?

When I was the villainess, no one gave me the time of day, but now that I'm in prison, I'm suddenly popular.

"Hoo…"

I shook off my complicated thoughts with a sigh of relief.

"Who is it this time…"

A familiar voice came then.

Hearing that hoarse voice made me burst out laughing.

"Who else? It's me, you idiot."

"…!"

The shadow huddled in the darkness flinched.

It slowly raised its head.

Messy silver hair, hollow eyes, pale lips.

It was Leoness.

She saw me and widened her eyes like she'd seen a ghost.

"Y-You…?"

Her trembling hand reached out, waving in the air.

"A hallucination? Have I finally lost my mind? Why are you here…"

"Who's lost their mind? It's real."

I approached her.

Stuck in one room—turns out this is convenient.

I took her hand and pressed it to my cheek.

"See? Warm, right?"

"Ah…"

A tear dropped from Leoness's eye.

She touched my face in disbelief.

"Why… why are you here? I said it was all my doing—why…"

Her voice trembled with resentment and relief.

I snorted and flicked her forehead.

"Ow!"

"You think I'd leave you behind and live it up on my own?"

"But…"

"More importantly, what happened to your body?"

Good thing the 'Resignation' debuff was fading as I arrived.

But she was still in precarious shape.

"You looked like you'd drop dead without me, and sure enough, you were dying."

"Quiet… I just…"

Leoness bowed her head.

"Wanted you to live. I don't care what happens to me, as long as you…"

"That's the problem."

I plopped down beside her.

"I told you, your life isn't yours anymore. You can't die without my permission."

"…"

"And same for me. If you die, I die too. So take some responsibility."

Leoness stared at me blankly.

Her red eyes quivered.

Relief, guilt, and… anger.

Anger?

"Idiot… fool…"

She muttered softly.

"What?"

"You idiot! Why did you come back?!"

Leoness suddenly balled her fists and pounded my arm—thump, thump.

"Eek…!"

"Ow, ow. That hurts."

"Don't lie! I know it doesn't hurt at all!"

Leoness pounded my arm relentlessly, eyes glistening with tears.

"Why did you come back! Why!"

Each small fist made a light thumping sound against my arm.

It didn't hurt—it was more ticklish.

Cotton swab punches.

Even while hitting, she was holding back so I wouldn't hurt.

"Eek…! I hate you! I really hate you!"

"Yeah, yeah. Hate me lots."

I silently took the punches.

"Eek…!"

After pounding for a while, Leoness ran out of strength and collapsed into my arms.

"And… I'm sorry…"

"…"

She suddenly apologized.

"I'm sorry… truly sorry… I was foolish…"

"Good, you get it."

I patted her back.

Her bony back shuddered finely under my touch.

Once she calmed after crying for a while, I pulled something from my embrace.

"Ta-da."

Fruits I'd swiped from the basket right before blowing up the hospital room.

"Here, eat."

Two apples and one pear.

My dress pocket had bulged suspiciously, but luckily no one noticed.

"This is…"

"Eat up."

I wiped an apple on my sleeve and handed it over.

Leoness took it and bit in.

"Hic… So good…"

The princess devouring a tear-soaked apple—salty yet adorable.

She polished off one apple in seconds.

Maybe her stomach was full and tension eased.

"Yaaawn…"

She covered her mouth with a small yawn.

The tears in her eyes had turned to drowsiness.

"Sleepy?"

"Mm… Fatigue's hitting all at once."

Leoness rubbed her eyes and looked around.

The cold cell had only a small pile of straw.

And with the wall open, the chill wind was brutal.

She might've endured before, but now sleep was impossible from the cold.

Then Leoness glanced at me.

As if she had something to say, she fidgeted her lips before speaking carefully.

"You."

"Yeah?"

"What… are we?"

Her sudden question made me blink.

"What do you mean?"

"We… share lives, escaped together, and now back in prison together…"

Leoness fidgeted her fingers, face red.

"It's not an ordinary relationship. That's why I'm asking. What… are we?"

Her red eyes shook with expectation and anxiety.

I thought for a moment, then grinned.

"Friends."

"…Friends?"

"Yeah. Super close ones. Best friends."

Top stats in combat, and cute to boot—perfect friend.

"Fr… friends… Yes, friends…"

She rolled the word around in her mouth a few times, then nodded.

"Right. Friends… that's fine."

"Fine for what?"

"I heard… friends sleep together."

"Huh?"

Leoness's gaze darted away from mine, then met it again. Eyes laced with strange heat.

"The floor's cold. And I get cold easily. If we're friends, hugging to sleep… that's not weird, right?"