The Former Prince Who Lost Everything Becomes a Masked Strategist, Dominates from the Shadows, and Vows Revenge - Chapter 7.1

―Plip.

A droplet of water dripped from the ceiling, dampening my bangs.

It has been two days since my father was killed by the mysterious mage, Hades.

No, “two days” is merely the length of time I have perceived since being brought to this prison.

In this dim underground dungeon, the concept of accurate time is meaningless.

The only thing I am certain of is that since the moment my father was murdered, I have not slept a single moment and have remained confined in this cell for what feels like an eternity.

I sat curled up in the corner of the dungeon, hugging my knees, staring blankly into the darkness before me.

“Hahahaha! How are you feeling, Grace?”

At that moment, the door creaked open, and Gaston appeared in the underground chamber.

The brightness of the light, something I hadn’t seen in a while, made me squint instinctively.

“Oh dear, even someone like you, Grace, looks utterly worn out after just three days. Well, I suppose that’s expected since you haven’t been given a proper meal. Hardly surprising, is it?”

Laughing again with a mocking “Hahaha,” Gaston leaned closer to the iron bars, a sinister grin spreading across his face.

“Just watching you suffer like this is enough to make my heart race with excitement! This is all thanks to Hades! Because of him, I am finally on the verge of obtaining everything that was once out of my reach!”

“Gaston… You… So you really did conspire with that mage to murder my father!”

I leapt to my feet and rushed toward the iron bars, gripping them tightly as I glared at Gaston with burning hatred.

Startled by my sudden movement, Gaston fell back onto the ground in shock. However, he quickly composed himself, getting up and flashing a victorious smirk.

“Hmph. And what if I did?”

“I will inform Gilbert and the others of my innocence at once! You and Hades will be brought to justice! I was wrong! Alphonse and the others were right—trying to reconcile with the Agrante family was a mistake! You and your kind are a disease upon the royal family!”

“Hahahaha! And how exactly do you plan to prove your innocence, Grace? With the Knight King dead, my authority has skyrocketed within the palace as the one who captured you—the supposed mastermind behind his assassination. No one is allowed near this prison except for me. No one will be permitted to meet you. Even your once-loyal ally, former Knight Commander Gilbert, has been stripped of his position as a swordsmanship instructor and banished from the palace. The only ones who would still stand by your side are the powerless young Princess Aria, the knight-in-training Alphonse, and the maid Hannah. Do you really think they can get you out of here?”

“T-Then what about Lilliette?! She’s my fiancée—she’s a count’s daughter! She would—”

“Oh? Didn’t you know? Lilliette is no longer your fiancée. Her betrothed… is me.”

“…What?”

“I wish you could have seen her face when she heard you killed the King. The sheer disappointment in her expression! She said she could never be with someone who murdered the King. And with me as the next heir to the throne, it was only natural for her to choose me. Wouldn’t you agree? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!”

Lilliette… was disappointed in me…?

No… Did she really not believe in me?

“Ah, I almost forgot—I haven’t explained how I set you up, have I? Since you’re stuck here anyway, why don’t I share the details with you? Kukuku!”

Gaston then began to reveal the full extent of his and Hades’ scheme.

To claim Lilliette as his own, Gaston had hired thugs from the slums to kidnap her.

However, when the abduction attempt failed and he was backed into a corner, he joined forces with the mage Hades to assassinate the King and frame me for the crime.

They meticulously planned every step to ensure no interference during the murder.

The knights who were stationed outside my room had been discreetly eliminated by Hades. Meanwhile, Gaston created a diversion by starting a small fire elsewhere, drawing some of the guards away from their posts at the crucial moment.

Hades then used his magic to lure me into the King’s private chambers, while Gaston gathered knights who were already harboring resentment toward the royal family and made them witness the staged scene—me standing over the slain King.

That was how they pinned the crime of regicide on me.

When Gaston finished his confession, I gripped the iron bars and shook them violently, my glare filled with fury.

“Gaston! You conspired with an unknown mage and killed my father… all because you wanted Lilliette and the throne?! He saw your family—the Agrante house—as true kin! My father believed in you! I believed in you! I considered you my cousin, my family!”

“‘All because of that’? Hah… Hahahahaha! Don’t make me laugh, Grace! You’ll never understand my suffering! Ever since childhood, I have been compared to you! In appearance, in swordsmanship, in academics, in strategy—I was never allowed to surpass you in anything! No matter how hard I tried, I was always second to you! They whispered behind my back, calling me an ugly pig, while you were revered as the brilliant and handsome prince! Why?! Why is there such an unfair difference when we share the same royal bl00d?!”

“Then you should have killed me instead! Why did you kill my father?!”

“Because I want it all, Grace! And now… I will subject you to every torture imaginable, unleashing all the hatred I’ve carried! I will make you regret ever being born. And when your once-clear eyes are clouded with despair… then, and only then, will I kill you. I look forward to that day, Grace! Hahahahaha!!”

With those final words, Gaston turned and exited the dungeon.

With a harsh screech, the iron door slammed shut behind him.

Once again, I was left alone, trapped in the darkness.

From that day onward, Gaston came to the dungeon daily, torturing me.

On the first day, he tore the nails from my fingers and toes. On the second, he pressed a heated branding iron against my flesh. The next day, he carved deep cuts into my body with a knife.

Every single day, without fail, he tortured me in every way imaginable.

Every time I screamed in agony, that man rejoiced, a twisted grin spreading across his face.

“Grace, you should never have been born.”

“No one is coming to save you. Everyone has already forgotten about you and moved on with their lives.”

“Lilliette is absolutely enamored with me. Just the other day, when I held her hand, her cheeks flushed red. Maybe it’s about time I give her a kiss.”

“Hahaha! So this is the great Grace? Covered in filth, drenched in his own waste, and scarred from head to toe… What a pitiful sight!”

Day after day. Every single day. Every single day, over and over and over again.

I was tortured by Gaston.

Food was given only once a day—scraps of leftovers and filthy water.

Gaston wasn’t trying to kill me outright. He made sure of that by bringing in a monk after each session of torture to heal my wounds.

He was waiting.

Waiting for me to break.

Waiting for me to beg him to end my life.

But no matter what, I refused to give in.

Even if Gilbert and Lilliette truly believed I was the prince who murdered the King…

There was one person—only one—whom I knew would never betray me.