Chapter Text
“I'm an innocent!!!” The young man yelled to the court, only for it to fall for deaf ears.
In front of him stood the Man In Red, holding an untroubled expression.
"If you confess your sins in front of the court, I can think of reducing your sentence.” He offered.
Edgar's face showed an annoyed reaction. Why didn't the court believed him? He is a noble man from a respectable family How could the court ever believe he'd steal from their lord!? How could they ever believe he was a criminal!?
“So, what is your final word, Valden?” and then, an annoying smile was implanted into the Man's face.
“I, Edgar Valden...” he took a deep breath “Am innocent of any accusation.”
The Man's smile vanished, being replaced by the same untroubled face, as the his servant stood up.
“In punishment for your sins against the the Man's Court...” Violetta's voice echoed through the room “You, Edgar Valden, are sentenced to a life in prison."
And then, the guards dragged him outside of the palace.
Humiliating
It was completely humiliating to be dragged by these guards, with his hand tied up, and with the people's eyes locked on him.
He could hear, at the distance, a woman praying for his soul, Edgar wondered if she thought of him as a criminal or an innocent. His thoughts were interrupted, as the guards pushed him into the catacombs of the village, and then pushing him into the cell.
He heard the cell's bars slowly closing once he hit the cold ground. The guards left without saying a word.
Edgar didn't say anything either, instead, he looked around the new environment. The cell looked creepy and dark, only bring illumined by a small window at what Edgar called “ceiling”.
At a darker corner, a young woman, sitting on a wheelchair, was humming a song, as her eyes focused on the stained wall. Edgar wondered what such an innocent looking woman ever did to be imprisoned, he also wondered if she was injusticed like him.
It wouldn't hurt to ask.
“Hey, you.” Edgar called, the woman calmly looked at him, her empty eyes making shiver “How did you get here?”
The woman didn't answer.
“Are you ignoring me or what?” she still didn't answer.
Edgar sighed and turned his head to where his 'bed' were supposed to be – if he actually could call that a bed. He noticed how that was the only bed in the cell, and supposed the woman didn't need it anyway. He turned his head to her one more time, she was staring at the wall again.
That would be a long day...
The first day passed, and he swore he would lose his mind, the silence at that cell was painful.
The only sound he ever heard through the day, was the woman's humming. Maybe her humming is what kept him sane through the day.
'I shouldn't be thinking about it...' he thought, sighing as he dropped his tired body into the bed.
The bed was much softer than it looked like, but the cell was still cold and felt so lonely.The woman had fallen asleep a long time ago.
Edgar sighed again, as he tried to look for a comfortable position to sleep. The bed was soft, but would never compare to the luxurious bed he had at his house – that now doesn't belong to him anymore, as all of his assets were either sold or sent to the Man's Palace.
“Shit...” he cursed, trying to keep his voice down.
“Cursing won't help you to get you.” said a mysterious voice from his behind.
Startled, Edgar fell from the bed into the ground, his eyes searching for the voice's owner, meeting an unknown shadow.
“W... What was that!?” he dared to ask.
“Hey, is that a way to treat an old friend?"
And then, Edgar finally recognized the shadow.
Luca.
A guy he met when they were just two young kids, and somehow became friends. They would go play together around the village everyday, and only come back at the sunset.
But Luca suddenly dissapeared without leaving a word behind, Edgar had assumed he left the village to study or even work into something new.
Looks like his assumptions were wrong.
“What the hell have you done to end here?” his friend – if he still could call the other by that – asked.
“It's none of your business.” Luca let out a short laugh at hearing Edgar's answer.
Edgar didn't want to admit he was arrested. He could never admit that he was a criminal, the label didn't suit him.
“There's nothing to be ashamed of, I'm a criminal as well.”
“I'm not a criminal!” Edgar raised his voice, covering his mouth immediately once he heard the woman mumbling “Just because they accused me doesn't mean that I deserve to be here.”
“I'd say you're lucky, considering the destiny of the others...”
Edgar knew what Luca meant. The village was known for the people who the Man In Red have executed.
Being a prisoner could even be considered a privilege at that Village.
“Listen, the first night is always the hardest one.” Luca suddenly said, staring at Edgar “But at least you're not alone!”
Edgar couldn't understand how Luca could ever find a bit of positivity in their situation, but he was still grateful for that. Yes, he wasn't alone there.
Sighing, he came back to his bed, as a lot of questions filled his mind. How long have Luca been there? And what about that woman? Were they innocent as him?
Eventually, he fell asleep, his mind travelling to a world of dreams, where he came back to home, to his family and friends.
Where nothing bad had ever happened.
At the Man's Palace, the rumours about Edgar's imprisonment surrounded the luxurious place and the rest of the Village. Naib didn't care about the gossips running around his own residence thought.
Lying down on his king-sized bed, the Man let his mind rest, as the cold environment became more and more silent. Usually, at this time, you could hear whispers and agonized voices, mixed with the terrible smell of smoke, but that night the palace's smell was different. It smelled so familiar to him.
Then, he felt the cold room becoming slightly warm. Naib glanced at the windom, noticing a flower.
“I know you're here, Emily.”
And then, the flower that was in the window disappeared in flames, revealing the figure of a woman dressed in black and red.
“You're no fun, Naib.” Emily laughed, leaving the window and entering the room, the heat of her body slowly spreading through the room and warming the environment “I heard about what happened today."
Then, she stared at Naib with a worried expression.
“I'm worried about you.” she said “The Naib I knew hated doing this, so why are you acting like that?”
“If I don't act like that, how am I supposed to earn their respect?”
“They don't respect you.” Emily sighed “Naib, they fear you.”
Sitting on his bed, Naib grumbled, as he watched Emily walk around the room, the sound of her heels echoing through the silent room.
“The man you sent to prison today was an innocent.” she said, with a sad expression painted over her face “The woman you executed last week was also an innocent.”
She stared at him again.
“You're not like that.”
“You should leave before the guards notice you. I'd hate to see you being executed again.” Naib stood up, refusing to face the other.
Emily didn't answer and walked to the window again, taking in her hands a flower bathed in gold.
“You'd never allow that.”
And then, she dissapeared in ashes.