Chapter 21: The Last Refuge

Crowlina would never normally miss the chance to bathe Lucia herself, a task she considered quite delightful. However, fearing she might lose control and displease her ‘sister darling,’ she reluctantly entrusted the duty to her subordinates.

Lucia endured the thorough scrubbing and kneading, then changed into a clean nightgown. Once again bound, she was finally returned to the familiar bed.

A harrowing realization dawned upon her: this room, this very bed she had previously despised, was now her last refuge. Only by lying here could she escape the lewd advances of those women.

Lucia pressed her lips together. The sensation of being unable to speak, with the gag in her mouth, had been deeply unpleasant. Yet, it also sparked a revelation within her.

‘Why did Crowlina cover my eyes and gag my mouth?’

‘Does she have reservations?’

‘She’s afraid my identity as an angel will be exposed!’

‘That’s right!’

‘An angel’s identity comes with millions of followers!’ The mansion was teeming with servants, and it was impossible that all of them were Crowlina’s confidantes.

Crowlina couldn’t guarantee that every servant in the mansion was wholeheartedly loyal to the Yass family.

‘If the servants in this mansion knew I was an angel, they would surely hesitate. If even one of them were willing to help me, I might be able to escape!’

“I still have a chance!”

Lucia grasped the crucial point, and hope ignited within her heart. She shifted her body, touching the soft headboard, then slowly edged along it until she was sitting upright against the bed. This was the most dignified posture she could manage.

After all, if she called for a maid while still curled up like a helpless shrimp, unable even to sit up, it would be utterly humiliating.

Lucia now faced two choices. The first was to scream loudly, directly proclaiming her identity as an angel to alert all nearby servants. This was the most likely way to summon help.

Her throat bobbed a few times, and she opened her mouth repeatedly, yet no sound escaped. Ultimately, she was still somewhat afraid of that woman. She worried that directly shouting her identity as an angel would lead to a terrible retaliation from Crowlina.

Screaming loudly would most easily attract help, but it would inevitably incur Crowlina’s wrath.

Her other option was to call out softly. Given Crowlina’s vigilance regarding her, there were surely servants monitoring her nearby. A quiet call would also summon a monitor.

Lucia could then reveal her angelic identity to the monitor and seek their assistance.

At the very least, Lucia’s intentions wouldn’t be immediately exposed.

‘No, that’s wrong.’

‘Anyone Crowlina assigned to monitor me would undoubtedly be her confidante. If I called one of her confidantes, it would most likely expose my intention to escape. I would still face Crowlina’s retaliation.’

After much deliberation, Lucia made up her mind. She took a deep breath and loudly shouted her identity as an angel, calling for help from the mansion’s servants.

Normally, her voice would be enough to alert half the servants in the house. However, Lucia had overlooked the presence of soundproofing measures and magic in this world.

Her desperate cries for help merely echoed within her isolated corner of the room.

“Click.” The door opened. Someone entered Lucia’s room.

‘The closest person to me must be the monitor, so the first one to arrive is the monitor.’

Lucia instantly quieted, like a helpless little rabbit, not daring to even breathe deeply, her ears perked to hear the newcomer’s voice.

The person’s voice sounded by the headboard; it was a woman, her tone cold and devoid of emotion towards Lucia.

“Please abandon those thoughts, milady, and rest well. Your room is soundproofed; all your efforts are futile. If you insist on causing trouble, I will have no choice but to offend you.”

‘Soundproofed!’

Lucia’s heart sank by half; this completely cut off any possibility of calling for reinforcements. The only person she could summon was this monitor.

Undeterred, Lucia asked, “I… I am an angel. Can you help me escape?”

“Please rest, milady,” the person replied, her tone unchanged. She was indeed Crowlina’s confidante, not a savior.

Lucia’s heart completely chilled, whether from fear or despair, her eyes were already brimming with tears beneath the blindfold.

She bit her lip, throwing herself onto the bed in a fit of pique. Under the woman’s gaze, she obediently lay still, daring neither to cry nor to cause a scene.

Even though the woman’s words were cold, she found Lucia endearing and quite liked her. Moreover, reverence for angels was deeply ingrained in the heart of every person in this world, and naturally, it was ingrained in hers too.

She had grown up listening to tales of angels, filled with both reverence and longing for Lucia. If she could, she too would want to help Lucia. Alas, her mistress had told her that the Valga royal family had captured a young angel and instilled wicked thoughts of foolish loyalty to Valga in them.

She could not believe the angel’s pleas for help now, even if Lucia appeared pitiful and heartbreaking. All she could do was care for Lucia well, assisting Her Highness in returning Lucia to the Yass Duchy to receive Duke Yass’s proper education.

As she considered this, she instinctively reached out, wanting to comfort Lucia, but her hands hesitated.

Ultimately, she merely smoothed Lucia’s long hair, which had become disheveled from struggling, and pulled the blanket, which Lucia had kicked off, back over her waist.

Observing the small, trembling angel on the bed, biting her lip, she discerned Lucia’s fear.

She wanted to offer words of comfort to Lucia but, constrained by her status, she held them back. She could only withdraw from the room in silence.

In the empty room, Lucia lay on her side, alone on the bed, utterly disheartened.

‘What else could she do?’

‘She couldn’t escape, couldn’t summon reinforcements, and the only person she could call wouldn’t help her.’ Lucia could think of no other way.

Lucia drifted into a despondent slumber. After an unknown period, she suddenly heard another “click”—the sound of the door opening.

Lucia snapped back to reality with a jolt of alarm. Though she couldn’t see, she instinctively turned her head towards the sound, wary.

‘Was Crowlina’s retaliation finally here?’

Lucia’s small heart thumped wildly. Even though she had prepared herself for this moment when she had shouted for help, the thought of actually enduring Crowlina’s retaliation made her tremble with tension.

She heard the footsteps entering the room; they were very light, unlike the servant’s earlier, more overt approach. This filled Lucia with a hint of confusion.

The footsteps reached Lucia’s bedside, and a soft, gentle female voice spoke:

“Angel, I have come to save you.”