Chapter 46: The Price of Freedom

As hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor, my heart pounded, as if an invisible hand had seized it in a vice-like grip.

There was no time for thought. I instinctively turned, scrambling and crawling back the way I had come.

The ancient castle’s corridors were a labyrinthine tangle.

My mind held only one thought: if I could just escape this spot, I could find a corner to hide in.

However, I had overlooked the warning from the voice I’d heard earlier.

The ‘Goose Yellow’ who had lurked here for years knew every blade of grass and every stone.

“Caught you!”

Just as I believed I was about to escape, a rough hand suddenly grabbed my collar, violently throwing me to the ground.

“Ugh—”

I hit the floor with a heavy thud, the pain stealing my breath. I tried to cry out, but a large hand clamped over my mouth, and then, a cold, sharp blade pressed against my throat.

“Silence!”

A chilling reprimand sliced through the quiet, carrying an undeniable threat.

“Dare to make another sound, and your life ends here!”

Shaken by this sudden menace, my voice caught in my throat, able to produce only an almost inaudible whimper.

My gaze locked onto the person threatening me, my heart filled with terror.

She was an elderly woman, years having etched indelible marks upon her.

Her once brilliant goose-yellow hair had faded and dulled, and her blue eyes held a cruel, cunning glint.

Her body was stooped with age, her teeth severely decayed, distorting her lips.

Her skin was covered in the imprints of time, brown age spots like seals, recording a lifetime of vicissitudes.

Yet, despite the merciless passage of time, her body still held astonishing strength. Before it, I felt as fragile as a trembling leaf, powerless to resist.

“So, it’s you, you little hussy…”

The old woman glared at me with malicious eyes, like a jackal.

‘That voice!’

My eyes widened in astonishment, for I could now fully confirm that this person was the spy who had been monitoring me and secretly giving me orders.

‘I think I recognize this woman, but what was her name? Damn it, I haven’t been on Moon Island long enough to memorize everyone’s names!’

“What exactly is going on?”

Miss Cassina had arrived, and upon seeing me, her previously gloomy eyes widened in surprise.

“How could it be you, you… ”

“Young Miss…” The old woman gestured to Cassina. “Please leave, I will handle this one.”

A complex expression flickered across Cassina’s face. She watched me for a moment, then finally sighed and turned to leave. “What a shame to lose a toy…”

As she departed, I overheard her words.

Unsurprisingly, that was simply the kind of person she was.

Though I seemed to pique her interest, it was only as a plaything, nothing more.

When it came down to it, she would undoubtedly abandon me without hesitation.

“Alright, little hussy, look here.”

The old woman extended her rough hand, forcefully twisting my face towards her. Her foul-smelling mouth was practically pressed against mine.

“I believe you’ve guessed who I am. Indeed, I am the one who has been giving you orders all along, and like you, I am a dog kept by that adult. In this castle, I am the lowest-ranking laborer in the woodshed, named Mankha. In another world, I exist under the name ‘Goose Yellow’.”

She slowly leaned closer, the nauseating stench almost suffocating me.

I couldn’t help but turn my face away, an uncontrollable surge of revulsion rising within me.

“Hmph, you dare to disdain my ugliness?” A flash of anger crossed Mankha’s eyes. “I was once more beautiful than you. If not for seeking the power of a demon, how would I have fallen to this state?”

Then, a cruel smirk appeared at the corner of her lips.

“Hussy, do you know? By rights, you should have died the moment you uncovered those things. But given your excellent performance today, I can give you a chance.”

Before I could answer, she pointed to Rodd’s bedroom, a cunning glint in her eyes.

“How far do you think that hussy Aisha and Lord Rodd have gotten in the lord’s bedroom right now? Are their clothes off? Are they in bed? Has it begun? Or… is it over?

“Heh heh… I know that hussy’s scheme. The only reason she’s willing to replace the Young Miss and do it with that man is to get pregnant with his child and escape our control, isn’t it?

“Tsk tsk… such a beautiful dream. Since she wants freedom, let her feel the price of freedom!

“Enter that room and lure that hussy to the woodshed outside the castle,” she commanded, her voice firm. “Just do this simple thing, and you can remain here safely.”

She patted my shoulder, her fingers pinching tightly, delivering a warning.

“You have only one hour.”

Mankha’s figure slowly vanished into the depths of the corridor, leaving me alone.

My heart was filled with unease and fear.

Luring Aisha to the woodshed outside the castle clearly boded ill.

I was almost certain that ‘Goose Yellow’ intended to do something terrible to Aisha there.

‘Damn it, damn it…’

‘What should I do? Am I really to follow that person’s instructions!?’

“Otherwise…” I muttered to myself, “I could tell Aisha about this, then have her bring a weapon to…”

I immediately dismissed the idea.

“No, that won’t work. The power of ‘Goose Yellow’ is comparable to Rodd’s. Even with preparation, Aisha would be no match for that person.”

“Should I tell Rodd about this? Ugh… even less likely. Then he’d know I was the one who drugged him, and then…”

I clutched my hair, trying desperately to think, but it seemed there was no way out.

“What the hell can I even do?”

I lay on the ground like a dog, asking myself helplessly.

‘What a disgrace for a transmigrator! Not only can I not protect my own treasures, but I’m also being trampled by a dog raised by the lord!’

I had tried my utmost to find a solution, but time was still slipping away second by second.

I had looked at the door to the lord’s bedroom twenty times, yet still dared not enter.

Fear. I was truly afraid.

I was afraid that the moment I entered, I would encounter Aisha, that I would be speechless and reveal my weakness, that I would inadvertently lead her to the woodshed outside, that I would cause her death.

I couldn’t do that. I would never forgive myself if I did!

But if I didn’t, ‘Goose Yellow’ would…

Anxiety, like a burning fire, made me restless, inadvertently guiding me to a window in the corridor.

An ancient mirror hung on the wall there, standing silently, like a watchful guardian of the castle, observing every soul that passed. It was a wall mirror, originally meant for guests to quickly tidy themselves, but at this moment, it seemed to exist solely for me, reflecting the image of a girl in a simple maid’s dress.

That was me. I stared blankly at myself.

Compared to my days in Coldwind Territory, my complexion was much paler. Though my features remained delicate, like a carefully crafted porcelain doll, bruises and scars appeared all over my body, showing signs of excessive fatigue, a heartbreakingly sickly appearance.

My gray hair had grown past my shoulders. Untended, it had lost its former luster, becoming dull and lifeless, like forgotten ashes.

The violet pupils had also lost their former brilliance, replaced by tired bloodshot eyes, silently speaking of days of toil and lack of rest. Heavy eyelids constantly signaled profound drowsiness.

Staring at my reflection, I felt this body was like a violet trembling in the cold wind, on the verge of wilting—beautiful yet fragile.

“Damn it…”

I cursed under my breath, my voice laced with helplessness and despair. I slowly leaned forward, placing my hands on the mirror, feeling the coldness emanating from it, allowing the chill to spread through my body, stirring a bitter melancholy.

“I hate this body of yours…”

I complained, poured out my grievances, lamented, trembled, and expressed my unwillingness to the me in the mirror!

“Why did I become such a useless body? So weak, with no muscles to wield heavy objects, no strong, tall frame. When real danger comes, I can only flee in a panic like a kitten…

“If only I had a strong body like Rodd’s, handsome and dashing, with an imposing aura in every movement, able to fight without hesitation…

“If I… if I…”

My voice grew softer and softer, eventually fading into the air.

I envied, I craved. If I also possessed that kind of power, that status, how could I fear Axas’s schemes, or dread ‘Goose Yellow’s’ threats?

How could I be like this now… unable to do anything?

That immense power…

[Haven’t you seen it already?]

A voice flashed through my mind, distant yet familiar.

The voice sent a shiver of eerie dread through me, and I couldn’t help but look around.

No one…

In my confusion, I felt an ice-like touch on my palm. I instinctively turned to look at the wall mirror, and the girl in the mirror looked back at me.

For some reason, after staring at my reflection for a long time, I began to feel that the figure in the mirror wasn’t me—it was terrifying.

Subconsciously, I tried to step back, but my hand felt glued to the mirror’s surface, unable to move even an inch.

[We…]

At this moment, the ‘me’ in the mirror revealed a bizarre and mysterious smile.

[Let’s make a deal.]

The voice seemed to come from another world, carrying an inexplicable allure and power…