A Otto Passy was awakened by a noise.
He opened his heavy eyelids and looked at the candles on the candlesticks around him. The candles on the candlesticks had seen the bottom. The thin flames made the room look very dark.
Day and night were impossible to see in the dungeon, and candles became his only measure of time. About every three hours, they will be replaced, and at the same time, there is the dinner plate in front of him.
But that was at the very beginning.
Now, whether it is candles or food, the delivery time is getting more and more delayed, and sometimes he even wakes up from hunger and finds that the prison is still dark.
How long has he been imprisoned here? Otto shook his forehead, trying to make himself more awake. The detention without light for a long time made him haggard, especially when he woke up and was still in the darkness where he could not see his fingers, which would make him feel a sense of helplessness that was forgotten by everyone.
But he has to live.
Because father... and even the fate of the entire Losey family is in Ampain's hands.
Otto propped up his weak body, rolled over and got out of bed, and walked slowly to the railing. In addition to refilling the plates and water jugs, he also hoped that the guard would give him a scraper. The long unshaved beard has grown all over the cheeks. Every time I eat, it will leave grease and residue on it. After a long time, it will naturally emit an unpleasant smell, like a moldy and rotten orange peel. If the other party is not at ease, it is no problem to leave it to them to shave.
After all, he is also a nobleman, and requests for grooming should not be rejected.
Then Otto heard conversations coming from outside the iron gate.
"What the hell were those people doing just now? The eldest son of the Percy family is locked inside!"
Judging from the volume, the speaker didn't mean to whisper, as if he didn't care about being heard.
"To make fun of and ridicule, isn't that what clowns do?"
"It's crazy. If these acrobatic troupes dare to offend the earl's son, I'm afraid they will become fish food at the bottom of the river the next day. They are just a group of homeless people with no identity!"
"You know it's normal, the eldest son is usually locked in a dungeon? Isn't it the tricks performed by those guys that His Majesty likes to watch now? "
"Bah, just guess."
"I just said it casually, whether you believe it or not. Then again, what can you do if you don't believe it, go and exchange a dinner for the big man in the prison?"
"Hey, forget it... It's just a few mouthfuls of saliva, and you won't die if you eat it." With these words, the sound of a bunch of keys colliding with each other sounded.
"That's right, if this is what Your Majesty wants to see, aren't you asking yourself to be bored? Go ahead, I'm still waiting to close the plate."
The iron door made a sour rubbing sound, and the prisoner walked in with a plate of food.
"Yo, my lord, are you awake?" Seeing Otto leaning against the railing, the other party looked a little surprised, but the embarrassment on his face was quickly covered up, "Just in time, eat today's dinner. Candles I'll change it tomorrow, but the House Chief forgot to send the new one."
Otto didn't reply. His heart was filled with great sadness, and he forgot to even mention the request to shave. Although there were only a few words, he was able to draw the truth of the previous noise from the conversation between the two. The clown of the acrobatic troupe ran into the food delivery man, and spit a few saliva into his food with the intention of pleasing Ampein Moya
The humiliation made his cheeks hot, as if a fire was on fire.
And the head of the cell didn't care about his answer. After changing the plate, he quickly left the cell. Although the furnishings and decorations in the cell were as exquisite as the duke's mansion, the dull feeling of depression made anyone They don't want to stay here any longer.
As the footsteps receded, silence enveloped Otto.
For a moment, he couldn't even help but want to shout out, to scold the other party for his dereliction of duty, and to scold Am Paine for his neglect... But he didn't do it in the end.
Because it is meaningless. The former will only make the next replacement time come later, while the latter may be in the hands of an "old friend".
As for the dinner he used to humiliate him, he didn't even want to touch it.
Otto couldn't help but wonder if he was doing the right thing.
Just when he was about to go back to bed, he suddenly trembled in the corner of his eyes, and the wheat porridge on the plate turned into a bowl of black water at some point!
The eldest son of Percy rubbed his eyes, moved slowly to the dinner plate, and carefully picked up the porridge.
It was not his illusion, nor was it the shadow produced by the weak firelight, but the porridge surface had indeed turned black, like thick ink.
In an instant, an electric light flashed in his mind.
Acrobatic troupe, clowns, tricks... Could it all be arranged by that person
"Yorko said you used to be an ordinary acrobat, is it true? How did you know His Majesty Roland?"
"It's just a coincidence. As for why Your Majesty is interested in me, it's probably because my acrobatic performance is not bad."
"Oh? Can you demonstrate it?"
"It's okay, let's have the easiest squid to spit ink."
Otto stared at the porridge for a moment, and suddenly inserted his fingers into the bowl! After fumbling for a while, a slightly rough touch came from the fingertips.
"This... how did this happen? Why did the water suddenly change color?"
"It's not over yet, look at this tulle, is there nothing on it? Now I soak it in water and dry it on fire, guess what?"
"Nothing... er, wait, that's the... word?"
"Can you tell what was written?"
"Let me see, is this your name?"
"That's right, Hill Fox, that's my name."
Otto gently squeezed the rough thing, and slowly brought out the porridge noodles, which looked almost transparent, and even if it was directly immersed in the porridge, it was difficult to tell. Only when you rub it with your hands, you can feel the existence of this tulle.
He held his breath, walked quickly to the candlestick, and unfolded it little by little.
The faint black traces of water began to fade, and the candle flames were flickering.
Hurry up… hurry up… hurry up… hurry up, he shouted anxiously in his heart, swaying shadows seemed to be shrouded in all directions, and what he held in his hand was the only light in this world.
At the moment when the word marks appeared, the candle went out.
Darkness engulfed the entire dungeon.
Otto couldn't help but laughed softly.
He pressed his trembling shoulders, stuffed the tulle into his mouth, then crawled back to the railing and swallowed the porridge.
The warm warm current rolled through his throat and internal organs, filling him with strength. But his heart was warmer than the porridge.
As he drank the porridge silently, a tear rolled down from the corner of his eyes.
His persistence was finally not in vain.
There are only a few short words on the tulle, and the handwriting is beautiful and flying, and it has a familiar flavor from childhood.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."