She deliberately took a long detour, making no effort to avoid the Enforcement Squad members conducting their usual patrols along the way. By the time she reached the door of Cell Number Three, she found that her husband, Rodolphus, had been waiting for some time. She tilted her head toward the cell—inside the iron bars, the two people were already standing beside the beds, their clothes tidied and their hair swept in the same direction as Bella's.
After confirming that there were no observers or surveillance methods nearby, she gave the two a slight nod, took a Forgetfulness Potion from her pocket, and drank it. The transparent liquid was tasteless, leaving only the faintest coolness at the base of her tongue after it went down.
She waited roughly two minutes, then took out a Sleeping Potion and drank it in one gulp. She pulverized both bottles into a small pinch of powder with a Cutting Charm, and the sea breeze scattered it away. Rodolphus followed the same rhythm.
The two opened the unlit solitary cell beside Cell Number Three. The light inside was half as bright as in an ordinary cell, with only a narrow window in the corner wall admitting a patch of gray-white daylight. Two bunks stood against the wall, their sheets folded neatly.
Bella lay on the inner bunk, curled up facing the wall, while Rodolphus lay on the side nearest the door in the same position. Their eyelids closed almost simultaneously, their breathing gradually slowing from an even rhythm. By the third minute, its frequency had dropped to nearly hibernation-level metabolism, and the rise and fall of their chests had gone from plainly visible to something that could only be sensed from up close.
About twenty minutes later, "Bella" and "Rodolphus" emerged from Cell Number Three—their