Through a string of coincidences, Annan, an outsider, found himself in the Raymond Family's dungeon, where he saw Kilian.
Kilian looked well enough. His clothes were intact, and there were no signs he had been tortured.
Illegitimate son or not, he was still the Grand Lord's child. Until the Grand Lord gave the word, no one dared torture Kilian.
"How did you get caught too?" Kilian stood up in surprise when he saw Annan.
"I'm just here to see you."
The butler discreetly left, and Annan spoke.
"That's impossible. This is a family secret..."
Only then did Kilian notice Mr. Mora standing beside Annan, and he believed him.
"Your father told me everything."
Having deceived Lady Melanie, Annan turned to deceive Kilian. "Was it worth it? Being cast aside to make way for the true heir?"
Pain crossed Kilian's face. "I had no choice. For the family, I had to sacrifice myself. For our rule to continue, you had to die..."
"You really do hate me," Annan said.
"No. Quite the opposite. I admire you."
By now, Kilian had guessed he would never leave the dungeon alive, so he stopped hiding what he thought.
"When you first arrived, I even tried to compete with you, to see which of us was better..." Kilian gave a complicated smile, with a trace of something he could not put into words.
"But right under my nose, you did one thing after another without anyone noticing. In just a few days, you gave my un... my father a headache. I'd never seen him so furious."
As Kilian spoke, he grew more at ease. Forgetting that Mora was there, he sat back down among the straw as though he were in a study rather than a cell.
"Annan, can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."