I Thought It Was a Common Transmigration - Chapter 110

Maybe, just maybe, Shane would storm the Ludwig mansion like in the original story, but since the Duchess and Lizé weren’t kidnapped, my head wouldn’t be cut off.

I was relieved while everyone else was tense and anxious.

We were ushered into the carriage by the knights after having our identities checked.

I was even more relieved when the knight who had been sent to the mansion during the identification process confirmed that everything was fine at the mansion.

‘So…… what will happen now?’

The worst was over, but I still hadn’t heard the voice tell me that I met the third exception condition.

That means it’s not yet clear if I’m going to make it out alive.

“Edith. Don’t worry too much. Everything’s going to be okay.”

The Duchess must have seen the anxiety in my expression, because she soothed me.

I smiled awkwardly and nodded.

The carriage we rode in sped through the dark night.

Since we left the party faster than anyone else, the road back to the mansion was quiet.

The Duchess told me not to worry, but she herself couldn’t stop worrying, and Lizé chewed her lip, shaking with anxiety.

It was very quiet in the carriage, except for the loud squeak of the wheels.

‘That’s odd. Somehow, it seems too quiet……’

If only I could get rid of thoughts.

It was a wonder to me that my bad feelings were never wrong.

“W- who are you?!”

The escort shouted, and the carriage shook violently with a long horse whinny.

“Aahh!”

“W- what’s going on?!”

Lizé and the Duchess shouted, hugging each other.

I, sitting across from them, leaned against the carriage wall to keep from falling over and tried to look out the window.

The sharp sound of swords clashing pierced my ears, and I knew something bad was happening.

‘No way……!’

I gasped, wrapping my arms around the Duchess and Lizé as they hugged each other.

Just then, the carriage door burst open.

“It’s been a long time, Edith.”

“Shit……”

All sorts of expletives were running through my head.

It was, of course, Shane Riegelhoff who greeted me.

Even with the mask on, I couldn’t mistake his sinister eyes or his eerie voice.

‘I guess no matter how hard I try, if I can’t meet the third exception condition, major episodes still happen……!’

It was hopeless.

And in the midst of it all, Shane grabbed Lizé’s forearm.

“Come here!”

“Aahh!”

And then the carriage door on the other side from where Shane had entered opened, and masked men pulled the Duchess and me out.

“Lizé! Lizé!”

The Duchess reached for Lizé as she was dragged away by Shane, but the strength of the trained mercenaries was no match for the older woman.

“Get your hands off! Mother!”

I shouted at the Duchess, who was being dragged violently by the mercenaries.

“Let go of Lizé! Lizé! Lizé!”

But the Duchess was looking at Lizé, not me. It seems that all she can see is Lizé.

Or maybe she realized it was Shane’s people and thought I couldn’t possibly get hurt.

‘I can’t let her think I’m in league with Shane!’

I struggled against the mercenary who held me and screamed, “How dare you do such disrespectful things to the Duchess, aren’t you afraid of the consequences? Get your hands off!”

That’s when I saw Lizé collapse to the ground. It didn’t look like Shane had hit her; she must have fainted from fear.

“What are you doing?! Lizé has nothing to do with this! Let her go!”

“Quiet!”

As the Duchess struggled, one of the mercenaries dragging her struck her hard on the back of the neck, and she crumpled to the ground.

“Mother!”

My cry did not reach her. It only enraged Shane, who was dragging Lizé.

“Mother? Haha, have you forgotten who your mother is? You ungrateful bitch!”

My head snapped around with a snap.

My ears were ringing and it felt like lightning had struck before my eyes.

Taking advantage of my staggering, Shane’s mercenaries tried to put the Duchess and Lizé into a carriage they had hidden.

Then, in the distance, I saw a group of knights riding toward us.

“Halt there!”

It was clearly the knights of House Ludwig.

“Help! Let go of me! Get your hands off me, you bastard!”

I struggled with every last ounce of strength I had, hoping to buy a little time.

There was only one mercenary holding me, and he missed my arm in his panic at my sudden struggle.

But instead of running away, I tugged at the Duchess, who was almost dragged up into the carriage.

“This bitch! You won’t give up until the end……?!”

Even in the darkness, I could see Shane’s eyes burning with rage.

He pushed Lizé into the carriage and then ran straight for me, punching me in the face with his fist.

“Ack!”

I let out a strange cry and sprawled on the ground.

Shane kicked me in the stomach as if he really wanted to kill me on the spot, and I blacked out in excruciating pain.

Before I lost consciousness, I thought I heard someone calling me, “Miss!” in the distance.

 

***

 

I slowly opened my eyes, feeling very disoriented and frustrated.

My body ached all over as I came to my senses.

“Ugh…… ugh……”

The pain was so intense that I couldn’t help but groan.

But I quickly stopped myself when I noticed someone else next to me.

“You’re finally waking up, I was thinking of splashing water on you.”

My vision was blurry, but I recognized the person beside me. How could I forget that voice?

“Sophia……”

“You remember me? I thought you’d forgotten all about me after you betrayed your family so completely.”

“You were too impressive to forget……”

“Hahaha!”

Sophia laughed, sounding more happy than ever. No, actually, it was the first time I’d ever heard her show her emotions like this. It was a laugh I’d heard before, but now her gleeful emotion was almost goosebump-inducing.

“You’ll just have to wait a little longer. Once we get everything cleaned up, I’m going to give you a nice little treat myself.”

I wasn’t looking forward to the ‘treat’ Sophia was going to give me. Now that she was free from the constraint of having to smack me inconspicuously in areas covered by my clothes, she would probably break my bones or make me bleed.

‘Please tell me this ‘cleanup’ thing is going to take a while.’

I glanced around to assess the situation.

It was dark, but not impossible to discern, and I could see the sunrise through the small window.

‘Have I been unconscious all night……? Where the hell am I?’

The place looked like a prison, with high ceilings and stone walls everywhere.

Obviously, it wasn’t inside the Riegelhoff mansion.

It looked like a prison within a castle, probably the castle of an aristocrat of Archduke Langston’s faction with an estate around the capital.

‘If not, it could have been rented for the purpose of this kidnapping…… Well, I’m sure Cliff will find out anyway.’

If the episode where Lizé and the Duchess are kidnapped occurs, the episode where Cliff comes to their rescue will also occur without change.

So I am not too worried about Lizé and the Duchess.

‘I’m worried about myself.’

I felt a chill run through my bones. My shoulder touching the floor didn’t feel sore from being hit, but merely from the coldness of the floor.

The Duchess and Lizé were still unconscious, and I had my hands tied behind my back.

But they were lying on an old blanket, not on the floor, because they were precious hostages.

‘One, two, three…… six, with Sophia……’

But the group that attacked the carriage was clearly larger than six.

The rest were probably guarding the outside of the building.

“Ugh……”

The slightest movement of my body brought out a groan. White breath rose and fell in the dark air.

I tossed and turned, trying to find a more comfortable position, but no matter how I turned, it hurt.

Just then, the door burst open and Shane appeared. His gaze swept over Lizé.

“Is Lizé awake?”

“The Duchess and Miss Lizé have not woken up yet, but our lady has.”

Shane snapped his head around to look at me as Sophia reported my condition.

“Sophia, watch your language. How is that woman ‘our lady’? She’s no one but a traitor!”

“I made a great mistake, I apologize.”

“In our house, she deserves to be treated no better than a mere laundry maid. And as for her education, I trust you will take care of it, as always.”

“Leave it to me. Oh, by the way…… at what level shall I do it?”

“I don’t care if she dies or not; but before she does, let her regret it bitterly.”

Damn. I’m screwed.

Torture is a worse punishment than killing in one fell swoop.

“Cliff! Cliff, when the hell are you coming?!’

I don’t think I’ve ever been so desperate for Cliff since I was reincarnated as Edith.

He always comes when the female lead is in danger, but why isn’t he showing up? Is it because it’s not time yet?

While I was wriggling like an earthworm on the floor, Shane knelt down in front of Lizé, grabbing her chin and lifting it slightly.

I heard a sigh that sounded somehow satisfied.

“You’re finally in my hands.”

The way he cupped her cheek, it wasn’t like he was dealing with a mere hostage.

‘What, what the hell? This guy has a crush on Lizé?’

That fact alone was enough for Cliff to kill Shane.

I never once thought of Shane as handsome, because even though he was good-looking, he always had a scary expression on his face. But for the first time, I saw him smile pleasantly.

‘Hmm, he doesn’t look all that handsome when he smiles.’

It’s a creepy smile that looks like he’s about to do something bad.

Just then, there was a sound of someone approaching from outside.