To the Love Born in the Lowest Place

From all directions, ominous creaking sounds echoed, and darkness enveloped the space, making it impossible to see anything. However, Liv could still smell the scents of fire and dust. Liv carefully followed Emmett down into the underground prison.

It seemed Emmett had made preparations, as there were no guards keeping watch over the prison. However, there were several locks on the path leading to the prison cells, making it impossible for Hayden to escape by his own power. Using the keys he had obtained from the guards, Emmett unlocked all the locks and finally stopped in front of one cell.

“This is it.”

“Ah…”

Reacting to the stench of blood emanating from inside, Liv instinctively wrinkled her nose.

Inside was Hayden, reduced to a horrific state. His clothes were torn to rags, and blood was flowing from beneath the chair he was tied to. The armrests of the chair were scratched, as if by fingernails, leaving them in tatters. Through the tears in his clothes, Liv could see terrible wounds that looked like burns.

Hayden, his eyes bloodshot from burst blood vessels, raised his head.

“Liv Hamelsvoort.”

“Yes.”

Liv brought her face as close to the cell bars as possible. Accustomed to the gods’ descriptions of punishing those who tormented her, Liv could look Hayden straight in the eye despite his pitiful appearance. Still, the sight of him in such a wretched state left her feeling uneasy.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m okay.”

Despite his words, Hayden’s voice carried a playful tone, and his face, which looked tormented by the wounds, was grinning broadly.

“Compared to the divine punishment I endured, this is nothing. Thanks to you, I’ve become well-trained, you see?”

Seeing that he still had some strength left in him, Liv felt a bit relieved.

“Why were you tortured like this?”

“Well, they probably felt they could do whatever they wanted to someone from the Wolfe family without repercussions.”

Hayden answered while rolling his eyes slightly, as if dissatisfied.

“If I had been from an ordinary noble family, they might not have gone this far out of fear of retaliation from other nobles. But the Wolfe family was loyal to the previous imperial line, so we’re completely separated from the current noble society and isolated. There are no nobles who would speak up for the Wolfe family, so they treated me like a plaything.”

“…So what will happen to you now?”

“Well, I’ll be fine. Fortunately, it seems they were satisfied with just tormenting my body and don’t plan to go after the Wolfe family itself.”

“So you won’t be imprisoned?”

“Ah, no, I’ll likely just be locked up in prison for a few years as a compromise.”

Despite his casual tone, the grave implications of his words cast a shadow over Liv’s face. She gazed at Hayden silently before speaking.

“Why did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Why did you go that far for me?”

“Ha.”

Suddenly, Hayden raised the corners of his mouth in a smile, as if something amused him. The laughter, completely out of place given the situation, made him seem utterly insane.

“You know, let me be honest? At first, I considered just leaving you be. If you were mistreated by the Emperor, your gods would inflict divine punishment on him, which would benefit me.”

“But then?”

“I just changed my mind the moment I saw your expression.”

He said it in a nonchalant voice.

“You didn’t seem like you could endure this kind of torture. I told you, didn’t I? I have no intention of exploiting you.”

Liv recalled what Hayden had said before.

-Not exploit, but have me join you instead. With or without your abilities, I have the confidence that together, we can topple the Emperor.

So perhaps Hayden truly intended to simply work together with Liv, not exploit her?

Sensing Liv’s wavering resolve, Hayden met her gaze and said:

“Once I get out of prison, I’ll probably have an even stronger desire for revenge. Will you help me then?”

“What?”

“To bring down the Emperor together. Actually, no matter how insane I become, I wouldn’t normally propose something like this first, but I strangely trust you easily.”

At those words, Liv fell silent. This kind of trust was something she had never experienced before. The fact that a human trusted her felt like a powerful gravitational force pulling her into the human world.

Liv felt an indescribable impulse stir in her fluttering heart. Yes, for instance…

“Hayden.”

“Yeah?”

“Shall I give you another chance?”

Liv continued, looking at him with a gentle expression.

“I can die here and splatter you with my blood. Then you’ll likely undergo divine punishment again. It will definitely be agonizing. But…”

A solemn voice flowed from Liv’s lips.

“Couldn’t we change this situation?”

The first to react to those words was Emmett.

“No, Liv!”

He grabbed Liv’s arms firmly and spoke with a resolute face.

“That is absolutely not allowed. I can’t permit you to use your life as a means. No matter what happens, I will stop that.”

“…Why?”

Liv’s face seemed to genuinely not understand, appearing as innocent as a child – which perhaps enabled her to conceive such cruel thoughts.

“I don’t truly die, you know.”

“Miss Liv, that’s…”

Emmett tightened his grip on Liv’s arms as he spoke.

“If you endure any suffering, even momentarily, I too will be tormented. I never want to witness you taking your own life, nor will I allow you to use yourself as a means.”

“Hey, yeah.”

Hayden’s voice came from inside the cell.

“I don’t expect you to die for me either. It’s enough if you just get revenge on the Emperor for me, alright?”

“But I have to do it this way.”

Liv spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

“I owe you a debt, and I will absolutely repay it.”

“Hey, that was just something I said.”

“So I’ll die if needed.”

At those words, Emmett covered his eyes with one hand, while Hayden gazed at Liv with an expression of amazement.

“Wow, you really are out of your mind…”

“What?”

“Your way of thinking is just so different.”

Even bound, Hayden marveled before opening his mouth with a wry smile.

“Anyway, you don’t need to die. He over there doesn’t seem like he’ll just stand by and let it happen either.”

He turned his head towards Emmett. Emmett was staring straight at Liv, his eyes seemingly filled with a firm resolve.

“Miss Liv.”

“Yes?”

“From now on, you will never need to die, not for anyone, not even for me. I will make it so.”

“But…”

“I will make it that way.”

While Emmett’s resolve was evident, Liv now felt even more troubled. She couldn’t just ignore Hayden, who had ended up imprisoned and tortured for trying to help her.

Liv could turn back time by taking her own life, and both of them knew that fact, so why didn’t they choose the easier path? Using her would be the most efficient approach.

As Liv wore a conflicted expression, Emmett spoke up.

“…There is another way.”

“Which is?”

“I can have him released.”

With a cold expression, Emmett glanced at Hayden and said:

“His Majesty the Emperor trusts me greatly. If I insist on releasing him, His Majesty will likely listen to me.”

“You can have me released? Ah, I see. Well, you have been quite the loyal hound to His Majesty all this time.”

Despite Hayden’s mocking words, Emmett didn’t seem provoked. After briefly pondering, he continued:

“I have the authority to pardon criminals. It was something His Majesty granted me previously.”

“My, you even have the power of pardon?”

When Hayden asked, Emmett nodded.

“Yes. I obtained it previously by presenting His Majesty with materials for ancient sorcery.”

“Now you’re even dabbling in ancient sorcery, I see.”

Hayden muttered in an irritated voice. Ancient sorcery was strictly prohibited in the Holy Hilysid Empire. However, the fact that the ‘Tyrant August’ was involved with ancient sorcery didn’t seem particularly surprising to them.

Then, as if recalling something, Hayden furrowed his brow and asked:

“But if you release me, a member of the Wolfe family loyal to the previous imperial line, won’t His Majesty become wary of you?”

“Of course, he likely will. I may no longer be able to remain as close to His Majesty as before. But still, I can at least have you released.”

“What excuse will you use when invoking the pardon?”

At those words, the contemplative look on Emmett’s face turned solemn as he slowly spoke:

“His Majesty is quite impulsive, so even I am not completely safe. In fact, the most stable approach would be to release you while avoiding His Majesty’s suspicion…”

Emmett regarded Hayden with a strange look.

“I can handle it by saying I will personally punish you.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I could request His Majesty to grant me the authority to directly punish an unruly subject still loyal to the previous imperial line. He may just listen to me.”

“You think he’ll believe that?”

While Liv asked with a perplexed expression, having heard about the Emperor’s character, Hayden seemed to have caught on, smirking slightly.

“I see, an outrageous excuse, but… the fact that you’re considering using it as a method, Duke.”

Now, despite his battered appearance, Hayden was looking at Emmett with an amused gaze.

“Means you’ve acted that way before, haven’t you, Duke?”

“What is that supposed to…”

Towards the flustered Liv, Hayden explained:

“If the Emperor believes it, there’s only one reason. You’ve directly punished those disloyal to the Emperor in the past.”

“Ah…”