Doctor Hailey

Awkwardly, Hailey withdrew her hand.

Hethos ignored her attempt at a handshake and entered the opposite cell with a single bound.

Hailey walked straight to the corner, sighed heavily and leaned against the wall, gazing at Hethos leaning against it.

She couldn’t pass up the chance to talk to Hethos.

“How did you end up in prison?”

Hethos turned his gaze to her, of course.

“Are you talking to me?”

“Is there anyone else here? Both sides of your cell are empty.”

Hailey checked as she entered and confirmed that her neighboring cells were indeed empty. She wasn’t sure how many cells there were in this corridor, but she didn’t hear any other voices.

“I don’t know.”

Hailey closed her eyes again as she saw Hethos sprawled on the floor. She had many questions she wanted to ask, but she hesitated to bother the newly imprisoned. She had fought hard to make a single knife. She could barely persuade the blacksmith to forge a knife; anything beyond that was beyond her abilities. The name she had heard from the smith was Hethos.

“The greatest blacksmith beyond the borders of the empire!”

He was renowned for forging weapons coveted by knights and nobles alike, and rumor had it that he had even attracted the attention of the Emperor. She had asked where this Hethos was, but she’d only heard that he often moved his forge, so she didn’t really know.

Since then, Hailey has searched every forge in the Salisbury Territory and nearby academies, but a blacksmith named Hethos remained elusive.

It worked out well. I really wanted to meet Hethos for my mother’s surgery and future treatments. It’s fortunate to finally meet him, even under these circumstances.

Looking at the sleeping Hethos, Hailey sighed in relief.

Drrooong, conk!

“Whoa!”

Startled, she quickly rubbed her chest, but Hethos, snoring loudly as if he had eaten a boiling cauldron, showed no sign of movement.

“Maybe I should talk to him tomorrow.”

The cold seeped into her bones. Her whole body shivered and her jaw quivered. She looked around and spotted a blanket. It smelled musty, but it was better than the cold. Hailey pulled the smelly blanket over her, barely covering her body.

“I need to contact Father as soon as possible.”

Drrooong, conk! Conk!

An incredibly loud snore, one she hadn’t heard before, interrupted her thoughts.

“Wow…”

Hailey shook her head in disbelief.

***

A soft moan escaped Hailey’s lips.

She tried to open her eyes, but quickly closed them again.

Wanting more sleep, she longed for a soft, warm blanket, but all she had was a rough, thin one.

Wondering where the blanket was, she pulled it up to her neck.

Hailey let out a grunt as she sat up.

She found it strange that she had fallen asleep and wondered how she could rest in such cold.

A growl came from her stomach.

She put her hand to her stomach and the sound echoed around the cell.

“Weren’t you a high-class lady?”

Hethos chuckled from the opposite cell.

“Yes, I was.”

Hailey replied nonchalantly.

“Even nobles’ stomachs growl when they’re hungry and make noise when they have to go to the bathroom.”

“Is that so?”

Hailey shrugged indifferently.

“Of course. We’re all human. Is that a problem?” Hailey replied.

“No, not at all.”

Hethos averted his gaze.

“Why are you here, sir?” Seizing the opportunity after her nap, Hailey didn’t hesitate to ask.

It felt like the right moment to inquire about the questions that intrigued her.

“Are you asking me?”

“Who else could it be? It was just the two of us in this hallway yesterday,” Hailey remarked.

Hailey grabbed the window bars and stuck her head out.

Hethos stood up as well and tried to stick his head through the bars.

“What’s up?”

She chuckled, watching Hethos’ face pressed against the bars.

“It’s not that my face is big, it’s that yours is small!”

“Got it.”

Hailey’s lips curled.

She looked around the neighboring cells. Just like yesterday, there was no one else around.

“Since no one’s here… What brought you to prison?”

“I didn’t commit a crime. I was dragged here.”

Hethos grumbled.

“I’m hungry. I wish they’d give us something to eat.”

He rubbed his ear irritably.

Hailey hesitated for a moment, then looked down at her stomach before narrowing her eyes and looking at Hethos.

“Was it a serious crime?”

She asked cautiously.

“What crime could a high-class lady like you have committed to end up in the Imperial Investigation Agency?”

“Me?”

“Then who else is here besides us?”

“Oh, I have committed no crime.”

Hailey assured confidently.

“Neither have I.”

“Criminals always claim their innocence anyway.”

The unfamiliar voice startled Hailey.

When had he arrived?

The guard began to unlock the prison doors one by one.

“Are you going to let us out now?”

Hailey sat up straight.

“It’s time to eat.”

The guard replied curtly.

Her shoulders slumped.

Well, at least they’re providing food. It’s better than starving.

With the thought of food in her mind, Hailey found herself following the guard briskly.

Meanwhile, Hethos, who had been silently following behind Hailey, suddenly addressed the guard.

“How long are you going to keep me here?”

Hailey turned to Hethos at his words.

Is he already confronting the guard, not even a day after being locked up?

“Do you think I’ll let a criminal like you go so easily?”

The guard’s voice was cold.

“Stop dawdling and move quickly. If you continue to mutter nonsense, I’ll withhold your food. Do you understand why we feed the prisoners regularly? It’s because people are starving even in the capital.”

Hailey’s expression soured at his words.

As the guard pointed out, there were still starving people in the heart of the Empire, the capital.

It was a reality that she, as a noble lady, had inadvertently overlooked.

“What crime have I committed?”

“You’ve been wandering around the outskirts for so long that you seem clueless. And getting involved with the Salisbury family doesn’t bode well.”

Hailey stopped in her tracks at the guard’s words.

It was clearly a taunt directed at her.

No matter how much our family resented the royal family, it didn’t warrant such disrespect from the guard.

“What’s wrong with the Salisbury family? They simply built a forge because of its convenient location.”

Hailey’s eyes widened at the familiar story. Could it be true?

“Other nobles have caused much more trouble by simply setting up blacksmith shops! The Salisbury family even extended their support!”

“Father!”

As expected from my father!