Slow Prison Life Ch. 3

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5577es/3/

 

Noblewoman Renovates the Prison

By the time Sykes returned from the prison, he found Elliot still flirting with Miss Margaret…….but the situation was soon going to evolve(deteriorate).

“…….!!”

When he saw the state of the dungeon, Elliot was at a loss for words. Sykes, who was supposed to have been prepared for the strangeness of this situation, was also at a loss for words. This prison, it was a completely different place from just 30 minutes ago.

 

The dungeon is a facility that is actually comprised of one large square room separated in two by a row of iron bars.
The front room across from the iron grating is used for waiting and monitoring the dungeon. The staircase leading up to the rest of the castle was obviously here as well. The only furniture in this portion of the dungeon was just a simple desk and a couple chairs.
The prisoners’ meals would be brought from the kitchen in the upper floors, so there was no need for any kitchen facilities, and because any interrogations are taken care of in the guard quarters, there was no need for any furniture.
The room in the back is where the prisoner resides–the actual dungeon. Interior decoration consists of stone with a stone ceiling and a stone floor. A monochromatic design. In one corner there was a toilet, shower, and washbasin all shoved together. These two portions of the room are only separated by the iron bars, and if they were to be removed, you would have a single, larger room.
As it is called a dungeon, it is the basement floor mostly underground, but there is several elongated holes in the high walls to act as windows in order to provide ventilation and lighting. Because this was the only source of light for the room, even in the daytime it was dim without any lamps or candles.

Whether life in this stifling space would be dreadful or not depended on the position of the person interred here and the degree of hostility from the person who had put them in there.
If the prisoner was a big shot that needed due consideration or if the person was still on amicable terms with their jailer despite the circumstances, then they could expect special treatment. Rugs and other furnishings like beds, desks, and chairs could be provided along with toiletries for the toilet and even a bathtub.
If the purpose of the prisoners incarceration was to oppress them or their jailer felt hatred for them, then they may receive nothing instead. Shivering in the cold and forced to lie down on the cobblestone floor. They would have to eat off a tray placed on the ground and subjected to the humiliation of being watched as you bathe and excrete waste by the guard.
Just listening to this type of treatment is enough to make most men tremble. Especially if their imprisonment had already been decided…..

Nonetheless, the stories are mostly just urban legends.

In the first place there is almost no reason for this prison to be used in the first place.
Compared to the past, most inmates are handled immediately by the guards, so rather than being thrown into the dungeon, they are immediately dragged into the guard quarters where their interrogations are handled post haste without giving them even a chance to escape.
On the other hand, and criminals who wouldn’t need this type of consideration wouldn’t be important enough to be placed in the dungeon of the royal palace. It is far better and more practical to just ship them off to the larger suburban prison used by the common people.
This dungeon was something to be used to abuse powerful people who had lost everything from the days where civil wars and conspiracy was an everyday thing. The country had been at peace for a long time now so rather than a prison, it had become more of a holding cell for nobles and courtiers who meet extraordinary conditions.

Rachel Ferguson, who was this cells first resident in a long time, was indeed an extraordinary case. Somebody who was expecting the Duke’s daughter to draw the Prince’s ire and be thrown in there. There was no such person who existed. Or at the very least, such a capable person is hard to come by.

But was Prince Elliot able to think that deeply……?
Of course not. He just wanted to bully Rachel who had created a bad environment and bullied the cute Margaret. At no point in any corner of his brain did he ever consider what her living arrangements would be like.
What had crossed the Prince’s mind was the powerful image of Rachel becoming desperate after being imprisoned and begging Margaret for forgiveness and to be released as soon as possible. Any specific details were unable to be found.
Honestly, after expelling Rachel from his social gathering and flirting with Margaret, the Prince had completely forgotten the matter until Sykes had drug his feet back into the hall.
So he had no idea what problem his aide could have had with that woman, and he didn’t understand the strangeness of the situation until he had gotten to the prison himself.

……….because when he did arrive in the prison, Prince Elliot could not understand the sight in front of him.

 

In this prison, the Duke’s daughter who had just had her engagement annulled and left alone in this cold dank place was currently relaxing.

In this place where stone pavement should be visible from every corner, a geometrically patterned rug mat was laid down, and the shower and toilet which should have been in plain view for the guards was partitioned off by a floral curtain.
The resident who had arrived at the castle that night while wearing a formal evening dress had already changed into some simple indoor wear. On the rug mat was a cushion sofa where this dungeon’s imprisoned was turning the page of her book while lying on her back. In other words, there was also a light inside the cell close enough for her to be able to read.

Why is she wearing a different outfit from what she had been thrust in there with?
Where did this furniture come from?

Impossible.
This picture is impossible.
This side of the iron bars is definitely still a dungeon.
And even though the other side is supposed to be a dungeon, even if it is narrow, why is such a comfortable living arrangement spread out?

The people gathered here had no words for this mysterious sight, but after a moment of them staring, the nobleman lying there suddenly noticed their presence.

“?”

Rachel sat up, completely ignoring the other side of the bars, and after picking up the kettle off of her alcohol lamp, she poured out some boiling water into her tea pot before covering the lid. Inside this dank dungeon, the smell of obviously outstanding fragrant tea spread.

“Mufuu…..”

Rachel smiled happily while smelling the excellent scent.
Elliot, who had been frozen in shock until now, finally moved a little when his jaw dropped watching this whole tea brewing scene. Sykes kept staring at the woman’s face, but he couldn’t force any words to come out.
After around a five count, the Prince’s senses finally returned to him when he rushed forward and clung to the iron bars.

“You! Where did you get something like this from!”

Rachel gave the Prince an incredulous look, finding his response incomprehensible.

“Because I prepared all this myself, I didn’t put any strain on the national budget.”
“That’s not the problem!”
“Because these are all private items I bought over time, there is no way for me to say specifically.”
“I’m not talking about where you got it! Where did it all come from for it to be in here!?”

Elliot’s words were becoming harried as he continued barreling through the conversation.
Rachel however couldn’t seem to understand what he was talking about, so rather than tell him anything, she decided to instead open up one of the nearby wooden boxes and enjoy a sweet. The wooden box she had opened was one of the ones that had been in there since the beginning. The ones that should’ve been a bunch of extra storage.

“……..there!?” Sykes shouted.
“What!?”

The prison guard started explaining the situation to the Prince who was unaware of the circumstances of those boxes. As the full trick became known to him, Elliot began to feel dizzy as he watched his former fiancee happily enjoy a cookie and sip some tea.

“Pr-predicting the situation, the Duke had already sent in siege supplies!?”

Rachel popped in here replying to the Prince’s terrified misunderstanding.

“To be accurate it was actually done by my hands. Well, I’ve been preparing for just such an event.”

With the Prince unable to catch up to that second statement, Rachel opened up her book at the bookmark at she placed on the sofa and once again began devoting herself to absorbing the contents.

 

Although everyone would admit that Rachel Ferguson was a beauty, they would also admit to her having a strangely light presence, and sometimes the Prince would forget what she would say.
Her beautiful thin lips would scarcely form any expression, and they would rarely voice any of her opinions other than the abstract. Even if she were to voice an opinion, the Prince would often hear it at his own convenience.
She was like the shadow of the Prince, a convenient woman attached to his side. The rival noblewomen would often verbally bad-talk her saying she was like a wilted flower and not suitable for the Prince.

Besides the shining beautiful Prince, she was a delicate butterfly that didn’t get in the way, but was also inconspicuous.

She would be unnoticeable if not for the Prince at her side which was why she had always been deemed not fun.

Because she was such a woman, Elliot thought that was why she didn’t put up any resistance when he threw their engagement out the window……..
But now he had a different thought,

 

……..Who is this woman doing whatever she wants right now in this ridiculous place?

Chapter 2 ⊥ Chapter 4